For second time

Jordan Reid named

Player of the Week

Senior Jordan Reid, Accokeek, Md, has been named the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Player of the Week.

Jordan Reid, Player of the Week, April 29, 2012, and reigning MEAC Player of the Year.

According to the Delaware State University Hornets softball website...

Jordan Reid

“Reid hit .800 with one double, seven runs and three RBI to aid the Hornets to a three-game sweep of Howard this past weekend. The center fielder hit a perfect 3-for-3 in the second game against the Bison and also stole four bases and added six putouts defensively during the series. Reid had missed the previous three games with a concussion. The reigning MEAC Player of the Year also earned Player of the Week honors for the week of April 2.

“Through 36 games played for the Hornets this season, Reid is hitting .419, good for second in the MEAC and 30th in the NCAA. She leads the team with 44 hits, 36 runs scored, four triples and 13 stolen bases while adding in six doubles.”

Peak this summer 

'Tis the season to 

challenge yourself

This article is greatly condensed from a much longer blog entry by Casey Stangel at ESPNHS Softball.

CLICK HERE for the full story.

"High school softball season is the time to test myself. It’s an opportunity for me to get comfortable with changes I have made over the winter. 

"For example, this last winter I learned a new pitching style, and this spring I am perfecting my mechanics. I am not playing against “the best of the best,” and I am in a more relaxed environment to just get in there and play. 

Casey Stangel

"In contrast, summer season is when it’s go time... It is my biggest challenge and it shows me what I truly need to improve on because I am playing against the girls I will be facing in college...

"So learn to challenge yourself; make your own competition... Basically, the 15 home runs you hit in high school mean nothing if you get to an exposure tournament and go 0 for 5 against pitchers going to Division I schools...

"My challenge this high school season is to develop my rise ball. We are calling it at least twice for every batter, and whether or not it’s a strike every time, we keep throwing it. You have to fail to be able to succeed, and why not fail now?...

"You have to be willing to sacrifice some statistics by challenging yourself, but it is so worth it to be at your peak in the summer and eventually gain those stats back against better competition."

Casey Stangel is a junior pitcher at Lake City High School (Coeur d’Alene, Idaho) who also plays for the SoCal Explosion.

Memo: 

4 Things You Must Know 

for the Recruiting Process

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: 4 Things You Must Know 
                for the Recruiting Process
Date: Mon, 30 Apr 2012 12:37:47 -0400
From: Joel Morris <coachjoelcacs@gmail.com>

Hey Everybody, 

College recruiting can be an intense process. Many student-athletes and parents don’t realize the time and effort they will have to put into the process before seeing the results they want. Some still believe that coaches will find them and don’t do anything to increase their chances of gaining exposure. The truth is that recruiting is work. Work that some don’t realize until they see it firsthand. If you are going to be driven and committed to locating the perfect college program then here are the steps you will need to think about before getting started:

1. Are you ready to play college sports?
 

Xtreme's Kelsie Traylor

 Obviously, playing sports at the college level is going to be more intense and time consuming than high school. Getting to the college level is going to be work, but the real work comes with balancing, college life, academics and sports. Our girls will need to understand that there are different levels of college competition and even though they may be shooting for NCAA Division I they may find a better fit attending a Junior College first. Knowing which level of competition you can compete in and having the grades to get you there, will lead to a successful recruitment. Don't hesitate to talk to Coach Charlie and Coach Sam to see where you might be a good fit athletically.

2. Do you have the grades to be cleared by initial eligibility standards?

Xtreme's Caroline Weimer

Meeting academic requirements is essential when wanting to compete in college. NCAA Division I and Division II schools require their athletes to meet the minimum eligibility requirements through the NCAA eligibility center; this includes passing core courses, maintaining a passing GPA and suitable ACT or SAT scores. All items which are mandatory before being considered for college scholarship opportunities. The NCAA has strict eligibility requirements, but some individual colleges and universities have their own standards that student-athletes must meet in order to be granted acceptance. Recruits who shoot for more than the minimum requirements will open up more opportunities because they won’t have to worry about meeting eligibility or retaking courses.

