MD Chill player  

Thompson named  

Athlete of the Week
 
She hurls a softball almost perfectly, or at least, this high school softball pitcher has two perfect outings and a one-hitter on her record so far this season.  

She's Megan Thompson, who throws from the circle for the Delaware Military Academy Seahawks. You also will find her working out all year long on Maryland softball diamonds and the travel-ball tournament circuit tossing her “junk pitches – outside, inside”, as she says, wearing Ellicott City's  Maryland Chill uniform. (Click here for Megan's PDF travel-ball profile.)
 

Megan Thompson. Click on photo to enlarge.

This week, The News Journal, Delaware's largest daily newspaper, has named her “Athlete of the Week”. No one deserves the recognition more.
 
Two years ago, during summer tournament season, a line drive smashed against her forehead and put her in the hospital for stitches. It didn't stop her. Megan took almost no time off before she was right back in the game again throwing the softball at travel-ball batters intent on somehow catching up with her pitches.
 
Megan is a star on the field and in the classroom. Selected as an All-Conference high school player last year, her plans for the future are to play college softball, major in Communications, and become a reporter eventually.

Wearing their high school uniforms, Megan (on left) poses earlier this season with good friend HarfordXtreme Showcase pitcher Lily Engel (on right), who also plays for the Polytech High Panthers.

Receives standing ovation  

Absolutely perfect, “ historic”, 

hurls no-hitter, strikes out 21

Condense from full USA Today article 

Photo from The Westerly Sun

“There are perfect games and then there are perfect games.

“Stonington (Conn.) High pitcher Andrea Chiaradio completed the rarest of feats Saturday afternoon, striking out all 21 batters she faced during the team's 3-0 win over Norwich (Conn.) Free Academy...  

 Andrea Chiaradio

“'This was my first no-hitter in high school," Chiaradio told TheWesterly (Conn.) Sun. "I probably was aware of it in about the fifth inning when a few of the girls on the bench said something about it when we were at bat. I knocked on wood. I tried not to think about it and not to psyche myself out. I just concentrated on getting the rest of the outs."

“Stonington coach Ann-Marie Houle told the paper that she and the other players were aware something special was happening from about the third inning on.

“'I was thinking no-hitter and then perfect game (as the game progressed), but not with 21 strikeouts," Houle said. "That's unheard of. It's historic. I was tearing up a little at the end when she got a standing ovation."

“Chiaradio, the team's No. 1 pitcher, recalled later that she went to a few 3-2 counts, the last one in the sixth inning...

“'They tried bunting a few times," Chiaradio said, "but they either fouled it off or just couldn't get it down.

“'The last batter was left-handed and fouled a few pitches off. I got kind of nervous. Then I threw a fastball on the outside corner for the last strike and it was all over.'”

See also theday.com story / Yahoo!Sports coverage

Click on arrow below for Andrea Chiaradio "Skills Video"...

College " goes by sooooo fast"  

Seven seniors honored at  

Delaware State University

"I just wanted to share a video of our recent Senior Day ceremony at DSU," writes Delaware State University Head Coach Jeff Savage.

Head Coach Jeff Savage

"If you ask any of the seven senior they will tell you it goes by sooooo fast. Make sure you don't take anything for granted when you get to college because it does go by quickly."

CLICK HERE to watch Senior Day ceremony VIDEO for the Delaware State University softball team. (http://youtu.be/66R53pD_39w)

ABOVE, SCENE FROM VIDEO of 2012 Delaware State University softball senior day honoring Casey Beighley, Rachel Carroll, Bre Parr, Leslie Pleasanton, Tawny Reeger, Jordan Reid (Accokeek, Md) and Chelsea Stern (Owings, Md)
 

Jordan Reid

Chelsea Stern

Only undefeated team  

Salisbury advances to  

CAC championship game

Press clippings about hometown Maryland college players...

“The No. 17 Salisbury University softball team advanced to the Capital Athletic Conference championship game after taking down the University of Mary Washington on Saturday afternoon with a score of 3-0.

