Softball News Updates

OKLAHOMA CITY — The Amateur Softball Association (ASA) of America announced May 9, 2012 the Finalists for the 2012 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year, which will be announced at the opening of the 2012 NCAA Women’s College World Series (WCWS) in Oklahoma City. Due to a tie, 11 individuals are being honored . This award, which is considered the most prestigious honor in Division I women’s collegiate softball, is designed to recognize outstanding athletic achievement by female collegiate softball players across the country.
This year’s finalists are comprised of five seniors, three juniors, two sophomores and one freshman. The student-athletes selected represent nine NCAA Division I universities and six athletic conferences. California and Oklahoma lead the way among universities with two athlete representatives each.
The USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award is voted on by coaching representatives from 11 Division I Conferences in the 15 ASA Regions as well as members of the media who consistently cover Division I Softball across the country, and previous Player of the Year recipients.
2012 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Finalists
Name (School) – Year – Position – Hometown
Valerie Arioto (California) – Senior – Utility – Pleasanton, Calif.
Katelyn Boyd (Arizona State) – Senior – Shortstop – Phoenix, Ariz.
Lauren Chamberlain (Oklahoma) – Freshman – Infield – Trabuco Canyon, Calif.
Raven Chavanne (Tennessee) – Junior – Third base/Outfield – Thousand Oaks, Calif.
Jolene Henderson (California) – Junior – Pitcher/First base – Elk Grove, Calif.
Michelle Moultrie (Florida) – Senior – Center field – Jacksonville, Fla.
Sara Nevins (South Florida) – Sophomore – Pitcher – Pinellas Park, Fla.
Christi Orgeron (ULL) – Senior – Outfield – New Orleans, La.
Sara Plourde (Umass) – Senior – Pitcher – Bristol, Conn.
Keilani Ricketts (Oklahoma) – Junior – Pitcher – San Jose, Calif.
Jackie Traina (Alabama) – Sophomore – Pitcher/Designated player – Naples, Fla.
The three finalists selected from this list will be announced May 23, while the winner of the 2012 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Award will be revealed on May 29 prior to the start of the NCAA WCWS in Oklahoma City.

Junior earns seventh Big 12 weekly honor this season.
NORMAN, Okla. — Oklahoma’s Keilani Ricketts continued to add Big 12 weekly honors to her personal resume as the conference named her this week’s Big 12 Player of the Week on Tuesday, May 8th. The honor is Ricketts’ seventh weekly honor from the Big 12 this season.
With the honor, Ricketts becomes just the sixth player in Big 12 history, and the first in OU history, to earn both Big 12 Player and Pitcher of the Week honors in the same season. The latest award is her first ever Big 12 Player of the Week award as Ricketts now owns 12 total Big 12 weekly honors after receiving her 11th Big 12 Pitcher of the Week honor last week.
Tuesday’s award came after Ricketts helped keep OU in the Big 12 title driver’s seat as she led the No. 4 Sooners at the plate over the weekend in a series win over No. 8 Texas. While pitching and batting, Ricketts led OU with an average of .714 over the weekend.
The Big 12 leader in on base percentage, Ricketts had an on-base percentage of .833 on the weekend while recording a slugging percentage of 1.714. The junior had five walks and five hits including a double and two home runs.
She had a season high five RBIs in Saturday’s 9-3 win over the Longhorns in a game that she hit a double, a home run and reached via a walk. She led her team with 12 total bases on the weekend and scored herself twice.

FRESNO, Calif. - After 27 years as the Fresno State softball head coach, Margie Wright has announced her retirement effective June 30, 2012.
Wright, who is the NCAA Division I all-time winningest softball coach and is ranked second all-time in NCAA Division I history for victories regardless of sport, steps down after guiding the university to its first NCAA Division I team title (1998) and directing the softball program to unparalleled heights. Read more in the next issue of Softball West Magazine.

The 2012 Stadium Power got off to a hard hitting start at San Diego’s Petco Park Saturday night May 5th. Team Easton’s Brett “the hitman” Helmer was the top Long Haul Bomber with 12 points.
Helmer set the pace early, sending homers sailing into the right field bleachers. “I felt good, balls were flying and I love Petco Park. This morning I hit a hole in one at a charity golf event for the Wounded Warriors and won a trip to Europe, but I donated the trip right back to the charity, so tonight was the capper to an awesome day" .

