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Valerie Arioto

● ASA'S FIRST SOFTBALL COLLEGIATE PLAYER OF THE WEEK for the 2012 season is University of California Golden Bears' Valerie Arioto. The redshirt senior, who missed 2011 with a broken leg, hit a home run in her very first at-bat, then went on to slam three more homers, drive in a team-high nine RBIs, slug 1.444, hit .444 (4-for-9), and put up a 0.00 ERA in seven innings of pitching. She was also walked five times. ASA story at http://www.asasoftball.com/about/getStory.asp?nid=2546 Cal story at http://www.calbears.com/sports/w-softbl/spec-rel/021412aaa.html

The Golden Bears are now #1 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate rankings. Cal was third in the pre-season poll.

● NETHERLANDS VS. TOWSON. The Towson University Tigers are slated to take on the Dutch National Team as part of the USF-Under Armour Invitational March 16-18. The Tigers will open their season February 17, 2012 at the Hampton Inn Invitational hosted by the Campbell University Camels, with games against the St. Joseph’s Hawks and the Robert Morris Colonials. The first home game will be Wednesday, February 29 versus the UMBC Retrievers. Full story at www.towsontigers.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=21300&ATCLID=205346283. 

Erika Stasch (above) of the Towson Tigers

Towson University Tigers schedule at www.towsontigers.com/SportSelect.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=21300&SPID=12502&SPSID=101485

● 2012 NFCA RECRUITING CAMPS BROCHURE now available online at http://tinyurl.com/6lrcj5z. The camps relatively close to Maryland are...

NFCA Administered Camps, Wednesday, June 13, another, separate camp, Thursday, June 14, both in Yardley, PA.

NFCA Endorsed Camps, Thursday, July 19, Wilmington, DE, and Friday, Oct. 1, Quakertown, PA. 

NFCA's recruiting camps drew more than 5,400 players and over 500 college coaches last year alone. Full story at https://nfca.org/index.php/recruiting-camps

Mary Connolly

● DREAM COME TRUE, FIRST AT BAT as a college softball player, Mary Connolly stepped to the plate as a pinch-hitter to slam a comeback, game-winning, walk-off, three-run home run last week for the DePaul Blue Devils. Venue: Oceanic Time Warner Cable Classic in Hawaii. Two days later, she delivered again with a two-run homer. Nice! Her primary position is “pitcher”. Full story at www.depaulbluedemons.com/sports/w-softbl/spec-rel/021312aaa.html

● TV SCHEDULE FOR NCAA DIVISION I SOFTBALL can be downloaded at http://ow.ly/92A3H. You must scroll down the list to find ESPN listings. All times listed on the schedule are Eastern. Prepared by NFCA.

● 400TH WIN LAST SATURDAY (February 11) for Coach Kelley Green when her Coastal Carolina Chanticleers took two to begin their season, beating the George Washington Colonials 7-4 and the George Mason Patriots 4-3 in the Kickin' Chicken Classic at Myrtle Beach, NC. Coach Green bio at http://www.goccusports.com/sports/w-softbl/mtt/green_kelley00.html

The Clan's mascot,
McFog the Dog

● 500TH WIN THIS WEEK? Or, surely by next week? Coach Mike Renney of the Simon Fraser University – or better known as the “SFU”  Clan, British Columbia -- is just two away from the lofty mark with the Clan's wins at the Desert Stinger tournament in Las Vegas last Sunday, February 12. Coach Renney bio at http://athletics.sfu.ca/teams/softball-women/roster-and-coaches.html (Check out the team photo in the snow!)

● A BATCH OF “FIRSTS” for the University of South Carolina Beaufort (USCB) Sand Sharks last weekend. 1. School's softball debut – first-ever game! 2. Freshman Kristy Cook notched 12 Ks in a 5-inning no hitter. 3. Sophomore Katie Rietkovich hit the program's first home run, going 4-for4 with 7 RBIs. 4. Kristy and Katie were honored as the team's first Sun Conference pitcher and player of the week. Savannah Morning News story at http://savannahnow.com/bluffton-sports/2012-02-15/lady-sand-sharks-make-softball-debut#.TzujPLEgfwY

 

 

Ashley Raine

● FIRST YEAR PITCHER DOMINANT. Freshman Ashley Rainey was named Sun Belt Pitcher of the Week after her collegiate debut for the Troy University Trojans (Georgia), where she tossed16.2 shutout innings, struck out five, allowed just one extra base hit, and picked up two wins! 

"We brought her to a camp when she was in high school because we liked her bat,” said Troy coach Melanie Davis. However, Troy began the 2012 season without a single player on its roster that had thrown a pitch in a Division I game. Ashley was taught a change up, given the starting nod, and the rest was an amazing performance! School story at www.troytrojans.com/news/2012/2/13/SB_0213122747.aspx Montgomery Advertiser article at http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/article/20120214/SPORTS0404/202140319/Troy-notebook-Softball-off-fast-start-behind-freshman-pitcher