3. Do you have the drive to be proactive in your recruiting process?  

Xtreme's Lauren Pupa

Eager recruits typically jump right in, without knowing how the process will go, our why they are not seeing immediate results. This can lead to frustration and sometimes failure. We want our girls to succeed in their recruiting process, and that’s why we are here to help answer the questions, but ultimately it will be up to you to do the heavy lifting. This includes, making the grades, improving your game each year, creating a sports resume, video footage and reaching out to college coaches.

4. Are you going to be organized and confident when communicating with college coaches?  

Once you have all the material needed to share with college coaches, you should send it to them. After a week you will need to follow-up and then keep the coach informed on your athletics and tests from there on out.

Xtreme's Sara Conboy

Reaching out to college coaches can be stressful. Some athletes don’t think they are good enough athletically to waste a coaches time and give up before they get to this step; while others put it off too long and potential spots go to athletes that expressed more interest early on. Being on top and ahead of the game will get you noticed. Replying to coaches responses immediately will show them you are eager to learn more about their program and also that you are ready to be considered a legitimate recruit.

These are just the stepping stones to understanding the recruiting process, and each step consists of even more details and processes which recruits will encounter once they put themselves in the position to be ready for college recruitment

Hope this helps! If you need any help with the recruiting process I am always here to help.

Sincerely, 

Joel Morris 

College Athletic 

Consulting Service 

coachjoelcacs@gmail.com 

301-275-6122

Preseason workout  

Xtreme getting ready for 

summer tournament schedule

The Harford Xtreme Showcase travel-team is less than four weeks away from their first tournament, the Memorial Day Madness, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, May 26, 27, 28.

The team worked today on hitting, fielding, and base running. Four squads were assembled for a series of scrimmages. The practice lasted more than four hours.

Click the arrow below for a sideshow of the workout.

Claim CAC title  

Sea Gulls earn NCAA berth in 

national championship quest

Press clippings about hometown Maryland college players...

CLICK HERE for the full story from Salisbury State University Sea Gulls homepage.

Carly Read

The No. 18 Salisbury University softball team claimed its 17th Capital Athletic Conference championship with a 9-1 win against Frostburg State University at the SU Softball Field in five innings of play on Saturday. The win gives Salisbury the CAC's automatic qualification into next month's NCAA tournament.

Harley Hill

Frostburg (23-16) got on the board with a run in the top of the first, but the Sea Gulls would not wait long to strike back, countering with three runs in the home half of the second inning.

… junior Carly Read's (Catonsville, Md) two-run home run to left field, (gave) the Gulls (35-5) the lead for good.

Sarah Alpaugh

Sophomore Harley Hill (Huntington, Md) reached on a two-out single in the inning and came home for a 3-0 lead when junior Sarah Alpaugh (Eldersburg, Md) tripled to left field.

Salisbury's strong defense got the team out of a two-on, none-out jam in the top of the third as junior catcher Michelle Gravdahl (Ellicott City, Md) picked Frostburg's Shari Beavers off first base and the Gulls turned a double play to end the frame unscathed...

Rachel Johnson

Freshman pitcher Rachel Johnson (Preston, Md) came on to work the top of the fifth, in relief of (Erika) Brittingham, and saw two runners reach base but rallied for three strikeouts to end the game.

Salisbury will now await the announcement of the NCAA tournament field next week to find out where they will be heading to open up play in their quest for a national championship.

Bobcats score first in first at bat...

CLICK HERE for the full story from the Frostburg State University Bobcats homepage.

Taylor Vandegrift

Amanda Hennessee

The Bobcats (23-16) started the scoring in the their first at-bat. Junior Taylor Vandegrift (Westminster, Md) singled and later scored on a two-out single by freshman Amanda Hennessee (Hampstead, Md). Junior Megan Butzner (Pasadena, Md) sacrificed Vandegrift to second, and sophomore Caitlin Lovend (Laurel, Md) reached on an infield single before Hennessee's RBI hit.

