Softball Notebook

Legendary Pitcher’s Recurrent Arm Pain Fuels Retirement Rumors

By Kayla Knight
TSC Contributor

Experts agree that underhand windmill softball pitching is easier on the arm than overhand baseball pitching, but every human machine has its limits—and superstar pitcher Cat Osterman has been pushing those limits for quite some time.

Hopefully, time is not running out.

Osterman puts an incredible amount of spin on her pitches, arguably more than any hurler on the planet (softball or baseball). The result is the ball moves up, down and/or sideways—almost as if by magic—making it almost impossible to hit. But that also puts an enormous strain on the muscles in her throwing arm, especially those involved in pronating (twisting) the forearm.

Her current injury woes date back to the final game of last year’s World Championships against Japan. Cat started the game but exited in the 4th inning when she felt a pull or twang in her throwing arm. The initial diagnosis was a torn biceps biceps tendon, but that was discounted after further testing.

Cat dropped out of competition for most of the remaining 2010 summer season but was able to come back just long enough to win the 2010 National Pro Fastpitch title for the USSSA Pride.

Cat’s crisis culminated in this year’s National Pro Fastpitch playoffs, when she had to leave the final series against the Chicago Bandits because of pain in her left forearm. Savvy fans knew that her team, the USSSA Pride, was finished, even though it had compiled the league’s best regular-season record—and they were right.

Further medical workup has proved disappointing negative, including an MRI designed to detect soft tissue damage. The latest theory, primarily one of exclusion, is a nerve impingement condition called Thoracic Outlet Syndrome. But because no specific damage to muscles, ligaments or tendons was discovered, a permanent cure may remain elusive.

In the meantime Cat has thrown herself back into coaching, this time with buddy Lindsay Gardner at St. Edwards University in her home state of Texas. Read more.

As for her competitive career, right now all Cat can do is rest…and hope she has a few more magnificent pitches left in her magnificent arm. Read more.

Collegiate Sluggers Keep Smashing More Homers

By Daniel Urban
TSC Analyst/Contributor

NCAA.com has a really excellent archive of all Division I statistics divided by year and extending from the current year back to 2001. The site allows me to look up a single stat and display the top 50 ladies in all of Division I softball in that stat category for a particular year.

I have often used NCAA.com to pull stats for the current year (like to find the total number of strikeouts for the best pitchers leading up to the WCWS), but I have never used it to track stats over a multiple-year span to analyze any patterns or trends.

Today that all changed.

I have a hypothesis that the total number of home runs in the NCAA has increased over the past decade.

To test this I looked at the number of home runs hit by the top ten home run hitters and the number of home runs hit by the home run champ in the NCAA for each year dating back to 2001.

The data I uncovered really surprised me. Here it is by year split between the total number of home runs hit by the top ten home run hitters in Division I softball and the total number of home runs hit by the year’s Division I home run champ.

2001: 212, 24
2002: 244, 30
2003: 209, 31
2004: 215, 27
2005: 214, 24
2006: 213, 25
2007: 222, 30
2008: 191, 26
2009: 187, 24
2010: 199, 25
2011: 177, 21

From 2001-2011 the number of home runs hit by the top home run hitters in Division I softball has increased 17%. The increase from 2001 to 2010, when the NCAA had a home run explosion of 244, is 27%.

I really wish the data went back before 2001 because I think the power numbers would have fallen off even more and made the numbers more dramatic.

There are a few other interesting elements of this data. In 2001 the top home run hitter barely cracked 20 home runs in the season. Since then three home run champs have hit over 30, and two of them have performed that feat in the past three years.

There was also a huge aberration in the data with the home run explosion in 2010. There were 22 more home runs hit in 2010 than in its next closest year (2005). And in 2010 all of the top ten home run hitters hit at least 20 home runs.

I have a few theories on the steady increase of home runs from 2001-2011:

(1) Better coaching for hitters. Fastpitch pitchers have been receiving small class or one-on-one specialized training for many years, maybe more hitters are starting to participate in the same type of training.

(2) Better bat technology. The technology of bats has certainly increased over the past decade and maybe bats are responsible for adding the extra distance to turn a few extra hits into home runs each year.

(3) Better training. Perhaps more female athletes are embracing weight training and the added bulk is helping to send more balls over the fence.

