White Paper on ASA Team Registration -- From ASA National Office 05/13/08

On May 12th, 2008, ASA National held a meeting with the Minnesota Sports Federation (State ASA), Minneapolis (ASA Metro) and St Paul (ASA Metro).

They have put together a white paper on team registration in Minnesota. The white paper was sent to FastSports by Craig Cress at ASA National. The meeting participants are being encouraged to post the white paper on their web pages.

The text of the white paper follows:

St Mary's Cardinals' Otte, Gannon named All-MIAC 1st Team 05/12/08

For the second time in a week, Saint Mary's University's Cassie Otte (Randolph, Minn.) found herself in the spotlight Monday afternoon.

And for the second time in the past week, the Cardinal junior got to share that spotlight with a fellow teammate.

Otte, who, along with fellow outfield mate Danielle Geske (Rosemount, Minn.), was a Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-Region selection last week, teamed up with Katy Gannon (Roselle, Ill.) as SMU's representatives on the All-Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference First Team, it was announced Monday.

Otte and Gannon were the Cardinals' offensive leaders, helping SMU to a 13-9 record and a fifth-place finish in the conference standings. Gannon boasted team-bests in average (.461), runs (24), home runs (3), total bases (51), slugging percentage (.671), on-base percentage (.494) and stolen bases (5), while Otte led the team in at-bats (82), hits (36) and walks (6), and was second to Gannon in runs (22), total bases (44), and on-base percentage (.453).

Otte, an outfielder, led the conference with her 82 at-bats and 36 hits. She reached base safely in all 22 conference games, collecting at least one hit in 20 of the 22 games, and had two or more hits in 12 MIAC games.

Gannon, a freshman shortstop, posted a team-best five multiple-RBI games — including a four-RBI effort in the Cardinals' Game 2 win over Carleton on April 22. She finished her freshman campaign No. 2 in the MIAC in hits (35), and No. 3 in both runs (24) and at-bats (76).

Geske, who led the team in RBIs (20) and shared the team lead in home runs with Gannon, was an honorable-mention All-MIAC selection.

St. Thomas senior Maria Bye was named the MIAC Player and Pitcher of the Year, while Augsburg's Jennifer Castillo was the conference's rookie of the year, and Auggie coach Tim Gormley was named MIAC Coach of the Year.

Oltman

Wakasugi

Pair of Creighton Softball Players Tabbed Academic All-District 05/09/08

Junior Jessica Wakasugi and sophomore Tara Oltman of the Creighton softball team have been named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VII First-Team as voted on by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) and announced Thursday.

Wakasugi owns a 3.60 grade point average in business entrepreneurship and Oltman has a perfect 4.0 in English / secondary education.

Wakasugi, Creighton’s starting center fielder for the past 162 games, is enjoying a career-year as a junior. The Woodbury, Minn., native, is hitting a career-best and team-leading .362, while her .412 average in MVC play was tops on the team and third in the league. She has a career average of .331, which ranks fourth in school history.

The speedy outfielder leads the team with eight stolen bases, and topped the league with six stolen bases in six attempts during MVC play. On Wednesday, Wakasugi was named first-team all-Missouri Valley Conference.

Oltman was tabbed MVC Pitcher of the Year and first-team all-MVC for the second straight year on Wednesday, as she has dominated opponents again this season. She enters the MVC Tournament with a 31-6 record, 0.96 ERA and 278 strikeouts in 254.2 innings of work.

The right-hander ranks second in the NCAA with seven saves, while she ranks fourth with her 31 wins, which have tied the MVC record and established a school mark for victories. She was 16-2 with a 0.76 ERA in Valley play, while eight of her 15 starts in conference play were shutouts.

Both players are now eligible to become academic All-Americans.

Dordel

Drake Pitcher Dordel Named MVC Newcomer Of The Year 05/09/08

Drake freshman pitcher Brynne Dordel (Chanhassen, Minn.) was named the Missouri Valley Conference Softball Newcomer of the Year at the MVC Awards Banquet Wednesday night. The honor marked the first time since 1997 that a Bulldog had garnered a newcomer of the year award.

Dordel provided an immediate impact for the Bulldogs this season leading the pitching staff with a 1.86 earned run average, while posting a 16-10 record with 196 strikeouts. Dordel ranks ninth on the Drake career strikeout leader board, sixth in season wins and 10 in career and fifth in per season shutouts.

Drake senior second baseman Jaci Faidely (Colfax, Iowa) and senior outfielder Kristin Birocci (Des Moines, Iowa) earned first team all-conference nods.

Senior first baseman Marilyn Buss (West Des Moines, Iowa) earned second team laurels.

This marks the first time since 2004 that Drake has had multiple players named to the MVC All-Conference teams.

Faidley set a single-season home run record for the Bulldogs with 11, while batting .250 and placing fourth on the team with 37 hits. Birocci had her best season at Drake .282, which is second on the team, while leading the Bulldogs with 42 hits and seven stolen bases and ranking second with 27 RBI. Buss leads Drake with a .308 batting average and ranks second with 40 hits. Buss also has a .997 fielding percentage this season and holds the career record at Drake with a .995 fielding percentage.

Johnson

Southwest Minneosta State's Dickhausen and Johnson Earn Honors 05/09/08

Dickhausen

Southwest Minnesota State softball players Erin Dickhausen and Amanda Johnson were both named Louisville Slugger/NFCA first team all-region on Thursday afternoon. The announcement came from the National Fastpitch Coaches Association.

For Dickhausen, it is the third time in her career that she has earned NFCA first team all-region honors, while Johnson was named to the second team in each of her first two seasons.

