2 weekends of suprise!

We are now officially 2 weekends into softball season! It’s been quite interesting so far! I’ve enjoyed it but it keeps me from concentrating on my school work! There were some things I just flat didn’t see coming and I know several others didn’t either. I mean really who would have guessed two weekends into the season the only undefeated Pac-10 team would be Washington?? I thought they were going to crack and fall apart at the seams! HA! 

Alabama has been on fire as well! They are 10-0! They’ve outscored their opponents 108-21! Kelsey Dunne has been on fire! Also the Tides freshman pitcher has been bringing in great numbers in the circle and with her bat! The only close game they have had was a 9-8 win over Louisville! I listened to that game and let me you tell you it was a nail biter! They were down at one point by 5 runs! Keima Davis had never had a homerun in her collegiate career (she is a sophomore) and in that game she hit 2 of them! One scored the go head runs! That was a super emotional game for me to listen to for some reason and it just goes to show you anybody can step up and be the hero of the game!

Oklahoma has also been putting on quite the show. They’ve been whipping butts and taking names! They are 11-1! Their only loss was a close game against Arizona State! That wasn’t the story of the day for Oklahoma though that happened earlier in the game when the not just beat but run ruled Arizona! Kelani Ricketts was lights out in that game! They’ve outscored their opponents 104-19! I believe they are set to make a huge run for the National Championship!

And Washington! Last but certainly not least! The Huskies apparently didn’t get the memo that they were supposed to fall apart and not win a game all season! In one game alone last weekend they had 9 homeruns! That was a school record and the second highest number in NCAA history! They’ve outscored their opponents 104-33! They don’t have the pitching staff of Bama or OU but they are fighting and getting by! They are 8-0! Offensively I think they are play better than they did last year! I watched them play San Diego State this afternoon (A big Thank You to San Diego State for having this game on webcast, even with the technical problems it was great!). It was a crazy weekend which saw their first game Friday called because of rain, their second game cancelled because of rain, all the games on Saturday cancelled because of rain! They played a double header today starting with a very solid 8-1 win over Northwestern (which was called after 6 so Northwestern could catch their plane!). They had just a few minutes between the first game and the second so before it was all said and done they spent most of the afternoon on the field. The second game was a nail bitter. SDSU went up 1-0 in the first. But UW came back to tie it up in the second. There were several lead changes but Morgan Stuart put an end to that with a 3 run bomb and Niki Williams added another assurance run. They won 6-3! Those girls fought so hard today and even if they wouldn’t have won I would have still been proud of them! The one thing I noticed while watching them was how relaxed they seemed! They would come up to bat their shoulders were relaxed, they had a nice lose grip on the bat, and they seemed to be really seeing the ball well! Ingelsby is pitching well and picked up 2 wins on the day! She seems to get stronger every time she steps on the field! I am very interested to see what she will do in the future! Haris and Clifton seem to be consistently doing enough to hold the other teams off and take some of the pressure off of Ingelsby! One thing I didn’t realize before the season started was that Bryanna Walker was hurt! That’s left sort of an open spot that Whitney Jones has tried very hard to fill! Unfortunately college softball hasn’t been kind to her and she didn’t pitch at all today! She has made some great catches  in the outfield and has hit well but the pitching needs work! This freshman class is special and I look for them to do big things! People seem to have a lot to say recently about Coach Tarr, most of which hasn’t been good! But I think she is doing a phenomenal job! So far this season she has done a great job making the best and helping the girls to make the very best out what they have and it’s very much paid off! I think Coach Tarr is a phenomenal coach not just because of what she does with and for these girls on the field but also off the field! I can’t say what this season holds for UW but they are off to a great start and I think we’ll hear more from them!

Looking forward to more softball next weekend!  Can hardly wait!

Boomer Sooner, Roll Tide, and Let’s go Dawgs!!

It's here! Let's play some softball!

It’s 3:23 in the morning and I can’t sleep lol! So many things on my mind! The least serious and most exciting being softball! Just a little less than 8 hours from now Husky softball will kick off their 2010-2011 season!  Part of me can’t help but feel a little twinge of sadness knowing Danielle Lawrie isn’t with them! But I can’t help but also feel kind of bad for my Huskies. In all the articles I’ve read there isn’t a positive word spoken. Every article ask the same question just stated differently “How will they replace Danielle Lawrie?” I’m not saying she it’s not a big loss for them obviously it is. But there is still so much talent on that team!

                This is not about replacing Danielle Lawrie. That will just never happen. There will be many great pitchers put on the purple and gold and play on the shores of lake Washington but none of them will ever again be Danielle Lawrie. She had an amazing career! She had a career that will live on in the record books, in the hearts of her fans, and in her heart and the hearts of her friends and family who know and love her! She will always be known as one of the best college pitchers to ever play the game (In my opinion one of the best pitchers to ever play the game period but that is neither here nor there lol).  But it’s over! It’s time to rally around another pitcher and watch as she too plays her heart out and works hard to make a name for herself.  I am honestly more than a little annoyed at the negativity about this team and the complete disrespect for these girls!  Girls like Jenn Salling, Morgan Stuart, Ashley Tuiasosopo, Kimi Pohlman, Niki Williams, Shawna Wright, Taylor Smith and so on! Girls who have worked their butts off and have earned the right to wear the purple and gold! Yes they have quite the hill to climb but give them the chance to at least try before you just write them off as a lost cause. I watched an interview with Coach Tarr once and what she said is so fitting for this group of girls! She said something like you can’t dwell on what you don’t have you have to make the best out of what you do have! The 2010-2011 Huskies have a lot! And I think at the end of this season they will have a lot to be proud of! I love this team! I love this group of girls and the amount of excitement and determination I see in them! I also have to say I love this coaching staff and believe there is reason they continue to be awarded for the great things they do! I can’t wait to see what this season has in store for them! I wish them all the luck in the world! Let’s go Dawgs! You make us proud!

