Thursday, May 27, 2010
Thanks
Thanks for reading my blog everybody! I'm going to be out of town in Amish country for four or five days, so no blog posts until next week. Thanks again!
NCAA Softball Super Regionals Part 2
In the first part, I previewed the left side of the bracket. Here I will preview the right side, one which features the defending champs, Washington.
Regional # 5 - Washington vs. Oklahoma
Washington - For the second-straight year, the Huskies (48-6) faced the daunting task of going against one of the country's most underrated pitchers in lefty Danielle Spaulding, who threw two no-hitters in her four appearances over the weekend. After Spaulding no-hit Nebraska on Friday to open the weekend, UW used an unearned run to win the first meeting between the teams, 1-0, on Saturday.They needed extra innings to win 2-1 on Sunday, but the reigning champs will once again be making a trip to the Super Regionals, a place they have been every year except one since the Super Regionals format was created.
The Huskies' Danielle Lawrie picked up three wins on the weekend, giving up just one run in 22 innings, while striking out 39. The stud pitcher gave up a mere six hits and one earned run.
The normally prolific Washington offense was quieted this past weekend by some magnificent pitching by their opponents, UNC's Spaulding and North Dakota State, a team which made the Super Regionals last year. Shawna Wright had the game-winning hit for UW. She had gone hitless until that point. Lawrie and Nikki Williams each had key home runs for the Huskies.
Washington holds a 7-6 series lead, including a 7-4 victory earlier this year.
Oklahoma - The Big 12 Tournament Champs are coming off of a 3-0 weekend, which saw they defeat one of the top pitchers in the country, Fordham's Jen Mineau twice.
California - After winning sweeping the Columbus Regional to win its 11th Regional title in the past 12 years, the No. 11-seeded California softball team has a new task at hand in No. 6-seeded Georgia at the Athens Super Regional. After the Regional title, Cal improves to 44-17 overall, 60-31 in Regional games and 81-55 overall in the NCAA postseason.
The Bears bring a seven-game winning streak to Athens after sweeping Oregon State and the Columbus Regional. Cal played 16 of the tournament's teams this year, posting a 19-16 record against them.
Five of Cal's starters are batting .300 or above with Jamia Reid pacing the Bears at .389 and 48 steals. Cal's 285 RBI is a new program team season high, smashing the old record of 279, which was set in 2008. Valerie Arioto is currently tied with Veronica Nelson for the single-season home-run high with 19, now holds the season record for runs (60) and RBI (60) and is currently fifth on season walks with 77.
As good as Arioto is at the plate, she may be even better on the mound. She has posted a She leads the team in wins (21), ERA (1.26) and strikeouts with 260. She is not the only stud pitcher for the Bears, however. Freshman sensation Jolene Henderson has made quite the transition to college softball, picking up 20 wins and a 1.53 ERA, along with three saves.
The Bears hold a 1-0 series lead against Georgia, with the win coming on Valentines Day in 1999.
Georgia - After going 3-0 in their Regional, the Bulldogs will host their second consecutive Super Regional. The Bulldogs went 3-0 as a regional host this year to improve to 13-4 in the UGA Softball Stadium
during regional play.
A total of 11 Bulldogs have combined to hit a single-season school record 92 home runs (1.61
per game). The new record surpassed the 2009 squad’s 85 home runs (1.44 per game). Bulldogs to hit home runs in 2010: Alisa Goler (14), Megan Wiggins (14), Brianna Hesson (13), Ashley Razey (13), Taylor Schlopy (11), Laura Trout (8), Jennie Auger (5), Ashley Pauly (5), Kristyn Sandberg (5), Amberlie Saxton (3) and Brittany Hubbard (1). Nine Bulldogs have provided double-digit RBI this season. All nine in double figures have at least 15 RBI with eight driving in at least 29 or more runs.
Georgia is one of a very small number of teams which has three pitchers in double digit wins. Sarah McLoud picked up wins in all three games last week and has an 11-1 record on the year, as well as a 2.71 ERA. Erin Arevalo leads the team in victories with 18, as well as 158 strikeouts.
Regional # 7 - BYU vs. Arizona
BYU - Along with Oregon, BYU is one of two unseeded teams to make the Super Regionals. For the first time in program history, BYU (46-11) will participate in the NCAA softball tournament’s second round. The Cougars advanced with a sweep of the competition last weekend in Austin, Texas, defeating East Carolina, 1-0; No. 7-seed Texas, 9-8; and East Carolina again in the championship game, 8-3.
The Cougars and the Wildcats have a brief history, marked most recently by a meeting on Feb. 26, at the Cathedral Classic in Palm Springs. Arizona was victorious in five innings, improving their all-time record against BYU to 3-0.
BYU senior Angeline Quiocho was named MWC Player of the Year, freshman J.C. Clayton garnered
MWC Freshman of the Year and Cougar head coach Gordon Eakin captured MWC Coach of the Year honors for the second consecutive season. Quiocho has been a terror for opponents, hitting 28 home runs, driving in 90 Cougars.
Paige Affleck is the workhorse on the mound for BYU. She leads the team with 32 wins, a Mountain West Conference record, as well as 221 strikeouts, which is second on the BYU season-high list.
Three Wolverine hitters batted .500 or better in this weekend's NCAA Regional action. Senior third baseman Maggie Viefhaus hit .625 (5-for-8) with seven runs batted in, while sophomore second baseman Amanda Chidester batted .600 (3-for-5) and senior catcher Roya St. Clair hit .500 (5-for-10) with six RBI from the cleanup spot. Shaking off its two-game home drought at Iowa, the Wolverines knocked out seven long balls in NCAA Regional play. Michigan has homered in 26 of its last 29 games and boast 81 homers on the season -- the second-greatest season total in program history.
With her 11-strikeout performance in the Regional title game against the Irish, junior Jordan Taylor upped her season total to a career-best 300. The figure ranks sixth among Michigan's all-time single-season leaders in the category. She actually struck out 11 Notre Dame batters in both games against the Irish.
Regional # 5 - Washington vs. Oklahoma
Washington - For the second-straight year, the Huskies (48-6) faced the daunting task of going against one of the country's most underrated pitchers in lefty Danielle Spaulding, who threw two no-hitters in her four appearances over the weekend. After Spaulding no-hit Nebraska on Friday to open the weekend, UW used an unearned run to win the first meeting between the teams, 1-0, on Saturday.They needed extra innings to win 2-1 on Sunday, but the reigning champs will once again be making a trip to the Super Regionals, a place they have been every year except one since the Super Regionals format was created.
The Huskies' Danielle Lawrie picked up three wins on the weekend, giving up just one run in 22 innings, while striking out 39. The stud pitcher gave up a mere six hits and one earned run.
The normally prolific Washington offense was quieted this past weekend by some magnificent pitching by their opponents, UNC's Spaulding and North Dakota State, a team which made the Super Regionals last year. Shawna Wright had the game-winning hit for UW. She had gone hitless until that point. Lawrie and Nikki Williams each had key home runs for the Huskies.
Washington holds a 7-6 series lead, including a 7-4 victory earlier this year.
Oklahoma - The Big 12 Tournament Champs are coming off of a 3-0 weekend, which saw they defeat one of the top pitchers in the country, Fordham's Jen Mineau twice.
Oklahoma has won 14 straight and has out-scored opponents 77-5 in that stretch. OU is 1-6 in Super Regionals since the format was introduced in 2005. The Sooners are appearing in their first Super Regional since 2008. Oklahoma’s only win in Super Regional play was a 2-0 win at Arizona on May 24, 2008.
OU is hitting .318 as a team during its 14-game winning streak and has scored 77 runs. The Sooner also boast quite a potent offense, as freshman Jessica Shults holds the Oklahoma freshman record for home runs (14) and runs batted in (61) in a season. Shults’ 61 RBI are tied for fourth most in a single season at Oklahoma and rank as the ninth best in a single season in the Big 12. Amber Flores is the first player in Big 12 history to win the Player of the Year award twice. Flores is OU’s career leader in home runs (53). The mark is four shy of tying the Big 12 career record. The Sooners are not all about power. Brianna Turang ranks fifth in the Big 12 with 20 stolen bases on the season and Ten Sooners have drawn double-digit walks this season, including five with 20 or more.
Along with some stud freshman hitters, the ace of the pitching staff is frosh Keilani Ricketts. Ricketts has not allowed an earned run in the last 28.0 innings pitched. During the 14-game win streak, Ricketts has a 0.39 earned run average and six shutouts, including one in the Big 12 Championship game. Ricketts’ 324 strikeouts this season are the second-most in a single season at OU. She has a 1.19 ERA and 14 shutouts to her name.
Regional # 6 - California vs. Georgia
California - After winning sweeping the Columbus Regional to win its 11th Regional title in the past 12 years, the No. 11-seeded California softball team has a new task at hand in No. 6-seeded Georgia at the Athens Super Regional. After the Regional title, Cal improves to 44-17 overall, 60-31 in Regional games and 81-55 overall in the NCAA postseason.
The Bears bring a seven-game winning streak to Athens after sweeping Oregon State and the Columbus Regional. Cal played 16 of the tournament's teams this year, posting a 19-16 record against them.
Five of Cal's starters are batting .300 or above with Jamia Reid pacing the Bears at .389 and 48 steals. Cal's 285 RBI is a new program team season high, smashing the old record of 279, which was set in 2008. Valerie Arioto is currently tied with Veronica Nelson for the single-season home-run high with 19, now holds the season record for runs (60) and RBI (60) and is currently fifth on season walks with 77.
As good as Arioto is at the plate, she may be even better on the mound. She has posted a She leads the team in wins (21), ERA (1.26) and strikeouts with 260. She is not the only stud pitcher for the Bears, however. Freshman sensation Jolene Henderson has made quite the transition to college softball, picking up 20 wins and a 1.53 ERA, along with three saves.
The Bears hold a 1-0 series lead against Georgia, with the win coming on Valentines Day in 1999.
Georgia - After going 3-0 in their Regional, the Bulldogs will host their second consecutive Super Regional. The Bulldogs went 3-0 as a regional host this year to improve to 13-4 in the UGA Softball Stadium
during regional play.
A total of 11 Bulldogs have combined to hit a single-season school record 92 home runs (1.61
per game). The new record surpassed the 2009 squad’s 85 home runs (1.44 per game). Bulldogs to hit home runs in 2010: Alisa Goler (14), Megan Wiggins (14), Brianna Hesson (13), Ashley Razey (13), Taylor Schlopy (11), Laura Trout (8), Jennie Auger (5), Ashley Pauly (5), Kristyn Sandberg (5), Amberlie Saxton (3) and Brittany Hubbard (1). Nine Bulldogs have provided double-digit RBI this season. All nine in double figures have at least 15 RBI with eight driving in at least 29 or more runs.