Harley Hill

“Salisbury (34-5) jumped out to a one-run lead in the first inning as sophomore Harley Hill (Huntingtown, Md) led the inning off with a single and then advanced to second base on junior Sarah Alpaugh's (Eldersburg, Md) sacrifice bunt. Senior Erika Brittingham's single to right field brought in Hill for the first run of the contest...

“SU's second run was scored off Hill's double to left-center field...  

Sarah Alpaugh

“With the win, the Sea Gulls remain the only undefeated team in the double-elimination CAC tournament and will face Frostburg State University in the CAC championship game...

“The championship game, originally scheduled for Sunday, April 22, has been postponed due to expected inclement weather and will be played at a later date, most likely late next week.”

CLICK HERE for the full story.

Harley Hill, Huntingtown, Md, doubled to left-center field

Quick reactions required  

How to identify different  

softball pitches as a batter

Condensed from a longer article at LIVESTRONG.com. Read the full story at: http://www.livestrong.com/article/546382-how-to-identify-the-different-softball-pitches-as-a-batter/#ixzz1slWAcBx5

“FastPitching.com estimates that the average 16- to 18-year-old softball pitcher throws between 53 and 57 mph with top speeds exceeding 60 mph... improving your ability to identify the different softball pitches as a batter gives you a competitive advantage and can improve your overall hitting performance and success.

Harford Xtreme Showcase Macy Morris

“Step 1

“Look for changes in the pitcher’s body position and hand position in the glove during the delivery. Some softball pitchers will change their arm angles, hand positions or glove angles with different pitches....


“Step 2

“Learn the pitcher’s tendencies to throw different pitches in certain situations... Pitchers can fall into a rhythm and routine that helps you predict and identify the different pitches.

Harford Xtreme Showcase Natalie Lau

“Step 3

“Watch the hand angle of the pitcher upon release. This requires a quick eye... find a central focal point near the release area.

“Step 4

“Track the ball into the hitting zone and look for the spin on the ball. This also requires quick reaction... Practice identifying the different spins on the different pitches during live batting practice...

Harford Xtreme Showcase Caroline Weimer

“Step 5

“Know the strike zone to improve your overall hitting... Make the pitcher throw you a strike before trying to make contact.”

 




For further information, please also visit these articles....

Softball Hitting Tips: Learning What Pitches To Hit

The Best Pitch in Fastpitch Softball Pitching

Lauren Gibson on roster  

USA Softball National Team  

to play in Summersville, WV

  

Lauren Gibson

This year, the 2012 USA Softball Women's National Team will play exhibition softball on Thursday, June 14, in Summersville, West Virginia. College junior Lauren Gibson (Pasadena, Md/ University of Tennessee) – 2011 NFCA First Team All-American – is on the roster, as she was last year, too.

      

6 pm, Thursday,  

June 14, 2012
Exhibition doubleheader  

Women’s National Team vs.  

Women’s Elite National Team

Nicholas County Veterans Memorial Park  

Summersville, W.Va.

CLICK HERE for event flyer  

CLICK HERE for national team roster  

CLICK HERE for national team schedule

Last year, the 2011 USA Softball Women's National Team was profiled on a Baltimore news station just prior to the team's exhibitions in Bowie, Md. 

Lauren Gibson is interviewed in the 2011 news report.

Click on the arrow below for a video of WMAR's coverage from last year...

Total team effort 

Defense, offense, & pitching

drive Fallston Cougars win
 

The Harford Tech Cobras softball team might have felt confident.
 

Jess Moore

After all, they started Thursday off with an unblemished loss record (8-0) in their division, while scheduled to play the Fallston Cougars (7-1) who they had defeated 7-4 previously.

However, Harford Tech is undefeated no more. Yesterday, the tables were turned.
 
Harford Xtreme Showcase junior pitcher Jess Moore worked 7 innings from the circle for Fallston High to trim the Cobras runs down to just four runs this time. Her teammates rallied with three runs in the sixth and two more in the seventh to defeat Harford Tech 8-4.
 
The score was tied after 5 innings at 3 runs each. Jess and her teammates stepped up to bat over the next two innings and drove home 5 runs. Jess was determined to bring home the win and held Harford Tech to only 1 run over the last two innings.
 