Dickhausen, a senior catcher from Watertown, Minn., is second for the Mustangs with a .348 batting average and leads the team with 57 hits, 38 runs scored, 14 stolen bases and five triples. She also has 23 runs batted in, 10 doubles and two home runs. Last week, she was named first team All-NSIC and NSIC Player of the Year. She also earned NSIC Player of the Week honors on Mar. 31. She currently holds career records at SMSU for runs scored (154), hits (220), triples (22), home runs (26), runs batted in (126), total bases (371) and stolen bases (72).

Dickhausen is also second in slugging percentage (.597) and fifth in batting average (.354).

Johnson, a junior pitcher from Fremont, Neb., leads the Mustangs with a 1.11 ERA in 220 innings with 259 strikeouts. She has 23 complete games and nine shutouts, while posting a 27-4 record with five saves. Opponents have just 164 hits against her (.201 opponents’ batting average) and she has walked just 23 batters. Last week, she was named first team All-NSIC and NSIC Pitcher of the Year. She has been named NSIC Pitcher of the Week twice this spring. She already holds career school records for strikeouts (834), strikeouts per seven innings (8.69), fewest walks per seven innings (1.18), wins (77), saves (13), shutouts (25), complete games (75), innings pitched (671.2), appearances (119), games started (86) and is second in ERA (1.34).

Four Summit League Players Earn Academic All-District Honors 05/09/08

Four Summit League softball players were named to ESPN/CoSIDA Academic All-District teams on Thursday. North Dakota State's Kelly Cantrell and Aimee Enzler, and South Dakota State's Sam Heinzman were named to the first team, while Southern Utah's Trish Clapham was a second-team selection. Cantrell, Enzler and Heinzman now move on to the national ballot for Academic All-America consideration.

Cantrell, a junior catcher for the Bison, is batting .269 on the season with 31 RBI. She has 42 hits, including seven home runs, and 29 runs on the year. Cantrell has a 3.29 cumulative grade-point average in art.

Enzler is hitting .285 with 37 hits, three home runs, eight doubles and 24 RBI for the Bison. She has a 3.81 GPA as a physical education/adapted physical education major

A junior outfielder for the Jackrabbits, Heinzman has a 3.73 GPA as a business economics major. She has a .329 batting average, which ranks ninth in the league. She has 47 hits, seven doubles, four home runs and 19 stolen bases on the year.

Clapham, a junior outfielder, carries a near-perfect 3.98 GPA in athletic training. She is batting .267 with seven doubles and 15 runs scored this season.

To be eligible for the team, the student-athlete must be a starter or important reserve with at least a 3.20 cumulative GPA (on a 4.0 scale) for his/her career. No athlete is eligible until he/she has reached sophomore athletic and academic standing at his/her current institution (thus, true freshmen, red-shirt freshmen and ineligible transfers are not eligible). In the cases of transfers, graduate students and junior college graduates, the athlete must have completed one full academic year at the nominating institution to be eligible.

Haines

SCSU's Haines Lands on ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District Team 05/09/08

St. Cloud State University’s Rachel Haines (Pepin, Wis.) was named to the ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District 5 First Team for the first time in her career.

The junior second baseman is majoring in biomedical science and sports a 4.0 grade point average.

Haines played an important role in SCSU’s success this season, starting in all 56 games in the leadoff spot. She led the team with 189 at bats and 72 hits, which marks the eighth best in school history. The Pepin, Wis., native also set new personal bests this season with a .381 batting average, 72 hits, 12 doubles, two triples, one home run, 29 RBIs, 91 total bases, .481 slugging percentage, 14 walks, .423 on base percentage and 93 assists while tying a career high with 40 runs scored.

A two-time All-North Central Conference Academic and NFCA Academic All-American recipient, Haines set a new school record this season with four stolen bases on March 1 in a 6-2 win over Science Philadelphia.

Summit League: NDSU’s Chmielewski, Bakke Named Player, Pitcher of Year 05/09/08

Mueller

Victa

Chmielewski

Bakke

Regular-season softball champion North Dakota State swept the major awards in The Summit League Thursday, as sophomore Melissa Chmielewski was named Player of the Year, senior Allison Bakke was named Pitcher of the Year, Elisa Victa was selected as Freshman of the Year and Darren Mueller was named Coach of the Year in a vote of the league’s nine head coaches.

North Dakota State placed a league-best six players on the All-Summit League squads, while Centenary had five and South Dakota State had four players on the teams. Southern Utah placed three on the all-league teams, while Western Illinois and Oakland each had two representatives.

Chmielewski, who started the season at first base and moved to third due to a teammate’s injury, led the Bison to the regular-season title after topping the league in batting average (.398), slugging percentage (.661), RBI (52), home runs (12) and total bases (113). She also ranked in the Top 10 in on-base percentage (.467), hits (68), runs (32), doubles (9), walks (22) and total plate appearances (196). She was a two-time Player of the Week.

Bakke, a five-time Pitcher of the Week, helped lead her team to the regular-season title as she picked up eight Summit League wins. On the season, she led the league in wins (23), strikeouts (194), ERA (1.66) and opponent batting average (.203). In league play, she posted a 0.72 ERA and .152 opponent batting average.

Victa posted a .393 batting average with 22 hits and 15 runs during Summit League play. She led the league in sacrifice bunts (12), ranked second in total plate appearances (205), third in runs scored (35) and fifth in hits (52).

In his seventh season at the helm, Mueller led his team to its first-ever regular-season title. His team led The Summit League in batting average, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, runs, hits, RBI, total bases, sacrifice bunts, ERA, opponent batting average, strikeouts, wins, runners picked off, runs allowed, earned runs allowed, assists and runners caught stealing. Mueller earned his 250th career victory in the season finale vs. Southern Utah.