Georgia is one of a very small number of teams which has three pitchers in double digit wins. Sarah McLoud picked up wins in all three games last week and has an 11-1 record on the year, as well as a 2.71 ERA. Erin Arevalo leads the team in victories with 18, as well as 158 strikeouts.
Regional # 7 - BYU vs. Arizona
BYU - Along with Oregon, BYU is one of two unseeded teams to make the Super Regionals. For the first time in program history, BYU (46-11) will participate in the NCAA softball tournament’s second round. The Cougars advanced with a sweep of the competition last weekend in Austin, Texas, defeating East Carolina, 1-0; No. 7-seed Texas, 9-8; and East Carolina again in the championship game, 8-3.
The Cougars and the Wildcats have a brief history, marked most recently by a meeting on Feb. 26, at the Cathedral Classic in Palm Springs. Arizona was victorious in five innings, improving their all-time record against BYU to 3-0.
BYU senior Angeline Quiocho was named MWC Player of the Year, freshman J.C. Clayton garnered
MWC Freshman of the Year and Cougar head coach Gordon Eakin captured MWC Coach of the Year honors for the second consecutive season. Quiocho has been a terror for opponents, hitting 28 home runs, driving in 90 Cougars.
Paige Affleck is the workhorse on the mound for BYU. She leads the team with 32 wins, a Mountain West Conference record, as well as 221 strikeouts, which is second on the BYU season-high list.
Arizona - Arizona won the Tucson Regional in three games over Cornell, and Hofstra twice - with the Regional finale lasting 12 innings before Arizona pulled out a come-from-behind win on a grand slam by Lini Koria. For the 15th time in its 24-year participation, Arizona remained at home for initial rounds play in the Championships. The Wildcats have been a host for initial rounds 14 times, and later for Super Regionals four times. Arizona has a 137-40 mark in NCAA play in its 23 seasons of competition from 1987-2009. The Cats are 70-8 in Regional play and 10-3 in Super Regionals (since 2005).
Like many of the other teams in the Super Regional round, Arizona boasts a potent offense, one which has outscored opponents 431-131. Four Wildcats have hit at least 16 home runs, led by Bridget Del Ponte, who has smacked 21 round trippers. She also leads the team with 75 RBI. The other thee with double digit home runs each have over 50 RBI as well.
Freshman pitcher Kenzie Fowler has been quite the stud this year, compiling a 33-6 record. She also boasts a 1.25 ERA and 312 strikeouts to her name. Fowler is complemented by a senior, Sarah Akamine, who has helped ease her transition to Division I softball. Akamine holds a 13-5 record in 27 games, striking out 80 and only walking 23.
Super Regional # 8 - Tennessee vs. Michigan
Tennessee - For the first time since 2007, No. 16/15 Tennessee (45-13) has advanced to the NCAA Super
Regionals. The all-time series between the two programs is deadlocked at 3-3, with five of those contests
occurring during either NCAA Super Regional or WCWS play. After dropping a 4-0 decision to the Wolverines during Tennessee’s inaugural season in 1996, the teams didn’t meet again until the 2005 WCWS in Oklahoma City, Okla. Tennessee has advanced to three NCAA Super Regionals in program history (2005, 2006, 2007) and have moved on through to the WCWS on all three occasions with a 6-2 overall
record.
Regionals. The all-time series between the two programs is deadlocked at 3-3, with five of those contests
occurring during either NCAA Super Regional or WCWS play. After dropping a 4-0 decision to the Wolverines during Tennessee’s inaugural season in 1996, the teams didn’t meet again until the 2005 WCWS in Oklahoma City, Okla. Tennessee has advanced to three NCAA Super Regionals in program history (2005, 2006, 2007) and have moved on through to the WCWS on all three occasions with a 6-2 overall
record.
While this year's Tennessee squad may not have the power numbers some of the other Super Regional teams do, they make up for it in speed, timely hitting and a balanced lineup. Raven Chavanne leads the team with a .469 average and has swiped 34 bases. Two more players, Kat Dotson (29) and Kelly Grieve (25), have over 25 steals as well. Jessica Spigner provides the power, as she has hit eight home runs and leads the team with 56 RBI.
Ivy Renfroe leads the two-woman rotation. Her 28-4 record and 2.28 ERA are tops on the team. She has also struck out 196 hitters. Cat Hosfield is her counterpart in the circle. Hosfield holds a 16-8 record on the year.
Michigan - Michigan has reached the NCAA Super Regionals each year since the format was adopted in 2005. Michigan outscored its NCAA Regional opposition 31-4. The title was their 14th overall and seventh in a row.
With her 11-strikeout performance in the Regional title game against the Irish, junior Jordan Taylor upped her season total to a career-best 300. The figure ranks sixth among Michigan's all-time single-season leaders in the category. She actually struck out 11 Notre Dame batters in both games against the Irish.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
NCAA Softball Super Regionals Part 1
So last week I previewed some of the Regionals in the NCAA Softball Tournament. Well, 16 teams advanced to the Super Regionals portion and I am going to do a quick preview of those. This is a head-to-head best two-of-three series. The winner goes to The College World Series.
Super-Regional # 1 : Alabama vs. Hawaii
Alabama: The top-seeded Crimson Tide, behind the bat of freshman Courtney Conley and the arm of junior Kelsi Dunne, the No. 1 seeded Alabama softball team claimed the NCAA Softball Tuscaloosa Regional Championship Sunday afternoon, defeating Lipscomb 6-0.
With the win the Crimson Tide improves to 51-9 and ties the school record with its 27th straight victory. The regional title is the sixth in a row and eighth overall for Alabama.
Dunne (29-4) earned her second win of the weekend on the strength of a 14-strikeout, two-hit shutout. The win is the 16th in a row for the right-hander. She had 10 strikeouts in the first game against Lipscomb, while only allowing five hits in that game.
The team wasn't really challenged, cruising past Alcorn State 9-0 before beating Lipscomb twice, 5-2 and 6-0. Kayla Braud led the team with a homer and four RBI on the weekend, while Conley added three RBI of her own.
Hawaii - It is the second time in school history that the 'Bows have advanced to the Super Regionals. Hawaii is the only school in the WAC to make it to the "sweet sixteen" in softball.
Kelly Majam hit her 29th home run in the Regional-clinching win. Traci Yoshikawa, Melissa Gonzalez, Jenna Rodriguez, and Katie Grimes added homers in the 7-1 win over Texas Tech. As a team, the 'Bows had six players hit .300 or over for the Regionals, outscoring their opponents 23-6 with eight home runs and 23 RBI. The team has combined to hit 149 home runs as a whole, having two players, Gonzalez (25) and Majam (29) with over 25 home runs, as well as five players with over 50 RBI, led by Gonzalez's 60.
Missouri - For the first time in the history of the program, the Missouri softball team will play host to the NCAA Super Regional round. The Tigers advance to the Super Regional for the third consecutive season after winning the Columbia Regional on Sunday. Mizzou used a come-from-behind 3-2 win over Creighton on Friday before defeating Illinois 3-1 on Saturday, setting up a 4-2 victory over the Illini again on Sunday to clinch the title. Missouri looks to return to the Women's College World Series for the second straight year.
The Tigers used a balanced effort offensively over the weekend, as Catherine Lee, Nicole Hudson and Ashley Fleming each had thee RBI on the weekend. Rhea Taylor raised her stolen base total to 45, which is third on the all-time season list, and her 62 runs scored are second, behind her record of 64 set in her freshman year, 2008.
Although the offense was balanced, the star of the weekend was pitcher Kristin Nottleman, who improved her record to 22-7 on the season with her three wins during the Regional. She had 14 strikeouts over the three games, including 11 in the two games against Illinois.
Missouri is 2-1 against Oregon, winning last year in the San Diego Classic, 8-7 in eight innings.
Oregon - The No. 20-ranked University of Oregon softball team (36-19) battled back for a dramatic 4-3, eighth-inning victory over the NCAA tournament’s eighth overall seed Georgia Tech (51-11) Sunday afternoon at Mewborn Field to earn its first Super Regional trip since 1989.
The team was 12-15 against NCAA Tournament teams, including wins over seeded teams Arizona, Washington, California and Arizona State.
Sam Pappas is the main threat for the Ducks, as she leads the team in HR (11), RBI (48) and stolen bases (11), while having the second highest batting average at .389. Allie Burger leads the team in the postseason with a .545 average, while Kaylan Howard leads the team with one home run and five RBI.
Jessica Moore leads the team with a 16-7 record and a 1.87 ERA. She ahs struck out 232 batters this year while walking only 66. Moore has pitched 18 1/3 innings in three postseason games, striking out 16. In the postseason, Mikayla Endicott has struck out four of the five batters she has faced.
Super-Regional # 3: UCLA vs. Louisiana-Lafayette
UCLA - The Bruins are hosting their third Super-Regional in a row. Last year they were upset by an unseeded Missouri team in three games.
Arizona State: The Regional Championship was the fifth consecutive for the 13th-seeded Sun Devils. They managed to make it through the Regional without dropping a game, dispatching Boston University and an underrated Long Island University team twice.
If the Devils' schedule didn't prepare them for postseason play, I don't know what can. They faced 17 tournament teams, including 11 nonconference foes.
The team has always been known as one to pack an offensive punch and that has continued to be the case this year. Of their regular starters, all of them except one are hitting above .300 and three have double-digit home runs, as well as four who have over 40 RBI. Katelyn Boyd is the table-setter, as she leads the team in average (.414), hits (70), home runs (15), RBI (49) and stolen bases (27). Lesley Rogers is a perfect 22-of-22 on the basepaths.
Hilary Bach is the ace of the staff, having compiled a 25-7 record in 37 appearances. She picked up two wins on the weekend, while Megan Elliott pitched a gem in the first game against LIU, only giving up four hits in over five innings.
ASU is 2-1 against Florida, with their last meeting being a loss last year, 8-2.
Florida - The fourth-seeded University of Florida softball team used a 13-3, five-inning victory over FIU on Sunday afternoon at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium in front of 1,503 fans to advance to its fourth straight NCAA Super Regional appearance. With the three Regional wins, Florida improved its all-time record to 16-15 in NCAA Regional action and 29-21 overall in the NCAA Tournament. The Gators finished the season 10-1 against in-state rivals, defeating all three Florida teams in the Gainesville Regional. Florida is hosting Super Regionals for the third time in program history
Part 2, the other side of the bracket will try to be up before I leave for Cleveland Thursday afternoon.
