May31-June 6, 2012

ASA Hall of Fame Stadium

Oklahoma City, Okla.

POSTGAME NOTES

Game 1: Oklahoma 5, USF 1

• In the first game of the 2012 Women’s College World Series, No. 4 seed Oklahoma defeated USF 5-1. OU improved to 51-8 on the year while USF dropped to 50-13.
• The Sooners snapped a four-game WCWS losing streak that dated back to 2004 when OU defeated Washington 6-2 in its first-round game. In its seventh WCWS appearance, OU improved to 8-10 all-time and 4-3 in first-round action.

• The game for the Bulls was their first ever in WCWS play. They fell to 42-3 this season when scoring first.

• USF sophomore Kourtney Salvarola hit an RBI single in the top of the fourth inning to plate the game’s first run. Salvarola leads the Bulls with 32 RBIs on the year, while the RBI was a WCWS first for the Bulls.

• USF senior Jessica Mouse’s first-inning double marked the first hit for the program in a WCWS game.

• Oklahoma freshman Lauren Chamberlain hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the fourth inning to give OU a 2-1 advantage. The home run was Chamberlain’s 28th of the year, which moved her into ninth on the NCAA’s all-time single-season home run list. In three at bats, Chamberlain finished the contest with two hits, two runs and two RBIs

• OU junior pitcher Keilani Ricketts improved to 34-7 this season and recorded 11 strikeouts, a program record in WCWS play. Ricketts, who gave up just three hits and one run (unearned), has not given up an earned run in 33.0 innings pitched. Today’s contest marked the 23rd game of the year and fourth in postseason play she has registered at least 10 strikeouts.

• Ricketts belted an RBI-triple in the bottom of the sixth to bring home Chamberlain, who hit her ninth double of the year. The triple was Ricketts’ second of her career (the first came against Lehigh in the first round of this year’s NCAA Norman Regional). Ricketts’ triple was the Sooners first in WCWS history.

• USF sophomore pitcher Sara Nevins (31-7) surrendered four hits and five earned runs while striking out seven in her 4.2 innings of work.

• USF’s Lindsey Richardson has yet to give up an earned run in 14.0 innings pitched in NCAA tournament action. Richardson gave up one hit and recorded two strikeouts in her 1.1 innings today.

• USF freshman pitcher Sam Greiner made her first NCAA postseason appearance in the sixth inning, facing  two batters. She issued a bases-loaded walk to plate OU’s final run.

Game 2: California 5, LSU 3

• The second game of the Women’s College World Series saw top-seeded California (57-5) defeat LSU (39-24), 5-3.
• California improved to 8-2 all-time against LSU (2-0 this season). Cal also upped its WCWS record against the Tigers to 2-1. LSU fell to 5-5 all-time in its third WCWS appearance, while Cal improved to 20-20 all-time in the event and to 7-5 in opening-round matchups.

• The Bears improved to 3-3 this year when trailing after four innings and to 34-0 when leading after six.

• LSU senior Morgan Russell delivered a two-run single in the second inning to drive in Allison Falcon and Ashley Applegate, giving the Tigers a 2-0 advantage. The RBIs were Russell’s 10th and 11th of the year. She has four RBIs in the last four games.

• Cal senior Jamia Reid knotted the score, 2-2, after Frani Echavarria hit her first sacrifice fly of the season in the fifth. Reid leads Cal with 86 hits on the year and added two runs to put her season total at 53, which is second best on the team.

• Cal pitcher Jolene Henderson made her fourth WCWS appearance and recorded her second win in the event. The junior improved to 37-2 on the year, giving up three runs on eight hits while striking out five.

• LSU junior pitcher Rachele Fico fell to 20-12 this season. In 5.1 innings, she gave up four runs (two earned) on five hits. She walked four batters and struck out six.

• LSU’s Ashley Applegate produced a season-high three hits in the game. She has reached base safely in nine of her last 12 outings. Applegate improved to 25th in LSU history with 140 career hits, passing Sara Fitzgerald who tallied 138 from 2001-04.

• LSU senior Ashley Langoni recorded her team-leading 12th multi-hit game of the season with a single and double today.

• California will face Oklahoma Friday at 6 p.m., while LSU will play USF in an elimination game at 11 a.m. Saturday.

• Thursday’s Session 1 attendance of 8,149 broke the previous WCWS Session 1 record (7,280) set last year.

Game 3: Alabama 5, Tennessee 3

• In the first game of Session 2, No. 2 seed Alabama downed Tennessee, 5-3.  Alabama improved to 56-7 on the year while Tennessee fell to 52-13.
• Alabama improved to 32-16 all-time against the Lady Vols and holds a 2-1 advantage over UT this season.

• Tennessee sustained its first loss in opening-round play at the WCWS after entering today’s contest with a 4-0 record. Tennessee is now 12-9 all-time in the event.

• In its eighth WCWS appearance, Alabama improved to 9-14 in the event and to 2-6 in opening-round games.  The Crimson Tide also won its opener last year.

• Alabama’s nine-game winning streak is tied with Oklahoma for the nation’s longest.

• Alabama senior Cassie Reilly-Boccia hit a three-run double in the first inning to put the Crimson Tide up 3-0. She later scored in the inning as Alabama plated four runs before making an out.

• With its four runs in the opening frame, the Tide has now outscored its opponents 107-23 in the first inning this year. Alabama improved to 30-1 when scoring in the first inning and to 43-2 when scoring first.

• Tennessee sophomore Melissa Davin hit her eighth home run of the year to plate the Lady Vols’ first two runs in the second inning. Davin scored another run in the seventh inning as a pinch runner.

• Alabama senior Jennifer Fenton extended her hitting streak to 11 games with her fourth-inning single and has reached base in 14 straight contests. In five NCAA tournament games this year, Fenton is batting .600 (12-for-20) with eight runs and five RBI.

• Alabama sophomore pitcher Jackie Traina recorded her 38th win of the year, tying the single-season school record originally set by Shelley Laird in 2000. Traina tossed a complete game, surrendering three runs on five hits while striking out eight and walking three.

• Tennessee junior pitcher Ivy Renfro fell to 25-9 on the year following today’s loss. Renfroe gave up four runs (three earned) on three hits and four walks in 2.2 innings pitched.

THE GAMES

Oklahoma 5, South Florida 1
California 5, LSU 3
Alabama 5, Tennessee 3
Arizona State 3, Oregon 1

OKLAHOMA VS SOUTH FLORIDA
OU: Keilani Ricketts 33-7. 0.99 ERA    USF Sara Nevins 31-6 1.03 ERA
Two of the best pitchers in D1.  Ricketts is the USA Softball Player of the Year.  The Sooner squad includes three first team All Americans: Ricketts, Lauren Chamberlain, and Jessica Shults.  Nevins was on the All American second team.
The Game:

The Game:  (Oklahoma home team)
T1: Kafakas struck out.  Mouse doubled to center.  Medina fanned.  Mouse was caught in a rundown between 2^nd and 3^rd.
B1: Casey walked. Martinez struck out.  Chamberlain flied out to right.  Ricketts Casey stole 2^nd.  Fanned.
T2: Richardson struck out. Salvarola grounded to 3^rd. Jackson struck out.
B2: Shults struck out.  Sampson grounded out, Turang  walked.  Norris at bat, but Turang left early.
T3: Fountain walked, but Nowell, Goff, Kafalas down in order,the last two on strikes.
B3: Norris fanned.  Henson became the 5^th K for Nevins. Casey grounded to Nevins.
T4: Mouse reached on an infield error. Medina struck out, Ricketts seventh.  Richardson grounded out.  Salvarola slashed a single to right field; pinch runner Courtney Goff raced home from 2^nd to score.  Jackson worked a 3-2, struck out.  USF 1-0.
B4: Martinez struck the first hit for OU, a single to left.  Chamberlain, one of the most prodigious sluggers, jacked a home run to straightaway center, 2-0.  Ricketts looked at a third strike.  Shults drew a 3-2 walk.  Sampson , on another of the 3-2 counts worked by the Sooners, popped high to Mouse at 3^rd.  The pinch runner stole 3^rd, but slid past the bag, and was tagged out.
T5: Fountain walked.  Nowell looked at a third strike.  Ashlley Goff  at bat, Fountain was out trying to steal second.  Goff also looked at a third strike.
B5: Turang flied out to center.  Norris walked.  Vest in to run.  USF relieved Nevins.  Lindsey Richardsonk now pitching.  Henson fanned.  Casey struck out, the eighth Sooner strikeout.
T6: Kafalas hit back to Ricketss.  Mouse groundedto2nd.  Medina struck out (Ricketts’ 11^th).
B5:  Nevins returned to the circle,  Martinez whiffed.  Chamberlain slashed a double to center.  Ricketts Ricketts tripled tol eft – looked like it might go over,  Callie Parson in to run.  Shults  fouled off several pitches at 3-2 then walked.  Richardson back in the circle.  Sampson hit into a fielder’s choice, pinch runner Allen out at home on a close play by Mouse.  Turang singled to center, rbi 4-1. Sam Greiner now pitching for the Bulls, Norris, 2 on, 2 out, hbp, bases loaded.  Vest in to run.  Pinch hitter Brittany Williams drew an rbi walk, 5-1.  With an 0-2 count on Casey, Bulls coach Ken Ericksen changed pitchrs, Richarson back in the circle.  Casey flied out to 2^nd, leavikg bases full.
Top 7^th:  Richardson reached on a bunt single, but Salvarola hit into a 6-6-3 double play.   Jackson grounded to Ricketts who fielded the hopper then unfurled a strike to 1^{st.
Ricketts 11 K.  SFU 9K.}

