DECEMBER 30 2006
COMMITMENTS
Allee Rife, LHP,1st, Chambersburg PA, to University of Virginia
USA Softball names Athletes
of the Year
12/29/2006
Oklahoma City---USA
Softball announced today the selection of Jessica Mendoza (Camarillo, Calif.) as
the 2006 USA Softball Female Athlete of the Year and Landy Rodriguez (West
Haverstraw, NY) as the 2006 USA Softball Male Athlete of the Year. These two
athletes have been submitted to the United States Olympic Committee to be
considered for the USOC Female and Male Athletes of the Year.
Mendoza had one of the most prolific offensive seasons in the history of USA
Softball to put the Red, White and Blue back on top of the world rankings. She
led the USA Softball Women’s National Team to its first gold medal at the World
Cup of Softball in July in Oklahoma City going 11-for-18 (.611) with a double,
three home runs, 16 RBI and posted a 1.167 slugging percentage against three of
the top four teams in the world.
At the ISF World Championships in Beijing, Mendoza was just as impressive going
16-for-32 (.500) with five home runs, 16 RBI and a slugging percentage of .969
to lead the U.S. to its sixth consecutive ISF World Championship and the top
seed at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. During the playoffs she drove in the game
winning RBI against Australia with a two run home run and the game winning RBI
in the gold medal final against Japan.
She crushed the previous World Championship record for RBI with 16 in just 11
games. The previous record of 11 RBI in a single World Championship and was set
in 1974 by three players including USA’s Kathy Elliott. Mendoza also took
possession of the home run record in a World Championship with five.
Rodriguez began his first season with the USA Softball Men’s National Team in
impressive fashion leading the Red, White and Blue to the gold medal at the 2006
AAU Men’s Fast Pitch National Championship in Orlando, Fla. During the
championship, Rodriguez batted .529 with five home runs and seven RBI to lead
the U.S. to its first international gold medal since 2003.
At the Pan American Championships in November, Rodriguez led the USA Softball
Men’s National Team to a fourth place finish and a berth into the 2009 ISF Men’s
World Championships. During the Pan American Championships he hit .308 with a
double, two home runs and five RBI.
The 2006 USA Softball Women’s National Team has also been nominated in the Team
of the Year category. USA Softball was named as the USOC Team of the Year
following its performance at the 2004 Olympics in Athens.
In 2006 the USA Softball Women’s National Team re-established itself as the most
dominant softball team in the world by winning the II World Cup of Softball, its
sixth consecutive ISF Women’s World Championship and the Japan Cup.
The USA Softball Women’s National Team stormed through the competition at the II
World Cup of Softball in Oklahoma City posting a perfect 6-0 record. During the
World Cup, the Red, White and Blue outscored their opponents 59-3. The USA
offense out-hit its opposition .453 to .148 and slammed a total of 11 home runs
in six games.
At the ISF World Championship in Beijing, the USA was just as impressive winning
its sixth consecutive World Championship with a 10-1 record to earn the top seed
at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. During the World Championships the USA
outscored its opponents 71-7. The USA offense out-hit its opposition .337 to
.117 and slammed 11 home runs. It’s the third consecutive time the USA Softball
Women’s National Team has secured the top seed at an Olympic Games.
The USA completed its golden season with a 4-0 run at the 2006 Japan Cup that
included two wins over World silver medalist Japan.
The USA Softball Women’s National Team ended its 2006 season with a 20-1 record
while outscoring its opponents 137-10 on its way to three gold medals and the
No. 1 ranking in the world.
Past Winners from 1984-2006
1984 - Jim Quick, Sue Lewis
1985 - Jimmy Moore, Lisa Ishikawa
1986 - Jimmy Moore, Michele Granger
1987 - Graeme Robertson, Michele Granger
1988 - Peter Meredith, Michele Granger
1989 - Bill Boyer, Dot Richardson
1990 - Steve DeFazio, Michele Smith
1991 - Mike Parnow, Lisa Fernandez
1992 - Bill Boyer, Lisa Fernandez
1993 - Bill Boyer, Michele Smith
1994 - Richard Dohogne, Michele Smith
1995 - Steve Schott, Dot Richardson
1996 - Tod Stevenson, Dot Richardson, Women's Olympic Team
1997 - Robert Brush, Trinity Johnson, Women's National Team
1998 - No Male Nomination, Lisa Fernandez, Women's National Team
1999 - Shawn Rychcik, Lisa Fernandez, Women's National Team
2000 - Shawn Rychcik, Lisa Fernandez, Women's National Team
2001 - Daniel Helkowski, Lauren Bauer, USA Red
2002 - Michael White, Stacy Nuveman, Women's National Team
2003 - Mike Pryer, Natasha Watley, Women's National Team
2004 - Chad Boom, Lisa Fernandez, Women's Olympic Team
2005 - John Kelly, Jennie Ritter, Women's National Team
2006 – Landy Rodriguez, Jessica Mendoza, Women’s National Team
2007 ASA/USA Softball National Coaching School
Oklahoma City, Okla.----The
Amateur Softball Association will be hosting two National Coaching Schools in
2007. These schools will feature instruction from four members of the USA
Softball National Coaching pool including Olympic head coach Mike Candrea, World
Championship assistant coaches Karen Johns and Chuck D’Arcy and World Cup coach
Scott Whitlock.
The first school will be held at the Holiday Inn Washington Dulles in Sterling,
Va., January 26-28 and will be accepting the first 250 coaches that register. No
walk ups will be accepted. The cost of the school is $150 for the first coach
and $125 for each additional coach. Registration deadline is JANUARY 15. The
Holiday Inn will serve as the host hotel and rooms can be reserved for $74 plus
tax by calling Karla Brennan at 703-563-1504. Registrations in the form of a
check or money order made payable to PVASA should be send to Andy Dooley, 2988
W. Lynchburg Salem Tpk., Bedford, Va., 24532. For additional information contact
Andy Dooley at 540-587-6844 or via email at
pvasa@verizon.net
The second school will be held in Stevens Point, Wis., at the University of
Wisconsin-Steven Point, February 2-4. The cost of this school is $200 and the
registration deadline is January 4. The Country Springs Hotel, Conference &
Convention Center will serve as the host hotel and reservations can be made by
calling 800-998-2311 – just mention the Stevens Point Softball Association –
Coaches Clinic. For registration information contact Ann Munzenmaier at
ann.munzenmaier@uwsp.edu or Mike
Disher at
mike@disherinsurance.com
Topics that will be covered during the 2007 National Coaching Schools include
Catching Fundamentals; Throwing and Receiving; Pitching Mechanics; Practice and
Pre-game Organization; Fundamentals of Pitching; Fundamentals of Infield;
Teaching Base Running; Breaking Down the Swing; Principles of Outfield Play and
much more.
TEXAS ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION POLL
Thanks to John Brooks
The
latest telephone poll taken by the office of the Governor of Texas asked whether
people who live in Texas think illegal immigration is a serious problem:
35% of respondents answered: "Yes, it
is a serious problem."
65% of respondents answered: "No es
una problema serio."
end