Super-Regional # 1 : Alabama vs. Hawaii
Alabama: The top-seeded Crimson Tide, behind the bat of freshman Courtney Conley and the arm of junior Kelsi Dunne, the No. 1 seeded Alabama softball team claimed the NCAA Softball Tuscaloosa Regional Championship Sunday afternoon, defeating Lipscomb 6-0.
With the win the Crimson Tide improves to 51-9 and ties the school record with its 27th straight victory. The regional title is the sixth in a row and eighth overall for Alabama.
Dunne (29-4) earned her second win of the weekend on the strength of a 14-strikeout, two-hit shutout. The win is the 16th in a row for the right-hander. She had 10 strikeouts in the first game against Lipscomb, while only allowing five hits in that game.
The team wasn't really challenged, cruising past Alcorn State 9-0 before beating Lipscomb twice, 5-2 and 6-0. Kayla Braud led the team with a homer and four RBI on the weekend, while Conley added three RBI of her own.
Hawaii - It is the second time in school history that the 'Bows have advanced to the Super Regionals. Hawaii is the only school in the WAC to make it to the "sweet sixteen" in softball.
Sophomore pitcher, Stephanie Ricketts, earned her third complete game win of the Regional. She comes into Super Regionals with a 27-7 record and 2.35 ERA. Kaia Parnaby has been a stud on the mound for the Rainbows as well, putting up a 19-6 record and 2.89 ERA.
The 16th-seeded Rainbows went 12-11 against NCAA teams this year, including a win over 11th-seeded California.
Super-Regional # 2: Missouri vs. Oregon
Missouri - For the first time in the history of the program, the Missouri softball team will play host to the NCAA Super Regional round. The Tigers advance to the Super Regional for the third consecutive season after winning the Columbia Regional on Sunday. Mizzou used a come-from-behind 3-2 win over Creighton on Friday before defeating Illinois 3-1 on Saturday, setting up a 4-2 victory over the Illini again on Sunday to clinch the title. Missouri looks to return to the Women's College World Series for the second straight year.
The Tigers used a balanced effort offensively over the weekend, as Catherine Lee, Nicole Hudson and Ashley Fleming each had thee RBI on the weekend. Rhea Taylor raised her stolen base total to 45, which is third on the all-time season list, and her 62 runs scored are second, behind her record of 64 set in her freshman year, 2008.
Although the offense was balanced, the star of the weekend was pitcher Kristin Nottleman, who improved her record to 22-7 on the season with her three wins during the Regional. She had 14 strikeouts over the three games, including 11 in the two games against Illinois.
Missouri is 2-1 against Oregon, winning last year in the San Diego Classic, 8-7 in eight innings.
Oregon - The No. 20-ranked University of Oregon softball team (36-19) battled back for a dramatic 4-3, eighth-inning victory over the NCAA tournament’s eighth overall seed Georgia Tech (51-11) Sunday afternoon at Mewborn Field to earn its first Super Regional trip since 1989.
The team was 12-15 against NCAA Tournament teams, including wins over seeded teams Arizona, Washington, California and Arizona State.
Sam Pappas is the main threat for the Ducks, as she leads the team in HR (11), RBI (48) and stolen bases (11), while having the second highest batting average at .389. Allie Burger leads the team in the postseason with a .545 average, while Kaylan Howard leads the team with one home run and five RBI.
Jessica Moore leads the team with a 16-7 record and a 1.87 ERA. She ahs struck out 232 batters this year while walking only 66. Moore has pitched 18 1/3 innings in three postseason games, striking out 16. In the postseason, Mikayla Endicott has struck out four of the five batters she has faced.
Super-Regional # 3: UCLA vs. Louisiana-Lafayette
UCLA - The Bruins are hosting their third Super-Regional in a row. Last year they were upset by an unseeded Missouri team in three games.
The Bruins went 17-9 against NCAA Teams this year, facing teams such as Michigan and Ohio State in their nonconference portion of the schedule, in addition to their tough Pac 10 schedule.
Megan Langenfeld, when healthy, is one of the most dangerous dual-threats in college softball and that has been the case this year. While she has not been as great of a presence on the mund, her production at the plate is something to be in awe of. She has knocked out 16 home runs on her way to a team-high 49 RBI. Her 16 HR are matched by teammate Julie Burney, who also has 44 RBI. Andrea Harrison (13) and Samantha Camuso (11) each have double digit home runs as well.
Donna Kerr has been the UCLA workhorse this year, starting a team-high 29 of 54 games. Despite this fact, she is one of three pitchers who has double digit wins on the year. She holds an 18-7 record and 2.41 ERA, while teammates Langenfeld and Aleah Macon each have 10-1 records. Macon leads the team with a 0.92 ERA.
Louisiana-Lafayette: A complete team effort secured Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns softball team a spot at the NCAA Super Regionals after the Cajuns downed Texas A&M, 6-1, at LSU's Tiger Park in the Baton Rouge Regional Championship.
The Cajuns put on a hitting clinic, rattling off 14 hits, including a three-run home run by Gabriele Bridges. Eight Cajuns recorded a hit in the win with Vallie Gaspard, Melissa Verde, Nerissa Myers and Bridges boasting multi-hit performances. For the day, UL posted at least two hits in each inning.
For her effort, Bridges was tabbed as the Baton Rouge Regional's Most Valuable Player. For the weekend, the junior first baseman hit .444. She had four hits, three of which went for extra bases, a slugging percentage of 1.222. She racked up six RBI in nine at bats against the competition.
Gabrielle Bridges leads the Cajuns with 17 HR and 55 RBI, while Chrisiy Orgeron has 15 HR and 56 RBI.
Brittany Cuevas was stellar in the circle. In the complete game victory, the senior hurler allowed just four hits and forced the Aggies into 12 ground outs. She struck out three, including the final out, to improve to 22-7 this season. She is only one part of a stellar two-headed monster. Her counterpart in the circle is Donna Bourgeois, who leads the team with 23 wins and a 1.78 ERA.
The Cajuns went 8-10 against NCAA teams this year.
Super-Regional # 4: Arizona State vs. Florida
Arizona State: The Regional Championship was the fifth consecutive for the 13th-seeded Sun Devils. They managed to make it through the Regional without dropping a game, dispatching Boston University and an underrated Long Island University team twice.
If the Devils' schedule didn't prepare them for postseason play, I don't know what can. They faced 17 tournament teams, including 11 nonconference foes.
The team has always been known as one to pack an offensive punch and that has continued to be the case this year. Of their regular starters, all of them except one are hitting above .300 and three have double-digit home runs, as well as four who have over 40 RBI. Katelyn Boyd is the table-setter, as she leads the team in average (.414), hits (70), home runs (15), RBI (49) and stolen bases (27). Lesley Rogers is a perfect 22-of-22 on the basepaths.
Hilary Bach is the ace of the staff, having compiled a 25-7 record in 37 appearances. She picked up two wins on the weekend, while Megan Elliott pitched a gem in the first game against LIU, only giving up four hits in over five innings.
ASU is 2-1 against Florida, with their last meeting being a loss last year, 8-2.
Florida - The fourth-seeded University of Florida softball team used a 13-3, five-inning victory over FIU on Sunday afternoon at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium in front of 1,503 fans to advance to its fourth straight NCAA Super Regional appearance. With the three Regional wins, Florida improved its all-time record to 16-15 in NCAA Regional action and 29-21 overall in the NCAA Tournament. The Gators finished the season 10-1 against in-state rivals, defeating all three Florida teams in the Gainesville Regional. Florida is hosting Super Regionals for the third time in program history
Stephanie Brombacher picked up wins in all three games, improving her record to 32-6, while only giving up three runs and eight hits the entire weekend. She has struck out 221 batters over her 199 innings pitched.
The Gator offense is stacked as well, as no player is hitting below .266. Francesca Enea leads the team with 20 home runs and 65 RBI. She leads a total of four players who have hit 13 or more home runs on the year. In addition five players have over 40 RBI. Florida also has some speed on the basepaths, swiping 75 of 95 opportunities.
Friday, May 21, 2010
Floyd Landis vs. Lance Armstrong
The big story recently has been about Floyd Landis' comments about Lance Armstrong and other teammates using PED's, as well as his decision to admit he has used them as well. Now someone who does not follow the sport of cycling could say 'who in the world is Floyd Landis and why is he talking about Lance Armstrong?' Well in case you don't know, he is a former Tour de France winner, who had his 2006 title stripped because he was found to have used performance enhancing drugs.
The fact Landis has come out and admitted to his usage of the drugs now is a bit odd, since he has been refuting the claims since day one. NOW he feels like he has to "clear his conscience?" After a couple years? It has been reported that one reason he may be doing this is because he lost all of the money he has earned and we all know if you have a big story about someone that is a popular figure, and as much as we don't want to admit it, Armstrong is, you can make a lot of money fast by exposing the story.
Some of the claims Landis makes seem a little far-fetched, like how he had to essentially house-sit Armstrong's home to make sure the extra blood transfusions would be fine? But it seems like it had more than just his tainted relationship with Armstrong. He is pointing fingers at pretty much most of the influential people on the Tour, including his old team! The team that, without them, he may not have won the race! Some former employee huh?
"It's very sad," Armstrong said. "At one point or another, all of us implicated have cared about Floyd. We might have been on different teams or from different backgrounds in our lives, but at some point or another we shared the bond that we all gave Floyd a ladder. When he dug himself in a hole, we gave him a ladder to dig out of ... now people aren't throwing ladders at him anymore."
Now I usually don't agree with much of what Armstrong says and am not the biggest fan of his b/c of his prior words and actions (I mean who breaks up w/ Sheryl Crow?!), but I have to agree with him here. This just shows how pathetic Landis is and how much he misses in the spotlight. He sees other people succeeding at what he used to be one of the best in the world at and he doesn't like it. One thing is for sure tho...
For someone to stoop this low, it just shows that as hard as it is to rise up to the top, it's just so much easier to fall down.
The fact Landis has come out and admitted to his usage of the drugs now is a bit odd, since he has been refuting the claims since day one. NOW he feels like he has to "clear his conscience?" After a couple years? It has been reported that one reason he may be doing this is because he lost all of the money he has earned and we all know if you have a big story about someone that is a popular figure, and as much as we don't want to admit it, Armstrong is, you can make a lot of money fast by exposing the story.
