Softball inks seven future Sun Devils

TEMPE, Ariz. - The Arizona State University Softball program is proud to announce the 2008 graduates who have signed National Letters of Intent to attend ASU.  This class is very athletic and will continue our efforts towards maintaining a national presence in softball.  We are looking forward to these student athletes arriving on our campus and believe they possess the qualities that embody what it means to be a Sun Devil.

Nikole Afusia

Nikole is a catcher from Midway City, Calif.  She has been selected for various awards including: 2005- 2nd team all-league for 3rd base, 2006- 1st team all-league, 2007- 1st team all-league (catcher), 1st team all-CIF (catcher), MVP of the League(catcher).  She is currently playing for the California Cruisers travel team.  Last year Nikole led her league in hitting when she hit a phenomenal .534 while showing her tremendous power at the plate.

Lexi Anderson

Lexi is a middle infielder from Upland, Calif.  She is from Upland High School and plays for the American Pastime travel program which has produced several of ASU's softball alumni.  Lexi is a versatile infielder who hits for average and power. 

Hillary Bach

Hillary is a pitcher from Holland Hall High in Tulsa Okla.  Hillary has been all conference in Volleyball and Softball for the past three years as well as garnering Southwest Preparatory All-District Selections in those sports.  She has also been an all-conference basketball selection the past two seasons.  Bach was honored with the Tulsa Girls Softball Vonda Murrah Player of the Year award last year where she had a .10 ERA and averaged 15.8 strikeouts a game.  She plays for the Tulsa Eagles Gold who are coached by Dave Simmons.  She also excels off the field as well and has made the Headmaster Honor Roll the past two years. 

Katelyn Boyd

Katelyn is a local product who attends Horizon High School and plays for the AZ HotShots Gold.  She plays infield and can also catch.  She is an honor roll student and is a member of the Society of Women Scholars.  Her athletic honors include 2007 1st team all-region, and 2005 1st  She also broke the least strikeouts record with (1) when she batted .625 with 55 hits and had a slugging percentage of .966.  team all-region MVP.

Talor Haro

Talor is local product from Highland High and plays for Blaize Gatti's AZ HotShots Gold.  Talor was the Fiesta Region "Player of the Year" in 2007.  She was named first-team all State by the AZ Republic and Tribune.  Last year Talor hit .699 at Highland.  Talor is a speedy player with great versatility who will also develop power.  She can play the infield and the outfield.  Talor also was 24-5 with 270 K's in 181 innings as a high school pitcher. 

Annie Lockwood

Annie is from Paradise Valley and plays for the AZ HotShots Gold.  She was also a member of the 16U Killer Bee's who finished 5th at Nationals.  She has been recognized with All-City, All-Region, and All-State honors.  In 2007 she finished with a .510 BA, 11 HR's, and 37 RBI's.  Annie is also in the top 10% of her class.  She achieved the Paradise Valley High School Academic Excellence Award in 2005, 2006, and 2007.  She is a member of the Society of Women Scholars and National Honor Society.  She was also voted Most Athletic Female and Homecoming Queen for her high school.

Christina Zambrana

Christina is from Garden Grove Calif. and attends Pacifica High School who won the CIF championship last year.  She has been named all league, county, and state during her high school career.   Christina plays for the California Cruisers who finished ninth at last years Gold Nationals.  She hit .529 at ASA Gold Nationals.  National Elite Futures named her as an "emerging hitter destined to be one of the best in the country".

The Sun Devils will open their 2008 home season February 14 against Western Kentucky followed with the Kajikawa Classic February 15-17 in Tempe, Ariz.

