Wildcats & Blue Demons in Battle Royal Vie for NCAA Regional Championship Tomorrow 5.17.08 Evanston, Illinois You had a feeling the winner of the NCAA Regional in Evanston would be one of two teams: the Northwestern Wildcats or the DePaul Blue Demons—but which one?Northwestern finished the season with a higher ranking than DePaul in both national polls—#10/11 vs. #19/21—but the Blue Demons beat the Cats 5-3 less than three weeks earlier on their own home turf in Evanston. Today NU turned the tables on DePaul, soundly defeating them 6-0 to send them into the losers’ bracket on the same field in the NCAA semifinal tournament.
The Wildcats have been on a tear lately. They won the Big Ten tournament last week and their ace—sophomore Lauren Delaney—is the current Louisville Slugger/NFCA national player of the week and the USA Softball national player of the week.She was also named most valuable player at last weekend’s Big Ten tourney—throwing three consecutive shutouts to lead NU to the crown—and is the Big Ten Pitcher of the Year.And with seven starters who are freshman or sophomores, Northwestern is set to be a powerhouse for years to come.
But anyone who thought the Blue Demons were out for the count doesn’t really know Eugene Lenti’s scrappy squad. By defeating Western Illinois 6-0 later in the day, DePaul earned the right to face NU again for the championship tomorrow at noon. The only catch is they’ll have to beat the Cats twice, whereas NU has to win only once. The Wildcats are aiming for their third straight trip to the Women’s College World Series. It would have been four, but in 2005 they were knocked out of the running by another local team in the Super Regional in Chicago.That team was none other than the DePaul Blue Demons.Read more.
Osterman Hurls Her 1st B4B No-Hitter Leads Team USA Past Visalia All-Stars 13-0 5.16.08 Visalia, California Team USA got back into the swing of things quickly after their six-day layoff, defeating the Visalia All-Stars 13-0 in a game shortened to six innings due to the slaughter rule. Cat Osterman started from the circle for the Red, White & Blue and went the distance, issuing 14 strikeouts for her first complete game no-hitter of the Bound 4 Beijing Tour. Visalia resident Stacey Nuveman gave the hometown crowd something to be proud of in the third inning, driving in two runs with a triple. Andrea Duran—who lives just outside the city—followed with a two-run blast that cleared the outside bleachers brought in for the capacity crowd. Home run queen Crystl Bustos also hit a solo long ball in the fourth. Read more.
Jamie Gray with Team USA The Star of 'Saving Softball' meets up with the Team as they go head-to-head with Florida Southern College
Are You a Stats Nut? If You Don't Follow the Numbers, Maybe You Should Softball is a game defined by statistics that all work together to give an accurate picture of the action on the field. And following them closely can really enhance your enjoyment of the game—you can count on it! But deciphering the multitude of abbreviations and categories can be a daunting task. Crack their elusive code by reading our complete Guide to Softball Statistics in Softball Notebook.
Jennie Finch leads Team USA against the 2007 NPF Champion Washington Glory. (Photo by susannahjb)
Jennie Finch & Tairia Flowers discuss strategy against the Washington Glory. (Photo by susannahjb)
Olympians Defeat Pro Champs! Record Crowd Watches USA Down Washington 2-0 5.10.08 Bowie, Maryland One question has been on the lips of softball fans for months: Who’s better, the US Olympic team or the National Pro Fastpitch champs? That question was answered tonight—sort of. Sure, Team USA defeated the 2007 NPF Champion Washington Glory 2-0. However, the US squad has been playing games regularly since February, whereas this is the Glory's off-season. More importantly, the Glory’s superstar pitcher from 2007, Monica Abbott, is playing for the US squad this year—in fact, she started in the circle for them tonight. Fellow superstar hurlers Cat Osterman and Jennie Finch also saw action against the pro champs; the Glory countered with flamethrower Sarah Pauly—2006 NPF Pitcher of the Year—followed by Amy Harre, an off-season acquisition from the Chicago Bandits. The titanic match-up attracted 8,724 fans—a pre-Olympic record, and just shy of the 8,750 in attendance as the US defeated China for their first Olympic gold medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games.Read more.
