JANUARY 31 UPDATE
2012 NPF College Draft to air March 7
AKRON, Ohio – National Pro Fastpitch announced final plans today for the 2012 NPF College Draft. The 2012 Draft which is presented by Miken, will take place at the Peabody Hotel in Memphis, Tenn. on March 7 at 6:00 EST. The Memphis Sports Council is hosting the event in conjunction with the Peabody Hotel.
All four teams of the NPF will take part in the draft. The draft consists of twenty overall athlete selections that are divided into five rounds. Each round consists of four picks.
The first overall pick in the 2012 NPF College Draft belongs to the USSSA Florida Pride, a position that resulted from a mid-season trade in 2011 with the NPF Diamonds. After finishing in second place during the 2011 regular season, the Akron Racers are scheduled to select third in each round of the draft this year.
Can’t make the watch party? The 2012 NPF College Draft can be seen live through the internet broadcast hosted on the League’s website at www.profastpitch.com. The internet broadcast will go on air at 5:45 EST with a preview and introductions, and the draft itself will begin at approximately 6:00 pm EST.
For the past two years, the University of Alabama has garnered the first overall draft choice in the NPF Draft. In 2010, the USSSA Florida Pride chose first baseman Charlotte Morgan of the Crimson Tide and in 2011, the NPF Diamonds made pitcher Kelsi Dunne the number one selection. National Pro Fastpitch has held a Draft every year since its inception in 2004.
Fresno State Softball Picked to Win the WAC
Fresno State voted as the preseason favorite to win the league; Michelle Moses, Andrea Ortega and Brooke Ortiz named to Preseason All-WAC Team
Jan. 31, 2012
DENVER, Colo. – The Fresno State softball team was selected by the coaches in the Western Athletic Conference to win the 2012 WAC regular-season crown, as the league announced the 2012 preseason poll and Preseason All-WAC Teams Tuesday.
This marks the 14th time in the last 17 years that the Bulldogs have been the preseason favorite to win the title.
In addition, the `Dogs landed three players on the 2012 Preseason All-WAC team. Seniors Michelle Moses and Andrea Ortega along with sophomore Brooke Ortiz made the list and Fresno State’s three selections tied with New Mexico State for the second-most in the conference. Hawai’i led the league with four.
“Anytime you are honored by your peers and your opponents before you even start the season is a very positive thing to happen when they have that much respect for you,” head coach Margie Wright said. “What we need to understand is if that’s how they feel about us, then we need to perform at that level and I know that this group is ready to do that.”
Fresno State edged out Hawai’i by two points as the preseason favorite. The Bulldogs collected a league-high three first-place votes and 44 points. New Mexico State, which matched UH with two first-place votes, was close behind in third with 37 points followed by Brigham Young (one first-place vote) in fourth with 35 points.
Nevada was picked to finish fifth with 20 points, followed by San Jose State and Louisiana Tech tied for sixth with 17 points apiece. Utah State rounded out the poll in eighth place with 12 points.
Fresno State is entering its final season in the WAC before moving to the Mountain West Conference in 2013. The Bulldogs have won 10 WAC regular season championships and three WAC Tournament Championships since joining the league in 1993 and the seven seniors on the 2012 roster look to capture another conference crown this year.
“Our goal every year is to win it,” said Wright, the winningest NCAA Division I softball coach. “We want to go out that way.”
Fresno State is the only program in the nation that has qualified for all 30 NCAA Tournaments and it returns 11 letterwinners off its 2011 team that went 35-17 and reached the NCAA Stanford Regional.
“We Are Your Team” – ESPN2 790 AM is your home for Fresno State Softball.
2010 WAC Preseason Poll
Team (first-place votes), Points
1. Fresno State (3), 44
2. Hawai’i (2), 42
3. New Mexico State (2), 37
4. Brigham Young (1), 35
5. Nevada, 20
T6. Louisiana Tech, 17
T6. San Jose State, 17
8. Utah State, 12
2012 Preseason All-WAC Teams
Teresa Conrad (New Mexico State) • Jr. • SS/1B
Carly Duckworth (Brigham Young) • So. • OF
Jessica Dugas (Brigham Young) • Sr. • OF
Jessica Iwata (Hawai`i) • Jr. • SS
Tiare Jennings (New Mexico State) • Sr. • OF
Michelle Moses (Fresno State) • Sr. • P/1B
Andrea Ortega (Fresno State) • Sr. • OF
Stephanie Ricketts (Hawai`i) • Sr. • P
Valerie Swedberg (New Mexico State) • So. • OF
Alex Aguirre (Hawai`i) • Sr. • OF
Janna Frandrup (Louisiana Tech) • Jr. P/2B
Erin Jones (Nevada) • Jr. • 3B
Allison Lenzora (Utah State) • So. • IF
Kelly Majam (Hawai`i) • Jr. • OF
Brooke Ortiz (Fresno State) • So. • 2B
Kassy Uchida (Utah State) • So. • UT
Commitments
Tateum Valentine – 2013 – SS – Hudson Valley Hurricanes (NY) – Lamar University
NO. 9 UT SOFTBALL PICKED SECOND OVERALL IN BOTH THE SEC & EASTERN DIVISION
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The No. 9 Tennessee Lady Vol softball squad received five of 11 possible first-place votes for overall champion and was picked second behind #2/4 Florida in the races for both the Southeastern Conference’s regular season and Eastern Division titles according to the 2012 preseason poll of the league’s 11 softball coaching staffs released on Monday.