Megan Butzner

Caitlin Lovend

Frostburg again put two on in the top of the second. With two away, junior Kerri O'Malley (Baltimore, Md) fouled off several pitches before working a walk and Vandegrift singled for the second time in as many innings... freshman Bailey Ellsworth (Mt. Savage, Md) (also) had a hit. 

Kerri O'Malley

Bailey Ellsworth

According to the American Cancer Society, skin cancer is the second most common form of cancer in young adults ages 15-29...

Suntan lotion critical  
for summer games!

This story greatly condensed from a much longer article by Darren Cooper, Record columnist/NorthJersey.com at 

http://www.northjersey.com/columnists/Cooper_Lesson_learned_for_softball_coach_team.html

“The pictures are graphic. Eastern Christian softball coach Kevin Vanderbeck, swollen, red and missing the bulk of his nose.

“'I told my girls this is totally preventable,” said Vanderbeck, 58....  

Kevin Vanderbeck

“What Vanderbeck had was a serious case of squamous cell carcinoma on his nose...

“Like many North Jersey summer sun worshippers, Vanderbeck grew up going to Long Beach Island, fishing, clamming and skin-boarding...

“I never used suntan lotion, you burned once and that was it,” said Vanderbeck...

“This spot on his nose, however, was ominous.

“'I could see it was changing,' said Kevin’s wife, Michelle. 'It was starting to get a lump on it. He would pick it, it would bleed a little and heal up. Finally, I just made the appointment for him to go to the dermatologist.'

“Kevin went to the doctor in late February, expecting to have the spot frozen or lasered off. Instead, the dermatologist had to keep cutting, deeper and deeper, four separate times — and four separate rounds of shots — until they were sure they had it all.

“'They said it’s done, we got it all, but they left him with no nose,' Michelle said...

“'I just feel awkward, but once I get in the game, my kids don’t look at me funny. Other teams do, my kids don’t,” Kevin said.

Visit the Ray Festa Melanoma Foundation at http://rayfesta.org for information about skin cancer prevention

He and Michelle are able to laugh a little about it now. Kevin said he’s looking forward to getting his eyebrow back.

“'When we first came out of the hospital, one guy kept looking at him, and figured he had been in a car accident. I told him, not for nothing, you should make up some wild story and get some mileage out of this,' Michelle said.

“Kevin said sleeping is kind of hard because his face is numb, but by the end of the season, he should look like his old self. The hat and sunblock will stay.

“'The good thing is he is using this as a teaching tool,' Michelle said. “When he went back to coaching, he said stay out of the sun, or use your sunblock, because this is what you could look like and that was the best thing he could have done.'”

Fans, students donate  

ULV wraps up home slate  

with StrikeOut Cancer Day

“Wednesday’s first annual StrikeOut Cancer Day was a complete success, as the ULM softball team (Monroe, LA ) raised over $1,500 to support the fight against breast cancer in its home season finale...

“The Warhawks raised $1,670 in total donations, most of which came from ULM students and fans. 

"The fundraising took place over a two-day span, with the bulk of funds coming in during Wednesday’s contest.

“'For the short amount of preparation opportunity we had, and it being our first time, we did very well,' said ( head coach Rosemary) Holloway-Hill. 'We want to make this an annual event, so this time next year we hope to double that...'

“Over 75 percent of the money raised by and donated to the local Susan G. Komen branch stays in the Monroe area to benefit clinics, screenings, and research while the remainder goes to national research."

CLICK HERE for the full story.

Thursday, June 7  

National Pro Fastpitch 

launches 2012 season 


The National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) League has announced the schedule for the upcoming 2012 Season. 

CLICK HERE to access a  
calendar of the entire season.