Jess credited the team effort for the big win.

“This was truly a team effort, without the defensive plays and offensive hits it could have been a different outcome” said Jess.

Lauren Pupa

Harford Xtreme Showcase freshman pitcher/ OF Lauren Pupa also plays for the Fallston Cougars. She was out for this game with a pulled muscle. Lauren bats in top of the lineup.

CAC Second Round
Rynkowski's four RBIs lead
Mustangs to victory over Hood


Press clippings about hometown Maryland college players...

► Stevenson Mustangs

“Stevenson softball senior Brittany Rynkowski (Hampstead, Md./North Carroll) went 2-for-2 with a walk and a career-high four RBIs as the Mustangs defeated Hood on Thursday at Weinberg-Fine Stadium in the second round of the 2012 CAC Softball Championship.

Brittany Rynkowski

Kristin Urban

“The win was the third in as many games this season for Stevenson (15-21) against the Blazers and the third at home. It also improved the team's record to 6-9 in five conference tournament appearances.

“The Mustangs broke open a scoreless game with three runs in the bottom of the third, including the first two on a two-run single to left by Rynkowski...

“The Mustangs added six runs in the bottom of the fourth, including two more on another two-run single by Rynkowski and one on an RBI-single from senior Kristin Urban (Timonium, Md./Mercy)...

“Urban finished the game 1-for-3 with two RBIs as she and Rynkowski combined for three of the team's six hits and all six RBIs.”

CLICK HERE for the full story

► Wesley Wolverines

“Wesley College's softball team wrapped up the 2012 season with a pair of five-inning victories at Valley Forge Christian College on Thursday afternoon. The Wolverines (15-20-1) won the opener, 21-1, before taking game two, 14-1.

Taylor Henricks

“Five players recorded at least two RBIs in the opener and every Wolverine had at least one... Taylor Hendricks (Havre de Grace, Md) and (3-for-3, two runs) drove in two.

“Hendricks also had her best outing of the season in the circle, allowing just one run on two hits while striking out six in the five inning complete game...

“A junior from Havre de Grace, Md., Hendricks also went the distance in the circle in game two, allowing just one runs on five hits. She also went 2-for-4 with two runs scored from the plate.”

CLICK HERE for the full story. 

Taylor Henricks had her best outing of the season

Team with charity 

DelVal Aggies serve water ice, 

sign balls, run bases for KidsPeace

Story picked up from Delaware Valley College softball homepage

Junior Dani Walton, #21, 

Lusby, Md, plays first base

The Delaware Valley College softball team hosted children from KidsPeace at its recent home doubleheader as part of the inaugural NCAA Division III Week.

Part of the focus of the NCAA's celebration of Division III was community service and the Aggies played a role in that. They teamed with KidsPeace which is a private charity dedicated to serving the behavioral and mental health needs of children, families and communities.

Following the doubleheader with Manhattanville College on April 15 (Delaware Valley and Manhattanville split the twinbill), the Aggies welcomed the children on the field and handed out water ices that were supplied by Annies Water Ice in Doylestown. Members of the team had a catch with them and also ran the bases. The team then signed balls and handed them out.

Junior Dani Walton, #21, Lusby, Md, in back row, on far right.

NC high school pitcher

Wilkinson chasing third 

Gatorade Player of the Year

NATIONAL PROFILE: This item edited from a longer article posted at ESPN-HS Softball. Click here for the full story.

“'Don't get mad at Alexander Central (Taylorsville, N.C.) senior pitcher Chelsea Wilkinson if she can't recall the last time she gave up a run in a high school softball game... 

Chelsea Wilkins

“During her 10-game shutout streak, Wilkinson has rarely even allowed a ball out of the infield, allowing her Cougars to vault up to fourth in the POWERADE FAB 50 national softball rankings. Such was the case last Thursday, when Wilkinson one-hit J.L. Mann (Greenville, S.C.) in a border battle between the North Carolina and South Carolina defending 4A state champions.

