Akron meets Chicago in game #1 of a 5-game series Wednesday, July 22nd. Click the picture above for the LIVE broadcast starting at 6:55 PM EDT. Produced by The Softball Channel, the Akron Racers & Major League Baseball.
The 2009 NATIONAL PRO FASTPITCH COLLEGE SENIOR DRAFT broadcast live over the internet on February 17th from Cambria Suites in Akron, Ohio. Drag the slider along the bottom of the player to quickly move to different portions of the broadcast.
Softball Cartoons by JERRY KING
Washington Wins 2009 National Title! Lawrie's Huskies Triumph Over Nelson's Gators 6.2.09 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Despite a valiant effort by the Southeastern Conference, the Pac-10 claimed yet another Women’s College World Series title tonight as the Washington Huskies swept the Florida Gators in the best-of-three finals. Although the Pac-10 has been historically dominant in NCAA Division I softball, it was the Huskies' first ever WCWS title.
Not even Ali Gardner could save the Gators—the hero of Sunday’s game struck out swinging with the tying run on second base for the final out of the Huskies’ 3-2 final victory. Pitcher Danielle Lawrie, the 2009 Collegiate Player of the Year, was stunning—she struck out eight batters en route to claiming the Series MVP award.Read more.
Florida vs Washington for NCAA Crown Nelson to Face Lawrie in Blockbuster Series Finale 5.31.09 It’s the dream title match-up everybody was hoping for: #1 seeded Florida led by Stacey Nelson, versus Washington led by Danielle Lawrie, Olympic pitcher for Canada in the 2008 Games and 2009 NCAA Collegiate Player of the Year.But getting to that point was filled with unbelievable drama—the kind that is steadily making the Women’s College World Series one of America’s best sporting events, male or female. First there was upstart Georgia taking favored Washington to the mat in a four-hour, extra-inning slugfest that ended 9-8 in the Bulldogs’ favor. The deciding factor was an uncharacteristic mistake by Lawrie who gave up the winning run on a bases-loaded walk. So how do you make up for that kind of horrifying misstep?By smashing a grand slam in the rematch to give your team an early 4-0 lead. Although the Bulldogs fought back valiantly, it was a deficit they could not fully recover from, losing 9-3 and advancing the Huskies to the championship round. But there’s more!In the previous game, Alabama had favored Florida on the ropes, leading 5-2 going into the bottom of the seventh.With two outs, the Gators’ Ali Gardiner stepped up to the plate with the bases loaded, having gone hitless in nine previous attempts in this years WCWS. Then Gardner did the improbable, launching a walk-off grand slam homer to crush the Crimson Tide’s dream and put Florida in the final against Washington. As The Softball Channel predicted back in January (see A Changing of the Guard; Pac-10 Teams Might Finally Miss College Softball’s Big Dance), this year’s WCWS saw a shifting of power away from the West Coast, with three of the final four teams from the Southeastern Conference. But the Washington Huskies still have a chance to bring home the trophy for the Pac-10.The first game of the best-of-three game final series starts Monday June 1st at 8:00 PM EDT on ESPN2 and ESPN360.com.
Gators & Huskies Lead WCWS Pack Stacey Nelson & Danielle Lawrie Dominate in the Circle 5.29.09 The way Stacey Nelson is pitching, the top-seeded Florida Gators are definitely the team to beat in this year’s Women’s College World Series. In a dominating performance underscored by a wicked 70-mph screwball and a deadly drop, Nelson threw a one-hit shutout against #5-seed Michigan tonight to keep Florida in the winners’ bracket.
Also in the winners’ bracket: the Washington Huskies led by 2009 Collegiate Player of the Year, Danielle Lawrie. The #3-seeded Huskies fended off last year’s champ Arizona State in an extra-inning cliffhanger.
Right now Nelson and Lawrie appear to be on a collision course in what could be a pitching match-up for the ages. Action in the 2009 Women’s College World Series continues tomorrow on ESPN and ESPN2 in a quadruple-header—softball doesn’t get much better than this!Read more.