Oklahoma wins 5-1.  Sooners will play winner of LSU/Cal at 6pm Friday.

CALIFORNIA 5, LSU 3

Rachele Fico for LSU.  Jolene Henderson for California (home team).
T1st: Andrews walked.  Heyward flied out.  Langoni struck out.  Santos flied to short.
B1st: J. Reid struck out.  Vonk grounded to 3rd. Arioto walked.  Echevarria lined to 1st.
T2nd”  Falcon and Applegate singled.  Wray walked, bases loaded.  Russell singled in 2 runs.  Supak and Andrews hit into fielder;s choice plays, Heyward struk out.  LSU 2-0.
B2nd: Williams ground out.  Kostreba fouled out.  D Williams walked.  Jones struck out.
T3rd:  Langoni struck out.  Santos and Falcon failed to hit.
B3rd: Cordes hit deep to short, close play.  J Reid  hit back to Fico, force at 2nd. Vonk hit into fielder’s choice, Reid forced at 2nd.  Arioto, a strong candidate for Player of the Year, walked. Echevarria singled to right, rbi, Vonk scoring.  Williams struck out.  LSU 2-1.
T4: Applegate hit her second single.  Wray grounded out as did Russell. Supak hit back to Henderson.
B4:  Kostreba fanned.  D. Henderson doubled down left field line, the second hit off Fico.  Jones looked at a third strike. Cordes popped to catcher Russell, who earlier had dropped a popup.
T5: Andrews struck out.  Heyward walked; the 3-run double she hit to win the third game against Missouri was the only extra-basehit of her career. Langoni singled to right, putting runners at the corners.  Santos struck out. Falcon grounded to 2nd.
B5. J. Reid reached on an error by Falcon at 2nd, and took 2nd on the over-throw.  Vonk out. Arioto walked.   Runners at the corners. One out, Echevarria, runners on 2nd and 3rd, one out, flied deep to left, bringing home J Reid with the tying run.  Williams walked.  Kostreba grounded out.
T6. Applegate singled to left, but was out stealing.  Wray fanned.  Russell flied out.
B6.  D. Henderson flied deep to let.  Jones singled to center.  Cordes doubled off the left field fence.  Brittany Mack relieved Fico.  J. Reid hit a high chopper, no play, Jones scored the go-ahead run.  Vonk singled to right, rbi, the stole 2nd.  Arioto  hbp.  Bases loaded.  Echevarria grounded to 1st, rbi.  5-2.  Williams lined out to Santos at short,
T7.  Trosclair reached on a single to short.  Andrews out 4-3.  Heyward hit a slow roller to 3rd but was out on a rifle throw from D, Henderson.  Langoni dropped an rbi blooper into left, 5-3.  Santos at bat, Langoni advanced on a passed ball.  Santos ground out 4-3.
California advances to play Oklahoma on Friday at 6pm.  LSU will play South Floda in an elimination game.

ALABAMA 5, TENNESSEE 3
Jackie Traina vs Ivy Renfroe.
The top 2 teams in the SEC ina pairing which ensures that one of these 50+ win teams will be in the losers bracket by nightfall.
T1.  Chavanne ground out. Lewis walked.  Dotson looked at a third strike.
B1. Alabama started aggressively.  Braud led with a single, stole 2nd.  Fenton walked.  Hunt reached on an error in right field; Boccia slugged a 3-run double.  Locke walked.  Ellen Renfroe relieed sister Ivy.  Lunceford walked, bases loaded.  Traina drew an rbi walk, 4-0.  Dawson hit a line drive to Renfroe.  Conley looked at a third strike.  Braud grounded to 2nd, good play by Gibson.
T2.  Gibson ground out.  Burchell fanned.  Brown singled.  Davin jacked a 2-run homer over left.  Andrews dlooked at a third strike. 4-2.
B2. Fenton ground out to 2nd.  Hunt fanned.  Boccia out 4-3.  Bama up 4-2.
T3. Chavanne reached on an error, and was forced at 2nd Lewis.  Dotson popped high to short.  Shipman swung at strike three.
B3.  Locke sent a fly ball deep to left.  Lunceford whiffed.  Traina walked.  Dawson popped to short right.
T4.  Gibson put out at 1st.  Burchell out 4-3.  Brown line drive to Traina.
B4. Conley out 5-3.  Braud doubled.  Fenton singled, rbi.  Fenton out stealing.  Hunt walked. Forced at 2nd by Locke. Bama 5-2.
T5.  Davin and Hammond struck out.  Chavanne out 1-3.
B5. Lunceford, Traina a  Gibonnd Dawson down in order.
T6. Lewis popped to short. Dotson singled. Shipman popped to short.  Gibson singled.  Burchell out 4-3.
B6. Richards grounded to 3rd.  Braud singled (3 of Bama’s 5 hiys).  Fenton ground to short.  Hunt hit back to the pitcher.
T7.  Brown lined to short.  Tarango and Akamine walked. Chavanne singled, rbi, 5-3.  Two on, one out, Lewis struck out.  Dotson struck out.

On Friday, Alabama will play the winner of the ASU/Oregon game.  Tennessee will play the loser on Saturday.

ARIZONA STATE 3, OREGON 1
Jessica Moore vs Dallas Escobedo

T1:  Pappas led off with double; Hoard sac bunt; Chambers flied to right, Pappas call for leaving rarly.
B1: Boyd grounded to 2nd; Johnson waked but was forced at 2nd by Steele; Freeman stroked an rbi double; Lockwood grounded out. 1-0.
T2: Nieto ground to 2nd; Peterson and Moore also failed to hit.
B2: Parlich, Caporuscio and Zambrana went down in order.
T3:  Goodrum out, Burger singled.  Takeda singled.  Pappas forced Takda at 2nd.  Howard flied to center.
B3.  Haro singled to left. Boyd walked.  Johnson sacrificed.  Steele out 1-3.  Freeman reached on an error at short, 2 rbi.  Lockwood hit back to the Pitcher, Moore.  3-0 ASU.
T4.  Chambers flied out to Boyd at short. Nieto popped to short. Peterson singled to center. Moore struck out.
B4. Parlich as out at 1st.  Caporuscio fanned.  Zambrana walked. Haro lined to short.
T5.  Goodrum out 5-3.  Burger looked at a third strike.  Takeda ground out.
B5.  Boyd ground out 4-3.  Johnson singled to center.  Steele out; Freeman walked, runners at the corners.  Pinch runner Wigness caught stealing.
T6.  Pappas out 4-3.  Howard flied out to right.Chambers flied out to short.
B6. Lockwood lined out 4-3.  Parlich also out 4-3. Good stretch by Nieto at 1st made the play.  Caporuscio poppedto Moore, who dropped the ball for an error.  Zambrana ground to 1st.
T7.  Ironically, the Ducks have out-hit the Sun Devils 4-3 but are scoreless  while ASU’s lead consists of a 2-run single by Freeman and an rbi double by Freeman.    Nieto led off the 7th, with a double to center.  Peterson walked.  Sullivan reached on error at 2nd, Oregon scored.  Two on, no outs, Goodrum lined to Steele at 3rd, who stepped on the bag for the double play. Melick STRUCK OUT.