 

NEW LIFE FOR 18A

ASA Approves Move to 43-Foot Pitching Distance

Nov 12, 2007 at 6:38 PM

  A 43-foot pitching distance for the 18A ASA classification has become a reality. Meeting November 3-9 in Louisville, Kentucky, the ASA Council approved the new distance at its final general session November 8, after first being approved in the Fastpitch Rules Subcommittee and Playing Rules Committee.   A similar rule was discussed for 18B and 16U, but never made it out of committee consideration. Another proposed rules change was to accept metal spikes for the JO Girls 18-U divisions, which would be consistent with the National Federation of High Schools’ approval of metal spikes for the 2007-08 academic years. Although there was a close vote (28-28 in playing rules), the proposal was rejected.  

The ASA legislative group considered 88 ASA Code changes, including elimination of NCAA Division I and Division II players from any Junior Olympic Team. It was defeated. Equipment was a hot topic, with the Equipment Testing and Certification Committee announcing an additional “break-in test” for bats, doctoring of bats also was discussed and seems to be a bigger problem that initially thought.

 

  In other action: • 2009 host sites were selected, including the following Fastpitch tournaments: -- Girls 10U Class A; July 26-August 8, Johnson City, Tennessee -- Girls 12U Class A; July 26-August 8, Normal, Illinois -- Girls 14U Class A; July 26-August 8, Marietta, Georgia -- Girls 16U Class A; July 26-August 8, Sioux Falls, South Dakota -- Girls 18U Class A; July 26-August 8, Las Vegas, Nevada -- Girls 18U Gold; week after 18A, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma -- Women’s 23U; July 16-19, Sterling, Virginia -- Women’s Major Fastpitch; July 31-August 2, Auburn, Alabama • Eleven honorees were selected for the ASA National Softball Hall of Fame class of 2008. The five players are Mitch Munthe of Modesto, CA; Jim Marsh of Yukon, OK, who played the majority of his career in California; Jenni Harp Oliver of Chattanooga, TN; Roberta (Robbie) Mulkey of California and Kermit Lynch of Oklahoma City.  

 All of the inductees starred in fast pitch except for Harp, who earned All-America honors five times in slow pitch. Six were elected in the non playing category and include Jerry Stewart of Arcola, IL (meritorious service), Freddie, and Virginia Ezell of Midland, TX (meritorious service); Garland Thompson of Wilmore, KY (commissioner); Kevin Ryan of Stanley, NC (umpire) and Ron Galemore of Gaithersburg, MD (umpires).

 

 

ASA Announces 2008 USA Softball Women’s National Team

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OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – The Amateur Softball Association of America (ASA) announced today its roster for the 2008 USA Softball Women’s National Team who will spend the next year preparing to defend their three gold medals at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China. The team will kick off a 40-city U.S. Tour titled ‘Bound 4 Beijing’ in February, giving fans all over the United States the opportunity to see the 2008 National Team.

The four year process culminated with the final selection camp held last week in Chula Vista, CA with 32 participants. The 2008 USA Softball Women’s National Team roster includes 12 2004 Gold Medalist with 15 of the 2006 World Championship team making the roster. Three members of the 18-member roster will eventually be named replacements with 15 nominated to the United States Olympic Committee, prior to July 1, 2008, as the official roster for the 2008 Olympic Games.

Below are the members of the 2008 National Team:

Monica Abbott, Salinas, Calif. (University of Tennessee ‘07) – Abbott, the youngest member of the team, is a two-time member of the National Team. She has also competed as a member of the 2004 World University Team and 2003 Junior Team. Abbott led the pitching staff in 2007 with a 6-0 record for a 0.00 ERA. In 26.2 innings pitched, she issued no walks and no earned runs.

Laura Berg, Santa Fe Springs, Calif. (Graduate ’98) – Outfielder Berg is one of two three-time Olympic gold medalist to be selected to the 2008 Women’s National Team. Along with her two Olympic gold medals, Berg has captured gold at four World Championships and three Pan American Games as well as received the honor of carrying the flag during closing ceremonies at the 2007 Pan American Games.