Some of the claims Landis makes seem a little far-fetched, like how he had to essentially house-sit Armstrong's home to make sure the extra blood transfusions would be fine? But it seems like it had more than just his tainted relationship with Armstrong. He is pointing fingers at pretty much most of the influential people on the Tour, including his old team! The team that, without them, he may not have won the race! Some former employee huh?
"It's very sad," Armstrong said. "At one point or another, all of us implicated have cared about Floyd. We might have been on different teams or from different backgrounds in our lives, but at some point or another we shared the bond that we all gave Floyd a ladder. When he dug himself in a hole, we gave him a ladder to dig out of ... now people aren't throwing ladders at him anymore."
Now I usually don't agree with much of what Armstrong says and am not the biggest fan of his b/c of his prior words and actions (I mean who breaks up w/ Sheryl Crow?!), but I have to agree with him here. This just shows how pathetic Landis is and how much he misses in the spotlight. He sees other people succeeding at what he used to be one of the best in the world at and he doesn't like it. One thing is for sure tho...
For someone to stoop this low, it just shows that as hard as it is to rise up to the top, it's just so much easier to fall down.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
NCAA Softball Tournament Part 2
The next Regional may be the most balanced. The Missouri Regional has three teams in the top 20 RPI rankings.
Regional # 9: Hosted by the University of Missouri
Missouri - Coming off of a dream season that saw them make the College World Series, the Tigers will be hosting a Regional for the second year in a row and will be joined by Illinois, DePaul and Creighton. Illinois and DePaul were in Missouri's Regional last year as well. Missouri is coming off of a loss to Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship game, but has won 10 of its last 13 games and 19 of its last 22.
The Tigers have faced 15 NCAA Tournament teams, including Alabama, Arizona and Michigan, amongst others, in non conference play, going 13-11 against those foes. While the record may not be sparkling, the team did take two-of-three from Alabama, split with Arizona and defeated Michigan. Most of their struggles came as they were trying to recover from the loss of star pitcher Chelsea Thomas for the season, but they have obviously regrouped nicely and ended the regular season on a high note.
After losing some of their big boppers from last year, one would have thought that the offense would not be as prolific as last year. But thanks to a junior transfer and a couple freshmen that has turned out not to be true. Rhea Taylor, as she has been her first two years, continues to be the table setter for the Tiger offense, leading the entire Big 12 with a .455 average and 41 steals. Taylor has 134 career steals in three years, a Mizzou record. Freshman Jenna Marston is only two players below with a .389 average and 55 RBI. Ashley Flemming and Marla Schweisberger are tied for the lead in home runs with nine, while frosh Nicole Hudson has eight, Taylor seven and Marston five.
The Tiger pitching staff took a big hit in mid-March when ace Chelsea Thomas went down with an arm injury. After the injury sophomore Kristin Nottelman and senior Jana Hainey were thrown into the fire more than they had originally planned. Nottelman brings a 19-7 record to the tournament and Hainey checks in at 10-2. Nottelman has struck out 135 hitters on the year.
Illinois - Illinois is making its fourth NCAA Tournament appearance and second straight (both in Columbia). The Illini are 5-6 all-time in the tournament, going 4-2 and reaching the Regional Final in the 2004 NCAA Tournament. That year the 48-team field consisted of eight six-team regionals and was prior to the era of the Super Regionals. Illinois has the fewest losses (6) of any team in the tournament, tied with Washington and Michigan. The Illini have won 16 of their last 17 games. The only loss in that stretch has come to DePaul. The Illini won 12 straight prior to that meeting and ended the season winning four in a row.
The Illini have faced nine NCAA Tournament teams, compiling a 4-6 record against those teams. The team was scheduled to face Regional opponent Missouri in the Missouri Invitational, but the game was cancelled due to weather. Of the Regional opponents they have only faced DePaul, whom they lost to on May 6th.
Illinois is led by three hitters who are all hitting above .400. Danielle Zymkowitz leads the team in average at .421 and has swiped 35 bases. Meredith Hackett provides the power for the Illini, knocking 15 round trippers and leading the team in RBI with 55. Hollie Pinchback and Ashley Conrad add nine homers each and the aforementioned three are three of five players who have over 30 RBI.
Monica Perry and Pepper Gay make up a formidable 1-2 punch on the mound. Perry has gone 23-5, while Gay has a 16-1 record. Perry has struck out 163 and boasts a 2.30 ERA, while Gay has struck out 105 and has a 1.53 ERA.
DePaul - DePaul is headed back to the "Show-Me State" for the NCAA Championship tournament.
Last year, the Blue Demons advanced to the NCAA regional finals before losing to Missouri 1-0 on the Tigers' home field. This is the fourth-straight NCAA tournament appearance for DePaul and 13th in the last 14 years. They have a 1-0 record against Illinois in NCAA tournament play and are 3-1 against Missouri. They have never played Creighton in the NCAA tournament.
This year the Demons have played a total of 13 tournament teams and gone 10-12 against them. One of those 10 wins, however, includes a victory over the defending champs Washington Huskies. They also have a win over 16th seeded Hawaii.
Sam Plese leads a Demon offense that has six players hitting over .300, with a .356 average. The offense is pretty balanced however, as three hitters have over 30 RBI. All three lead DePaul in homers as Tara Voss leads the team with nine and Becca Heteniak and Brittney Yniguez have seven each.
As with other teams, the Demons have a solid two pitchers leading their staff. Heteniak is also a stud on the mound and if she gets hot, it will be tough for teams to beat DePaul. She leads the team in wins (20), ERA (1.77) and strikeouts (204). Her partner in crime, Bree Brown, has had a nice coming out party in her freshman year, going for an 16-5 record and 2.43 ERA. She adds an impressive 186 strikeouts.
Creighton - Creighton makes its 12th NCAA Tournament appearance when it travels to Columbia, Mo., for regional play this weekend. The Bluejays are making their sixth NCAA Tournament appearance in the last eight years and the seventh under head coach Brent Vigness.
Creighton is 23-5 over its last 28 games after starting the season 14-16. They are 2-8 against NCAA Tournament opponents this year.
Regional # 9: Hosted by the University of Missouri
Missouri - Coming off of a dream season that saw them make the College World Series, the Tigers will be hosting a Regional for the second year in a row and will be joined by Illinois, DePaul and Creighton. Illinois and DePaul were in Missouri's Regional last year as well. Missouri is coming off of a loss to Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship game, but has won 10 of its last 13 games and 19 of its last 22.
The Tigers have faced 15 NCAA Tournament teams, including Alabama, Arizona and Michigan, amongst others, in non conference play, going 13-11 against those foes. While the record may not be sparkling, the team did take two-of-three from Alabama, split with Arizona and defeated Michigan. Most of their struggles came as they were trying to recover from the loss of star pitcher Chelsea Thomas for the season, but they have obviously regrouped nicely and ended the regular season on a high note.
After losing some of their big boppers from last year, one would have thought that the offense would not be as prolific as last year. But thanks to a junior transfer and a couple freshmen that has turned out not to be true. Rhea Taylor, as she has been her first two years, continues to be the table setter for the Tiger offense, leading the entire Big 12 with a .455 average and 41 steals. Taylor has 134 career steals in three years, a Mizzou record. Freshman Jenna Marston is only two players below with a .389 average and 55 RBI. Ashley Flemming and Marla Schweisberger are tied for the lead in home runs with nine, while frosh Nicole Hudson has eight, Taylor seven and Marston five.
The Tiger pitching staff took a big hit in mid-March when ace Chelsea Thomas went down with an arm injury. After the injury sophomore Kristin Nottelman and senior Jana Hainey were thrown into the fire more than they had originally planned. Nottelman brings a 19-7 record to the tournament and Hainey checks in at 10-2. Nottelman has struck out 135 hitters on the year.
Illinois - Illinois is making its fourth NCAA Tournament appearance and second straight (both in Columbia). The Illini are 5-6 all-time in the tournament, going 4-2 and reaching the Regional Final in the 2004 NCAA Tournament. That year the 48-team field consisted of eight six-team regionals and was prior to the era of the Super Regionals. Illinois has the fewest losses (6) of any team in the tournament, tied with Washington and Michigan. The Illini have won 16 of their last 17 games. The only loss in that stretch has come to DePaul. The Illini won 12 straight prior to that meeting and ended the season winning four in a row.
The Illini have faced nine NCAA Tournament teams, compiling a 4-6 record against those teams. The team was scheduled to face Regional opponent Missouri in the Missouri Invitational, but the game was cancelled due to weather. Of the Regional opponents they have only faced DePaul, whom they lost to on May 6th.
Illinois is led by three hitters who are all hitting above .400. Danielle Zymkowitz leads the team in average at .421 and has swiped 35 bases. Meredith Hackett provides the power for the Illini, knocking 15 round trippers and leading the team in RBI with 55. Hollie Pinchback and Ashley Conrad add nine homers each and the aforementioned three are three of five players who have over 30 RBI.
Monica Perry and Pepper Gay make up a formidable 1-2 punch on the mound. Perry has gone 23-5, while Gay has a 16-1 record. Perry has struck out 163 and boasts a 2.30 ERA, while Gay has struck out 105 and has a 1.53 ERA.
DePaul - DePaul is headed back to the "Show-Me State" for the NCAA Championship tournament.
Last year, the Blue Demons advanced to the NCAA regional finals before losing to Missouri 1-0 on the Tigers' home field. This is the fourth-straight NCAA tournament appearance for DePaul and 13th in the last 14 years. They have a 1-0 record against Illinois in NCAA tournament play and are 3-1 against Missouri. They have never played Creighton in the NCAA tournament.
This year the Demons have played a total of 13 tournament teams and gone 10-12 against them. One of those 10 wins, however, includes a victory over the defending champs Washington Huskies. They also have a win over 16th seeded Hawaii.
Sam Plese leads a Demon offense that has six players hitting over .300, with a .356 average. The offense is pretty balanced however, as three hitters have over 30 RBI. All three lead DePaul in homers as Tara Voss leads the team with nine and Becca Heteniak and Brittney Yniguez have seven each.
As with other teams, the Demons have a solid two pitchers leading their staff. Heteniak is also a stud on the mound and if she gets hot, it will be tough for teams to beat DePaul. She leads the team in wins (20), ERA (1.77) and strikeouts (204). Her partner in crime, Bree Brown, has had a nice coming out party in her freshman year, going for an 16-5 record and 2.43 ERA. She adds an impressive 186 strikeouts.