FRIDAY SESSION 3, FEATURES

OKLAHOMA VS CALIFORNIA at 6pm
ARIZONA STATE VS ALABAMA at 830pm

Session 3 is sold out, although some SRO tickets will be aailable,

The 2012 season began in February with 289 teams.

The best of the best has been narrowed by competition to eight teams
They include the top 4 teams in the final polls: California, Arizona State, Alabama and Oklahoma.

The top 10 in the polls included Tennessee.  Oregon was regularly ranked  in the top 15, while LSU and South Florida were consistently ranked  Top 25.

A separate post identifies the 2012 All American honorees — many of whom are in this WCWS.

The WCWS coaches include LSU coach Beth Torina who, at 33, is believed to be the second-youngest coach to bring a team to WCWS.  Pat Murphy achieved that distinction at age 32.  Three former champions are here: Clint Myers of ASU, Patty Gasso of Oklahoma, and Diane Ninemire of California.  The absence of Arizona and UCLA, who dominated WCWS in many past seasons was noted, coaches said the field this year reflects the parity in collegiate softball.  But, as Spy has noted, the odds are against an unranked team surviving the gauntlet of regional and super regional competition.

We talked to each of the eight coaches.  All agree this could be one of the most competitive Series, which any team could win.

The players include Jessica Mouse who just graduated at LSU after a stellar career with the Tigers, but who is using a last year of eligibility to play for South Florida where she is pursuing a Masters degree.

Post-WCWS: several players have mapped their immediate future.

Keilani Ricketts of Oklahoma, Valeria Arioto of California, and Lauren Gibson of Tennessee are members of the USA national team.  Those numbers could increase in June when national team tryouts conclude.

The list of invitees includes several players who may well star in this WCWS:
K Boyd, ASU
E Caporuscio, ASU
L Chamberlain, Oklahoma
D Escobedo, ASU
J Henderson, Cal
D Martinez, Oklahoma
S Nevins, South Florida
E Renfroe, Tennessee
J Richardson, South Florida
M Shipman, Tennessee
J Shults, Oklahoma
L Ziegenhirt, Cal

The USA national team is coached by Ken Eriksen, South Florida.  USA will also form an Elite team which will be coached by Tennessee co-head coach Karen Weekly.

Several players have been drafted by NPF:  Arioto and LSU’s Brittany Mack by the Pride, which is coached by LSU’s coach Torina.  Brittany Mack of LSU and Jamia Reid of Cal have been drafted by the Pacers.

Footnote: after the formal press conference, I asked Diane Ninemire about the pressure of being #1 most of the season.  The Cal coach said her players never dwelled on the #1 ranking or thought of themselves as the best; this is a very competitive group of players, Ninemire said, whose goal is to win the WCWS.  She said the return of Alioto, the enhancement of Jolene Henderson as a pitcher, the progress of younger players like Danielle Henderson – great arm, makes any throw, and hits, contributed to a team realization this could be their year.

Also asked Jessica Mouse, whom we have known since travel ball, was there a moment when the Bulls realized the WCWS was a reachable goal.  We exceeded our original expectations, Mouse said, when we beat Florida at Gainesville last year, and then we beat UCF and FSU this year and knew our goal was reachable.

rfh

May 31 – June 6

ASA Hall of Fame Stadium

Oklahoma City, Okla.

Wednesday Press Conference Quotes

(Session 2)

CALIFORNIA HEAD COACH DIANE NINEMIRE

Opening comment:
“The University of California is very honored and privileged to be here. We would like to thank the NCAA and the city of Oklahoma City for hosting this. This is our 12^th trip here. Every year it seems to get more exciting. They have done so much to the facility. It’s just a great opportunity for us to be able to play on this stage.”

On the fact that UCLA and Arizona are not here and if getting here is half the battle today:
“Parity is happening and it’s across the country. Any team in any part of the country can be here now. It makes this sport so much more exciting. I know even in our Pac 12 Conference this year anybody can beat anybody on any given day. You couldn’t take anybody lightly. You had to have your best pitching going that day, your best hitting, your best defense. It just really makes you have to be prepared for every game and be ready for it.”

On Valerie Arioto’s play this year and coming back from injury:

“She has had an outstanding year this year. She has led our team in every category. She’s been part of our important pitching staff. She has led our team in hitting, RBI’s, home runs; she has done it all. I know last year we thought ‘Why did this injury happen to her?’ But now we know why. It gives us the opportunity to have a much stronger team here at the World Series to represent our program. She has just done everything you could ask a player to do for your team. She has just done an outstanding job.”

CALIFORNIA SENIOR UTILITY VALERIE ARIOTO

On what she has seen of LSU’s pitchers and what she is expecting of them:

“I think LSU, all-around, is a great team. We got to play them before. Their pitching staff kept us off balance. They did a great job. I think our team is prepared, seeing them before. I think both teams are just going to go out there and play hard, so it should be a good series.”

On how hard it was to sit out last year with her injury:

“At the start of last year I was a little bummed, obviously. It was a bad experience for me. Looking back, I couldn’t imagine doing anything different. I got the chance to see the game from a different perspective and learn from it; just watch the games. But it has been a great year.”

LSU HEAD COACH BETH TORINA

Opening comment:
“We are very excited to be here, too. Congratulations to the other seven teams that are a part of this field. I think the teams that we came through to get to this point had great years, too. There are a lot of quality teams that are in the NCAA. We are excited to be back here. This is LSU’s first trip since 2004 and we are thrilled to be a part of the field.”

On what they did after the SEC tournament to turn things around and have a better postseason:

“I think for the first time our team really understands who they are as an offense. I think we struggled for a lot of the season trying to be something that we aren’t. We don’t have power numbers. It’s obvious on paper. I think we are capable of scoring runs. We finally understand who we are. We are able to do that by being more productive; having more productive at bats, manufacturing and not trying to look for the one swing or the one big hit.”

- MORE -

LSU SENIOR INFIELDER JULIANA SANTOS

On what they did after the SEC tournament to turn things around and have a better postseason:

“Basically after the SEC tournament the coaches just talked to us and they said, ‘You know, from here on out everybody is even. It doesn’t matter what you did, it matters what you do from here on out. Everybody is going into the postseason 0-0.’ At practice we really focused on being selfless; moving the runners, not trying to do too much for yourself, but to do something for somebody else. I think we were obviously very successful at that we were able to move the runners and score the few runs we needed to score with such an amazing pitching staff that we have.”

On how they feel facing California again:

“We have seen Jolene (Henderson) before, so we know we are confident. We know what she throws. We have been working hard on it. We were able to manufacture runs off her. Obviously, the game didn’t end the way we wanted it to the first time around. Lucky for us we get another chance. Another chance doesn’t happen very often. Just playing that first game and manufacturing those runs that we can is really going to count tomorrow.”

OKLAHOMA HEAD COACH PATTY GASSO

Opening comment:

“Just following up in excitement and congratulations to everybody that’s here. We feel spoiled to be a team that’s 25 miles away from Hall of Fame Stadium. We’re looking forward to having great fan support for all teams. We’re just really pleased to be here and love the way we’re playing right now.”

On the parity of the sport:
“I told the team today that the hard part has already happened, now it’s time to go out there and have fun with what you’re doing. The hard part is getting here. Going through Arizona, UCLA and all the teams we had to go through.  All the teams here had to go through a tough road and it makes us better. We absolutely respect those teams, knowing what UCLA and Arizona have accomplished in the history of this field and here at the College World Series have been tremendous.  It’s an honor when you can go through a team like that to get here. I don’t want to see Arizona again in a super regional and I don’t think they want to see us again.  It’s part of the fight. It’s part of the battle. You have to go through someone extremely tough through the regional and super regional to be at the grand prize, and the eight teams here have found a way to do that.”