(4) Deteriorating caliber of pitchers. We are several years removed from any super-elite pitchers like Jennie Finch, Cat Osterman, and Monica Abbott. Perhaps the lack of any uber-dominant pitchers like the aforementioned Big Three has had an affect on home run totals.

For whatever reason, the number of homers continues to climb. At some point, of course, rule changes might spoil things—but for now, enjoy!

Successful Managers in the NPF

By John Thorson
Father of Akron Racer pitcher Kristina Thorson

I’ve pondered this topic for some time. What does it take to successfully manage a team in the NPF? I guess it depends upon what is considered “success.” Some possibilities are:

[1] Win the regular season title.
[2] Win the Cowles Cup.
[3] Win more games than the team would without he/her there.
[4] Not lose games because of field management mistakes.
[5] Win the support of the team and owners.

On the surface, one could make an argument for winning the regular season or the Cowles Cup. However, unless you’re Bill Sokolis (Chicago) or Don DeDonatis (Florida), I don’t think those are the major goals. I say that because I believe a manager could be very successful without winning either.

Number 3 would be a perfect answer except there is no explicit way to measure this; it would be based solely on supposition. And success or failure would be based upon the individual making the assessment. I think it’s hard to give a win to a manager, but it is definitely possible to award him/her the loss.

Basing success on not losing games due to managing errors is a possibility. In fact, this begs another thread on managing errors. This season (2011) I witnessed several key managing errors, each of which potentially cost the manager’s team a game. Twice, in two separate games, I saw Chicago make critical substitution errors which led to outs that stopped potentially big innings.

In the second playoff game between Akron and Chicago, one could make the argument that pulling Kristina (Thorson) in a 1-1 tie with her season-long success against the Bandits was an error but, in truth, was just a judgement call that didn’t work out.

A strong argument for bad management could be made when the Racer’s two biggest hitters, Sam Maurder with her .400+ batting average and big slugging percentage (and she had just hit a solo HR off Abbott her previous at-bat) and Nicole Pauly with her team leading 18 RBI’s, were taken out at the same time as the pitching change. The difference between the two scenarios is that the Chicago mistakes were during the regular season and they went on to win the Cowles Cup (success???). Akron got eliminated from the playoffs and the manager (Jake Schumann) went on to his new head coach position at FIU.

Not to get on my soapbox too much but another major management error by Akron was announcing to the team the pitching rotation for the season BEFORE the first game was ever played! Further, Schumann stated it didn’t matter how anyone pitched!!! Yes, it does make putting together a lineup a lot easier when you don’t have to make that decision prior to a series, BUT….

These are examples of bad management and give a possible way to cull the list of successful managers. However, it still doesn’t answer the question of what IS a successful manager. I’m voting for #5 as the best measure of successful management. Ultimately, it’s the owners that decide the fate of a manager and, if they’re happy, the manager will be back.

An argument can also be made (I’m not sure how true it is) that a team that likes and supports the manager will play better ball. However, the players are competitors and it is their nature to play hard to win regardless of their feelings for the manager.

Muscle Massage Moves into the Mainstream

By Josh Allen
TSC Contributor

We all know that getting a massage can be relaxing, invigorating or (usually) both. And it just feels plain good. But what was once considered a luxury is now gaining popularity among the athletic community as a legitimate way to boost performance and prevent sports-related injuries.

Massage can also be used to treat specific injuries such as shin splints, plantar fasciitis, ankle sprains and strained (pulled) hamstring and groin muscles. In fact, before you rush off to have surgery on any injury, you should consider consulting with your massage therapist about possible alternatives.

But make sure you find a good one. The best in the business possess a thorough knowledge of human anatomy and physiology and have years of experience working in the fields of sports therapy and rehabilitation.

Of course, these benefits come at a price, usually $50 to $100 or more at a crack. But in the right hands, massage therapy can add years to the life of your sporting career—and make you feel better after you hang it up, too.

So how does it work?

Strenuous physical exertion makes muscles, tendons and ligaments hard and inelastic, squeezing the fluid out of the tissues like a wrung sponge; this deprives the tissues of vital nutrients and energy to repair itself.