They may not be household names, but the Longstreth Women’s Softball team got their chance at fame tonight, facing the virtually unbeatable US Women’s National Team on their Bound 4 Beijing Tour. Unfortunately for Longstreth—a team of former collegiate players from the greater Williamsport, Pennsylvania, area—Team USA really is the best team in the world right now. Jennie Finch started in the circle for the Red, White & Blue, throwing no less than 19 strikeouts—a tour record. Leading the offensive charge for the US was catcher Lauren Lappin, who blasted two home runs and a triple, going 3-for-3 with three RBI on the evening. Andrea Duran and Jessica Mendoza joined in the home run party, highlighting a scoring barrage that saw the pre-Olympic squad tally runs in all but two innings.
Felicia Daniels I love softball because: I love the person that I become when I put on that uniform and step onto that field. I'm powerful, fearless, and smarter than I've ever been in my whole life. I'm unstoppable. When I step onto that field, I'm in complete control of my life. I'm defined.
Team USA Overpowers #5 Michigan 5-1 Proves its Mettle Against Top Collegiate Competition 5.6.08 Ann Arbor, Michigan You have to feel sorry for the Michigan Wolverines. No sooner had they clinched a share of the Big Ten Conference Championship on Sunday, than they realized they’d have to face the virtually unbeatable US Women’s National Team today.To make matters worse, Michigan’s #5 national ranking meant they were a prime target for the pre-Olympic squad, which has been occasionally criticized for scheduling matches against lesser competition. Tonight it was Lovieanne Jung and Kelly Kretschman who slammed the now-familiar “ball over the fences” for the Red, White & Blue—a 2-RBI homer in the second inning for Jung, and a solo shot for Kretchman in the sixth. Cat Osterman started in the circle for the US, recording 11 strikeouts in 6 innings while allowing three hits and one earned run; Jennie Finch pitched the last inning in the 5-1 victory for Team USA.Read more.
Gators Grab #1 National Ranking Florida is Best Team in Country for First Time Ever 5.6.08 It’s been a long time since the two major national polls have agreed with each other, but this week there’s a unanimous choice for the top team in Division 1 college softball—and it’s not Arizona State, Alabama or UCLA.This week the Florida Gators are the #1-ranked team in the country, aided by their sweep of Southeastern Conference rival Tennessee. This is the first-time that Florida has received a #1 ranking in the six-year history of the ESPN.com/ USA Softball poll. Read more.
Softball Cartoons by JERRY KING
Cats & Wolverines Tie for Big 10 Title Northwestern Wins Tiebreaker on Coin Toss 5.1.08 Evanston, Illinois & State College, Pennsylvania They’ve trailed Michigan in the national polls most of the season, but the Northwestern Wildcats came through in the clutch to grab a share of the Big 10 crown with the Wolverines—and the tiebreaker on a coin flip. By virtue of their twin victories today—NU over Michigan State 3-0 and UM over Penn State 4-0—the two teams tied atop the conference standings with an 18-2 record, and after all tiebreakers between the two came out equal, the Wildcats won the official coin toss conducted by the Big 10 Conference office.That means Northwestern will host the 2008 Big Ten Tournament next weekend (May 8-9) as the #1 seed.
Northwestern's 18 wins in conference play is its most since winning 19 in 1995. It was the sixth Big Ten regular-season title for the Cats, and their second in the last three years. They also won the Big Ten championship in 1982 when a tournament was used to decide what is now the regular-season title, giving them seven overall league championships.
But Michigan remains the Big 10 leader in regular-season titles at 11, five more than second-place NU. And the Wolverines’ overall 42-8 season record bests Northwestern’s at 34-13. They won’t have long to rest on their laurels, however—they take on the virtually unbeatable USA Softball pre-Olympic squad in two days.Read more.
Big 10 Champ to be Crowned Today Northwestern & Michigan Race Down to the Wire 5.4.08