On OU’s WCWS team last year compared to this season:
“Experience is invaluable. I think that will really help us this time around. The mentality that we have, coming in and just being excited to be here or excited to actually try to win it all. I’m trusting every team here is excited to win it all, not just to be here. The Sooners, last year, were still living on adrenaline from Tucson. We came here in the World Series and we weren’t quite put together to handle that. The experience helped us tremendously throughout this season and going into this next weekend.”

OKLAHOMA JUNIOR PITCHER KEILANI RICKETTS

On OU’s team last year compared to this season:
“I think the difference is that last year, our biggest goal was to get to the World Series. We had a lot of struggles going into postseason. We didn’t have our main players playing in position. Everyone was out of position, we were just trying to get out on the field and play as hard as we could to get as far as we could get. This year, we’ve grown a lot. We’ve been having a great year and our team’s a lot deeper than last year. With the desire that we had last year and how deep we are this year with our lineup, I think that we are coming into the World Series stronger than we were.”

SOUTH FLORIDA HEAD COACH KEN ERIKSEN

Opening comment:

“It’s an honor to represent your school in the national championship of your sport. I think this year, more than any other year, I’ve been coaching and coaching against the great coaches up here. It’s been a wide open field all year long.  It’s been a very exciting parity-type of season for NCAA Division I softball. I’m really looking forward to this week because I think you’re going to see some really good softball, from a really good number of teams. You’ve got a bunch of really great players that are not only national team players, but you’ve got some of the greatest college softball players in the history of one season of softball. It should be exciting.”

- MORE -

On OU’s Keilani Ricketts and Jessica Shults:
“They’re two people that you want to meet in your life. If my daughters grow up to be half the people that those two kids are, I’m pretty fortunate. We had some fun last year, growing together with the national team program. The big cat here (Keilani Ricketts), she can do a lot of good things. I equate Keilani to Babe Ruth. There aren’t many people that could be in the circle or be on the mound and throw the ball as well as Babe Ruth and Keilani did, and hit as well as they do also. But more than anything else, she’s probably one of the most humble people that I’ve ever met, and Jessica (Shults) is right along those type of lines.”

On facing two of his USA National Team players tomorrow:
“Tomorrow is going to be a competition, make no bones about it. Keilani might like me right now, but tomorrow she’s not going to like USF. But that’s right, and that’s the way it is. I wouldn’t expect anything different. She knows that, Coach Gasso knows that and our team knows that, too. When it’s all said and done, I guarantee you there will be shaking hands and hugs. We’re looking forward to the competition.”

SOUTH FLORIDA SENIOR INFIELDER JESSICA MOUSE

On her relationship with her former teammates at LSU:
“I was trying to tell my teammates on USF earlier that when you’re at a program for four years, they became my sisters. You go through struggles, you play games, you condition, you do all that kind of stuff.  So, of course, you still love them. If we potentially go up against each other, they’re going be trying to compete and beat us and the same goes for USF. When it’s all said and done, I’m still going to be best friends with some of them and it is what it is. I’m so excited that they’re here and I am fortunate enough to be an alum of both schools.  I’m excited.”

- WCWS -

May 30 2012

2012 NCAA WOMEN’S COLLEGE WORLD SERIES

Team Storylines

Alabama

1. The Alabama senior class sports the best winning percentage of any group in the country, winning 85 percent of their games over the last four seasons.

2. Kaila Hunt has hit 20 home runs and driven in 74 runs in her sophomore season which are both the second most in a single season in school history.

3. Jackie Traina enters the WCWS with 37 wins which are the second most in the UA single season annals, one behind the record set by Shelley Laird (2000).

4. Amanda Locke did not pitch in 2011 due to injury but has returned to the circle as the No. 2 pitcher for the Tide. Locke earned the win against Florida in the SEC Tournament championship game and won the NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional opener against UT Martin.

5. Alabama has its largest roster in program history, featuring 20 players from nine different states.

6. Alabama has made it to the semifinal round of the WCWS the last three trips (2008, 09 & 11).

7. The eight WCWS trips for Alabama are the most in the Southeastern Conference.

8. Alabama spanned the nation this season, taking trips to Eugene, Ore., and New York City. Head coach Patrick Murphy always tries to plan trips to each girl’s home state to play in front of their family and friends. (Eugene was for Braud and NYC was for Reilly-Boccia).

9. Alabama led the nation with six first team All-Region selections.

10. Alabama has reached 50 or more wins in eight straight seasons and 10 times overall, more than any other team in the SEC.

Arizona State

1. The chance to be just the third team to have back-to-back national titles, Clint Myers would be the fourth coach

* Arizona 07-06; 97-96; 94-93 all under Mike Candrea

* UCLA 04-03 under Sue Equist; 90-89-88 under Sharron Backus; 85-84 under Sharron Backus

2. Clint Myers has two national titles, making him one of five DI coaches who have multiple titles dating back to 1982. Myers and Arizona’s Mike Candrea are the only active DI coaches with multiple titles under their belts.

Clint Myers Records:

Postseason at ASU 46-11, at home in postseason 25-3

238-32 at home at ASU

375-88 at ASU

956-129 career record

3. Postseason success is nothing new for ASU, under Clint Myers the Sun Devils have gone to the WCWS six of the last seven years.

* Myers in the postseason 46-11 (7 appearances), Myers in the WCWS 13-5 (6 appearances, includes 2012)

* ASU in the postseason 76-45 (24 appearances), ASU in the WCWS 16-14 (10 appearances, includes 2012)

4. ASU bullpen in the postseason:

Dallas Escobedo 13-2 total; 2012, 3-2; 2011, 10-0

Hillary Bach 11-3 total; 2012, 2-0; 2010, 2-1; 2009, 7-2

5. Senior class win percentage – heading into Super Regionals, the ASU senior class ranked fifth national in win percentage.

*will update for WCWS after Supers ends

1. Alabama 212-39 = .845

2. Florida 216-41 = .840

3. Missouri 200-47 = .810

4. Louisiana Lafayette 193-46 = .808

5. Arizona State 199-48 = .806

6. Georgia 192-54 = .780

7. Washington 177-53 = .770

8. Tennessee 188-56-1 = .767

9. Oklahoma 179-55 = .765

10. California 181-56 = .764

11. Notre Dame 175-56 = .758

12. UCLA 167-59 = .739

13. Arizona 179-65 = .734

*updated May 21, 10:35 a.m. PT

6. Hillary Bach, a senior pitcher, will close out her career near her native hometown of Tulsa, Okla. Bach is second all-time at ASU in wins with 87 and ninth in strikeouts with 388. In 2012 she pitched the seventh-ever perfect game at ASU on March 4 vs. Wichita State. She is a four-time Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week and an Academic All-American.

7. Katelyn Boyd makes her second appearance as a Top 3 finalist for Player of the Year, last being 2011. She is the all-time leader at ASU in RBI (237) and doubles (60), third in hits (294), and second in stolen bases (82). In 2012, she was named Pac-12 Player of the Week four times, posted a team-best single game high of seven RBI against Creighton, has had three multiple home run games and notched a grand slam against No. 16 Stanford and No. 11 Washington. Was named First Team All Pac-12, Pac-12 Softball Batting Champion and First Team Academic All-America.

8. Homers have helped ASU to win all season, most notably in the postseason against No. 25 Syracuse and No. 7 Louisiana. The Sun Devils out-homer their opponents 88-37 on the season and 11-3 in the NCAA Tournament. As a team they rank 7th in the nation in the category average 1.4 long balls per game, and have had six 4-homer games in 2012. Against Louisiana, ASU hit eight home runs to help qualify for the WCWS berth.

9. Sporting a 51-9 record, the Sun Devils are 27-0 when scoring in the first inning and 37-1 when scoring first. When the early lead isn’t possible, ASU is still lethal to opponents – winning 11 games in come-from-behind fashion. The Sun Devils outscore their opponents 419-127 and out-hit them 512-286.

Come-from-behind games: Iowa 2/17, Creighton 3/4, Arizona 3/23  3/24  3/25, UCLA 4/7, Oregon State 4/10, Stanford 4/20, Washington 4/28, Utah 5/6, Syracuse 5/19.