With 15 accumulated points the Big Orange trailed the defending Eastern Division champion Gators (14 points) by only a single tally in the divisional ranking, while coming up just a single vote behind UF as the preseason pick for regular-season champion. No. 13/18 Kentucky (32 points), No. 10/12 Georgia (35 points) and South Carolina (48 points) rounded out the five programs in the East. The SEC Eastern Division currently boasts three of the top 12 squads in all of NCAA Division I according to the preseason ESPN.com/USA Softball poll and four of the top 14 in the initial USA Today/NFCA listing.
The two-time defending regular season champion Alabama Crimson Tide (10 points) was the unanimous choice by the coaches to secure the SEC Western Division crown. The gap between No. 3/2 UA and No. 22/20 LSU (19 points) was nine points while Auburn ranked third with 28 tallies. Mississippi State (40 points), Arkansas (46 points) and Ole Miss (54 points) completed the SEC West standings.
Points for the poll were awarded on a 1-2-3-4-5 basis for the Eastern Division and on a 1-2-3-4-5-6 basis for the Western Division. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own team.
Tennessee will begin its 2012 campaign at 4:30 p.m. MT on Thurs., Feb. 9, against UCSB at the Kajikawa Classic in Tempe, Ariz. During its stay at the prestigious event, the Big Orange will also face No. 4/3 California, Texas Tech, San Diego State, defending national champion and preseason No. 1 Arizona State and Western Michigan. Live stats will be available through Gametracker and live updates will be posted on Twitter (@LadyVol_Sftball).
2012 Preseason SEC Coaches Poll
Overall Conference Champion: Florida (6), TENNESSEE (5)
Eastern Division:
1. Florida (14 points)
2. TENNESSEE (15 points)
3. Kentucky (32 points)
4. Georgia (35 points)
5. South Carolina (48 points)
Western Division:
1. Alabama (10 points)
2. LSU (19 points)
3. Auburn (28 points)
4. Mississippi State (40 points)
5. Arkansas (46 points)
6. Ole Miss (54 points)
No. 22 LSU Softball Selected Second in SEC West
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The No. 22 LSU softball team was tabbed to finish second in the Southeastern Conference Western Division Monday as chosen by the conference coaches in the league’s annual preseason poll.
Points for the poll were awarded on a 1-2-3-4-5 basis for the Eastern Division and on a 1-2-3-4-5-6 basis for the Western Division. Coaches weren’t allowed to vote for their own team.
The Tigers collected 19 points, nine points behind four-time defending division champion Alabama. Auburn was chosen to finish third with 28 points followed by Mississippi State at 40 points. Rounding out the SEC West was Arkansas and Ole Miss with 46 and 54 points, respectively.
Florida was selected as not only the frontrunner for the SEC East but the overall crown. The Gators tallied six overall championship votes and 14 points, one point and one vote ahead of Tennessee. Predicted to finish third was Kentucky, who checked in 32 points. Georgia totaled 35 points, while South Carolina garnered 48 points to complete the eastern side.
LSU is 11 days away from opening the 2012 campaign and playing host to the Tiger Classic. The Tigers usher in the next chapter of their storied history under first-year coach Beth Torina on February 10 versus Penn State. First pitch is slated for 6 p.m. from Tiger Park. LSU also has match-ups slated against No. 15 Michigan and Louisiana Tech on opening weekend.
Fans can follow LSU softball using social media at www.Facebook.com/lsusoftball and @lsu_softball on Twitter. Season tickets can be purchased for $75 at www.LSUtix.net for an impressive home schedule that features 2011 NCAA Tournament participants Florida State, Georgia Tech, Michigan and Penn State along with electrifying SEC series versus Arkansas, Auburn, No. 10 Georgia, Mississippi State and Ole Miss.
2012 SEC Softball Preseason Team Announced
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The Southeastern Conference unveiled its fifth annual Preseason All-SEC team to highlight the upcoming season of SEC softball.
Alabama and Tennessee led all schools with four selections, followed by Florida with three. Auburn and Kentucky had one selection each. Tennessee’s Raven Chavanne, Alabama’s Kayla Braud and Florida’s Brittany Schutte are making their second consecutive appearance to the team.
