Making Sense of Schoblocher's Exit

On Wednesday night, it was tweeted out that North Texas outfielder and super slugger Taylor Schoblocher is leaving the Mean Green softball team. This is really surprising news, and has a whole lot of consequences.

The biggest question -- Why? In Brett Vito's article, Scho says a "hostile environment" was created, specifically between her and coach Koz -- the new hitting coach.

That's all fine. It's not uncommon for players and coaches to butt heads. About 90% of the time players commit to a college because of the coaching staff. When those coaches leave, the players usually want to leave the school, as well. 

But what makes this situation really fascinating is that Scho is staying at UNT -- just giving up softball. Let's take a look at everything she's leaving behind:

• All-Region player after 2015 season
• Named season's first C-USA Player of the Week
• Then a day later, named National Player of the Week
• Breaking several North Texas single-season records

Head coach Tracey Kee has probably been the coolest coach I've ever had to deal with at North Texas, and we have a good working relationship. With that said, it's hard to image a situation so foul that your best hitter would feel it's better to leave the sport altogether. 

Coach Kee and coach Koz have worked together for a long time -- starting at East Carolina. They put together a successful program, but a couple of bad years and then complaints of verbal abuse, among other things, forced them out. 

Kee landed at North Texas a year later; Koz joined her the year after. Could this just same song, different verse in Denton? I don't know.  

I've never brought up the ECU incident with anyone in the softball department. The only conversation I've had was with an NT media relations worker -- who downplayed the situation to me, saying every college coach has to be a hardass to be successful.

Sure, Scho didn't always give the most amount of effort on the defensive side -- but she was basically the biggest thing coming back for the team. The Green Guys discussed what the softball team had coming back (16:30 mark). 

What could have happened to make a player quit the sport she's most likely been playing since six or seven years old? Maybe Scho really was through the game. Maybe she's burned out after years of putting an amazing out of time and effort into something. Maybe she just wants to start over. 

But with a player as talented as Scho is -- she could have transferred to a whole lot of other teams and been a huge part in a championship run (softball is a sport where transfers don't have to sit out a season). 

Instead, Scho will spend her senior year doing what everyone else her age does -- freak out about what to do after graduation.