10. WCWS opener for 2012 has ASU pitted against **

*Oregon, with ASU leading the series 52-36 dating back to 1987. This season, the Sun Devils split with the Ducks 1-1 after the series finale was rained out. The last time ASU has faced a conference foe in the WCWS was in 2009 against Washington (UW won 1-0 (8)). Versus Pac-12 opponents in WCWS ASU is 2-7 with wins over UCLA (4-0, 2008) and Oregon State (3-1, 2006).

*Texas, with Texas leading the series 6-5 dating back to 1997. The last time the two teams met was March 18, 2010 with Texas taking the 1-0 victory in the bottom of the seventh. Hillary Bach garnered the loss while Blaire Luna took the win.

11. ASU freshman are putting up big numbers offensively for the club. In the postseason, Haley Steele (Pac-12 All-Freshman) has a team-best .444 batting average, three home runs, eight RBI and a 1.056 slugging percentage. Don’t count out the sophomore class, between the two they combine for 10 of the team’s 11 homers. Amber Freeman (Pac-12 All-Freshman) has two, Elizabeth Caporuscio (Pac-12 All-Freshman) has one.

12. Freshman numbers in postseason compared to team:

* Hits 17 of team’s 45

* Runs 12 of team’s 33

* RBI 18 of team’s 33

* Home Runs 6 of team’s 11

On the season, Caporuscio is tied for second in hits (57) and homers (16) and is third in runs (49). Steele is third in doubles (11).

California

1. Friends of Jaclyn Adoptee

-Cal adopted Bebe Wiggs – a young girl with a rare form of cancer – through the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation three years go

-Bebe, who is very healthy now, comes out to games, was at our selection show party

-Cal has BW on its helmets

2. Valerie Arioto

-Broke her left leg sliding into second base on the second day of practice in January 2011

-Sidelined for the entire true senior year yet traveled on every road trip

-After that redshirt year, she’s one of the top-three candidates for national player of the year

-Pac-12 Player of the Year

-Hit a homer in her first at-bat of the year (against Tennessee)

3. Jolene Henderson

-Named the Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year, the first repeat in program history

-Sister Danielle is the starting third baseman

-Pitched almost all of Cal’s postseason play this year

4. Diane Ninemire

-Cal’s all-time most winningest coach, male or female

-Won the first women’s national championship at Cal in 2002

-Has been part of all Cal’s 12 trips to the WCWS, 11 at the helm

-Earned her 1,100 career victory this year

5. Jamia and Elia Reid

-Twins

6. Danielle and Jolene Henderson

-Sisters

-Jolene told Danielle she had to come to Cal so Danielle wouldn’t hit homers off Jolene

-Middle brother David also attends Cal

7. Frani Echavarria

-First person in her family to go to college

-Lots of military ties – two of her three brothers are currently serving in the Air Force and both parents were in the Air Force

8. Cal Hosts Postseason Play

-For the first time since 1993, Cal hosted a regional in Berkeley

-For the first time in program history, Cal hosted a super regional in Berkeley

-Once Memorial Stadium is complete, Cal has plans to make permanent upgrades to Levine-Fricke Field – including lights, a press box and seating improvements. “Once that is done, I look forward to getting after it in earnest,” Director of Athletics Sandy Barbour recently told the San Francisco Chronicle

9. 10-Year Anniversary of the 2002 NCAA Title

-Cal won the first team women’s national championship in school history

-The Bears celebrated the anniversary with a huge alumni event in April

-Two current kids – Nikki Owens and Breana Kostreba – trained with Jocelyn Forest prior to Cal

10. Britt Vonk

-Played with the Netherlands national team at the 2008 Olympics

-Father, Theo Vonk, played professional soccer in the Netherlands, mother, Tanja Reijerink, played professional water polo in the Netherlands and her brother plays soccer

-Shoulder surgery has prevented her from playing defense

LSU

1. Parallels for Coach Girouard and Coach Torina both taking the Tigers to the WCWS during their first season as head coach. Girouard brought LSU to the WCWS in 2001.

2. The “IT” Factor – Motto for the season from the new coaching staff has been “Whatever it Takes.” Each day, different players received a puzzle pieces for stellar practice, academic accomplishment or in the community. Puzzle was compete right before we went to NCAA Regionals.

3. Heidi Pizer – Off the field, Heidi has become an ESPN favorite. She created the “Rally Phone” at the SEC Tournament and the “Rally Cone” at the NCAA Regionals. She doesn’t where her hat backwards, she’ll find any odd item in the dugout to incorporate a rally.

4. Juliana Santos – Just received the Eye of the Tiger award at LSU academic awards gala in March for her battles with Crohn’s disease throughout her career.  Has gone through more than most people could even imagine just to be able to finish her career at LSU.  She is also one of the team captains.  Father is a coach and she is one of those kids that truly gets what it takes to succeed.

All eight seniors play a role in leadership but it’s Santos who was voted by her teammates as the main captain before the season. Like hockey, Santos wears the captain’s ‘C’ right above the Nike check on the front of her jersey. First time LSU softball has put a captain’s ‘C’ on the jersey.

5. Brittany Mack – Through her relationship with Miracle League Association at Cypress Mounds in Baton Rouge, Mack has challenged the LSU softball community to share the gift of sports with special needs children this season by donating new or gently used sports equipment at home games. All items collected were given directly to the Miracle League and three local schools that Mack visited during the season. At LSU’s game versus Ole Miss on April 22, Mack invited all the children to the game as her special VIP guests for “Geaux Play” day at Tiger Park.

Oklahoma

1. Oklahoma has advanced to the Women’s College World Series for the second consecutive year, the first time OU has made the event in back-to-back year since making five straight trips from 2000-04.

2. The Sooners have won their last eight including five postseason games. In its five postseason games, OU has outscored its opponents 45-5 and have a 72-7 scoring edge in its last eight games.

3. The Sooners are now tied for the nation’s lead in home runs with 95. After four in its two Super Regional wins over Arizona, OU jumped Alabama (93) and tied New Mexico with 95. Freshman Lauren Chamberlain broke the OU and Big 12 single season records for home runs and after hitting one against Arizona in the Super Regionals has 27 on the year, currently the 11th best single-season total in NCAA history. Jessica Shults has 19 home runs while Keilani Ricketts has 16 to round out the top three for OU in the category.

4. OU boasts the nation’s top pitching staff with an ERA of 1.15. Between Keilani Ricketts (393), Michelle Gascoigne (139) and Kirsten Allen (21), the Oklahoma staff has 553 strikeouts this season.

5. Junior pitcher Keilani Ricketts is one of three finalists for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Award and leads the team in both hitting and pitching. Ricketts has a team-leading batting average of .407 while holding an ERA of 0.99. Ricketts is 33-7 on the year with 393 strikeouts.

6. Junior captain Jessica Shults is back in the postseason and making the most of it. After missing last year’s postseason run with pan ulcerative colitis that included a two-week hospital stay, Shults has rebounded and is second on the Oklahoma team with a .382 average. The catcher has played in every game this season.

7. Freshman Georgia Casey has moved into the leadoff role for OU in postseason. In the Regional games, Casey hit at a clip of .400. She’s not the only one affected by the switch. Former leadoff Destinee Martinez, is hitting at .412 in the postseason in the 2nd hole. The shift dropped Jessica Shults from cleanup to the five hole and she has responded with a .643 postseason batting average and a slugging percentage of 1.500. She has three home runs and nine RBIs in OU’s five postseason games.

8. Keilani Ricketts has pitched 31 of Oklahoma’s 33 innings in postseason and is on fire. She has 49 strikeouts to just five walks and 15 hits. She is holding her postseason opponents to a batting average of .136. Only one earned run in postseason & that was in the second inning of Tulsa game.

9. Brianna Turang continues to be OU’s best postseason hitter. The junior has an average .750 (9-of-12) in postseason play. In 2011 postseason, Turang hit at a team-leading clip of .533 (16-30).

10. The Oklahoma bats have come alive even more than usual. The postseason has OU hitting at .371 clip with a slugging percentage of .643 and an on base percentage of .483. The Sooners have 10 home runs and 45 runs scored in that five-game stretch.