Joining Chmielewski and Bakke on the first team are Western Illinois senior first baseman Samantha Valentine (.392 BA, .469 OB%), North Dakota State sophomore second baseman Laurel Pipkin (.348 BA, 69 H), Centenary junior shortstop Emerald Doria (.417 OB%, 31 BB), Centenary sophomore third baseman Allison Shepperd (.353 BA, 38 RBI), North Dakota State junior catcher Kelly Cantrell (7 HR, 29 R, 31 RBI), Southern Utah senior outfielder Rodeo Carli (6 HR, 33 BB), IPFW sophomore outfielder Tara Mickelson (.357 BA, .589 SLG%), South Dakota State junior outfielder Brittany Postma (.339 BA, 5 3B), Southern Utah sophomore designated player Karli Jenson (39 H, 52 TB) and North Dakota State senior pitcher Bekki Rasmussen (2.56 ERA, .275 OPP BA). Valentine and Jenson are making their secon d-straight appearances on the first team, while Doria and Carli are now two-time honorees as both were second-team selections in the past.

In addition to Victa, The Summit League second team consists of South Dakota State junior first baseman Kiley Schwedhelm (31 RBI, .303 BA), Oakland junior second baseman Julie Owen (.404 OB%, 35 H), Southern Utah freshman shortstop Aly Daniels (36 H, 13 SB), South Dakota State freshman third baseman Ashley Durazo (.336 BA, .489 SLG%), Oakland sophomore catcher Angela Righetti (.368 BA, .414 OB%), Western Illinois freshman outfielder Colleen Biebel (20 SB, 38 H), South Dakota State junior outfielder Samantha Heinzman (.329 BA, 47 H), Centenary freshman designated player Caitlin Cavarra (46 H, 57 TB), IUPUI freshman utility player Amy Raker (.311 BA, 8 2B), Centenary sophomore pitcher Ryan Thacker (2.31 ERA, 132 KO) and Centenary sophomore pitcher Stacy Whitmer (.242 OPP BA, 129 KO).

PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Melissa Chmielewski, North Dakota State

PITCHER OF THE YEAR
Allison Bakke, North Dakota State

FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Elisa Victa, North Dakota State

COACH OF THE YEAR
Darren Mueller, North Dakota State

Jenny Gensch - St Cloud State University

SCSU's Gensch Earns Pro Tryout 05/07/08

The Philadelphia Force, one of six teams in National Pro Fastpitch (NPL), have invited St. Cloud State senior softball player Jenny Gensch to a tryout on May 20th.

The Apple Valley native was officially invited to the tryout on May 1st, and will fly out to Allentown, Penn. on May 19th for her two-hour session with the Force. On the 20th, Gensch will be one of just 15 players asked to convene at ECTB Stadium at Bicentennial Park with hopes of earning a pro contract.

She will know the afternoon of the tryout if she has been selected, and if the Force decide to sign her she will have only a matter of days to return home, pack her things, and get back out east to join her new team in spring training. Opening day for the Philadelphia Force is quickly approaching as they host a three game series against the Netherlands May 29-31. In total the Force will play a 51 game NPF schedule.

To her tryout, Gensch will bring with a host of records and accomplishments after a dream senior season for the Huskies. The two-time All-Conference performer began her magical season with a stretch where she twice hit two home runs in a game and had 10 HR after the first 11 contests. Her out of this world numbers included a 3-3, four run, five RBI day in the second game of the season, and 24 total RBI to go along with a .536 average after those same 11 games. She would go on to knock in three or more runs eight times on the season and a third time banged out two round trippers in game.

She recorded 21 multi-hit games and seven games with three hits to finish the season with a career high .406 average, the fifth best season in school history. Her average hovered around the .400 mark all season, never falling below .392. In her final two games as a Husky, Gensch went 5-7 at the plate scoring four runs and knocking in another. The four runs gave her 50 on the season, making her the first Husky to ever reach the half-century mark crossing the plate. Also that final RBI was her 62nd of the season, to give her a total eight better then any player before her. The record came on Apr. 15 when Gensch went 1-2 with three RBI to give her 55 on the season and break the five year old record of 54 set in 2003. Just three days later on Apr. 18 she would hit her 17th home run, which put her in a first place tie for the most in a single season in school history.

Her power numbers quickly earned the respect of her opponents as she was intentionally walked a school record four times in 2008. The four free passes were part of a school record 36 total walks in 2008, as she surpassed her own school record of 28 set just last season. Not to be overlooked is her ability in the field, where she made just nine errors in 254 chances at shortstop. Her 141 assists led the team while her .965 fielding percentage was a career high.

When speaking about the chance to play at the next level, Gensch said, It is definitely flattering enough to be able to have the opportunity to go out there and have this experience, Im very excited. I just have to go one step at a time and work as hard as I ever have and have fun.

The NPF consists of six teams including the Akron Racers, Chicago Bandits, New England Riptide, Rockford Thunder, and the Washington D.C. Glory as well as the Philadelphia Force. Philadelphia is the youngest team in the league with operations beginning on December 22, 2005. The league has gone through several transformations since the original idea for a womens professional softball team in January 1989.

The first games were played as part of the Womens Pro Fastpitch (WPF) tour in the summer of 1995 and league play began in May 1997. In December 1998 the league changed its name to the Womens Pro Softball League (WPSL) and began allowing national team members to compete, yet still maintain international eligibility. After a season off in 2001 to focus on expansion in 2002, the 2003 season included a name change to National Pro Fastpitch, and a 17-city All-Start tour. Also in 2002 the league made Major League Baseball (MLB) a development partner and on June 1, 2004, the NPL kicked off it inaugural season.

The league is littered with Division I and Olympic talent including 2004 gold medalists Jennie Finch, Leah OBrien-Amico, and Natasha Watley.

As for the Force, after taking their lumps with a last place finish in their first season in 2006, last season jumped up in the standings with a 24-20 record and fourth place NPF tally. Gensch will be looking to join a club that includes talent from such power conferences as the Big Ten, Big XII, and SEC.