Massage helps reverse this process stretching the tissues—including in ways that do not occur naturally; for example, bundles of muscle fibers are stretched sideways as well as lengthwise. Blood and lymph fluid is also sucked back into the area by the pumping action of the massage, which increases the pressure in front of the stroke and creates a vacuum behind.

Massage also stretches the sheath or fascia surrounding the muscle, relieving tension. Flexibility is also improved by loosening and/or breaking down any scar tissue that has formed from previous injuries or trauma.

“Deep tissue” massage—which uses slower strokes and is targeted at the muscles located below the top layer of muscles—also causes the pores in tissue membranes to open, enabling fluids and nutrients to pass through.

Finally, when a fatigued muscle is relaxed it slows down its consumption of energy and production of waste products, allowing it to recover more quickly.

One thing massage doesn’t do is remove lactic acid, once labeled an unwanted waste product and blamed for the burning feeling in fatigued muscles. For years, massage therapists were taught that lactic acid should be flushed from the muscles of athletes after a vigorous workout. Recent research shows, however, that levels return to normal within 30-60 minutes post-exercise without any assistance, and that massage is no more effective than passive rest in speeding up this process.

Apart from its failure to expel lactic acid—which it turns out may not be such a bad thing after all—there is no doubt that muscle massage helps the body recover faster from exercise and is an effective treatment for certain types of athletic injuries. That’s all the excuse I need to sign up and get one!

A New Crop of NCAA Pitchers to Keep Your Eye On

By Daniel Urban
TSC Analyst/Contributor

The stats are all in and it is finally time to reveal the NCAA pitching superstars of tomorrow. These NCAA freshmen pitchers were selected based on their statistical performance from the 2011 season. So without further adieu, here are the 2011 NCAA future superstar pitchers:

Dallas Escobedo: Freshman - Arizona State
2011 Stats: 37-3, 1.51 ERA, 255 innings pitched, 326 strikeouts, 1.27 average strikeouts-per-inning
Dallas Escobeo was one of the most highly recruited pitchers in the country in 2010. Escobedo graduated from St. Mary’s High School in Phoenix, Arizona in 2010 after leading her team to a 2010 state title. Though Escobedo could have had a free ride to any school she wanted, she ultimately chose Arizona State, and by golly is Arizona State pleased! Escobedo pitched spectacularly all season and led the Sun Devils to the 2011 NCAA national title. Escobedo was the first freshman to lead her team to an NCAA title in well over a decade. There have been many freshmen & sophomore pitchers to lead their teams deep in the the Womens’ College World Series, but they always seem to wilt under the pressure of the big stage. It was really special to watch Escobedo elevate her game during the WCWS just like a veteran. Escobedo is a superstar of tomorrow, but she is also a superstar of today!

Sara Moulton: Freshman - University of Minnesota
2011 Stats: 28-16, 2.06 ERA, 278 innings pitched, 330 strikeouts, 1.19 average strikeouts-per-inning
Moulton was another 2010 uber-prospect who ultimately chose a university close to her home town of Eagan, Minnesota. Moulton attended Eagan High School and in her senior season was named Minnesota Gatorade Player of the Year. She finished her prep career with an 83-13 record, 1,142 strikeouts, a 0.35 ERA, 58 shutouts, 13 no-hitters and 3 perfect games. In her first season at Minnesota Moulton finished with the superb stats you see above, and she ranked #14 in the nation in total strikeouts. The University of Michigan has been the dominant team in the Big Ten Conference for the past several years, but with Jordan Taylor graduating and the emergence of Moulton the Golden Gophers will be the team to beat for the next three years at least. Moulton performed so well in her freshman season that she was featured on a local news broadcast. You can watch it here.

Ellen Renfroe: Freshman - University of Tennessee
2011 Stats: 26-7, 1.50 ERA, 201 innings pitched, 259 strikeouts, 1.29 average strikeouts-per-inning
Ellen Renfroe was easily one of the most highly decorated high school athletes the state of Tennessee had ever seen. Renfroe attended high school at Trinity Christian Academy in Jackson, Tennessee and led the team to four state titles. Renfro put up eye-popping numbers at the prep level with a career 115-19 record, 0.31 ERA, 1,355 strikeouts, and 20 no-hitters. Her efforts earned her the honor of being named the 2010 Tennessee Gatorade High School Player of the Year. Renfroe joined with her sister Ivy (a 2011 sophomore who was mentioned in the Superstars of Tomorrow thread from 2010) at Tennesse in 2011, and the sisters led the Volunteers to a 49-12 record and a finish in the WCWS Regionals. The Renfroe sisters are only going to get better, and with their collective talent level I would be willing to bet you will see Tennessee deep in the WCWS in 2012.