Oregon

1. Freshman back-up catcher/infielder Liz Brenner is the first three-sport female Duck women’s athlete in 25 years. An All-Pac-12 Freshman Team honoree as an outside hitter in VB last fall, she then unexpectedly joined the basketball team when its top forward went down in December. Ultimately she started eight games on the hardwood and played 21, and averaged 5.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 23.8 minutes a game at forward (with a season scoring high (16 points) against USC in late January. As a prep senior, she was the Oregon 6A state basketball and volleyball player of the year, won state shot put titles in 2010 and ’11 (and was a javelin runner-up), and was a 2009 6A first-team all-state softball choice, not to mention an 11-time racquetball world champion.

2. Oregon’s last three-sport female letterwinner – Peg Rees – should be in attendance at the game and is the current softball home game P.A. announcer. She lettered in 1974-75-76 (bb/sb/vb).

3. Becky Sisley – the first Duck softball coach in history (1974-79, 57-49) led UO to its two AIAW World Series trips, and later became the team’s first women’s a.d. (when the men and women had separate departments). She, too, will be in the stands at the game, and is one of the team’s loudest fans. In her 70s, she is still one of the most active people you will ever meet (she was hiking in Machu Pichu three weeks ago, and hiked in Austria last summer), and is also a multiple masters world champion in various track and field events.

4. The identical senior pair of Kelsey Chambers and Lindsey Chambers start on the left side of the infield at short and third base have combined for 46 homers (36 / 10) in their careers, including 10 and one, respectively, in 2012.  Chambers was tabbed an All-Pac-12 Second-Team choice in 2012, and Honorable Mention in 2010. As a junior in 2011, she ranked sixth all-time in homers hit in a season (13) and is currently second career-wise (36). As freshmen in 2009, they saw the most action among newcomers when Kelsey started in right field the first half of ‘09, then started 24 games in the remainder at second base (and had two more at shortstop), while Lindsey’s starts came in the left side of the infield with 18 at third base and 22 at shortstop.

5. The team has a host of superstitions and stuffed animals/rubber snakes adorning their dugout (you could interview seniors Christie Nieto and Sam Pappas about the significance of each).

6. Kailee Cuico has a sister who is a senior first baseman for UNLV. Last year when the Ducks played UNLV in San Luis Obispo, Kailee hit her first career grand slam, with her dad in attendance who is also the top griller/trailgate food prepare on the trip (and is supposedly driving with his grill from Carson, Calif., to OKC). Junior Kaylan Howard’s younger sister is a freshman outfielder for Kentucky, and Courtney Ceo’s younger sister signed last fall with Texas.

7. Mike White’s road to the Duck helm is a unique one. A two-year assistant for the Ducks in 2003 and ’04 (and volunteer in ’05), the hall of fame pitcher was tapped to lead the Ducks in the summer of ’09 for his first collegiate head coaching job. His previous job was as an area club coach and assistant coach for his daughter Nyree’s Marist School Team which ranked top 25 nationally and won multiple state titles (she is now a freshman pitcher at Stanford).

8. Freshman pitcher Karissa Hovinga joined Ducks in fall of 2011, then missed the final part of the fall term to help the Canada junior national team finish fifth in the World Junior Championships – one place shy of its all-time best placing. She went 2-1 (17.1 IP, 16 SO, 5 BB) n the 10-day event in South Africa and faced Duck coach Mike White who served as a U.S. junior national team assistant coach (while Mike’s daughter Nyree was on the U.S. team).

South Florida

1. Jessica Mouse transferred in after finishing her undergrad at LSU, and immediately took over a leadership role for the Bulls, solidifying 3rd base with consistent jaw-dropping defensive plays. With LSU, Mouse never advanced to the Super Regionals. Now, USF and LSU sit on the same side of the bracket in the college world series. Mouse still knows and stays in touch with most of the team, and spent Sunday sitting at home cheering on LSU as she watched them on ESPNU.

2. Laura Fountain had a different kind of ride after the Bulls won the Super Regional Saturday night. The senior catcher’s sister had gone into labor two weeks early, meaning Fountain was piling into her car Saturday night and driving all the way home to Fort Lauderdale, arriving at 2:30 a.m. and just in time to see the birth of her first niece.

3. Lindsey Richardson is really looking forward to this trip, for reasons beyond the typical. Lindsey played on this field before, prior to high school, winning a tournament her team had played in. The entire team, including Lindsey, signed their names on the wall, and Lindsey told her teammates when she made it to the college world series, she would seek out that signature one more time. That dream has come to fruition, and the junior pitcher will be hunting for her name as she makes her first return trip to Oklahoma City since that day.

4. Kourtney Salvarola has matured at the plate, as well as in the field this season. The sophomore shortstop leads the team in hitting, and has done it with a steady approach. Salvarola has 16 multi-hit games this season, but has yet to record a 3-hit game in her collegiate career. Consistent would be the best word to describe Kourtney, and it could be the reason she was named to play on the junior national team last year.

5. The words that epitomize this season are easy to come by: Record Breaking. USF hammered out a school-record 19 straight wins on its way to breaking a school record for the best start to a season, both overall and in Big East play. USF also reached the 50-win plateau for just the sixth time in school history (all under Ken Eriksen), and hosted a Super Regional for the first time. USF set one more mark, becoming the first team to reach the college world series, and just the second USF division I program to reach the round of eight in its sport. (Men’s soccer made the Elite 8 in 2011).

6. Sophomore pitcher Sara Nevins evolved into an elite pitcher this season, combining a strong arm and good movement with a stronger knowledge of the game and a confidence in all of her pitches. This vaulted her into a position as one of the best in the country, and she was recognized for it, becoming a top ten finalist for USA Softball’s National Collegiate Player of the Year award. Nevins tossed three no-hitters – one of them a perfect game – and has a stingy 1.03 ERA to go with 323 strikeouts. That strikeout total eclipses Leigh Ann Ellis’ school-record for strikeouts in a season (320, set in 2003), Nevins getting it done in 70 less innings.

7. With 15 Florida natives on the roster this season, the Bulls have found success with home-grown talent, partially due to a cohesiveness that can be found from this team knowing each other so well growing up. Eight players are from Tampa or an area extremely close to Tampa.

8. The homegrown talent also helped USF with record-breaking attendance figures this season. The Bulls set a single-game record with 1,561 fans at the Tampa Super Regional, and set a record for season attendance with 15,514 people entering the new USF Softball Stadium to catch a game this season.

9. After a first-round exit in the Big East Tournament last season, center fielder Janine Richardson spearheaded an effort to keep nine members of last year’s team on campus over the summer to work out on their own, and the results were apparent when the team stepped on campus for fall workouts this year.

10. Senior second baseman Alexis Nowell has been a star in the classroom as well as on the field. This year, Nowell – a business major – was named as one of USF’s top 25 under 25, as a predictor of her future success in the professional world.

11. Kenshyra Jackson joined the team this season after playing two years at a junior college. Her dream was to attend school at USF, but due to injuries in high school, she was not looked at by many schools right away. Since joining the Bulls this season, she has been a mainstay in the USF lineup, becoming a strong producer with her bat.

Tennessee

1. Katie Henschel – this special young lady got involved with our program after an e-mail from her mom back in March of this season touched Karen and Ralph’s heart.  A former All-District high school softball player in Michigan, she grew to love the Lady Vols while watching Monica Abbott pitch at UT.  With dreams of playing herself on the collegiate level, that all came to a halt in the summer of 2011 as she suffered a terrible car accident that left her in a coma for 18 days.  She nearly lost her left leg from trauma and had to go through numerous brain surgeries before spending approximately 80 days in rehab.  Needless to say her playing career on the softball field was over.  Her mom Lisa sent the e-mail to the Weeklys and stated that they were coming down for the Kentucky series weekend (March 30-April 1) and was wondering if it would be possible to have Katie meet a few of our players, maybe get an autograph or two.  It proved better than she could have imagined with the help of the Weeklys and the rest of the game management staff as she spent time getting to know and spend time with the players during warm-ups, got to participate in the pre-game/post-game talks, etc.  And the day she came to her first game at UT (April 1), she must have provided extra inspiration as Shelby Burchell hit a two-run, walk-off HR to beat Kentucky, 4-2.  She wants to come to Tennessee as a student next year and the Weeklys have already told her if she gets in, they’d love to have her work for the program in some capacity.  She made the road trip to Knoxville again this past weekend for Super Regionals and UT topped Georgia to go to the WCWS…Katie’s a true lucky charm!  The team even recently hung a “Katie #1” sign in the dugout at the SEC Tournament so she could see it on nat’l TV, so check and see if it makes the trip to OKC.  ( I HAVE SOME PICS I CAN SEND of Katie with the team)  For a video story we did on the situation visit here…  http://www.utladyvols.com/sports/w-softbl/spec-rel/052412aae.html

2. Ivy and Ellen Renfroe’s sister Anna (who will be a freshman at Tennessee next season) recently helped take Trinity Christian Academy to the TSSAA Class A “Spring Fling” State Tournament as a pitcher/infielder.  She was part of the 2009 and 2010 Tennessee State Champions alongside her sisters at Trinity.  She attended the 2010 WCWS to root for UT, while sitting next to Ellen when they were both still in high school and will likely be in attendance again this week with her parents Marty and Emily.  That means we’ll have three Renfroes on the roster in 2013…Anna will likely play on the infield at UT (not expected to pitch).