“The victory also served as a colossal milestone for Wilkinson, who earned her 100th win in the contest and inched ever closer to her third Gatorade Player of the Year Award in North Carolina. Last year, she became the first-ever high schooler from the Tar Heel state to win multiple POY hardware from Gatorade and only the third softballer nationally to accomplish the feat.

The Charlotte Observer/Jeff Willhelm 

PHOTO ABOVE: During one stretch this season, Alexander Central's Chelsea Wilkinson sandwiched back-to-back no-hitters and back-to-back one-hitters around a perfect game.

“'I have worked so hard to get to the position I am at today, and it feels good to know it is paying off," said Wilkinson, who has signed with the University of Georgia. "I love setting records and winning awards, but I love being successful even more”...

“'In 2009 I was just trying to earn acceptance and make a name for myself," Wilkinson said. "By my junior year, people knew who I was and what I was capable of, so I had to live up to that." 

DN Pennell, Jr. /The Taylorsville Times

"I love setting records and winning awards," 
Chelsea Wilkinson says. "But I love 
being successful even more."

“You'd need a forklift to set the bar as high as Wilkinson has set it through her first three years of high school. Amazingly, she's still clearing that bar. Through the first 18 games Alexander played (they won 17 of them), Wilkinson has dished out more doughnuts than a rookie cop at a police station's morning meeting. The string of shutouts is at 10 straight games. During the streak, Wilkinson had a stretch in which she hurled back-to-back no-hitters against Hibriten (Lenoir, N.C.) and St. Stephen's (Hickory N.C.), then a perfect game against East Rowan (Salisbury, N.C.), and then back-to-back one-hitters against Fred T. Foard (Newton, N.C.) and Grove City (Ohio). On Monday night, she threw another no-hitter, and got her 101st win, in a 10-0 win over Hickory (N.C.)."

GRAPHIC ABOVE: A quote taken from the Alexander Central softball website, which is Chelsea Wilkinson's high school team

Record: 30-21, Conference: 17-7  

Shepherd wins 30th,  

splits doubleheader  

Press clippings about hometown Maryland college players...

► Shepherd Rams 

“Shepherd University split with Alderson-Broaddus in WVIAC softball doubleheader action at Shepherd on Tuesday. The Rams gained a 3-1 win in game one, while Alderson-Broaddus earned a 2-1 victory in the nightcap

Tayler Schaef

Savannah Snyder

Elisa Orlandi

“Shepherd took a 1-0 lead in the first inning in game one when senior third baseman Chelsie Oals … scored on a single by freshman outfielder Tayler Schaefer (Dunkirk, MD/Northern).

“The Rams added a run in the second when freshman designated player Savannah Snyder (Elkton, MD/Padua Academy) singled and later came home on a single off the bat of freshman catcher Elisa Orlandi (Owings, MD/Northern).”

CLICK HERE for the full story.


► Salisbury Sea Gulls

“The No. 18 Salisbury University softball team ensured that it would host the weekend portion of the Capital Athletic Conference tournament, collecting a 12-0 five-inning win against Hood College on Tuesday.

Sarah Alpaugh

Kathryn Larson

Harley Hill

Michelle Gravdahl

Carly Read

“Salisbury, the top seed in the CAC tournament, put up a run in the first and broke things open with four in the second. The Gulls (32-5) put the game away with five more in the third...

"Erika Brittingham drove in the Sea Gulls' first run in the bottom of the first inning with an infield single that scored junior Sarah Alpaugh (Eldersburg, Md) for the only run Brittingham and sophomore reliever Kathryn Larson (Frederick, Md) would need...

“Sophomore Harley Hill (Huntingtown, Md) drove in junior Chelsea Brooks with a two-out single in the second inning and junior Michelle Gravdahl (Ellicott City, Md) drove a line-drive home run out to left field, bringing three runs in for a 5-0 lead.

“ ...in the bottom of the third... Junior Carly Read (Catonsville, Md) pushed two runs home with a triple to right-center field while Hill and Gravdahl also drove in runs during the five-hit inning.”

CLICK HERE for the full story. 

