San Jose Sting

Locked in a 0-0 tie, UMass knew that they had to get on the board to move on in the A-10 playoffs. Inning after inning went by, with no runs scored, until Tiffany Meeks drilled a single in the 5th inning to give UMass all the runs they would need. Wining 2-0, UMass went on to win the A-10 championship by beating George Washington.
Congratulations Tiffany!

Jane Alexander is having a breakout season for her senior season at Harvard, leading the team in batting average (.408), hits (58), triples (4) and runs scored (32). Jane has started every game at shortstop and is leading the Ivy League in hits, triples and total bases.
As if that wasn't accomplishment enough, Jane helped her Harvard Crimson team beat UPenn in a doubleheader, securing the Ivy League Ttile for Harvard.
Congratulations, Jane!

Oklahoma starting shortstop Jessica Vest has the capability of making even the routine 6-4-2 double play look effortless.The freshman infielder out of San Benito High School in California already has six of the team’s eight total double-ups in 30 starts for OU this season. But those stats aren’t what impress coach Patty Gasso; instead, the skipper in her 18th season as head coach admits she admires the way Vest continuously goes out every game to make plays for the OU defense.
“Vest is such a blue-collar player and doesn’t bring a lot of attention on herself,” Gasso said. “She just goes out there and makes plays, and she’s got very smooth and reliable hands that even I struggle to get things past in her practice.”
Vest, who came to Norman last year after being recruited as one of the “best defenders [Gasso] had seen” during last summer’s competition, slipped into the shortstop position with ease after sophomore Javen Henson was moved to third base following the graduation of Dani Dobbs in 2010. And the quality of Vest’s defense has been something that has allowed Gasso to continue to trust in the efforts from one of her underclassmen. “It’s such a tough position to play in college, but she loves a challenge and answers the call on a daily basis,” Gasso said. “I don’t feel right without Vest in the lineup. She does her thing and quietly runs the show in our infield.”
The Sooners’ offense, led by freshman Lauren Chamberlain and junior Keilani Ricketts, has garnered plenty of attention this year. However, the defense, anchored by Vest, has played a big part in helping OU’s pitchers put up some of the best numbers in the league.
“The game plan every game is to go in there and make big plays for our pitchers,” Vest said. “I know that I’ve had to work a lot harder at charging balls, but it’s all about sticking to that same game plan every time.” And that mindset of having a plan before even stepping out onto the field is something Vest said she had at an early age.
San Benito coach Scott Smith spent four years watching Vest improve her defensive game in high school. “I knew when she was about a sophomore that Jessica would go on to play at the next level,” Smith said. “She’s a natural winner that has great instincts to make plays because she goes into every game with a game plan, and she scopes out the field and understands what needs to happen on a slow roller.”
Another factor that impressed Smith about his former team captain was the fact that she could make the coach’s visualizations of defensive plays come to life.
“As a coach, you run a play through your head and try to tell the kid how to do it,” Smith said. “All you had to do was tell her one time how to make an adjustment, and she would make those plays happen.” Three championships in high school prove that the rookie has the experience in winning big games. Smith said she bring more than that to the table, though.“What Jessica has is impossible to train,” Smith said. “I remember her understanding that even if the play isn’t meant for her, she knows how to disrupt base runners and get the interference calls that make her such an instinctual player.”
And with a starting infield that has no seniors and three newcomers from a year ago, instincts and softball intelligence will play a pivotal role in the team’s success when the Sooners enter postseason action next month.

Starting in college, as a freshman, is a big deal! Starting and playing in every game is amazing; Dani Randall did just that! Starting off hot, Dani never looked back and had an immediate impact on her Humboldt Jacks team for 2012. Her final stat line of her freshman year is impressive, to say the least:

.361 batting average (3rd on her team), 15 - doubles (2nd on her team)
10 - Homeruns (2nd on her team)   50 RBI's (1st on her team)

Way to contribute, Dani!!

Senior infielder Jane Alexander (Palo Alto, Calif.) led all Harvard players with nine hits in four games last week, good for a .600 batting average as she led the Crimson to 3-1 record that included wins over Utah State (8-5), San Diego State (6-3) and Long Beach State (3-0). She recorded at least two hits in all four games, including a 3-for-3 performance against UNLV. Alexander drove in a pair of runs in the 8-5 slugfest win over Utah State. She also played error-free shortstop in all four games, recording four putouts and 11 assists. It marks the first Ivy League Player of the Week honor for Alexander, a 2011 All-Ivy first team selection.
Take a look at Jane’s stat line for the week
4 GP, 15 AB, 2 R, 9 H, 3 2B, 4 RBI, 2 K, .600 Avg., .600 OBP, .800 Slg.%
In addition, Jane has the 2^nd highest batting average for the Ivy League at a blistering .451!