Creighton - Creighton makes its 12th NCAA Tournament appearance when it travels to Columbia, Mo., for regional play this weekend. The Bluejays are making their sixth NCAA Tournament appearance in the last eight years and the seventh under head coach Brent Vigness.
Creighton is 23-5 over its last 28 games after starting the season 14-16. They are 2-8 against NCAA Tournament opponents this year.
Creighton leads the MVC with a school-record 66 home runs this season. Renae Sinkler has an impressive 24 home runs, which is fourth in the nation and is enjoying the greatest offensive season in Creighton history, as she also owns school-records with 58 runs, 58 RBI and 144 total bases this season.
The Bluejays are led by a pitcher, Tara Oltman, who has been one of the best pitchers in the nation all four of her years as a starter. She enters the postseason with school and MVC career records in wins (118), strikeouts (1,076), appearances (185), starts (141), complete games (126) and innings (1,049.2). She was named the MVC Tournament MVP, going 4-0 with a 0.72 ERA, pitching every inning of the event. Oltman has a 22-12 record, 1.62 ERA and 281 strikeouts on the year.
NCAA Softball Tournament Part 1
In the next couple posts, I'm going to preview the NCAA Softball Tournament, which starts Thursday. The softball tournament, like the basketball one, is made up of 64 teams. It has 16 national seeds. The first round is called 'Regionals,' where four teams come together for a weekend to play a double-elimination set of games. The winner then moves on to the Super Regionals round, which is the equivalent to the Sweet 16. The Super Regionals are a best 2-of-3 series between two teams. The winner of this moves on to the College World Series which also is double-elimination. If you lose, you must come out of the winner's bracket.
I'm going to look at the top three seeded Regionals and some intriguing others.
Regional # 1: Hosted by the University of Alabama
UAB. Lipscomb and Alcorn State join the host Crimson Tide, who were surprisingly awarded the top overall seed in the tournament. All three visitors are making their first ever NCAA Tournament appearance. The only reason I say surprising top seed is because given the fact that Washington won the title last year and stayed at No.1 all year, one would have thought that the Huskies would have been the top seed. That's not to say the Tide didn't deserve it because they did and I'm about to show you why.
Alabama: Alabama is trying to make their third consecutive trip to the College World Series after finishing the year with a 48-9 record, while winning both the SEC regular season and tournament championships in the same season for the first time in school history.
The Crimson Tide faced 17 opponents that made the NCAA tournament this year, including UAB, whom they defeated twice this year. The team complied a 25-8 record against those teams, including wins over Missouri, Michigan, Florida, Tennessee, Georgia, LSU and Georgia Tech, all teams that received national seeds. All-time they are 8-0 against UAB and 2-1 against Lipscomb. This will be the team's first meeting with Alcorn State.
The team boasts a prolific offense led by Charlotte Morgan. The senior from California leads the team with 16 home runs, 11 doubles and 67 RBI. The offense features five players who have over 30 RBI, with two more at 28. After losing speedster, Brittany Rogers to graduation, the team doesn't seem to have lost anything on the base paths as they replaced Rogers with a freshman speed demon by the name of Kayla Braud. She has 40 steals in 44 attempts, while Jennifer Fenton has swiped 26-of-27 bases. Two more players have combined to steal 32-of-38 bases as well.
Not only has the offense been amazing, but so has the Crimson Tide pitching. The staff is led by Kelsi Dunne, who boasts a 27-4 record and a 2.00 ERA. She has struck out 308 of 662 batters faced and hitters are hitting a mere .180 against her. Along with Dunne, Lauren Sewell, Amanda Locke and Morgan comprise a staff that has struck out 477 batters with a combined 2.49 ERA.
UAB - The Blazers (36-20) are making their first ever NCAA Tournament appearance. Unlike Alabama, the Blazers did not face as many teams that qualified for the tournament. Of the five teams they faced that qualified for the tournament, they went 7-6, including splitting a doubleheader with their first opponent, Lipscomb.
While the UAB offense may not be as dynamic as some of their opponents, they do have a steady lineup, led by Martina Landrum, Kayla Orr and Mandy Lowman. Landrum leads the team with an impressive .376 batting average, while Orr and Lowman lead the team with 40 RBI each. Landrum adds speed at the top of the lineup, as she has stolen 35 bases in 41 attempts.
The pitching staff may be what is most impressive about the Blazers. The team is led by a two-headed monster of Lauren Webster and Alisha Smith, both of whom have ERA's below 2.00. Webster leads the staff with a 17-5 record, 1.77 ERA and 7:1 K:BB ratio.
Lipscomb - The Lady Bisons (48-11) split a doubleheader with UAB at Draper Diamond April 20. They won game one 1-0 on a no-hitter by Whitney Kiihnl, the Player of the Year and the Pitcher of the Year in the Atlantic Sun Conference. The Lady Bisons lost the second game 7-5.
The team has faced four teams including the team they play first UAB. Two of those teams, California and Hawaii, are two of the top teams in the nation. They managed to pull off an upset of California in the first game of the Hawaii Spring Fling and held its own in other games against the two stronger teams.
The Lady Bisons also have a balanced lineup, as seven of their eight regulars have a batting average of over .300. Kellie Sirus and Abby Keese lead the team with 17 and 14 runs, respectively. Sirus leads the team with 55 RBI, while Keese is third with 38.
Whitney Kiihnl has to have one of the most impressive resumes in the country. The sophomore pitcher boasts a 31-3 record and a sparkling 0.73 ERA. She has pitched 12 shutouts and struck out 319 of the 696 batters she has faced. Hitters are batting a mere .107 against her.
Regional # 2: Hosted by the University of Michigan
The No. 2-ranked University of Michigan softball team will be the No. 2 overall seed for the 2010 NCAA Tournament and host a regional for the ninth straight season. Michigan is joined by regional No. 2 seed Notre Dame, No. 3 seed Illinois State and No. 4 seed Wright State in the double-elimination event.
Michigan - If you were to say that Michigan (46-6) has played one of the toughest schedules, including one of the, if not the toughest non-conference schedules, you would not get many people to disagree with you. The team faced 17 non-conference teams that made the NCAA Tournament before Big Ten play started, where they faced two more tough NCAA teams, Illinois and Ohio State. In one stretch, the Wolverines played 24 out of 31 games against tournament teams. Michigan won its third straight Big Ten title by going 18-1.
Michigan has always been known as a team that has a dynamic offense and this year was no different. The Wolverines outscored their opponents by 278 runs (378-100) on their way to bashing 74 home runs and 76 doubles. The team features five hitters who hit over .350 and three who hit over 13 homers. Dorian Shaw leads the team with 18 homers and 55 RBI, while teammate Maggie Viefhaus added 17 round-trippers and 53 RBI of her own.
And while their offense has been prolific as usual, you would be hard=pressed to find a better 1-2 punch than Jordan Taylor and Nikki Nemitz. Taylor leads the squad with a 24-3 record, while posting a 1.43 ERA. Nemitz counters with a 20-3 record and a 1.67 ERA. Taylor hasn't lost since a 5-3 setback to Ohio State on April 28, while it has been nearly three months (Feb.27) since Nemitz dropped a decision. Taylor leads the team with 278 strikeouts, while walking only 39, while Nemitz has retired 167 via the strikeout and walked 30.
The Wolverines are 11-5 against Notre Dame, 2-2 against Illinois State and 3-0 against Wright State.
Notre Dame - For the 12th consecutive season Notre Dame learned it had earned a spot in the NCAA Championship when the NCAA Division I Softball Championship Committee announced the 64-field team on Sunday evening. Notre Dame (45-10) will head to Ann Arbor, Mich., for the opening round of the 2010 tournament.
The Irish faced 10 NCAA Tournament teams this year, going 8-7 against those foes. They have won 10 of their last 11 games heading into the tournament, their only loss being in the semifinals of the Big East Tournament.
Sadie Fitzenberger leads the offense with a .410 average. Christine Lux and Heather Johnson lead the Irish with 17 and 16 home runs, respectively. The Irish as a team lead the country in batting average, hitting at a solid .346 clip.
Notre Dame has ridden the arm of Jody Valdivia, who has a 36-5 record and an impressive 1.72 ERA. She has struck out 260 of the batters she has faced, while allowing hitters to only bat .195 against her.
Illinois State - Illinois State will be making its seventh appearance in the NCAA Tournament and earned its third at-large bid to the tournament, with the last coming in 2007, which is also the last time they made the tournament. Coincidentally, they defeated Notre Dame the last time they were in the tournament 2-1.
The Redbirds faced 10 teams that are in the tournament this year, finishing with a 5-9 record against them. While the record may not look that great, one of the five wins was against Arizona State, which is the 13 seed, in Tempe.
Ashly Olson is the big bopper on the team, leading ISU with 18 homers and 55 RBI. Her .808 slugging percentage leads the team by more that 200 points. Her .370 batting average is second on the team, only behind Kara Nelson, who is hitting an even .400 on the season.
Illinois State is led by a pitching staff of Megan Warner and Jordan Birch. Both have almost identical records with Warner having a 15-9 record and Birch 15-8. Birch has struck out 124, while Warner has 119 K's to her name.
Wright State - The Raiders (30-28-1) are coming to Ann Arbor after having won the Horizon League Tournament. They have faced five teams in this year's tournament and have lost to each of them.
The Raiders offense is led by Kristen Bradshaw, who is coming off of an MVP performance at the Horizon League Championships. Bradshaw boasts a .353 average and has swiped 36-of-39 bases. Jamie Perkins and Justine Shilt lead the offense with 38 and 35 RBI, respectively.
Melanie Heyne leads the team in victories with 13 and ERA (3.03) and has won her last five decisions.
Regional # 3: Hosted by the University of Washington
Washington - The defending National Champions and top ranked team all year might have some gripe with the selection committee after "earning" the 3 seed. The team is joined in their Regional by Nebraska, North Carolina and North Dakota State. The Huskies will make their 17th consecutive NCAA postseason appearance this week and first as the defending National Champion. The Huskies (46-5, 17-4) are coming off one of their most successful non-conference seasons in school history, including winning the Pac-10 Conference for the third time in school history; it was their first since 2000 and the first out-right title since 1996.
The Huskies faced yet another challenging schedule, having to face seven NCAA Tournament teams from the Pac 10, as well as 11 nonconference teams that made the tournament. The team amassed a 23-4 record against NCAA Tournament opponents on the year.