 
Four Teams will compete: 

Akron Racers  

www.akronracers.org

Chicago Bandits

www.chicagobandits.com

USSSA Florida Pride

usssapride.com

Carolina Diamonds

yourcarolinadiamonds.com

Each team will play a 44 games with all teams playing 6 home and 6 away series.


Opening day is slated for Thursday, June 7.

Defending 2011 Cowles Cup Championship Series Champions, Chicago Bandits, will host the defending 2011 Regular Season Ringor Cup Champions, USSSA Florida Pride.


The Carolina Diamonds travel to take on the Akron Racers.


The regular season will conclude on Sunday, August 19, prior to the NPF Championship Series held Thursday, August 23 through Sunday, August 26, at the one-year-old Rosemont Stadium, 27 Jennie Finch Way, Rosemont, IL.. 

 
NPF fans will once again be able to catch all the season action through Internet live streaming. 

Television plans for the season have not yet been announced.


Since its inaugural year of competition in 2004, the NPF regular season title has been dominantly controlled by the Chicago Bandits, as they have come out on top, five of the eight seasons. The Championship Series Title has been a different story however, crowning seven different champions in eight years. The Championship Series has yet to crown a back-to-back winner.

Please take a few minutes  

Help Harford Xtreme earn  

Liberty Mutual sports grant

Harford Xtreme Showcase travel-ball team can earn $2,500 from the Responsible Sports Spring 2012 Community Grant with enough parent, relatives, coaches, and community support. It is easy to help and creates no obligation on your part.

Harford Xtreme based out of Bel Air, Md

All that is necessary is for YOU to take a simple, quick Liberty Mutual online sports quiz. Choose either “Parent” or “Coaching” questions and please be sure to credit our team – Harford Xtreme Gold, Bel Air, Md -- for your visit.

Here is what to do...

1. Visit http://bit.ly/HozpmD
2. Complete the Parenting or Coaching quiz.

3. Credit “Harford Xtreme Gold, Bel Air, Md”
4. Pass the word on!

Visit http://bit.ly/HozpmD Click on graphic above to enlarge

Help these 18U young ladies with bats, balls, uniforms, and travel this spring and summer to softball tournaments from Florence, SC, to Raleigh, NC, to New England with venues in-between, like Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey! 

Questions or further information, please contact Coach Joel at coachjoelcacs@gmail.com

Click on the arrow below for a VIDEO that explains the Liberty Mutual grant program.

Wilkinson, McDuffee, Heinz

Top fastpitch softball pitchers  

work through injury problems

This story condensed from a much larger article by Tom Mauldin | MaxPreps.com.

Please CLICK HERE for the full story.

Three of the premier high school softball pitchers in the United States have been sidelined with arm injuries for all or parts of the 2012 season. All three, however, remain integral parts of their high school programs and each will play at a national level next year when they enter college. All three also said they have learned and grown from the down time.

Chelsea Wilkinson of Alexander Central (Taylorsville, N.C.) is back to normal, maybe beyond normal... Kelly Heinz of Lee-Davis (Mechanicsville, Va.) will not pitch this season, but she is getting playing time as a designated hitter... Paige McDuffee is seeing time at first base and there is a chance she could pitch in time for a playoff run as The Woodlands (Texas) goes after its second-straight Texas state title...


■■■■■■

► Paige McDuffee 

McDuffee began experiencing pain last spring, but pitched through it.

Paige McDuffee

"My forearm would swell to the size of a softball and I didn't have a lot of my physical stuff during the playoff run (last year)," said McDuffee. "It made me grow a lot mentally. I just had to get through innings by telling myself, 'Last pitch and you're done' ... over and over. I knew it wasn't the last pitch, but I had to keep telling myself it was."

McDuffee admitted the excruciating pain brought her to tears many times. Nonetheless, she finished the year 37-1, with 244 strikeouts in 216 innings and an ERA of 0.97. The Woodlands won not only the Texas title, but also a national title...