Crystl Bustos, Canyon Country, Calif. (Palm Beach C.C.) –Bustos has established herself as one of the most feared hitters in the World and will look to earn her third Olympic gold medal. The team will look to her for a repeat performance of the ‘04 Games where she broke Olympic records with five homeruns and 10 RBI. She is coming off a 25-RBI summer in 2007 where she had 22 hits with a team-high seven homeruns.

Andrea Duran, Selma, Calif. (UCLA ’06) – Duran makes her third-consecutive appearance on the National Team roster after spending time on the World University, Elite and Junior team rosters. Solid at third base, Duran made an impressive run the past summer including a grand slam at her first Pan American Games. She is also a two-time World Cup Champion as well as 2006 World Champion.

Lisa Fernandez, Long Beach, Calif. (UCLA ’95) – Right-handed pitcher Lisa Fernandez makes her return to the National Team roster after a three year hiatus. She will possibly be making her fourth appearance at the games, one of only two athletes to accomplish this. She has pitched in three Olympic games, including earning the win in the circle of the Gold Medal 5-1 victory over Australia in 2004 as well as a top offensive contributor hitting .545 (12-for-22) at the Games.

Jennie Finch, La Mirada, Calif. (Arizona ’02) – Two-time World Champion Finch will look to become a two-time Olympian, after making the National Team for her seventh consecutive season. Finch has dominated in the circle, even coming back three months after having her son Ace in 2006 to compete the remainder of the season. Finch made two appearances at the ’04 Games, working 8.0 innings with 13 strikeouts.

Tairia Flowers, Tucson, Ariz. (UCLA ’04) – A utility player at first, third and catcher, Flowers has been a solid player for the red, white and blue with six seasons of experience at the National level. The 2004 Olympian emerged this past 2007 leading the team throughout the summer with a batting average of .543 including her first career grand slam at the World Cup of Softball.

Vicky Galindo, Union City, Calif. (Cal ’04) – Galindo has combined speed, power and defensive play to become an all around player and will look to continue that as she looks for a spot at her first Olympic Games. Galindo, seeing time at second and designated player, is coming off an outstanding 2007 where she was second on the team with a .500 (18-for-36) batting average and no errors in the field.

Alicia Hollowell, Suisun, Calif. (Arizona ’06) – Hollowell, in her third-consecutive year on the National team, brings another right-handed pitcher to the pitching staff. Hollowell, earned her first World Championship in 2006. In 15 appearances as a member of the National Team, Hollowell has posted an ERA of 0.19 with a 7-1 record.

Lovieanne Jung, Fountain Valley, Calif. (Arizona ’03) – Second baseman Jung has been a fixture on the National Team level since 2002 when she made her first appearance at the ISF World Championships. She is a two-time World Champion and Pan American Champion and is looking to earn her second-Olympic gold medal after drawing a team-high five walks during the ’04 Games.

Kelly Kretschman, Indian Harbour Beach, Fla. (Alabama ’01) – A 2000 Olympic team alternate and 2004 Olympic team member, Kretschman makes her second-consecutive season on the team roster after a year absence. She came back strong in 2007 hitting .474 (18-for-38) with 13 RBI and 15 runs scored. Kretschman played in all nine games of the 2004 Games and was the only one on the roster to hit at least one single, double, triple and homerun for a .333 average.

Lauren Lappin, Anaheim, Calif. (Stanford ’06) – Lappin, the youngest member of the 2004 National Team at 19, served as an alternate at the 2004 games but will look to compete at the Games this year. Lappin had a stellar return to the National Team roster in 2007, hitting fourth on the team with a .480 (12-for-25) average.

Caitlin Lowe, Tustin, Calif. (Arizona ’07) - Lowe has served as leadoff batter over the past couple seasons for the National Team and will be making her fourth National Team roster. Since 2005, Lowe has contributed 74 hits and scored 60 runs, the third best of the team. She is also 23-25 in stolen bases in 58 games played at the National Team level.