SCSU Softball Lands Four on Academic Honor Roll 05/07/08

St. Cloud State softball players Rachel Haines, Ashley Homan, Kaity Strever, and Heather Trobec have been named to the 2008 North Central Conference Commissioners Academic Honor Roll. To qualify the student athletes must have a minimum 3.20 grade point average, have completed at least two semesters at their current school and competed against outside competition.

Haines is a Biomedical Science major from Pepin, Wis. and makes the Honor Roll for the second straight season. Last season she was named a CoSIDA Academic All-American, and just one week ago on Apr. 30 was named Academic All-NCC for the second time.

Joining Haines as a repeat Honor Roll member is Homan, a Physical Education major from Cottage Grove. Also last week Homan was named to the Academic All-NCC team for the first time in her career.

Being named to the Commissioners Honor Roll in their first season of eligibility are sophomores Strever and Trobec. Strever was also a first time All-Academic team member. Trobec is an Athletic Training major from nearby Sartell, while Strever is undeclared from Laurel, Mont.

On the Diamond for the Huskies in 2008, Homan and Haines were among the team leaders in hitting all season, and Strever and Trobec combined for 30 wins on the mound. SCSU closed the 2008 season recently at the NCC Championships in Duluth, May 4, where they were knocked out by regular season champion and eventual tournament runner up Minnesota State. SCSU finished with a 35-21 record, a seven win improvement from last season.

Sioux place five on NCC Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll 05/07/08

The University of North Dakota softball team has placed five student-athletes on the 2008 North Central Conference Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll, announced today by the conference office.

UNDs five selections are the most in team history, topping its three honorees in 2007 and 2006. A total of 36 student-athletes were named to the honor roll, which requires have completed two semesters at their current school, have competed against outside competition and maintained a 3.20 grade point average.

Sioux center fielder Casie Hanson is UNDs lone repeat selection from last year. Hanson, a junior from St. Peter, Minn., is a physical education and wellness major.

Joining Hanson on the honor roll for the first time are UND sophomores Nicole Larson (graphic design/Oakdale, Minn.), Abby Rehberger (physical therapy/Brainerd, Minn.), Amber Roth (undeclared/Shoreview, Minn.) and Michele Wolf (elementary education/Lakeville, Minn.).

St Mary's Otte and Geske named to All-Region teams 05/07/08

It was just a matter of time.

After putting up the type of numbers Saint Mary's University's Cassie Otte (Randolph, Minn.) did, it was only a matter of time before the junior was recognized for her efforts.

Tuesday, that time finally arrived, as Otte was named to the NFCA/Louisville Slugger All-Midwest Region First Team.

And she wasn't alone on the NFCA's stage, as teammate Danielle Geske (Rosemount, Minn.) was named to the All-Midwest All-Region Second Team.

Otte was the Cardinals' offensive leader this season, posting career highs in several offensive categories in guiding SMU to a 15-21 overall record and a fifth-place finish in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference standings.

A junior outfielder, Otte led the team in virtually every offensive category, including average (.433), at-bats (134), runs (34), hits (58), doubles (7), triples (2), on-base percentage (.458) and stolen bases (7). A third-team All-Region selection a year ago, Otte reached base safely in 33 of the Cardinals' 36 games including a career-high 27-game hitting streak while also boasting a team-leading 19 multiple-hit games. In her three seasons as a Cardinal, Otte boasts a career batting average of .355 (134-for-377) and has put together career hitting streaks of four (freshman year), 17 (sophomore year) and 27 (junior year).

Like her outfield mate, Geske also enjoyed a career year in 2008. The junior banged out a team-leading seven home runs after collecting just two in her first two seasons combined while also boasting team- and career-bests in RBIs (34), total bases (72) and slugging percentage (.626). Geske, who hit .357 (41-for-115) and scored 20 runs, also led the team with 10 multiple-RBI games and had two or more hits in 14 of the Cardinals' 36 contests.

Central Washington offers the ultimate act of sportsmanship - VIDEO 05/07/08

There is a follow-up video to this heartwarming story of sportmanship available from ESPN.

See the VIDEO from ESPN

Contributed by Donna Hable

Class AAA Softball Rankings for 5/5/08 05/05/08

1. NSP
2. Eagan
3. Big Lake
4. Wayzata
5. Park
6. Burnsville
7. Jefferson
8. Osseo
9. Hopkins
10. Benilde St Margret

SCSU Closes Season With 15-1 Loss to Minnesota State 05/04/08

Top seeded Minnesota State (39-13) banged out 15 hits to eliminate the St. Cloud State (35-21) softball team from the NCC Tournament this morning, May 4, by way of a 15-1 defeat.  The Mavericks move on in the losers bracket to face South Dakota.

Ashley Homan (Cottage Grove) drove in the Huskies lone run in the third inning, but it came after Minnesota State had already raced out to 7-0 lead after a four run third.  The Mavericks got on the board right away in the top of the first with a two-run homer to take the early lead. 

The Huskies went down in order in the bottom of the inning and in the second MSU came back for another run to take a 3-0 lead after the first two frames.  In the top of the third, the Mavericks sent nine batters to the plate en route to a four run inning to take a commanding 7-0 lead.  In the home half of the inning, with two outs and runners on first and second, Homan hit a single up the middle that allowed Melanie Upchurch (Waterloo, Iowa) to score from second.

MSU went on to add two more runs in the fourth, and would then tack on six more in the fifth with the bulk coming off a two-out grand slam late in the inning for the 15-1 final.  Heather Trobec (Sartell) took the circle for the start and suffers the loss to end her sophomore season with a 5-5 record.  Jenny Gensch (Apple Valley) went 2-3 at the plate to lead the Huskies and ends her senior season with a career high .406 batting average and school record marks with 17 home runs (tied) and 62 RBI.  Fellow senior, Homan, went 1-3 and ends with a .331 average and tied a career high with 41 RBI.  She also leaves as the SCSU career leader with 88 walks.

Lizzy Dwyer (Kalispel, Mont.) went 1-2 on the day to finish 2008 batting .421, and falls just 10 points shy of the school record .431. 