The Coaches Preseason All-SEC Team consists of a minimum of 12 players. Each SEC head softball coach voted for four infielders, four outfielders, two pitchers, one catcher and one utility/DP player. No ties were broken.
In a class-by-class breakdown, the 2012 team consists of four seniors, five juniors and four sophomores. A complete list of the 2012 SEC Softball Coaches Preseason All-SEC team follows:
Preseason All-SEC Team Pos. Ht. Cl. Hometown
Cassie Reilly-Boccia, Alabama IF 5-6 Sr. Yorktown Heights, N.Y.
Cheyenne Coyle, Florida IF 5-6 So. West Hills, Calif.
Raven Chavanne, Tennessee IF 5-8 Jr. Thousand Oaks, Calif.
Lauren Gibson, Tennessee IF 5-6 Jr. Pasadena, Md.
Kayla Braud, Alabama OF 5-6 Jr. Eugene, Ore.
Morgan Estell, Auburn OF 5-6 So. Kimberly, Ala.
Michelle Moultrie, Florida OF 5-4 Sr. Jacksonville, Fla.
Kat Dotson, Tennessee OF 5-9 Jr. Savannah, Ga.
Jaclyn Traina, Alabama P 5-10 So. Naples, Fla.
Ellen Renfroe, Tennessee P 6-0 So. Jackson, Tenn.
Brittany Schutte, Florida C 5-10 Jr. Fountain Valley, Calif.
Amanda Locke, Alabama UTL 5-10 Sr. Mesquite, Texas
Rachel Riley, Kentucky UTL/DP 5-5 Sr. Bowling Green, Ky.
*Ties were not broken
FEBRUARY SCHEDULE
FEBRUARY
9-11 COL Stacy Winsberg Memorial, UCLA
9-12 COL Texas Classic, Austin
9-12 COL Kajikawa Classic, Tempe
9-12 COL Fresno State Kickoff
10-11 COL National Invitational Tournament, Clermont
10-12 COL South Alabama Mardi Gras, Mobile
10-12 COL Sportco Kickoff Classic, Las Vegas
10-12 COL LSU Classic, Baton Rouge
10-12 COL USF Fairfield Inn tournament
10-12 COL Combat Classic, Miami
10-12 COL Mardi Gras Invitational, Mobile
10-12 COL UC Davis tournament
10-12 COL Pirate Classic, Greenville
10-12 COL Hotel Encanto Las Cruces
10-12 COL Kickin Chicken Classic, Conway SC
10-12 COL Southern Miss Coca Cola Classic, Hattiesburg
10-12 COL Hilton Classic, Houston
10-12 COL ULM Mardi Gras tournament. Monroe
10-12 COL ULL Classic, Lafayette
11-12 TVL Surf City Valentine’s Day, Huntington Beach
16-19 COL Louisville Slugger Desert Classic, Las Vegas
17-19 COL FAU Kickoff Classic, Boca Raton
17-19 COL Campbell Cartier, San Diego
17-19 COL Pirate Classic, Greenville
17-19 COL Jacksonville State Invitational
17-19 COL College of Charleston classic
17-19 COL Mardi Gras Classic, Lafayette
17-19 COL SDSU Classic, San Diego-Campbell Cartier
17-19 COL Hillenbrand Invitational, Tucson
17-19 COL SEC/ACC/Big 12 challenge, Auburn
17-19 COL Houston tournament
17-19 COL Texas A&M Tournament
18-19 COL Fresno State Round Robin
18-19 COL DeMarini Classic, Hattiesburg
18-19 COL Houston Hilton Classic
18-20 HS Surf City Presidenr’s Day, Huntington Beach
18-20 COL USF Tournament, Clearwater
23-25 COL Cathedral City Classic, Palm Springs
24-25 COL Texas Shootout, Waco
24-26 COL NFCA Leadoff Classic, Clearwater
24-26 COL Charleston SC Tournament
24-26 COL Bama Bash, Tuscaloosa
24-26 dol Georgia Southern Eagle Classic, Statesboro
24-26 COL Citrus Classic, Orlando
24-26 COL Blues City Classic, Memphis
24-26 COL Southern Mississippi Invitational
24-26 COL Marriott Invitational, Orlando
25-26 COL Strike Out Cancer, Boca Raton
25-26 COL Tiger Invitational, Baton Rouge
25-26 COL Carolina Classic, Chapel Hill
A MORE DETAILED SCHEDULE, SHOWING WHICH TEAMS ARE AT EVERY TOURNAMENT APPEARS ON ULTIMATE COLLEGE SOFTBALL.
Incidentally, SPY shares the agony of UCS, trying to get their entire package online. SPY went through two losses of service in disagreements with former web hosting services. After the last interruption, daughter Allison redesigned the whole SPY service package. Allison is not likely to disrupt the service.