Helmer’s Easton team mate Brain Wegman finished with 9 points, putting Easton out front early in the battle for the manufactures cup.
Denny Crine of Team Miken threw out the ceremonial first pitch before the Padre’s-Marlin’s game. Crine had a solid day at the plate ending up with 8 points and sent multiple “show bombs“ into the upper deck. Also taking cuts Saturday night, Team Louisville Slugger’s Tim Cocco and Lee Powers. Cocco is a veteran on the tour and was part of the team that won the Manufactures cup last season. Cocco’s new teammate Lee Powers had an impressive rookie debut with 8 points.
The standings after round one of the stadium power tour at Petco Park are:
Brett Helmer, Team Easton: 12 points
Brian Wegman, Team Easton: 9 points
Denny Crine,Team Miken: 8 points
Lee Powers,Team Louisville Slugger: 8 points
Ed Vega,Team Miken: 5 points
Tim Cocco,Team Louisville Slugger: 1 point
Next up for the Bombers is a trip to Seattle’s Safeco Field for a Friday night slug fest on May 25. It’s the first opportunity to see Team Combat in action. Combat features a mix of youth and seasoned experience, led by veteran Johnny McCraw, who claimed a championship on the Stadium Power Tour and the youthful swagger of Brandon Perry. Team DeMarini is back in the hunt, with stadium power tour champ Chris “the crusher “ Larsen and wily vet Kevin Filby.
The Bombers are excited to announce: “The Road to Miami “. The Marlins new park will be the host site for the 2012 the stadium power tour finals on Sunday, September 16.

RENO, Nev. – Mallary Darby was named the 2011-12 Ruth I. Russell Award winner as the University of Nevada's top female senior student-athlete, Director of Athletics Cary Groth announced.
A pitcher from Sparks, Nev., Darby is second on the team with a 3.56 ERA and she leads the Wolf Pack with 10 wins and 15 complete games so far in 2012. She also paces the team in appearances, starts, innings pitched and strikeouts. She paced the Wolf Pack staff in almost every major pitching category, including innings pitched, wins, appearances, strikeouts and ERA last year. She won 12 games in 2011, going the distance 24 times. She also recorded two shutouts, including her second career no-hitter against Boston College at Hixson Park on March 6, 2011. Darby ranks third in the Nevada career record book in nearly every pitching category, including wins (44), appearances (134), starts (105), complete games (62), shutouts (10), innings pitched (654.2) and strikeouts (552), while her two career no-hitters are also the best in school history. She produced the finest freshman season by a Wolf Pack pitcher in 2009, turning in a 12-8 record with a 3.11 earned-run average and 177 strikeouts on the year. She also tossed the first no-hitter of her career and the third in school history with an 8-0 shutout of Boise State on April 11, 2009.
“Winning the prestigious Ruth Russell Award is a great honor for Mallary Darby and is a wonderful culmination to a great career at Nevada,” head softball coach Matt Meuchel said. “Mallary has achieved many great things in the classroom, on the diamond and in the community during her career at the University of Nevada, and it is nice to see her honored for that commitment.”
The award is named for Ruth I. Russell, a former director of women's athletics. Student-athletes are nominated by their head coaches and must be in their final year of eligibility and in good academic standing. The award winners are chosen in a vote by the athletics department staff.

Fresno State senior Michelle Moses was named the Verizon WAC Pitcher of the Week on Monday, April 23. 2012 after helping lead the Bulldogs to a series sweep over New Mexico State. This is the second time this season that Moses has been named the conference's pitcher of the week and the fifth time in her career.

Moses went 2-0 last week in her two starts against the Aggies and held NM State to just one total run and a .087 batting average. She allowed only four hits in her two complete game victories and had 12 strikeouts against two walks as she finished the week with a 0.50 earned run average.
In the series opener last Friday, Moses threw her second-straight one-hit shutout in the 1-0 victory. The one hit she allowed was an infield single to the first batter she faced in the game. It was her WAC-leading 11th shutout of the season and she did so by pounding the strike zone, as she threw first-pitch strikes to 20 of the 24 batters she faced and 68 of her 92 pitches in the game were strikes.
In her second start of the weekend, Moses took a perfect game into the sixth inning during the final game of the series. She didn't allow a hit until there were two outs in the top of the sixth. Moses gave up one seventh-inning run - her first allowed in her last 22.2 innings pitched - but closed it out with her 25th complete game of the season. Moses had six strikeouts and no walks in the win over New Mexico State that gave her win No. 20 on the year.

She is now 20-11 overall on the year with a 1.80 ERA. In WAC play she has been even better, holding league opponents to a .159 batting average and she sports a 9-1 record and 1.32 ERA against WAC teams.

Wanna play in a softball tournament this weekend? The City of Henderson (Nevada) is having their anniversary tournament this Saturday, April 21. They will be having Men's D and E divisions, and awarding prizes to first and second place teams. For more information or to sign-up, please call 702-267-5700.