With a 35-21 record, the 2008 Huskies produced the best record since the 2004 Husky squad that took third at the NCAA tournament.  Todays game was also the official close for SCSU softball in the North Central Conference, as the NCC will disband following the season and the Huskies will move into the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) beginning next season.

UND's season ends with 12-11 heartbreaker at NCC Tournament 05/04/08

Despite a furious late-game rally that saw the Sioux battle back from a 10-3 deficit, UND’s softball season has come to an end.

Lizzy Dwyer's single in the bottom of the seventh inning drove in the winning run and lifted St. Cloud State to a 12-11 win over the Sioux tonight at the North Central Conference Softball Tournament.

Dwyer’s season-ending single came just a half an inning after UND had tied the game in dramatic fashion. Trailing 11-7 in the top of the seventh inning, sophomore shortstop Abby Rehberger (Brainerd, Minn.) ignited the Sioux rally with a one-out walk off of Husky reliever Kaity Strever. After a Casie Hanson (Jr., St. Peter, Minn.) single and a Nicole Puerling (Jr., Camarillo, Calif.) walk loaded the bases, UND left fielder Lindsey Gaustad (So., Fergus Falls, Minn.) made it an 11-7 game with a single to left field that scored Rehberger.

However, Hanson, who was on second base, had to freeze to ensure the ball would drop, and was forced out at third base, leaving the Sioux with two runners out and one final out.

That brought senior third baseman Justine Wernick (Eagan, Minn.) to the plate, looking to not only prolong the game and the season, but her collegiate career. On the very first pitch, UND’s lone senior launched a towering home run over the right field fence, tying the game at 11-11 and putting a loud exclamation pound on UND’s improbable comeback.

But the celebration was short-lived, however, as the Huskies bounced back for the game-winning run in their half of the seventh.

UND had opened a 3-0 lead in the first inning on a two-run double by Puerling and a two-run homer by Gaustad.

St. Cloud State responded immediately with three runs of their own in the bottom of the first, then added another run to take the lead in the second inning. Then the Huskies blew the game wide open with a six-run third inning, the bulk of the damage being provided by two-run singles by Sara Sbragia and Katie Hendrickson.

Strever earned the win – her 25th of the season – despite allowing four runs in two innings of relief work. SCSU starter Heather Trobec went five innings and gave up seven runs – all earned – on 12 hits and four walks.

UND freshman Hannah-Rose Peters (Santa Monica, Calif.) was saddled with the loss after giving up three runs on six hits in four innings of relief.

Hanson went 4-for-4 to up her school-record average this season to .534.  Hanson, Puerling, Gaustad and Wernick UND’s 2-3-4-5 hitters combined to go 12-for-17 with nine RBI against St. Cloud State.

UND finishes its final season of Division II, and its first under head coach Sami Strinz, with a 19-34 record.

Notes: UND hit a school-record .304 as a team this season while also setting school records for home runs (67), runs (279), hits (410), runs batted in (255), total bases (687) and walks (160) ... Wernick graduates tied for third on UND’s all-time home runs list (16) and sixth on the all-time RBI list (68).

Huskies Fall 6-4 to Coyotes in First Round of NCC Tournament 05/03/08

The St. Cloud State softball team (34-20) dropped a 6-4 decision to the University of South Dakota (18-23) today, May 3, in their first round match-up in the North Central Conference Tournament.

The Huskies jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning and extended their lead to 3-0 after adding another run in the top of the third. Husky starter Kaity Strever (Laurel, Mont.) held the Coyotes scoreless for the first two innings as SCSU built their lead, but in the third USD got to Strever for three runs to the tie the game.

The Huskies were kept in check in the top of the fourth, but in the bottom of the inning the Coyotes were able to take their first lead at 4-3. The fifth inning was scoreless, and again in the sixth, SCSU was held off the board. In the bottom of the sixth, South Dakota then extended their lead with two more runs to go ahead 6-3 with just one inning left to play.

In the top of the seventh, the Huskies managed to get just one run across the plate before the late inning rally was cut short and USD had earned the 6-4 win.

With the victory, USD moves on in the winners bracket to face second seeded Nebraska-Omaha who took care of North Dakota 5-4 in their first round tilt today. Lizzy Dwyer (Kalispel, Mont.) led the Huskies with two hits in her three trips to the plate, and also knocked in one. Rachel Haines (Pepin, Wis.) went 1-4 with a run scored and Jenny Gensch (Apple Valley) earned three walks and scored once. Ashley Homan (Cottage Grove), Sara Sbragia (North St. Paul) and Melanie Upchurch (Waterloo, Iowa) each had an RBI.

Strever threw 3.1 innings, giving up four runs three of them earned, and struck out two. In relief, Heather Trobec closed the game pitching 2.2 innings and gave up two runs, both earned, and struck out two as well.

The Huskies meanwhile will try to hold off elimination in the losers bracket with a game against North Dakota scheduled to start at 5:00 pm. In other first round action, Minnesota Duluth beat Augustana 8-6 to earn a date with top seeded Minnesota State later this evening. Should the Huskies beat North Dakota to move on, they will take on the loser of the MSU and UMD game at 9:00 p.m. tonight.

The Adult Inside Makes the Softball Team 05/03/08
By Michael Winerip

Last August, my 13-year-old daughter, Annie, surprised me. Dad, I want to try out for a traveling softball team, she said.

At that point she was playing many sports — basketball, soccer, lacrosse, volleyball, softball — and as far as I could tell, softball was at the bottom of her list. Some were middle school teams, some local recreation teams, some C.Y.O. teams that played near us on Long Island.