Jessica Mendoza, Camarillo, Calif. (Stanford ’02) – Outfielder Jessica Mendoza has been one of the top run producers on the USA National Team since the 2001 season. In 2006, she played a major role in the U.S. winning its first World Cup as well as its seventh-World Championship title, including hitting the game winning homerun in the Gold Medal game of the World Championships.

Stacey Nuveman, La Verne, Calif. (UCLA ’02) – Catcher Stacey Nuveman was an integral part in both the 2000 and 2004 Gold Medal Victories. She had the only hit of the 2000 Gold Medal game and a homerun in the 2004 Gold Medal Game. Nuveman returns to the squad after taking of the 2007 season with the birth of her son, Chase.

Cat Osterman, Houston, Texas (Texas ’06) – Osterman has emerged as one of the best pitchers in the world, defeating some of the world’s top teams. She has earned the start and complete game in the circle in big games including the championship games at both the 2006 World Championships and 2006 and 2007 World Cup.

Jenny Topping, Whittier, Calif. (Cal-State Fullerton ‘03) – Providing depth behind the plate, Topping enters the 2008 National team roster for her seventh season. Topping earned the starting spot as catcher in 2007 with Nuveman out for the season. Topping saw action in four games during the 2004 Olympic Games, going 4-for-6 for a .667 average.

Natasha Watley, Irvine, CA. (UCLA ’03) – A highly recognized shortstop, Natasha Watley joins her seventh National team after an exceptional 2007 season. She hit .466 with 27 hits and a team-high two triples, scoring 21 runs. For her efforts at the Canada Cup, she was named to the All-Tournament team for the shortstop position. She started all nine games at the ’04 Games, tying a team-best 12 hits for a .400 average.

Coaches for the 2008 USA Softball Women's National Team will be Head Coach Mike Candrea (Casa Grande, Ariz.) from the University of Arizona, Assistant Coach Chuck D’Arcy (Sacramento, Calif.), Assistant Coach Karen Johns (Charlottesville, Va.) and Assistant Coach John Rittman (San Jose, Calif.) from Stanford University.

The USA Softball Women’s National Team has a record of 24-4 over the last three Olympic Games including an undefeated 9-0 record at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, outscoring opponents 51-1. The team broke 16 records in 2004 including breaking eight of their own records previously set. On top of three Olympic Gold Medals, the U.S. women are eight-time World Champions and two-time World Cup Champions.

Be sure to check out http://www.usasoftball.com/ for the latest and most up-to-date information surrounding the Women’s National Team and the “Bound 4 Beijing’ tour schedule.

 

 

High School Softball Rules Amended to Permit Metal Cleats in 2008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Mary Struckhoff