Elite 8 Teams Advance to 2009 WCWS Pitcher Stacey Nelson & Florida Gators Lead the Pack 5.27.09 Only eight teams remain in contention for the 2009 NCAA Division 1 softball championship: Alabama, Arizona, Arizona State, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Missouri and Washington. The Florida Gators led by Stacey Nelson have to be considered the frontrunners, as they have topped the polls for most of the season. But the Pac-10 is well represented and always a threat. All eight teams will vie for the national championship in the Women’s College World Series beginning on Thursday, May 28th in Oklahoma City. Read more.
NCAA Division 1 Super Regionals Which 8 Teams Will Go To College World Series? 5.22.09 The NCAA Division 1 college playoffs are off to a roaring start, and are down to the final "Sweet 16" teams. Eight pairings in a three-game series format will be played through this weekend, and 8 teams will emerge to play in the Women's College World Series. Read our complete analysis in our latest Softball Notebook articleContenders & Pretenders: NCAA Super Regional Preview.
NPF Rebounds With 'Pride' Pro League Adds New Central Florida Team 5.13.09 Denver, Colorado The situation looked dire for the National Pro Fastpitch league last month with the loss of its second franchise in 2009, leaving only four. But like the stock market, the league’s fortunes have rebounded substantially with the announcement this morning of a cooperative partnership with the United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA).
The USSSA will field a new team to replace the defunct Washington Glory—aptly named the Pride—based in Osceola County, Florida.The move gains a valuable foothold for the NPF in the Central Florida area near Disney World, where thousands of young athletes participate annually in USSSA Tournaments and events.
The Pride roster includes 10 former Glory players including 2007 NPF Pitcher of the Year, Desiree Serrano, and 2007 NPF Player of the Year, Amber Jackson. The roster also includes Olympians Monica Abbott, Kelly Kretschman (a Florida native), and Caitlin Lowe. The new ball club also inherits the 2009 Glory draft choices of pitcher Stacey Nelson—odds on favorite for 2009 Collegiate Player of the Year—and outfielder Kim Waleszonia of the University of Florida, in addition to shortstop Maddy Coon from Stanford.
The Pride will be coached by J.Y. Davis, an accomplished Women’s Majors Coach and former Men’s Division player, and Margaret Davis, a former Women’s Majors player with 22 years of top level experience.The team will open their season on June 10th in Elgin, Illinois versus the Chicago Bandits.Read more.
APRIL CONTEST WINNER
vickie, Muskegon, Michigan I love softball because:it brings power, heat and the rush to get you off your feet... Once you enter onto the field you get the game face on and the power to rage off the ball into open fields...I love it love it love it...Once u go fastpitch softball u never go back....
NCAA Division 2 Playoffs Begin Le Moyne & Hawaii Pacific Each Win Cliffhangers 5.8.09 The opening round of the NCAA Division 2 post-season tournament saw some close games. Ranked #12 in the nation in the latest coaches’ poll, the Le Moyne Dolphins (41-10) dodged a bullet with a narrow 3-2 victory over the unranked Dominican Chargers in the East Regional. Kelly Schweikert was 3-for-4 with three RBI’s and a home run to lead the Dolphin’s offense.
On the West Coast, the #14-ranked Hawaii Pacific Sea Warriors (35-8) edged the unranked California-San Diego Tritons 2-1. Krystal Plunkett and Ciera Senas each drove in a run to pace the Sea Warriors.Read more.
NCAA Division 3 Playoffs Begin Defending Champ Eau Claire Shocks Whitewater, 5-1 5.7.09 Bloomington, Illinois If you think top-notch competition is limited to NCAA Division I softball, think again.Defending National Division 3 champ University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire has an amazing rivalry going with cross-state foe UW-Whitewater.
Last year, Eau Claire defeated Whitewater for the 2008 NCAA Division III Softball Championship. After being down 3-1 in the bottom of the seventh inning with two outs, the Eau Claire Blugolds defeated the Whitewater Warhawks 4-3 in nine innings with a walk-off home run.
Today in NCAA regional action in Bloomington, Illinois top-seeded Whitewater (36-6) was shocked by Eau Claire (29-15) by them score of 5-1, dropping them into the losers’ bracket.Eau Claire racked up their 5 runs on only 6 hits, in large part due to a 3-run homer by catcher Bekki Kidnie.Whitewater is currently ranked 13th nationally whereas Eau Claire had fallen out of the top 25.Read more.