Danielle Lawrie is the star of the team and has not disappointed. She leads the team with 14 home runs and 55 RBI. Kimi Pohlman leads the team in average, hitting at a .385 clip, while also leading the team with 20 steals. Sharon Wright and Niki Williams have some power as well, as they hit 11 and 10 homers respectively.
As good as Lawrie was at the plate, she was even better on the mound. Lawrie compiled a 35-2 record, 0.99 ERA and struck out 407 of 857 batters. She had a 12.3:1 K:BB ratio. She recently became the PAC 10's career strikeout leader, while moving up to second for career wins with 131.
North Carolina - Carolina earned its eighth consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament with this year's berth and gathered 40 wins in a season for the fifth straight year this season. The team is coming off of a loss to Georgia Tech in the ACC Tournament semifinals.
The Heels faced 12 teams that made the tournament, going 8-12 against them.
Danielle Spaulding leads the team in hitting with a .356 average and 33 RBI. She leads a balanced offense, which features six players with over 20 RBI, including Kelli Wheeler, who leads the team with 12 home runs. Christine Knauer has been a paid on the base paths, as the speedster has swiped 41 bases in 45 attempts.
Like Washington's Lawrie, Spaulding is a dual-threat on the diamond, as she heads a two-man pitching staff. Spaulding has compiled a 19-5 recors, while posting a 1.32 ERA. It is her teammate Amber Johnson, however, who leads the team in wins with 20, while amassing a 2.26 ERA. Both pitchers have struck out over 200 batters, with Spaulding having K'd 294 batters and Johnson 216.
The Heels are 2-2 against Nebraska, 1-0 against North Dakota State and 0-1 against Washington.
Nebraska - The Nebraska softball team will make its 20th all-time NCAA Tournament appearance this weekend when the Huskers travel to Seattle, Wash. Nebraska will be playing its first-ever games in the state of Washington this weekend, but the Huskers are no strangers to the postseason. The trip to Seattle will mark Nebraska’s 20th all-time NCAA Tournament appearances, a total that ranks ninth in NCAA Division I history. The Huskers have been a frequent participant in the postseason under 18th-year Head Coach Rhonda Revelle, who has guided her team to the NCAA Tournament in 15 of the past 16 seasons.
Eight of the Huskers’ last nine games have come against NCAA Tournament teams, including seven contests against teams currently ranked in the national top 20. Overall, Nebraska played 22 total games against 13 teams in the NCAA Tournament field, posting a 7-15 record in those games. The Huskers posted a 2-8 record against six teams that earned a national seed, with victories against eighth-seeded Georgia Tech and ninth-seeded Missouri.
Ashley Guile leads a balanced Husker offense with a .391 average, 15 doubles and 40 RBI. Heidi Foland and Brooke Thomason provide the power for Nebraska, as they have knocked out 12 and 11 home runs, respectively.
As it seems like with many teams, the Huskers use two pitchers, Robin Mackin and Ashley Hagemann. Hagemann leads the team in victories (14) and strikeouts (208), while Mackin leads the two in ERA (2.61) and batting average against (.202).
North Dakota State - North Dakota State advances to the NCAA tournament for the second straight season after winning the Summit League tournament in Fargo this weekend. The Bison went 3-2 in its first Division I tournament appearance in 2009, winning three games to take the NCAA Norman Regional title and dropped a pair of games at Arizona State in the NCAA Super Regional.
I'm going to look at the top three seeded Regionals and some intriguing others.
Regional # 1: Hosted by the University of Alabama
UAB. Lipscomb and Alcorn State join the host Crimson Tide, who were surprisingly awarded the top overall seed in the tournament. All three visitors are making their first ever NCAA Tournament appearance. The only reason I say surprising top seed is because given the fact that Washington won the title last year and stayed at No.1 all year, one would have thought that the Huskies would have been the top seed. That's not to say the Tide didn't deserve it because they did and I'm about to show you why.
Alabama: Alabama is trying to make their third consecutive trip to the College World Series after finishing the year with a 48-9 record, while winning both the SEC regular season and tournament championships in the same season for the first time in school history.
The Crimson Tide faced 17 opponents that made the NCAA tournament this year, including UAB, whom they defeated twice this year. The team complied a 25-8 record against those teams, including wins over Missouri, Michigan, Florida, Tennessee, Georgia, LSU and Georgia Tech, all teams that received national seeds. All-time they are 8-0 against UAB and 2-1 against Lipscomb. This will be the team's first meeting with Alcorn State.
The team boasts a prolific offense led by Charlotte Morgan. The senior from California leads the team with 16 home runs, 11 doubles and 67 RBI. The offense features five players who have over 30 RBI, with two more at 28. After losing speedster, Brittany Rogers to graduation, the team doesn't seem to have lost anything on the base paths as they replaced Rogers with a freshman speed demon by the name of Kayla Braud. She has 40 steals in 44 attempts, while Jennifer Fenton has swiped 26-of-27 bases. Two more players have combined to steal 32-of-38 bases as well.
Not only has the offense been amazing, but so has the Crimson Tide pitching. The staff is led by Kelsi Dunne, who boasts a 27-4 record and a 2.00 ERA. She has struck out 308 of 662 batters faced and hitters are hitting a mere .180 against her. Along with Dunne, Lauren Sewell, Amanda Locke and Morgan comprise a staff that has struck out 477 batters with a combined 2.49 ERA.
UAB - The Blazers (36-20) are making their first ever NCAA Tournament appearance. Unlike Alabama, the Blazers did not face as many teams that qualified for the tournament. Of the five teams they faced that qualified for the tournament, they went 7-6, including splitting a doubleheader with their first opponent, Lipscomb.
While the UAB offense may not be as dynamic as some of their opponents, they do have a steady lineup, led by Martina Landrum, Kayla Orr and Mandy Lowman. Landrum leads the team with an impressive .376 batting average, while Orr and Lowman lead the team with 40 RBI each. Landrum adds speed at the top of the lineup, as she has stolen 35 bases in 41 attempts.
The pitching staff may be what is most impressive about the Blazers. The team is led by a two-headed monster of Lauren Webster and Alisha Smith, both of whom have ERA's below 2.00. Webster leads the staff with a 17-5 record, 1.77 ERA and 7:1 K:BB ratio.
Lipscomb - The Lady Bisons (48-11) split a doubleheader with UAB at Draper Diamond April 20. They won game one 1-0 on a no-hitter by Whitney Kiihnl, the Player of the Year and the Pitcher of the Year in the Atlantic Sun Conference. The Lady Bisons lost the second game 7-5.
The team has faced four teams including the team they play first UAB. Two of those teams, California and Hawaii, are two of the top teams in the nation. They managed to pull off an upset of California in the first game of the Hawaii Spring Fling and held its own in other games against the two stronger teams.
The Lady Bisons also have a balanced lineup, as seven of their eight regulars have a batting average of over .300. Kellie Sirus and Abby Keese lead the team with 17 and 14 runs, respectively. Sirus leads the team with 55 RBI, while Keese is third with 38.
Whitney Kiihnl has to have one of the most impressive resumes in the country. The sophomore pitcher boasts a 31-3 record and a sparkling 0.73 ERA. She has pitched 12 shutouts and struck out 319 of the 696 batters she has faced. Hitters are batting a mere .107 against her.
Regional # 2: Hosted by the University of Michigan
The No. 2-ranked University of Michigan softball team will be the No. 2 overall seed for the 2010 NCAA Tournament and host a regional for the ninth straight season. Michigan is joined by regional No. 2 seed Notre Dame, No. 3 seed Illinois State and No. 4 seed Wright State in the double-elimination event.
Michigan - If you were to say that Michigan (46-6) has played one of the toughest schedules, including one of the, if not the toughest non-conference schedules, you would not get many people to disagree with you. The team faced 17 non-conference teams that made the NCAA Tournament before Big Ten play started, where they faced two more tough NCAA teams, Illinois and Ohio State. In one stretch, the Wolverines played 24 out of 31 games against tournament teams. Michigan won its third straight Big Ten title by going 18-1.
Michigan has always been known as a team that has a dynamic offense and this year was no different. The Wolverines outscored their opponents by 278 runs (378-100) on their way to bashing 74 home runs and 76 doubles. The team features five hitters who hit over .350 and three who hit over 13 homers. Dorian Shaw leads the team with 18 homers and 55 RBI, while teammate Maggie Viefhaus added 17 round-trippers and 53 RBI of her own.
And while their offense has been prolific as usual, you would be hard=pressed to find a better 1-2 punch than Jordan Taylor and Nikki Nemitz. Taylor leads the squad with a 24-3 record, while posting a 1.43 ERA. Nemitz counters with a 20-3 record and a 1.67 ERA. Taylor hasn't lost since a 5-3 setback to Ohio State on April 28, while it has been nearly three months (Feb.27) since Nemitz dropped a decision. Taylor leads the team with 278 strikeouts, while walking only 39, while Nemitz has retired 167 via the strikeout and walked 30.
The Wolverines are 11-5 against Notre Dame, 2-2 against Illinois State and 3-0 against Wright State.
Notre Dame - For the 12th consecutive season Notre Dame learned it had earned a spot in the NCAA Championship when the NCAA Division I Softball Championship Committee announced the 64-field team on Sunday evening. Notre Dame (45-10) will head to Ann Arbor, Mich., for the opening round of the 2010 tournament.
The Irish faced 10 NCAA Tournament teams this year, going 8-7 against those foes. They have won 10 of their last 11 games heading into the tournament, their only loss being in the semifinals of the Big East Tournament.
Sadie Fitzenberger leads the offense with a .410 average. Christine Lux and Heather Johnson lead the Irish with 17 and 16 home runs, respectively. The Irish as a team lead the country in batting average, hitting at a solid .346 clip.
Notre Dame has ridden the arm of Jody Valdivia, who has a 36-5 record and an impressive 1.72 ERA. She has struck out 260 of the batters she has faced, while allowing hitters to only bat .195 against her.
Illinois State - Illinois State will be making its seventh appearance in the NCAA Tournament and earned its third at-large bid to the tournament, with the last coming in 2007, which is also the last time they made the tournament. Coincidentally, they defeated Notre Dame the last time they were in the tournament 2-1.
The Redbirds faced 10 teams that are in the tournament this year, finishing with a 5-9 record against them. While the record may not look that great, one of the five wins was against Arizona State, which is the 13 seed, in Tempe.