3. “Spotlight” – started long ago by former Lady Vols, especially Tiffany Huff, who got the idea from her time with the U.S. Junior Olympic Team in 2007…All that needs to be said is that this Karaoke-style game has been played on the team bus after dinner or postgame wins now going back years.  It begins with the team calling out someone.  Once called out, they must get their or someone’s IPOD, put in their earphones, turn up the volume loud enough to not be able to hear their own singing and stand up in front of the team in complete darkness and sing their heart out.  No one is immune to the team’s wandering eye as me, the lowly SID, has performed Bon Jovi’s “You Give Love a Bad Name” numerous times during my years with the team…Some players never find the guts to get up and take their turn.  Senior Holly Baker isn’t one of those that’s scared, at least to sing on the bus, as I’d bet she’s done “Spotlight” 25 times in her career…easily the record.

4. Junior infielder Melissa Brown’s TWIN brother Trevor currently plays baseball as an infielder at UCLA (.326 avg., 12 doubles, three HR’s, 46 RBIs)…meaning both will likely be in NCAA Tournament action at the same time as the Bruins are the Pac-12 Co-Champions and will open NCAA Regional play potentially on Fri., June 1.

5. Freshman Kat Dotson’s dad Gene Dotson played baseball for numerous years in the St. Louis Cardinals organization as well as in Japan and her mom Marie Dotson coached Kat in softball from a very young age and is considered by Kat to be her greatest influence.

6. Senior utility player Shelby Burchell has recently gotten engaged to her high school sweetheart Jason King with plans to marry sometime after graduating college.  Check out her left hand to get a view of “the rock!”  Ha Ha…

7. Hannah Akamine has two sisters that played collegiate softball on the Division I level before her.  Sarah Akamine was a pitcher at Arizona from 2007-2010) and was a member of those Wildcat teams that eliminated Tennessee from the WCWS in 2007 and 2010.  Her other sister Lisa Akamine just wrapped up her playing career as a senior pitcher at Penn State in 2012.

8. Sophomore center fielder Tory Lewis’s stepfather is former Tennessee linebacker standout Eric Westmoreland.  He was a part of UT’s national champion football team back in 1998.  He went on to play in the National Football League from 2001-03 with the Jacksonville Jaguars and in 2004 with the Cleveland Browns.  She has said she often looks to him for athletic advice on how to deal with being a college athlete, pressures, etc.  Her mother is a true character as well and is ALWAYS at Tory’s games if she’s not escorting around Tory’s other super athletic siblings.  Tory won a ridiculous seven state titles in high school in softball (four), volleyball (two) and track (one) at Girls Preparatory School in Chattanooga, Tenn.

9. Jimmy Chitwood team awards—the coaches give out “JC” stickers to offensive and defensive stars in each game as well as a “Kamikaze” award to the best pinch hitter/pinch runner/standout sub in each game.  For the honors, the coaches grant stickers sort of the in style of the “Buckeyes” for Ohio State’s football team.  The award is named after the clutch shooter in the movie “Hoosiers” who made the game-winning shot under extreme pressure.

10. We have a bus driver named Don Bustle who have driven the team for years, but retired as our full time driver at the start of the 2010 season.  He’s a much beloved figure among the players, coaches and staff alike.  Don has again made the long drive out here via bus to Oklahoma City, Okla., just to bring along our equipment and be around the team.

The announcement was made Tuesday night at the annual sports banquet preceding the Women’s College World Series.

(details to follow)

Oklahoma’s Ricketts Named 2012 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year

OKLAHOMA CITY — The Amateur Softball Association (ASA) of America announced today that Oklahoma pitcher Keilani Ricketts (San Jose, Calif.) was selected as the 2012 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year.  Ricketts, also the 2012 Big 12 Player of the Year, helped lead the Oklahoma Sooners to their second straight NCAA Women’s College World Series (WCWS) appearance.

In the circle, Ricketts ranks third in the NCAA with a .99 ERA, fifth with 33 wins and her 393 strikeouts, including 21 in last weekend’s Super Regionals versus Arizona, rank third nationally. Ricketts is currently second in the nation only giving up 3.71 hits for every seven innings pitched. In 43 outings this season, Ricketts has recorded 23 double-digit strikeout games. The southpaw has recorded 1,190 career strikeouts, putting her third on the Big 12 career list.

“This is an honor and a dream come true,” said Ricketts. “I couldn’t have won without my team, they’re my backbone and my family. They give me tons of support and I wouldn’t be where I am without them.”

From the plate, the Oklahoma junior currently ranks eighth in the country with an on-base percentage of .563 and twelfth with an .853 slugging percentage. Ricketts is ninth nationally with 49 walks.

“This is the biggest individual honor that we’ve ever had in our program,” said Oklahoma Head Coach Patty Gasso. “She was up against some tough competition and it could have gone to any of them because they’re all phenomenal. Keilani has continued to get better every year and this is a tribute to her hard work. We are very proud of her”

The other two finalists for the 2012 award were Pac-12 Player of the Year Valerie Arioto (Pleasanton, Calif.) of California and Pac-12 First-Team honoree Katelyn Boyd (Phoenix, Ariz.) of Arizona State.

The USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award is voted on by coaching representatives from 11 Division I Conferences in the 15 ASA Regions as well as members of the media who consistently cover Division I Softball across the country, and previous Player of the Year recipients. Past winners of this award include UCLA’s Stacey Nuveman, Florida State’s Jessica Van der Linden, three-time winner from Texas Cat Osterman, Tennessee’s Monica Abbott, Virginia Tech’s Angela Tincher, two-time winner Washington pitcher/hitter Danielle Lawrie and 2011 winner Ashley Hansen from Stanford.

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Amateur Softball Association (ASA) of America is proud to announce the ASA Hall of Fame Complex located in Oklahoma City’s Adventure District will play host to over 50 hours of live ESPN programming from May 31 to July 2, 2012. Home to the NCAA Women’s College World Series (WCWS), the Title IX Celebration Game and the World Cup of Softball presented by Lumber Liquidators, the ASA four-field complex will certainly be on national display during 33 days of softball action.

“ASA Hall of Fame Stadium will once again prove to be the focal point of softball worldwide by hosting three major events over a 33 day period,” said Ron Radigonda, ASA/USA Softball Executive Director. “Close to 100,000 softball fans are expected to turn the turnstiles to view the Women’s College World Series, the 40th year anniversary celebration game of Title IX and the seventh edition of the World Cup of Softball and the fourth Border Battle. ASA/USA Softball is excited to welcome two new foreign teams to the World Cup as Puerto Rico and Brazil will be making their first appearance at the event.”

The NCAA WCWS kicks off on May 31 at noon local time and will feature 17 games over the course of seven days, including the ‘if necessary’ games. With the potential for 34 hours of programming, softball fans across the country will play witness to the best display of women’s college softball in the country.

Just 17 days later, on June 23, the USA Softball Women’s National Team and the Canadian National Team will square off in a Title IX celebration game on ESPN at 6 p.m. CST. Held on the 40th Anniversary to the day of the signing of this monumental movement in the United States, this two-hour window is a piece of a larger ESPN “Power of IX” celebration day aired across its entire family of networks.