Lori Spignola: Freshman - University of North Carolina
2011 Stats: 27-16, 1.73 ERA, 267 innings pitched, 285 strikeouts, 1.07 average strikeouts-per-inning
In her freshman season Lori Spignola tied the UNC softball record for wins with 27 and broke the total innings pitched record with 267. Spignola also tossed a perfect game February 27, 2011 against Penn State and recorded a no-hitter against Boston College on May 13, 2011. Spignola’s spectacular success would come as no surprise to those who knew her in high school, where she led Atlanta’s Marist High School to two consecutive state titles in 2009 and 2010.

Kayla Cox: Freshman - North Carolina State University
2011 Stats: 14-14, 2.83 ERA, 183 innings pitched, 232 strikeouts, 1.27 average strikeouts-per-inning
Cox adjusted very well to the college game after an excellent high school career. As a student-athlete at East Bay High School in East Bay, Florida, Cox went 18-1 with a 0.19 ERA and led the Indians to the 2010 state title. Cox decided to travel north to play her college ball, and in her freshman season she ranked #44 in the nation for total strikeouts. The ACC is not a huge softball powerhouse conference, so a pitcher with Cox’s talent level should be able to shine for years to come.

Platelet-rich Plasma: Cure-all for Athletic Injuries?

By Josh Allen
TSC Contributor

During the past few years treatment of athletic injuries with platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has spread across the sports medicine community, but it wasn’t until a well known sports celebrity—Tiger Woods—admitted using it that the general public stood up and took notice.

Prior to his well-known personal problems off the course, Tiger’s main concern was an injured Achilles tendon. Last year he admitted at a press conference that he had received the experimental PRP medical treatment for his frail tendon from Canadian physician Dr. Anthony Galea.

During the PRP procedure the blood is drawn and centrifuged to separate out the red blood cells (erythrocytes) from the plasma. The plasma, which contains platelets, is then injected back into the site of the patient’s injury. The theory is that this concentrated injection mimics the pooling of blood around an injury site, releasing factors that accelerate the healing process.

The jury is still out as to whether the treatment really works—so far studies have shown mixed results: one trial showed no benefit, whereas another showed a benefit for 66% of elbow tendonitis patients.

PRP is currently only restricted by sports organizations such as the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), which allows athletes to get PRP treatments to heal torn ligaments, tendons and joint injuries if the athlete submits a declaration of use. Injection into muscles is banned because it is believed it stimulates stem cells to make muscles bigger, which is perceived as an enhancement rather than a treatment.

Sport Added to Short List for Inclusion in 2020 Games

By Kayla Knight
TSC Contributor

For three long years the softball community has mourned the loss of its beloved sport from the Olympic Games, clinging to the hope that one day it will return. But when?

Re-entry dates of 2012 and 2016 have already been eliminated, but a faint heartbeat was heard for the turn of the decade when, last month, softball was added to the short list of sports considered for the 2020 Olympics.

While this news was huge, the chances of softball’s reinstatement are still about the same as hitting a home run off a Monica Abbott fastball.

First, softball must beat out the seven other sports being considered by the International Olympic Committee: karate, roller sports, sports climbing, squash, wakeboard, wushu and baseball.

Second, the members of the IOC—and especially president Jacques Rogge—will need a valid reason to reverse their earlier decision to eliminate it from the Games.

According to former Olympian Jessica Mendoza, it will take Rogge’s departure to get the job done. That could happen in 2013 when his term expires, although the timing will be close. The IOC meets September 2013 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to select the one sport to be added to the 2020 program.

At minimum, the International Softball Federation will need to prove to the IOC that softball has become more globally popular than in 2005, when it was first voted out—a distinct possibility given Japan’s increasing competitiveness against the once-dominant USA. However, in most countries softball’s removal from the Olympics and the sputtering world economy have virtually dried up funding for the sport.