Ashly Olson is the big bopper on the team, leading ISU with 18 homers and 55 RBI. Her .808 slugging percentage leads the team by more that 200 points. Her .370 batting average is second on the team, only behind Kara Nelson, who is hitting an even .400 on the season.
Illinois State is led by a pitching staff of Megan Warner and Jordan Birch. Both have almost identical records with Warner having a 15-9 record and Birch 15-8. Birch has struck out 124, while Warner has 119 K's to her name.
Wright State - The Raiders (30-28-1) are coming to Ann Arbor after having won the Horizon League Tournament. They have faced five teams in this year's tournament and have lost to each of them.
The Raiders offense is led by Kristen Bradshaw, who is coming off of an MVP performance at the Horizon League Championships. Bradshaw boasts a .353 average and has swiped 36-of-39 bases. Jamie Perkins and Justine Shilt lead the offense with 38 and 35 RBI, respectively.
Melanie Heyne leads the team in victories with 13 and ERA (3.03) and has won her last five decisions.
Regional # 3: Hosted by the University of Washington
Washington - The defending National Champions and top ranked team all year might have some gripe with the selection committee after "earning" the 3 seed. The team is joined in their Regional by Nebraska, North Carolina and North Dakota State. The Huskies will make their 17th consecutive NCAA postseason appearance this week and first as the defending National Champion. The Huskies (46-5, 17-4) are coming off one of their most successful non-conference seasons in school history, including winning the Pac-10 Conference for the third time in school history; it was their first since 2000 and the first out-right title since 1996.
The Huskies faced yet another challenging schedule, having to face seven NCAA Tournament teams from the Pac 10, as well as 11 nonconference teams that made the tournament. The team amassed a 23-4 record against NCAA Tournament opponents on the year.
Danielle Lawrie is the star of the team and has not disappointed. She leads the team with 14 home runs and 55 RBI. Kimi Pohlman leads the team in average, hitting at a .385 clip, while also leading the team with 20 steals. Sharon Wright and Niki Williams have some power as well, as they hit 11 and 10 homers respectively.
As good as Lawrie was at the plate, she was even better on the mound. Lawrie compiled a 35-2 record, 0.99 ERA and struck out 407 of 857 batters. She had a 12.3:1 K:BB ratio. She recently became the PAC 10's career strikeout leader, while moving up to second for career wins with 131.
North Carolina - Carolina earned its eighth consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament with this year's berth and gathered 40 wins in a season for the fifth straight year this season. The team is coming off of a loss to Georgia Tech in the ACC Tournament semifinals.
The Heels faced 12 teams that made the tournament, going 8-12 against them.
Danielle Spaulding leads the team in hitting with a .356 average and 33 RBI. She leads a balanced offense, which features six players with over 20 RBI, including Kelli Wheeler, who leads the team with 12 home runs. Christine Knauer has been a paid on the base paths, as the speedster has swiped 41 bases in 45 attempts.
Like Washington's Lawrie, Spaulding is a dual-threat on the diamond, as she heads a two-man pitching staff. Spaulding has compiled a 19-5 recors, while posting a 1.32 ERA. It is her teammate Amber Johnson, however, who leads the team in wins with 20, while amassing a 2.26 ERA. Both pitchers have struck out over 200 batters, with Spaulding having K'd 294 batters and Johnson 216.
The Heels are 2-2 against Nebraska, 1-0 against North Dakota State and 0-1 against Washington.
Nebraska - The Nebraska softball team will make its 20th all-time NCAA Tournament appearance this weekend when the Huskers travel to Seattle, Wash. Nebraska will be playing its first-ever games in the state of Washington this weekend, but the Huskers are no strangers to the postseason. The trip to Seattle will mark Nebraska’s 20th all-time NCAA Tournament appearances, a total that ranks ninth in NCAA Division I history. The Huskers have been a frequent participant in the postseason under 18th-year Head Coach Rhonda Revelle, who has guided her team to the NCAA Tournament in 15 of the past 16 seasons.
Eight of the Huskers’ last nine games have come against NCAA Tournament teams, including seven contests against teams currently ranked in the national top 20. Overall, Nebraska played 22 total games against 13 teams in the NCAA Tournament field, posting a 7-15 record in those games. The Huskers posted a 2-8 record against six teams that earned a national seed, with victories against eighth-seeded Georgia Tech and ninth-seeded Missouri.
Ashley Guile leads a balanced Husker offense with a .391 average, 15 doubles and 40 RBI. Heidi Foland and Brooke Thomason provide the power for Nebraska, as they have knocked out 12 and 11 home runs, respectively.
As it seems like with many teams, the Huskers use two pitchers, Robin Mackin and Ashley Hagemann. Hagemann leads the team in victories (14) and strikeouts (208), while Mackin leads the two in ERA (2.61) and batting average against (.202).
North Dakota State - North Dakota State advances to the NCAA tournament for the second straight season after winning the Summit League tournament in Fargo this weekend. The Bison went 3-2 in its first Division I tournament appearance in 2009, winning three games to take the NCAA Norman Regional title and dropped a pair of games at Arizona State in the NCAA Super Regional.
North Dakota State is 0-9 against the Pac-10 all-time including a 6-0 loss to then 6th-ranked Arizona on Feb. 13 at Kajikawa Classic in Tempe, Ariz. The Bison are 0-4 against the Wildcats, 0-2 against Arizona State, 0-2 vs. Cal and 0-1 against Stanford. NDSU is 0-14 against Nebraska and 0-1 vs. North Carolina.
It's the ninth tournament appearance overall (including Division II) for North Dakota State. The Bison have compiled a 27-17 record in NCAA competition and is 3-8 against NCAA teams this year.
The Bison are led by the big bat of Melissa Chmielewski who leads the team in average (.398), home runs (10) and RBI (59).
Whitney Johnson is the horse of the pitching staff, poating a 26-16 record and 2.53 ERA. She has nine shutouts amongst her 32 complete games and has struck out 315 hitters.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
College Athletes and Social Media
A recent story by the Columbia Missourian addressed the issue of athletes using social media networks such as Facebook and Twitter. While most people probably don't see using such networks as a big deal, it has become something that can actually play a roll on whether you play on the team, are dismissed/suspended, etc. But how hard is it exactly for a coach/team/school to monitor so many athletes?
The answer to that is through a system called UDilligence. What the service does is monitor athletes' Facebook, Twitter and MySpace pages for over 400 words they find may be inappropriate. The service then notifies the school and they can take it from there. But is this a violate of the students' right to free speech and the right to be a kid?
One thing that athletes, politicians and people in the public eye don't seem to realize is that if you are in the public eye, expect to have every move you make magnified by EVERYBODY. If you want to be part of the face of the university's athletics, be ready for people to check out your every move. This includes writing inappropriate/dumb statuses on Facebook and Twitter. There is no reason for anyone to use language that should not be used in any setting, but if you have so many people "following" you or being your "friend", learn to tone it down a little.
If the rest of the world can be subject to firings or suspensions because of something we write or pictures that show us drinking or flashing gang signs, the question is why don't we learn? Is it because people in today's world continue to think that 'oh that won't happen to me"? Personally, I don't know what is so hard to not swear in statuses or call people inappropriate names or take pictures of someone doing something stupid that can get them in trouble. It's just common sense, but for some reason that doesn't seem to resonate with many people.
Some players, such as Missouri's Kim English, who is quite popular on Twitter, use the social networking site as a place to communicate with their fans. Other players like Evan Turner and even Shaq use it and want to keep in contact with their fans. English, however, is the only one that I remember shutting down his account during the season. Whether this is because of what his coach told him or he just felt it would be right, the account, which has been mentioned numerous times by Internet journalists as a great follow, was closed from December until the day after the season ended.
Maybe if more players did that, there wouldn't be so many problems.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Lebron...should he stay or should he go? And his options...
To say that this year's Cavs season-ending series was a disappointment would be the under-statement of the year. Well the NBA season at least. To have the best player in the league and just flame out like that is uncharacteristic of both Lebron James and his teammates. But the question likes more with why did it seem as if Lebron just quit towards the end of the series? Is it because he found out about those rumors of his mom and Delonte West? Well anyways, below is a breakdown of some of the teams Lebron could go to this summer outside of Cleveland, because I don't think he is coming back.
Teams with a Good Shot
Miami - This in essence may be the most attractive place for him for one reason: they can offer TWO max contracts. So that means that he could play with his buddy D Wade in a lineup that would compete in the East right away! From this year's squad, they have D-Wade, Michael Beasley, Mario Chalmers, James Jones and Daequan Cook with contracts for next year. And Wade (player), Chalmers (team) and Jones (team) have options in their contracts. The only thing that may deter Lebron from coming to the Heat would be the uncertainty of the players, outside of Wade, that would be playing around them. A nucleus of Wade, Beasley, Cook and Chalmers is a nice start, but how does that stack up against those of other teams?
New York - The Knicks pulled off some ridiculousness at the trading deadline this year, trading away players for some crazy expiring contracts. Tracy McGrady, Al Harrington, Cuttino Mobley, Brian Cardinal and Chris Duhon all have contracts over $6 million that expire. The only big contract that can come back is Eddy Curry, who has a $11.3 million player option for next year. Outside of him, the other returning players' combined contracts come out to about $10 million. Because of this, they have the possibility of signing two max-contract players. One thing that might be nice for Lebron would be the exposure he would get by playing in New York, but will he be any closer to a title with the likes of Curry, Danillo Gallinari, Sergio Rodriguez and Wilson Chandler around him?
New Jersey - The one true thing that the Nets have over some of the other schools is Jay-Z, a partial owner. He and Lebron have formed a bond that might entice Lebron to come to Jersey and play for the Nets. The Nets have seven players under contract for 2010-11, plus a very affordable $854,000 option on Chris Douglas-Roberts. Included in those seven players is Devin Harris, who when healthy is one of the top point guards in the East, if not the entire league. Add Brook Lopez and that would be a nice 1-2-3 punch. And let's not forget about the possibility of getting the top pick in the draft, which will be John Wall.
And finally...the hometown Chicago Bulls - That $31.85 million under contract includes the Bulls' core of Derrick Rose, Luol Deng, Joakim Noah and Kirk Hinrich, along with Taj Gibson and James Johnson. With seven roster spots accounted for, the Bulls will have about $20 million, enough to dangle a max contract in front of one of the top-tier free agents.All of them will be around for at least the next two or three years, but will that be enough to convince Lebron to come to Chicago? The best rebounder in the league, statistically, and one of the best young players in the league make for a nice young core. Will this help the Bulls tho?