Though were a big sports family, and her three older brothers have all been captains of high school teams, none had played travel ball. Id coached Annies local Little League softball teams and had talked to a few dads whose daughters played travel. It sounded daunting and insane. All winter, they practiced several nights a week indoors; the girls were expected to take private hitting lessons at $45 a half hour, and if they were pitchers or catchers — Annie catches and plays infield — a second private weekly lesson. The tournaments started in early April, could stretch from Massachusetts to Virginia and consumed almost every weekend through July.

I explained to Annie how hard making a team would be even though she is a good athlete — dozens of girls turn out, we didnt know any coaches, and I had no confidence they could pick her out of a crowd. I worried about her feelings. I said if she did make a team, shed have to give up most other sports. Wed grown close to the C.Y.O. families wed been playing with since second grade; I told her most girls on the travel teams had been together since age 10 and shed be the outsider. I told her she wouldnt be able to go to her music camp in Michigan in July when her friends went; shed have to go in August with girls she didnt know.

I was piling it on.

I know Dad, its O.K., I want to try, I remember her saying. She didnt beg or whine; she sounded quiet and sure. Nor did she waver when I turned on my hard Dad stare.

One of the toughest things Ive found as a parent is knowing when youre hearing the whimsies of the child — which can be tamped down — and when youre hearing the adult inside the child.

I was pretty sure this was the adult inside, the one telling me: I figured out something about myself, Dad. This is who I am.

The child of course cant verbalize that yet.

But Im better at hearing it than I used to be because Ive had three older boys and made mistakes, particularly with my son Adam, whos now 17. Starting at age 10, hed tell me he didnt like baseball or basketball. I thought this was obstinance; I thought he was saying this because he wasnt as good as his twin, Sam; because he didnt want to work at it and didnt like taking orders from his coach — me. We had blowups. I had to bench him for calling an assistant coach a jerk.

Eventually I realized the problem: me. The adult inside Adam had spoken and Id missed it. He didnt like baseball or basketball the way his two brothers and I did. The adult inside Adam wanted to be a swimmer and diver. It took about a year for me to hear, but once I did, the problems disappeared. On the diving board there were no behavior issues, no laziness. He loved practicing.

So one night in mid-August, Annie and I and the adult inside went to a tryout, an hours drive away. I got lost, and though we arrived on time, we were the last ones among scores of eager girls. The Web site had given three tryout dates; this was the final night. When we signed in, we learned most girls had gone to all three. They pinned number 132 on Annies back. She performed solidly in the field and at bat, and one coach seemed to be talking a fair amount to her — catchers are hard to come by. At the end, the coaches gathered the throng of parents and said wed hear if they were interested.

Each day Annie asked, Dad, do you think theyll call today? After three days I had to say, They would have called by now, sweetie.

I thought we were done.

She wanted to try out for another team.

I said we were going away for a weeks family vacation in Cape Cod.

She asked if we could go to the tryout and then drive to the Cape. She didnt beg, whine or plead.

It was a similar scene. They said theyd call. Walking back to the car afterward, Annie said: I think they might be interested. One of the coaches talked to me a lot. I didnt say what I was thinking. I said, Great. Before getting on the highway for the Cape, I stopped for gas around the corner from the tryout field. While I was filling the van, my cellphone rang.

They wanted Annie.

Starting in September, it was four times a week: Thursday night private lesson at a batting cage; Friday night team hitting at the cage; Saturday afternoon three-hour team practice in a gym; Sunday catching lesson and team practice at another gym.

At first, it seemed daunting and insane. But as my dear mother used to say, Michael, you can get used to almost anything. One thing that made it easier was that a lot of her other sports ended. She didnt play middle school basketball, and she quit her club lacrosse team.

The stereotype of travel teams is a bunch of rabid parents hellbent on getting their kids Division I college scholarships. I didnt find that. The thing about travel ball — its very humbling. You go to these tournaments, you see how many talented girls there are out there. You know all the money and hours youre putting in will never be recouped. (For the record, my son Adam — whose 10-year-old adult inside was initially ignored by me — was recruited to dive by Division I colleges, and the one he selected didnt give us a cent, though there is a major benefit: college swim team members must attend 10 hours of study hall a week.)

Annie loves her travel team. She does not complain about practices. It was hard at first. She was the new girl. She was the worst hitter. During fall tournaments, she batted ninth. She was the second-string catcher. She played mostly outfield.

But the coaches were encouraging. They taught her a million new skills — how to bunt and how catchers use their legs to make their throws to second stronger. Most important, all winter they told her she was improving, even when her own father wasnt so sure.

This spring, in eighth grade, Annie tried out and made the high school j.v. team. When youre a middle schooler, it feels huge to be going to the high school every afternoon and having actual 10th-grade teammates. At a recent travel tournament, she batted fifth. And shes made a ball field full of new friends. After a tournament near Trenton, we ate dinner at Applebees, and all the girls squeezed into a booth meant for four.

Because Annie loves it, so do I. Not because I think shes going to be a great softball player, but because shes learning what excellence takes, which will serve her well in whatever she does.

I dont resent the long drives to tournaments. I enjoy my time with Annie. At an age when kids start grunting at their parents, we have lots to talk about. Where do I think shell bat in the lineup this week? Why do the coaches seem to favor the teams Columbia blue uniforms over the navy blues? Is a walk really as good as a hit?

Source: NY Times

SCSU's Homan, Gensch Land On All-NCC Squad 05/03/08

Seniors Ashley Homan and Jenny Gensch represent St. Cloud State on the 2008 All-North Central Conference softball team. An Apple Valley native, Gensch, has been named to the team for the second consecutive season, while Cottage Grove native, Homan, headlines the squad as the only four time selection.

Homan is now the fourth player in SCSU history to become a four-time All-NCC pick. This also comes on the heels of her first Academic All-NCC selection earlier this week. Heading into the conference tournament this weekend, the right fielder has produced a career high for runs with 19 and on base percentage at .457. Her 29 walks better the previous school record of 28, and she has struck out a career low 11 times. Her 38 RBI and 50 hits are also the second best marks in her career.