Yes, there is still much to be done, but softball’s Olympic future is looking up. After all, every so often someone hits a home run off a Monica Abbott fastball.

How Can the NPF Become More Popular?

By fastpitchfan
TSC Contributor

I attended this year’s NPF Championship Series in Sulfur, Louisiana last weekend and saw some of the best fastpitch softball you will ever see anywhere (as the announcer kept reminding us over the loudspeaker, and rightly so).

In particular, the Saturday night game pitting the Chicago Bandits against the USSSA Pride may have been one of the greatest games of all time: plenty of former Olympians—including superstar pitchers Cat Osterman & Monica Abbott—competing head-to-head in the first game of pro softball’s “Super Bowl.” And it took overtime to win it. WOW!

But I was only one of a few select fans who saw it.

At game-time there were perhaps 800 fans in the stadium and that had dwindled to about 300 by game’s end, which was close to midnight. Most of the remaining fans were girls (and their parents) from Jennie Finch’s camp, who had been bused in for the event and stayed to get autographs after the game.

What does it take to get attendance up at the NPF finals? It’s disappointing that after years of creating franchises all over the country (most of which are no longer in existence) and broadcasting a slew of games on TV at a collective cost of hundreds of thousands of dollars, most of the American public is still either clueless or doesn’t care about women’s professional softball.

Prior to this year it was thought the answer was to convince the former Olympic athletes to commit to the NPF over the US National Team. Well that happened, but it didn’t seem to make a noticeable difference.

We have also been told the lack of fan support at the turnstiles is due to the poor economy, but the very same week the Little League World Series broke its all-time attendance record at over 41,000. Is boys’ baseball just intrinsically more interesting than Olympic-caliber women’s softball? (For the record the NPF used to include national teams from other countries in its schedule, so the international factor is not the difference here.)

Most of the Sulphur inhabitants I met over the past few days had no idea a national pro championship tournament was taking place in their own backyard (this is not the fault of the local chamber of commerce/visitor’s bureau that put up billboards and worked tirelessly to get the word out). In fact, many fans at the game didn’t know if the athletes on the field were college players or “something else.”

If the NPF’s “Twenty for Twenty Campaign” is to reach its goal of ensuring the future of pro softball through the year 2020, much still needs to be done. But what?

Who Deserves the Best Pro Contracts?

By Daniel Urban
TSC Analyst/Contributor

A recent article from the LA Times stated NPF players make $4,000-$15,000 per summer. So the question now becomes: who deserves a $15,000 max contract?

Cat Osterman
This is a no brainer. Cat has been the ace pitcher on the two past NPF championship teams (Rockford Thunder and USSSA Pride). In her NPF tenure Osterman has a 27-3 record and has thrown 330 strikeouts in 200 innings. Cat’s average ERA is 0.91. Cat’s strikeout-to-inning ratio is a stellar 1.65. Most amazing, though, is that Cat is having her best season THIS YEAR. She is in the prime of her career and absolutely deserves a max contract more than any other.

Monica Abbott
This is no brainer #2. Abbott has always been a bona fide ace pitcher at the highest levels of fastpitch. Abbott’s numbers are eerily similar to Osterman. In two years of NPF service Abbott has compiled a 19-13 record (Abbott went 7-9 in 2009 with the abysmal Tennessee Diamonds) and has thrown 286 strikeouts in 211 innings. Monica’s average ERA is .80 after two seasons. That means she lets up an average of less than one run per game! Monica’s strikeout-to-inning ratio of 1.35 is not quite as high as Osterman’s, but her numbers are still excellent.

Stacy May-Johnson
May-Johnson is currently the best hitter in pro softball. She might even be the best we have ever seen in pro softball. May-Johnson has been in the league since 2006, but she has really come on strong the past three years. She has always been a great hitter for average, but she has developed power and consistency that makes her the best. In 2010 May-Johnson led the league in batting average at .333 and home runs at 12, and was second in the league in RBIs with 26. In 2008 she was second in the NPF in average with .391, tied for first in home runs with 13, and third in the league in RBIs with 34. Over the past three years she has averaged 10 home runs per year, .336 batting average, and 26 RBI. Her offensive talent easily warrants a max contract.