Either way, the summer promises to be a fun one. Plenty of teams will have $$ to spend and this has to be one of the best free agent classes in recent memory. In a couple weeks...let the excitement begin!
Teams with a Good Shot
Miami - This in essence may be the most attractive place for him for one reason: they can offer TWO max contracts. So that means that he could play with his buddy D Wade in a lineup that would compete in the East right away! From this year's squad, they have D-Wade, Michael Beasley, Mario Chalmers, James Jones and Daequan Cook with contracts for next year. And Wade (player), Chalmers (team) and Jones (team) have options in their contracts. The only thing that may deter Lebron from coming to the Heat would be the uncertainty of the players, outside of Wade, that would be playing around them. A nucleus of Wade, Beasley, Cook and Chalmers is a nice start, but how does that stack up against those of other teams?
New York - The Knicks pulled off some ridiculousness at the trading deadline this year, trading away players for some crazy expiring contracts. Tracy McGrady, Al Harrington, Cuttino Mobley, Brian Cardinal and Chris Duhon all have contracts over $6 million that expire. The only big contract that can come back is Eddy Curry, who has a $11.3 million player option for next year. Outside of him, the other returning players' combined contracts come out to about $10 million. Because of this, they have the possibility of signing two max-contract players. One thing that might be nice for Lebron would be the exposure he would get by playing in New York, but will he be any closer to a title with the likes of Curry, Danillo Gallinari, Sergio Rodriguez and Wilson Chandler around him?
New Jersey - The one true thing that the Nets have over some of the other schools is Jay-Z, a partial owner. He and Lebron have formed a bond that might entice Lebron to come to Jersey and play for the Nets. The Nets have seven players under contract for 2010-11, plus a very affordable $854,000 option on Chris Douglas-Roberts. Included in those seven players is Devin Harris, who when healthy is one of the top point guards in the East, if not the entire league. Add Brook Lopez and that would be a nice 1-2-3 punch. And let's not forget about the possibility of getting the top pick in the draft, which will be John Wall.
And finally...the hometown Chicago Bulls - That $31.85 million under contract includes the Bulls' core of Derrick Rose, Luol Deng, Joakim Noah and Kirk Hinrich, along with Taj Gibson and James Johnson. With seven roster spots accounted for, the Bulls will have about $20 million, enough to dangle a max contract in front of one of the top-tier free agents.All of them will be around for at least the next two or three years, but will that be enough to convince Lebron to come to Chicago? The best rebounder in the league, statistically, and one of the best young players in the league make for a nice young core. Will this help the Bulls tho?
Either way, the summer promises to be a fun one. Plenty of teams will have $$ to spend and this has to be one of the best free agent classes in recent memory. In a couple weeks...let the excitement begin!
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Steroid Tests in High School: A Policy Worth Discussing
By: Michael Wojtychiw and Stephen Villatoro
For all athletes, the pressure of being the best is something that can cause some to do things they would have never imagined.
Anabolic steroids and performance-enhancing drugs have been a part of the sports landscape since the 1970s, from professional sports to high schools. And for Illinois prep athletes as well as many in other states, testing for these banned substances can be the only way to keep the playing field level and the athletes healthy.
However, randomly testing student-athletes doesn’t sit well with everyone.
In December 2006, Illinois High School Association member schools approved a bylaw that took effect on July 1, 2007 and identifies what schools or school officials can and cannot distribute to student-athletes as far as testing. According to the IHSA Web site, this bylaw is a change aimed at strengthening the relationship between students and their schools by affirming the school's commitment to offering a safe environment in which students can develop.
Paul Murphy, varsity football coach at Waubonsie Valley High School and trustee for the Illinois High School Football Coaches Association, said he believed the IHSA is moving in the right direction with their drug testing policy.
“Performance enhancing substances are not good for anyone, especially teenage athletes who have no idea what they are putting into their bodies and what the drugs are doing to their bodies,” said Murphy. “As coaches and teachers, we do the best we can to educate student-athletes on the harmful effects of performance enhancing substances.”
But not everyone agrees that testing is the right approach to take.
Ed Yohnka, director of Communications for the American Civil Liberties Union, said the ACLU does not support this type of testing program, suggesting that random testing is irresponsible and doesn’t send a good message to student-athletes.
“We are concerned about any intrusive, invasive drug testing that is random and suspicionless,” Yohnka said. “We do not agree that we address the serious problems posed by the use of steroids and other performance enhancing drugs by subjecting every student-athlete in Illinois to a dragnet of drug testing.”
Is the Policy Working?
Steroids and other performance enhancers in sports has become a major topic in professional sports over the past decade. However, when it involves high school athletics it becomes a complicated and highly debatable issue.
Currently 1,000 Illinois student-athletes are randomly tested each year. The Illinois High School Association is made up of 765 schools. That equates to less than two student-athletes per school being tested.
While no one interviewed said steroid use could be avoided, some wonder if it can even be regulated efficiently. A year after the testing measure passed, the IHSA sent out a survey to its 765 members, with questions ranging from performance-enhancing drugs to the expansion of classes. Of the 765 administrators asked to fill out the survey, approximately 54 percent responded. The results suggest the drug testing policy has a long way to go before it’s effective.
See the survey results.
Seventy-two percent of the respondents said they did favor a drug-testing program. Those who did favor the plan were asked to answer five more questions about the program. Nearly all of the respondents (284 of the 294) said they would favor declaring ineligible any player who was caught using performance-enhancing drugs or steroids. However, 60 percent said they would not favor the forfeiture of any post-season award.
Matt Troha, assistant executive director of the IHSA, believed there was an explanation for the statistics.
“I believe the majority of the membership who voted this way wanted each case reviewed by our Executive Director rather than having a broad plan,” Troha said. “For example, if a student who was sitting out all postseason because of injury was tested through our program and tested positive, the administrators felt like that student had no barring on the result and the other kids should not be punished.”
Troha said 10 athletes have tested positive so far, but were given exemptions by a medical review officer. The numbers suggest IHSA athletes are staying clean but the plan is designed to test only a small amount of students. However, the study proved the program still has unresolved issues.
Loyola Academy senior football player Quinn Kaiser said the results of the test proved just how different certain schools and officials feel about the whole program.
“That just goes to show how greedy some people can be I guess,” Kaiser said. “Some people just care more about winning than being right and that’s sad. I know if it was me, and I am pretty sure it goes for the rest of the people here at Loyola, but if someone messes up, you need to do what’s right. If you cheat, take responsibility. It’s only right.”
National Institute on Drug Abuse | Drug Free Sport | Sport Safe Testing Service
National Institute on Drug Abuse | Drug Free Sport | Sport Safe Testing Service
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Lacrosse Catching on in Chicago, Suburbs
A Glenbrook South player battles an opponent from Hathaway Brown for possession (Photo by Fred Dial)
In a sport dominated by schools on the East Coast, schools in the Midwest are starting to show that they are forces to be reckoned with. The sport of lacrosse has become so popular in the state of Illinois that the Illinois High School Association has approved a Lacrosse State Series starting in the 2010-2011 school year.
To do that, there needs to be a total of 60 boys and 40 girls teams by February of next year. Both the girls and boys have met those figures already and with the rapid growth of the sport, it is safe to say that the number of schools will only go up.
Lacrosse originated with the Native Americans of the United States and Canada, mainly among the Huron and Iroquois Tribes. In many societies/tribes, the ball sport was often part of religious ritual, played to resolve conflicts, heal the sick, develop strong, virile men and prepare for war. Legend tells of games with more than 100 players from different tribes taking turns to play.
It could be played on a field many miles in length and width; sometimes the game could last for days. Early lacrosse balls were made of deerskin, clay, stone and sometimes wood.
In the United States, lacrosse had primarily been a regional sport centered in and around Colorado, Florida, upstate New York, Texas, and mid-Atlantic states. In recent years, its popularity has started to spread south to Georgia, North Carolina, Alabama and Florida, as well as the Midwest. The sport has gained increasing visibility in the media, with a growth of college, high school, and youth programs throughout the country. According to a 2006 New York Times article, the NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship has the highest attendance of any NCAA Championship, outdrawing even the Final Four of men's basketball.
The sport of boys lacrosse first originated in the state of Illinois in 1988, when the first title game was held between Lake Forest and Evanston High Schools, with Lake Forest winning. It has grown from a mere seven schools to over 60, including schools in the inner city, such as Harlan and Collins Academies.
New Trier High School and Loyola Academy have been the two most successful programs in boys lacrosse, having played in 13 and 17 of the 21 championship games, respectively. Loyola has won the most titles, winning eight of the 17, including five against the rival Trevians, but new Trier has had the ramblers’ number recently, as they have defeated Loyola in the title game in each of the past four years.
“The competitiveness of Illinois high school lacrosse has risen in recent years, said Jamie Considine, an Illinois High School Lacrosse Association administrator said. “We now have lots of players going on to play Division I, II, and III college lacrosse. We have expanded the number of All-Americans from one to six annually to account for the increase in numbers and talent.”
Girls lacrosse, while not as popular yet in Illinois as the boys game, is only entering its 12th year of competition in the state of Illinois. Seven schools first started the Illinois High School Women’s Lacrosse Association in 1998: Loyola, New Trier, Regina Dominican, Lane Tech, Glenbrook South and Lake Forest.
Like their male counterparts, Loyola and New Trier, along with Lake Forest, have been the most successful teams, with Loyola being in every single of the 12 championship games.
“We are all excited because I feel this will give lacrosse more of a seal of approval,” said Loyola girls lacrosse coach John Dwyer. “Because it will now be an IHSA sport, more schools will start programs and that only makes the level of play in Illinois better.”
With the new Championship Series, there will be a new quirk in the seeding that there wasn’t before. The boys game has two divisions, A and B, where the top teams are in the A division and the rest are in the B division.
With the inception of the new playoff series, this will no longer be the case. All schools will play in one class. The girls game, however, does not have multiple classes and is seeded. The Championship Series will do what they do with the rest of their sports: break schools up into regionals and sectionals, based on location. Not all coaches are thrilled about this.
“I have a bad feeling that the Championship games won’t feature the best two teams in the state anymore,” said Dwyer, who has been Loyola’s coach for eight years. “In the past it had been that we would face New Trier or Lake Forest in either the semifinals or finals. With this new system, we will face them in the second or third round. So it might end up that the best team in the state is done after one or two games.”
But as Dwyer later added, it doesn’t matter what the name on the trophy is, it’s all the same. You can never take away the feeling of a championship.
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