Carly Read (Catonsville, Md) pushs two runs home with a triple

► Washington Shorewomen

"Host Washington College swept visiting Swarthmore this afternoon at Washington College Softball Field in Centennial Conference softball action. The Shorewomen won game one, 3-2, scoring two runs in their last at-bat, and took game two, 7-3. 

Lindsey Glascock

Suzanne Patinella

Kylie Nottingham

GAME TWO: “In the bottom of the sixth, the Shorewomen scored three times to take a 7-1 lead. Junior Lindsey Glascock (Glenwood, MD/Glenelg) scored on a two-bagger to center by Suzanne Patinella (Fallston, MD/Maryvale Prep). and Kylie Nottingham (Ocean City, MD/Stephen Decatur) and Patinella came home to score on a single up the middle”

CLICK HERE for the full story.

Signed at Tennessee  

Is HS senior Erin Gabriel  

softball's next Jennie Finch?

Future Tennessee Lady Vol and current USA Softball Junior Women's National Team pitcher Erin Gabriel (class of 2012) recently struck out an incredible 34 batters over 16 innings in a win over nationally-ranked Delray Beach (Fla.) American Heritage School. (See Harford Xtreme Showcase blog entry for April 12, 2012.)

On Sunday she paid a visit to "FOX and Friends" to talk about that amazing effort and to take the opportunity to strikeout the show's hosts. Take a look at the video evidence through the link below.

CLICK HERE for video of Erin Gabriel on Fox & Friends. http://news.yahoo.com/video/sports-15749645/softball-s-newest-star-28959039.html 

Please mark on your calendar...

Fundraiser

CAR WASH

a week from this Sunday 

9:30 AM to 1:30 PM

Sunday, April 29

1225 Churchville Road

Bel Air, MD 21015

Harford Xtreme Showcase travel-ball team

► Have your car cleaned! ► Meet the players! 
► Help the girls compete! 

Proceeds benefit the 18U Harford Xtreme Showcase club softball uniforms, supplies, game fees, and 2012 spring/ summer travels to tournament from Florence, SC, to New England with seven venues in-between.

Winning streak ends  

Coppin hands Delaware  

first MEAC loss of season

Press clippings about hometown Maryland college players...


Delaware State Hornets' 4/15 story reports: “The offense seemed non-existent this afternoon as the Delaware State University softball team snapped a school-record 11-game winning streak and put a blemish on their undefeated Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference record as the Hornets fell, 2-1, to Coppin State at the Hornets' Nest.”  

Tiffani Whatley

Coppin State Eagles' 4/15 story reports: “Tiffani Whaley (White Plains, Md)... had two hits and Coppin State took advantage of three Delaware State errors to record a 2-1 victory on Sunday...

"With the victory, Coppin State handed Delaware State its first conference loss of the season...

"Coppin State (15-17, 8-4 MEAC) took an early lead by scoring in the top of the first inning. 

Nicole Boggs

"Nicole Boggs (Great Mills, Md) drew a two-out walk and (Heather) Josker followed with an infield single. Both runners moved up a base on a passed ball and Boggs scored when Whaley singled up the middle. 

"(Paige) Arnold , who improved to 13-11 with the victory, retired the final six batters of the game to secure the victory. re the victory."

CLICK HERE for box score.

Shortstop, catcher  

Harford Xtreme Showcase  

welcomes new player to team

Taylor Trice (class of 2013) of North Caroline High (Ridgely, Md) is the newest member of the Harford Xtreme Showcase travel-ball team. She joined the squad at practice yesterday.
 
A slugging, hard-playing, superb defensive shortstop, catcher, third base, and utility player, Taylor has competed in softball for many years. Previously, she has taken the field for several travel clubs, including the Delaware Diamonds, the Delaware Riptide, and the Lady Orioles.
 
Taylor shot a skills video last Sunday, which should be posted with her profile on the team's homepage in a few weeks.

Taylor resides on the Eastern Shore in Greensboro, Md.
 

TAYLOR TRICE already wearing the Harford Xtreme Showcase uniform at last Sunday's (April 15, 2012)  practice. (Click on photo to enlarge)