    INDIANAPOLIS, IN (July 9, 2007) -- High school softball players will be permitted to wear metal cleats and metal toe plates beginning with the 2008 season.
    This change in Rule 3-2-11 is one of three rules revisions approved by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Softball Rules Committee at its annual meeting June 10-12 in Indianapolis. The rules changes subsequently were approved by the NFHS Board of Directors.
    "Metal cleats provide better traction for athletes on nearly all surfaces, including hard, wet or under-maintained fields," said Cindy Simmons, chair of the NFHS Softball Rules Committee and assistant executive director of the Oregon School Activities Association. "They also help prevent slippage on the bases, especially home plate."
     Current rules prohibit runners from illegal tactics when sliding, and if sliding is executed correctly, the risk of defensive players being "spiked" will decrease.
    In another change, Rule 7-3-1 states that a batter shall take her position in the batter's box within 10 seconds after the ball is returned to the pitcher in the circle. Previously, the batter was permitted 20 seconds to enter the box, and the pitcher was also allotted 20 seconds to deliver the pitch.
    "Before this change, we had two sets of rules in conflict with one another," Simmons said. "By allowing the batter 10 seconds to enter the box, the pitcher now has the other 10 seconds to step on the pitcher's plate and deliver the pitch. This change clarifies previous confusion and keeps the game flowing."
    The final rules revision, Rule 3-6-7, restricts the head coach to the dugout when a second, unreported substitution occurs. Head coaches are held responsible for reporting all substitutions, and if a second infraction occurs, he or she is held accountable along with the player.
    The committee also approved major editorial changes in addition to the rules changes. Rule 1-5-4 clarifies what constitutes a legal bat, stating that bats must meet the 2004 ASA Bat Performance Standard, bear either the 2000 or 2004 certification mark and not be on the ASA non-approved list.
    Rule 2-5-3, new Rule 8-2-13 and Rule 8-6-15 all specify when an on-deck batter is subject to interference and clarifies the penalty associated with the infraction.
    Rule 3-6-6 adds that bat and ball shaggers are permitted out of the dugout. In addition, bench personnel are permitted out of the dugout between innings for warm-up purposes.
    "There have been misconceptions about where individuals need to be during specific points of the game," said Mary Struckhoff, NFHS assistant director and liaison to the Softball Rules Committee. "We want state associations to be aware that it is legal for the bench to engage in throwing and running activities during the one minute designated for the pitcher to warm up at the beginning of each half inning."
    The committee also identified three points of emphasis for the 2008 season. These include pitching, equipment and the use of proper softball signals by umpires.
    Softball is the fourth-most popular sport among girls at the high school level with 369,094 participants during the 2005-06 season, according to the High School Athletics Participation Survey conducted by the NFHS. It also ranks third in school sponsorship for girls across the nation with 14,710 schools.

 There's no stopping American Pastime, Thomsen

American Pastime does just enough to win

This story appeared in the Antelope Valley Press on Saturday, August 4, 2007.

By STEVEN NIX
Valley Press Sports Correspondent

LANCASTER - American Pastime looked comfortable and in control in its game against the California Mirage on Friday at Lancaster City Park in the ASA Western National Championships. The 4-0 score might have been enough for the win, but Pastime manager Dave Lindsay was disappointed in his team's offensive production. "We had one inning where we scored all those runs," Lindsay said. "We should score runs every inning against a team like this." All of Pastime's runs came in the third inning.

Lissa Ishihara started off the inning with a groundout, but back-to-back base hits from Nicole Troncoso and Emily McCormick got the offense rolling. The next batter, Kacie Rapshus, was hit by a pitch to load the bases, and Sarah Velasquez doubled to bring in the first two runs for Pastime. Brianna Marcantoni then launched a ball to center that was mishandled by Maura Aguilar, and Pastime took advantage of the miscue by scoring two more runs. "We performed pretty well," said Troncoso, a Knight High School graduate. "We had good defense and helped out our pitcher."

Mirage pitcher Shelby Abelar got a ground ball and fly ball to end the inning, but the damage had already been done. Abelar pitched three innings with five hits, one walk, one error and allowed four runs. Abeler was replaced in the fourth by Brittany Carranza who kept Pastime hitters off balance for the rest of the game. "They switched pitchers halfway through the game and that kind of threw us off," Lindsay said.

Those four runs were more than enough cushion for Kayla Uphold who pitched a shutout for Pastime. "We had good defense and great pitching from Kayla," Lindsay said. After allowing a walk and a single to start off the second inning, Uphold got a groundout and two strikeouts to work out of the jam. In the fifth it was the defense behind her that bailed her out. Amanda Herrera led of with a double for Mirage, but Brittany Gallegos lined out to second baseman McCormick, who made a heads up play to catch Herrera too far off of second.

"We kept them in the game," Lindsay said. "My team can definitely perform better than that." Troncoso and Rapshus finished 2-for-4 with one run scored, and Velasquez went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI. "Hitting is our strength but we also play well as a team," Troncoso said. "When one of us isn't doing so well we pick each other up."

sports@avpress.com

Back Softball is the official name of the campaign launched by the International Softball Federation to reinstate softball on to the Olympic Program for the Olympic and Paralympic games in 2016.

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