In the NCC she ranks 3rd in walks per game at 0.57, and 10th in RBI per game at 0.75, while her walk totals also place her 51st nationally. She has hit safely in 34 of 53 games this season and has 13 multi hit games including a 4-4 performance in the Husky Dome on 3/21. Twice this season she has strung together six game hitting streaks and she has nine multi RBI games, including a three game stretch where she knocked in nine runs.

She also saw her batting average rise to a season high .447 after going 9-17 over a six game stretch where she led the Huskies to a 6-0 mark. On the career charts, her 87 walks are an SCSU record, and she also sits in the top-10 with three intentional walks (3rd), 140 RBI (3rd), 23 home runs (4th), 300 total bases (7th), 219 games played (8th), 30 doubles (8th), 201 hits (8th), 208 games started (9th), and 615 at-bats (10th).

Gensch earns her second All-NCC nod after a dream season that sew her lead the NCC with school record totals for home runs and RBI. Her 17 homers tie the SCSU record, while her 61 RBI cruised past the old mark of 54.

The shortstop is currently hitting a career high .395, and along with her home run and RBI totals has produced career highs in hits (62), triples (two), total bases (127), slugging percentage (.809), walks (32), and on base percentage (.497), while also charting career lows in strikeouts (17) and errors (eight). On the national charts she ranks among the leaders in home runs (3rd), RBI (17th), slugging percentage (17th), walks (44th), and on base percentage (52nd).

In the NCC she sits first in homers per game (0.33), first in assists (131), first in double plays (six), second in RBI per game (1.18), second in walks per game (0.59), fourth in runs per game (0.88), ninth in hits per game (1.20), and ninth in stolen bases per game (0.31).

Gensch was named NCC player of the week earlier this year and began the season by going 15-28 with 10 home runs and 24 RBI in first 11 games. Three times in 2008 she has hit two home runs in a game, and she has 19 multi hit games including six games with three hits. From 3/2 to 3/14 Gensch notched a season high 11 game hit streak and saw her average rise from .429 to .468. She has also tallied four or more RBI five different times this season.

Gensch set several other records this season including slugging percentage (.809), walks (32) and intentional walks (four). On the career charts she climbed into the top-10 in walks with 79 (2nd), assists with 502 (2nd), double plays turned with 17 (2nd), home runs with 27 (2nd), stolen bases with 55 (3rd), runs with 134 (3rd), RBI with 129 (4th), games played with 227 (5th), games started with 227 (5th), doubles with 39 (5th), hits with 202 (7th) and at-bats with 650 (7th).

Cambridge signs retail development deal and includes a new ball park! 05/01/08

In stark contrast to the stalled retail expansion news in other parts of Minnesota, the city of Cambridge closed a triple commercial development deal today (Wednesday, April 30) with Lowe’s, Kohl’s and commercial developer Opus Northwest.

The deal, worth $6.98 million, also includes a major recreational complex.

This represents the largest retail development project in Cambridge in nearly a decade, says Community Development Director Dave Carlberg, who orchestrated the deal.

Land swap paves way for dual-track development

The agreement was two years in the making and completes a multi-phase parkland conversion process begun in 2001. The city began by converting 40 acres of parkland in its east-side commercial district into retail space. It is also buying 155 acres of farmland on the northeast side of town from the Doris and Dellis Sandquist family, designating it as parkland.

This morning, city officials conveyed the rezoned commercial property to three entitiesOpus Northwest, Lowes building center and Kohls department storeduring a private closing in downtown Minneapolis. This afternoon, they will finalize the $3.75 million farmland purchase in Cambridge with representatives of the Doris and Dellis Sandquist family.

Opus Northwest plans to begin construction on the Lowes and Kohls sites in September 2008. The city will begin transforming the farmland into a regional recreational complex, to be named Sandquist Family Park, in early June.

Recreation center creates economic impact

Perry Coonce, executive director of the Minnesota Sports Federation, is enthusiastic about the new regional recreational complex, which features four high-end ball fields for softball, baseball, soccer and football. Not unlike the National Sports Center in Blaine, Sandquist Family Park will have the capacity to generate substantial economic impact in the form of amateur sporting events and national tournaments. It could be a destination for the entire five-state region, Coonce predicts.

Full Story: Isanti County News
Contributed by Becky Macken

MN Vets College Showcase to be Held June 20th in White Bear Lake, MN 04/30/08

There will be a college showcase, sponsored by the MN Vets on Friday June 20th, 2008, from noon to 5:00 PM. The showcase will be held at White Bear Lake's Otter Lake Fields.

Clinicians will include Jim Berbee, Stan Waldhauser and College Coaches.

The cost to attend is $50.00. Registration information is on the FastSports Clinics page.

Central Washington offers the ultimate act of sportsmanship 04/28/08

Western Oregon senior Sara Tucholsky had never hit a home run in her career. Central Washington senior Mallory Holtman was already her school's career leader in them. But when a twist of fate and a torn knee ligament brought them face to face with each other and face to face with the end of their playing days, they combined on a home run trot that celebrated the collective human spirit far more than individual athletic achievement.

Both schools compete as Division II softball programs in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. Neither has ever reached the NCAA tournament at the Division II level. But when they arrived for Saturday's conference doubleheader at Central Washington's 300-seat stadium in Ellensburg, a small town 100 miles and a mountain range removed from Seattle, the hosts resided one game behind the visitors at the top of the conference standings. As was the case at dozens of other diamonds across the map, two largely anonymous groups prepared to play the most meaningful games of their seasons.

It was a typical Saturday of softball in April, right down to a few overzealous fans heckling an easy target, the diminutive Tucholsky, when she came to the plate in the top of the second inning of the second game with two runners on base and the game still scoreless after Western Oregon's 8-1 win in the first game of the afternoon.