The UC Davis softball team blasted four home runs en route to an 11-5 slugfest win over Virginia on Thursday at the Judi Garman Classic hosted by Cal State Fullerton. Starting at 2B for the game, Felicia Baldwin had an RBI single through the left side to score the first run, in a 5 run 5^th inning, and Fe ended up going 2 for 4 for the game!

Only 11 games into this young season and Jessica Barry, is already making her mark. Having gone a perfect 8 for 8 in stolen bases, she leads her team in steals. In addition to her fleet-footedness, Jessie, daughter of former Sting Coach/College Recruiter Brian Barry, is carrying a sweet .406 batting average and is in the top 5 of numerous offensive categories for her team. Jessie also coaches for the Sting and took her 14U team to Nationals in 2011.

Playing on the road in the San Diego Classic this past weekend, Cal Poly faced Nevada for their last game of the tournament. Getting Cal Poly on the board, Jillian Andersen went 2 for 4, with an rbi, helping to secure the win for Cal Poly.

SF State starter Marisa Ibarra pitched two strong complete games this past weekend, posting a 1-1 record against 10th-ranked UC San Diego. The Gator junior gave up a combined six runs – all unearned – on eight hits and seven walks, while striking out 15 batters in 15 innings. Against the Tritons on Friday, Ibarra allowed just three hits and three walks, while fanning a career-high nine hitters through seven innings, until the defending DII national champions rallied for three unearned runs in the top of the eighth to escape with the win. Unfazed, the hurler from Hollister, Calif., went the distance once again in the circle on Saturday, limiting UCSD to three runs of the unearned variety on just two hits and four walks, while adding six more strikeouts. Ibarra’s perseverance paid off as SF State rallied with four runs in the final two innings to earn a 4-3 comeback victory. With her performances, Ibarra (3-3) lowered her ERA from 4.96 to 3.40 and now has 38 strikeouts for the season.

The PacWest Media Office released the Softball Pitcher and Player of the Week awards for the first three weeks of the season and California Baptist University pitcher Emma Holden was honored.

In a recent matchup between Towson and Morgan State, Towson prevailed 7-5 in a see-saw battle. The lead changed several times, but Towson took and kept the lead on an rbi double by Towson 3B Bina Abbott! Bina went 2 for 3 on the day, including the gamewinner.  

This past weekend, the Purdue Boilermakers played in the Frost Classic in Chattanooga, Tennessee.  Maia went 5 for 11, driving in 5 rbi's on Purdue's way to a perfect 5-0 weekend. Purdue faced 5 opponents and outscored them 52-16!

The Boston University softball team finished in fifth place in the 2012 NFCA Leadoff Classic held Feb. 24-26 at the Eddie C. Moore Complex in Clearwater, Fla. The Terriers ended the 13-team tournament with a 3-2 record.
Sophomore Megan Volpano was one of fourteen players to be honored with All-Tournament honors. BU's starter at third base led the team with a .400 batting average and drove in six runs, which tied for third best out of all players in the tournament.

Dani Randall has always been a force at the plate and her collegiate debut has been no different. Dani has easily gained a starting spot due to her big bat. Dani is leading her team with 30 rbi's! She has 5 homeruns, 9 doubles and smashed a grand slam against Chico State to tie the game 12-12 and send it into extra innings!! Way to keep swinging the lumber, Dani!

Playing at the Desert Stinger tournament in Las Vegas, Lexi Medina went 1 for 2 with a solo shot to help her University Of Mary Marauders to an 8-0 lopsided win over Regis in action on the opening day of the tourney. Way to crush the ball, Lexi!

Molly Mederios is having a great start to the young season, already notching several victories. As the reigning PCSC Pitcher of the Year, she has an ERA of 2.00 so far. Congratulations Molly on mowing them down to kick off your season!

Camille Gaito had a phenomenal junior campaign in 2011, putting together one of the most successful seasons for a Triton pitcher in school history, leading UCSD to its first national championship while earning a variety of accolades- Most Outstanding Player of NCAA Finals, All-NCAA Tournament Team, CCAA Female Athlete of the Year, Daktronics Division II All-America First Team, Daktronics West Region Pitcher of the Year, NFCA Division II All-America Second Team, NFCA All-West Region First Team, California Collegiate Athletic Association Pitcher of the Year, All-CCAA First Team and Mizuno Tournament of Champions Top Pitcher. With the pre-season Coaches poll selecting UCSD as #1, Camille will once again be the driving force for her Tritons!