“I am extremely proud of ESPN for recognizing and focusing on the 40th anniversary of the Title IX legislation,” said Carol Stiff, vice president, programming & acquisitions at ESPN. “The hours of programming across multiple ESPN networks on June 23 reinforce the company’s commitment to women’s sports. USA Softball is a perfect fit for our weekend programming line-up since the Women’s National Team players have directly benefitted from the Power of IX.”

Fast forward four more days and the Slow Pitch Showdown will kick off on June 27 at the ASA Complex where the USA Softball Men’s National Team will compete against the new USA Softball Future Men’s Slow Pitch Team at 7 p.m. CST on ESPN2. A compliment to the June 30 Border Battle, the Slow Pitch Showdown will present USA’s top slow pitch players and continue to bring more awareness and knowledge to the game.

The World Cup of Softball VII presented by Lumber Liquidators, kicks off on Thursday, June 28 with a total of 18 games of women’s international fast pitch. Six of those games, which feature Team USA, will be shown on ESPN or ESPN2 throughout the duration of the tournament. In its seventh year, the World Cup continues to be the premier event in women’s international fast pitch with 12 hours of live ESPN programming as well as 24 hours of live streaming from the stadium. The 2012 event welcomes participating teams from Australia, Brazil, Canada, the Netherlands and Puerto Rico.

On June 30, the Border Battle returns to the ASA Complex for round four with the U.S. leading the way with a 2-1 record over the Canadian Men’s Slow Pitch Team. Scheduled for 2 p.m. CST, the game will air on ESPN2.

Spy could not replicate on its regular website.

GAME SCHEDULE

Game Two          Georgia 1, Tennessee 0
Game Three       Tennessee 2, Georgia 1  Tennessee advances to World Series

Game Two         Missouri 5, LSU 1 (12)
Game Three       LSU 3, Missouri 1

Game  Two         California 2, Washington 0  California advances to World Series

WCWS QUALIFIED
Arizona State
Alabama
Oklahoma
South Florida
Oregon
Tennessee
California
LSU

(3 Pac 12, 3 SEC, 1 Big 12, 1 Big East)

GAMES
Georgia 1, Tennessee 0  Georgia forces Game Three
WP Erin Arevalo 2H  LP Ellen Renfroe 3H

Very evenly matched.  Bottom 3^rd: One out, Couey singled.  Sito hbp.  Pauly reached on a fielder’s choice, advanced on error by 2^nd base Gibson, Sito was put out at 2^nd but Couey scored.  Vols had runner in scoring position in 2^nd, when Akamine doubled, Andrews hbp; stranded.  Georgia had a similar opportunity in 4^th; 2 out, Olney doubled, Griffin walked, but Goulder grounded to Gibson who made a super play to block ball and, on her knees, throw out Goulder.  The Vols had another good opportunity in the 6^th: Dotson singled; one out, Burchell reached on an error by Goulder at 3^rd; but Gibson struck out and Brown grounded out.  One out in Vols 7^th: Tarango walked; Davin flied out, Chavanne grounded out.

Game Three will begin about 330.

Tennessee 2, Georgia 1  Tennessee advances to World Series
WP Ivy Renfroe 3H, 6K.  LP Erin Arevalo 5H

The Vols advance to their fifth World Series, defeating one SEC rival Georgia to face the top team in the SEC, Alabama.
In a mirror reflection of earlier games, there was no scoring until Georgia broke the 0-0 stalemate  with a run in the bottom of the 5th.  Goulder led with a walk, advanced on Couey’s groundout; and took 3rd on a wild pitch.  Sito looked at a wild pitch but reached 1st on a wild pitch, Goulder scoring on the wild pitch.  Top 6th: The Vols had 2 baserunners in the first five innings.  One out in the 6th, Chavanne and Gibson hit infield singles.  Shipman reached on a fielder’s choice; bases loaded.  Burchell singled to right, rbi.  Gibson scored what proved to be the winning run on Dotson’s sac fly.  In the bottom, the heart of the Bulldog lineup went down in order.  Three groundouts by Tennessee brought Georgia back to the plate : Griffin grounded out to Renfroe Goulder struck out swinging; Hubbard popped  up to the right fielder, ending the what-if game.

Missouri 5, LSU 1 (12)  Missouri forces Game 3
WP Chelsea Thomas 5H, 8K.  LP Brittany Mack 7H, 17K
For 11 innings, both teams played sparkling, error-free ball.  But, in the top 12th, the wheels came off the Bayou bandwagon.  LSU committed 4 errors, forcing a Game Three, and ending the longest game in Super Regional history.

Both teams scored in the 3rd.  In the top, Stephens walked, Sykes sacrificed; Stephens advanced on a fielding error by Mack.  Marston reached on a fielder’s choice, Stephens scored.  Missouri stranded 2.  In the bottom, Supak walked, Blades in to run.  Andrews sacrificed; Blades to 3rd on a passed ball; Hayward walked and stole 2nd; Langoni flied out to right, rbi.  Hayward was out at 2nd, 7-5-6, as Blades scored.  There were opportunities well before the 12th.  Mizzou stranded 2 in the 5th, 2 in the 6th while also losing an out at home; 1 in the 7th; 1 in the 10th, and 2 in the 11th, 8 runners.  LSU had similar frustrations, leaving 2 in the 2nd; 1 in the 5th; 1 in the 6th; LSU had 2 on , no outs in the 7th; 1 in the 10th, 7 runners.  Seemed like every opportunity  LSU had, the next batter couldn’t resolve Thomas’ rise ball or changeup.  A smartly pitched game by both Thomas and Mack, but the errors told the tale.

Nothing went right for LSU in the 12th.  Marston led off, striking out, but reached 1st on a passed ball.  Fleming singled up the middle, Marston went to 3rd on the throw.  Hudson was intentionally walked, loading the bases.  Randazzo hit a fielder’s choice to 3rd, the  eq4rror by the 3rd baseman on the throw allowed three runs to score.  At least 2 runs scored because no one covered home plate after the error.  Muller popped up.  Kingsley reached on a fielder’s choice to short; Randazzo scored.  Kingsley and then Genovese were caught stealing 2nd.  Erwin relieved Thomas to pitch the bottom 12; LSU went down in order.

California 2, Washington 0  California advances to World Series
WP Jolene Henderson #H, 9K.  LP Bryana Walker
Cal and UW both have WCWS trophies in their locker rooms, and contend every year for supremacy in the Pacific 12.  But, this Super Regional belonged to the Gold Bears.  Tight ball game until the 5th.  Kostreba opened with a single; E Reid in to run.  D. Henderson popped to 3rd.  Jones flied out to center.  Cordes homered to left center, 2 rbi.  J. Reid singled; Vonk singled; both were stranded.  Cal also stranded 2 in 6th.  UW’s best opportunity to take control of Game 2 was bottom 1st.  Hayward walked; Williams singled; Inglesby struck out. UW pulled a double steal, runners on 2nd and 3rd.  Pohlman walked, loading the bases.  But Fagaly and Wright flied out, leaving the bases loaded.  UW had 2 more on in the 2nd; left them both.  They had one runner in the remaining innings until the 7th when Smith reached on an error.   california will play the winner of the LSU-Missouri super regional.

LSU 3, Missouri 1  LSU advances to the World Series
WP Rachele Fico 2H, 4K.  LP Chelsea Thomas
Simone Heyward has starred in many Tiger games over the years, none more timely than tonight’s deciding Game Three of the Columbia Super Regional.  Top 3rd: Kingsley and Genovese singled; Stephens sacrificed the runners forward; Sykes reached on a fielder’s choice, rbi, Kingsley scored.  Marston was hbp, loading the bases, one out.  Fleming lined out to center; Heyward’s throw to home nailed Genovese for a double play.  In the bottom, Wray walked, Blades in to run.  Russell hbp.  Supak advanced the runners with a sac bunt.  Andrews walked, loading the bases.  Heyward doubled to left center, 3 rbi.  Heyward was out at 3rd, and Langoni singled, but this game now had direction.  Missouri had a base runner in the 6th and again in the 7th.  A fielding error by Langoni with two out raised Missouri hopes but Genovese flied out to Langoni to end the game, and send LSU to Oklahoma City.  LSU will oppose California.

WOMEN’S COLLEGE WORLD SERIES

California vs LSU
South Florida vs Oklahoma
Arizona State vs Oregon
Tennessee vs Alabama

Games begin at noon Thursday