■■■■■■

► Chelsea Wilkinson 

"My fingers swelled up so much I couldn't bend them," said Wilkinson, who guided Alexander Central to state titles in 2009 and 2011. "We saw several doctors and had different results."

Chelsea Wilkinson

One said it was blood flow. Two said it was elbow related. All recommended rest.

Wilkinson missed the first six games of the 2012 season and her senior year was in jeopardy when one doctor - a former Alexander Central player - suggested it might be the way she was gripping the ball.

"So, I changed my grip and everything has been good since," said Wilkinson...



Since her return, Wilkinson has 12 shutouts (in 15 games) and six no-hitters. In her career, she has 104 wins, 76 shutouts and 20 no-hitters. She has nearly 1,300 strikeouts.

■■■■■■

► Kelly Heinz 

For Heinz, it's been a different story. She will not pitch this spring or summer... After pitching in a game last October, Heinz was bruised from her lower forearm up to her shoulder. After taking a few weeks off, she started throwing again and noticed something was popping on and off the bone.

Kelly Heinz

"At first, the doctors tested for a ligament being torn," she said. "We eventually found out it was my nerve. It was causing me a lot of pain ... losing feeling in my ring finger and pinky. I couldn't hold the ball correctly. Or pitch."

Surgery was a little more than seven weeks ago, but she reports rehabbing is on schedule.

Heinz had her season opener April 20 and contributed to her team's win with a double and a single on April 24. She drove in two runs in her second game back. "It's nice to be part of the game in some sort of way," said Heinz, who was the designated hitter for Monday's game.

Heinz threw a pitching workout Monday and will have another next week or the week after...

In 2011, Heinz threw a no-hitter in the region tournament semifinals, a perfect game in the final, struck out 292 and posted a 0.09 ERA. She also hit .455 and drove in 26 runs. Though the injury has created worries, she said the surgery was successful, noting that the ulnar nerve was moved from the bottom of the elbow to the top.

Gibson punches across 2 RBIs  

Tennessee wins 14th straight in  

5-0 victory over Tennessee State

Press clippings about hometown Maryland college players...

► Tennessee Lady Vol 

“On Wednesday night at the Lee Softball Stadium, the #6 Tennessee Lady Vol softball team (41-9) weathered a 55-minute rain delay during the fourth inning and got two RBIs each from senior designated player Shelby Burchell and junior second baseman Lauren Gibson (Pasadena, Md) in defeating Tennessee State, 5-0.

Lauren Gibson

“For the Lady Vols it marked their season-high 14th-straight win as well as UT's 75th consecutive triumph over an in-state opponent dating back to March 22, 2000...

“Gibson was 1-for-2 with a pair of walks (team-high 40 free passes)...”

CLICK HERE for the full story.


Stasch at 88 career RBIs

Towson sweeps Mount St. Mary's

extends season-best winning streak

Press clippings about hometown Maryland college players...

► Towson Tigers & The Mount

From the Towson Tigers softball homepage...

Haley Stuckler

“Towson (25-23, 8-7 CAA) extended its season-best winning streak to five games Wednesday with a doubleheader sweep on the road against Mount St. Mary’s. The Tigers won game one with a 3-0 shutout and game two by a score of 8-4...

Erika Stasch

“The offense was supplied by senior outfielder Erika Stasch (Pasadena, Md), who went 2-for-3 at the plate and drove in all three Tiger runs. Her single to the left side in the first inning scored classmates Haley Stueckler (Huntingtown, Md) and Brianna Jones (Baltimore, Md) to give the Tigers an early 2-0 lead in support of McCormick. Stueckler finished the game 1-for-3 with a pair of runs scored.

Brianna Jones

“Stasch, who also had a run batted in during game two, now has 88 RBI’s in her career and moved into 11th place on Towson’s all-time list, passing Chris Navarro.”

CLICK HERE for the Towson Tigers story

From the Mount St. Mary's softball homepage...