"I just remember trying to block them out," Tucholsky said of the hecklers. "The first pitch I took, it was a strike. And then I really don't remember where the home run pitch was at all; [I] just remember hitting it, and I knew it was out."

A part-time starter in the outfield throughout her four years, Tucholsky had been caught in a numbers game this season on a deep roster that entered the weekend hitting better than .280 and having won nine games in a row. Prior to the pitch she sent over the center-field fence, she had just three hits in 34 at-bats this season. And in that respect, her hitting heroics would have made for a pleasing, if familiar, story line on their own: an unsung player steps up in one of her final games and lifts her team's postseason chances.

But it was what happened after an overly excited Tucholsky missed first base on her home run trot and reversed direction to tag the bag that proved unforgettable.

"Sara is small -- she's like 5-2, really tiny," Western Oregon coach Pam Knox said. "So you would never think that she would hit a home run. The score was 0-0, and Sara hit a shot over center field. And I'm coaching third and I'm high-fiving the other two runners that came by -- then all of a sudden, I look up, and I'm like, 'Where's Sara?' And I look over, and she's in a heap beyond first base."

While she was doubling back to tag first base, Tucholsky's right knee gave out. The two runners who had been on base already had crossed home plate, leaving her the only offensive player on the field of play, even as she lay crumpled in the dirt a few feet from first base and a long way from home plate. First-base coach Shannon Prochaska -- Tucholsky's teammate for three seasons and the only voice she later remembered hearing in the ensuing conversation -- checked to see whether she could crawl back to the base under her own power.

As Knox explained, "It went through my mind, I thought, 'If I touch her, she's going to kill me.' It's her only home run in four years. I didn't want to take that from her, but at the same time, I was worried about her."

Umpires confirmed that the only option available under the rules was to replace Tucholsky at first base with a pinch runner and have the hit recorded as a two-run single instead of a three-run home run. Any assistance from coaches or trainers while she was an active runner would result in an out. So without any choice, Knox prepared to make the substitution, taking both the run and the memory from Tucholsky.

"And right then," Knox said, "I heard, 'Excuse me, would it be OK if we carried her around and she touched each bag?'"

The voice belonged to Holtman, a four-year starter who owns just about every major offensive record there is to claim in Central Washington's record book. She also is staring down a pair of knee surgeries as soon as the season ends. Her knees ache after every game, but having already used a redshirt season earlier in her career, and ready to move on to graduate school and coaching at Central, she put the operations on hold so as to avoid missing any of her final season. Now, with her own opportunity for a first postseason appearance very much hinging on the outcome of the game -- her final game at home -- she stepped up to help a player she knew only as an opponent for four years.

"Honestly, it's one of those things that I hope anyone would do it for me," Holtman said. "She hit the ball over her fence. She's a senior; it's her last year. I don't know, it's just one of those things I guess that maybe because compared to everyone on the field at the time, I had been playing longer and knew we could touch her, it was my idea first. But I think anyone who knew that we could touch her would have offered to do it, just because it's the right thing to do. She was obviously in agony."

Holtman and shortstop Liz Wallace lifted Tucholsky off the ground and supported her weight between them as they began a slow trip around the bases, stopping at each one so Tucholsky's left foot could secure her passage onward. Even with Tucholsky feeling the pain of what trainers subsequently came to believe was a torn ACL (she was scheduled for tests to confirm the injury on Monday), the surreal quality of perhaps the longest and most crowded home run trot in the game's history hit all three players.

"We all started to laugh at one point, I think when we touched the first base," Holtman said. "I don't know what it looked like to observers, but it was kind of funny because Liz and I were carrying her on both sides and we'd get to a base and gently, barely tap her left foot, and we'd all of a sudden start to get the giggles a little bit."

Accompanied by a standing ovation from the fans, they finally reached home plate and passed the home run hitter into the arms of her own teammates.

Then Holtman and Wallace returned to their positions and tried to win the game.

Hollywood would have a difficult time deciding how such a script should end, whether to leave Tucholsky's home run as the decisive blow or reward the selfless actions of her opponents. Reality has less room for such philosophical quandaries. Central Washington did rally for two runs in the bottom of the second -- runs that might have tied the game had Knox been forced to replace Tucholsky -- but Western Oregon held on for a 4-2 win.

But unlike a movie, the credits didn't roll after the final out, and the story that continues has little to do with those final scores.

"It kept everything in perspective and the fact that we're never bigger than the game," Knox said of the experience. "It was such a lesson that we learned -- that it's not all about winning. And we forget that, because as coaches, we're always trying to get to the top. We forget that. But I will never, ever forget this moment. It's changed me, and I'm sure it's changed my players."

For her part, Holtman seems not altogether sure what all the fuss is about. She seems to genuinely believe that any player in her position on any field on any day would have done the same thing. Which helps explains why it did happen on that day and on that field.

And she appreciates the knowledge that while the results of Saturday's game and her senior season soon will fade into the dust and depth of old media guides and Internet archives, the story of what happened in her final game at home will live on far longer.

"I think that happening on Senior Day, it showed the character of our team," Holtman said. "Because granted I thought of it, but everyone else would have done it. It's something people will talk about for Senior Day. They won't talk about who got hits and what happened and who won; they'll talk about that. And it's kind of a nice way to go out, because it shows what our program is about and the kind of people we have here."

Source: ESPN
Contributed by Tim Husted

AFA Berths Status 04/23/08

The AFA would like to clarify that berths awarded in 2007 for 2008 AFA Tournaments through the MMFL will continue to be honored for AFA Tournaments.

It is also important to note that teams playing in 2008 Tournaments that award berths for AFA Nationals must be sanctioned or registered with the AFA prior to the start of the tournament. Registration forms for sanctioning will be available at the tournaments or online.

Tournament directors should be checking with coaches to insure they have an AFA 2008 Registration card prior to awarding berths.

See AFA Minnesota for more information.