Jessica Mendoza
I gave Mendoza a hard time for her performance last season. In 2010 Mendoza only his .292 with 5 home runs and 22 RBI; none of these numbers got her in the top 10 for any category. But Mendoza has really poured it on in 2011. This season she has a .394 ERA, 10 home runs, and a NPF-leading 35 RBI. Mendoza’s average is good enough for second in the league. Plus, with Mendoza you not only get a valuable bat, you get a terrific spokesperson for the game and a recognizable name to put people in the seats.

There is only one other player that I considered: Natasha Watley. Watley has led the league in batting average for 2010 and 2011, and has been #1 in the NPF in stolen bases for 2011 and #2 in 2012, but I do not value average and stolen bases as high as I would rank the average plus power combo of May and Mendoza. But Watley is close!

US National Team’s Young Players Capture World Cup

By Daniel Urban
TSC Analyst/Contributor

Well Team USA has done it again. Though the best veteran fastpitch superstars are playing exclusively for the NPF this year, some of the best young players in the nation still opted to wear the red, white and blue and play for Team USA.

Some of the superstars of recent Women’s College World Series, including UCLA’s Megan Langenfeld, Baylor’s Whitney Canion, and Michigan’s Jordan Taylor, were represented on the team. Team USA also had a long-time NPF star in Stacy May-Johnson.

The Americans went 5-1 during the tournament with their lone loss coming to Canada 4-3. Team USA used a four-pitcher rotation with innings split relatively evenly.

The first pitcher was Whitney Canion, a recent graduate from Baylor who led her team to the WCWS in 2011. The second was Jordan Taylor, a statistical marvel who pitched for four years at Michigan but never did very well in the NCAA playoffs. The third was Keilani Ricketts, a star pitcher from Oklahoma who also led her team to the WCWS in 2011. The final pitcher was Chelsea Thomas, a breakout ace pitcher for Missou who led her team to the WCWS in 2011 as well, making the elite eight.

The star pitcher for Team USA during this tournament was Whitney Canion. Canion started two of the team’s six games and finished with a 2-0 record, 13 innings pitched, a 1.08 ERA, 16 strikeouts, and 2 walks. Her signature moment was a complete game shutout against Great Britain.

The American’s #2 pitcher was Jordan Taylor. Taylor also started two games and wound up 1-0, 12 innings pitched, a 1.17 ERA, 16 strikeouts and 2 walks.

Team USA allowed Keilani Ricketts only one start but used her in two other games as a relief pitcher. Ricketts made the most of her time on the mound and finished the tournament with a 2-0 record, 6 innings pitched, 1.17 ERA, 4 strikeouts and 3 walks.

Like Ricketts, Chelsea Thomas was also given just one start, but Thomas made an appearance in relief for five of Team USA’s six games. Unfortunately she was the worst performing pitcher of the USA’s stable of arms, but she still did pretty well, winding up with an 0-1 record, 8 innings pitched, 2.62 ERA, 9 strikeouts and 2 walks. She only gave up 7 hits but 2 were doubles and one was a home run. Thomas was good, but not quite good enough to rank with the other three pitchers.

From the plate, there were two players who really drove Team USA’s offense: Stacy May-Johnson and Valerie Arrioto.

Stacy May-Johnson graduated from Iowa in 2007 and played three remarkable years with the NPF Chicago Bandits before deciding to take a roster spot with Team USA this year. During the World Cup she performed exactly how you would expect, hitting for a .353 average with 5 runs, 6 hits, 2 home runs and 7 RBI. She contributed an average of at least one hit and one RBI per game.

The other offensive dynamo for the US was Valerie Arrioto. Arrioto graduated from Cal in 2011 and she was easily the best hitter of the tournament. She hit for a .438 average with 4 runs, 7 hits, 5 total extra base hits, 2 home runs and 11 RBI. Arrioto’s production was absolutely indispensable to the Team USA offense.

The Americans scored a total of 39 runs during the tournament, and May-Johnson and Arrioto were responsible for 27 of them! That means May-Johnson and Arrioto were responsible for almost 70% of Team USA’s entire offense.

Another great show by the US National Team. Even with all of the big names in the NPF this year, Team USA still has by far the best players and it is not surprising that they won it all. Good show. Go USA!