Danni Cummings

 "Danni Cummings (Owings, Md./Northern) pitched seven scoreless innings of relief over the two games with five strikeouts for the Mount (15-30)...

Erin Leddy

“The Mountaineers scored three times in the first inning ( of the nightcap) to take a 3-0 lead. Erin Leddy (Great Mills, Md./St. Mary's Ryken) singled up the middle and touched home on Lindsey Ruhle's (Wanaque, N.J./Lakeland Regional) double down the left field line.”

CLICK HERE for the Mount St. Mary's story

Two-time reigning Player of Year  

Right to left-handed switch 

nets NCAA #2 batting average
 

This story greatly condenses much larger article by Mike Finney/ The News Journal (www.delawareonline.com).

CLICK HERE to read the full story.

Delaware State University's Jordan Reid (Accokeek, Md)... “is the two-time reigning Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Player of the Year, becoming the first DSU athlete in any sport to win consecutive Player of the Year awards. She had the second-highest batting average in the NCAA last year at .497, which led the MEAC by nearly 90 points.

Jordan Reid

“But don't be fooled, says Delaware State softball coach Jeff Savage. Reid had to work hard for everything she has been able to attain.

“'The funny thing about Jordan Reid is when she was a freshman, she had 29 at-bats,' Savage said. 'She's a right-handed hitter who we thought was really athletic, but it just wasn't clicking for her.

“'So we said to Jordan, 'Go home over the summer and work on your left-handed hitting and come back in the fall and we'll rep it out.' When she did, she became a two-time Player of the Year.'…

“Reid, who leads DSU with a .379 batting average, four triples and a .579 slugging percentage, is hoping she can lead her team to its second MEAC championship, and first since 2008, in her last season...

“Delaware State is 19-14-1 overall, 9-3 in the MEAC, and is tied with Norfolk State for the Northern Division lead with six regular-season conference games remaining. The Hornets won a school-record 11 consecutive games this spring.

“Savage is quick to note Reid's role in his team's success.

“'She makes us go. She stirs the drink,' Savage said. 'When we can get Jordan on base and we can get her rolling, it makes us much more difficult. We've got the lumber, but she's our lightning.'

"Delaware State's Jordan Reid, a two-time MEAC Softball Player of the Year, had the second-highest batting average in the NCAA last year at .497, which led the MEAC by nearly 90 points. SPECIAL TO THE NEWS JOURNAL/EMILY VARISCO"

“Reid has made the most of her career at Delaware State, both on the field and in the classroom. The criminal justice major hopes to one day become a federal agent. She has earned Dean's List honors five out of her seven semesters enrolled at DSU...

“Savage said that Reid will return to school next fall to begin work on her master's degree, and she will help coach the Hornets as a graduate assistant.”

Six easy ways to help  

Softball's return to Olympics  

needs fans' worldwide effort

The story below is condensed from a longer ISF article that is posted at...

http://isfsoftball.org/english/latest_news/helping_Oly_campaign.asp#howspent

In September 2013, the International Olympic Committee will vote one new sport onto the 2020 Olympics. 

2008 Olympics

The International Softball Federation (ISF) is campaigning on all continents to ensure that softball is returned to the Games, where it was successful in 1996, 2000, 2004, and 2008.

How can you help? Here are some ideas...

► Visit the official campaign Facebook page and ‘Like’ it! 

► Make a contribution to the Olympic reinstatement campaign via the Donate app on the Facebook page.

► Follow the ISF on Twitter so that the number of followers reflects the great global interest in softball.  
 

► Speak out on the matter with a posting in the “Support Olympic Softball” category on the official ISF website’s Message Board

► Watch international softball events on TV or online (Click here for a calendar of such tournaments.)

► Watch videos on the ISF’s official YouTube channel to help demonstrate the interest in and demand for interacting with the sport.

Tell others – family, friends, co-workers, classmates, neighbors, teammates – about the current situation with Olympic Softball, and get them to act on one or more of the above steps