                On another note OU started off the season with a bang! They won their first game of the season this evening 12-2! Great way to start the season girls! Boomer Sooner!! Let’s get it done tomorrow!

                Alabama starts their season tomorrow evening as well! So excited for this team and for Kelsi Dunne! She is a special young woman and I wish for to have an amazing senior season!! Roll Tide!!

                To all the rest of the division 1 college softball teams good luck!! May you have a great and as injury free season as possible!

                Well I guess I better get this posted and get to bed lol!

“When the world says give up, hope whispers try it one more time!”

Let’s go Dawgs, Roll Tide, and Boomer Sooner!

It's almost here!!

                Sorry it’s been so long since my last blog! I’ve started back to school and life is crazy lol! My to do list is ever growing! We are at a week before the college softball season is set to start! I can’t speak for anybody else but I am so ready for this season!! I can’t believe the season is already about to start. It seems like yesterday that I watched UW get knocked out of the WCWS and cried with Danielle Lawrie as they interviewed her after the game! It was heartbreaking to say the least. It doesn’t seem like it’s been that long ago that I watched UW with the 2009 National Championship and also cried lol! It was a wonderful moment and one I will cherish always! I can’t wait to see what this season holds not just for UW but also for my other two teams Alabama and OU! I’ve got my bulletin board almost completely done! I’ve got a few more things to add to it but it looks great so far (I will include a picture! It was taken with my crapy webcam but you’ll get the picture!)!

                I’m still not so thrilled about the whole big names leaving the Team USA to go the NPF. But I’m coming to terms with it lol! I hope it accomplishes what they want it to and I hope they put a team somewhere around here so I can see some games lol! The NPF draft should be coming up pretty quickly as well! I’m excited to see who they will draft this time! I have a few names I’m hoping to see playing the NPF but we’ll see what happens! The 2011 USA Softball Player of the Year watch list was released this week and I was very pleased to see some great names on there.

Valerie Arioto (California) – Senior – Utility – Pleasanton, Calif. (Great player but I’ve heard several rumors that she broke her leg and is out for the season. So I guess we will wait and see!)

Hillary Bach (Arizona State) – Junior – Pitcher – Tulsa, Okla.

Donna Bourgeois (Houston) – Senior – Pitcher – Lafayette, La.

Katelyn Boyd (Arizona State) – Junior – Infield – Phoenix, Ariz.

Kayla Braud (Alabama) – Sophomore – Infield – Eugene, Ore.

Stephanie Brombacher (Florida) – Senior – Pitcher – Pembroke Pines, Fla. (As long as she has overcome her IP problem she is going to have a great season!)

Anna Cahn (Cal Poly) – Senior – Pitcher/Designated Player – Los Alamitos, Calif.

Raven Chavanne (Tennessee) – Sophomore – Outfield – Thousand Oaks, Calif. ( Loved watching her play for the Futures team! She is a very great talented young woman!)

GiOnna DiSalvatore (UCLA) – Senior – Infield – Palm Harbor, Fla.

Kelsi Dunne (Alabama) – Senior – Pitcher – Port Orange, Fla. (You all know how I feel about this girl and if you don’t I LOVE HER! She is my second favorite pitcher only to Danielle Lawrie!)

Rachel Fico (LSU) – Sophomore – Pitcher – Oxford, Conn.

Kenzie Fowler (Arizona) – Sophomore – Pitcher – Tucson, Ariz. (Great Young pitcher! Can’t wait to see what is in her future!)

Olivia Galati (Hofstra) – Sophomore – Pitcher – West Babylon, NY

Alisa Goler (Georgia) – Senior – Infield – Frankfort, Ill.

Melissa Gonzalez (Hawaii) – Senior – Infield – Moreno Valley, Calif.

Kelly Grieve (Tennessee) – Senior –Outfield –Asheville, N.C.

Ashley Guile (Nebraska) – Junior – Utility – Olathe, Kan.

Meredith Hackett (Illinois) – Junior – Infield – Corona, Calif.

Sarah Hamilton (Florida State) – Senior – Pitcher – Tallahassee, Fla.

Ashley Hansen (Stanford) – Junior – Infield – Chandler, Ariz. (We all know this girl can play! I am excited to watch her have another great season for Stanford!)

Andrea Harrison (UCLA) – Junior – Outfield – Garden Grove, Calif.

Alicia Herron (Ohio State) – Junior – Shortstop – Cypress, Calif.

Alex Holmes (UC Davis) – Senior - Pitcher/DP – San Juan Capistrano, Calif.

Whitney Kiihnl (Lipscomb) – Junior – Pitcher/Outfield – Batesville, Miss.

Brittany Lastrapes (Arizona) – Senior – Outfield - Laguna Niguel, Calif. (Another talented player that I enjoyed watching on the Futures team!)

Blaire Luna (Texas ) – Sophomore – Pitcher – Austin, Texas (This girl blew me away when she was playing for the Futures team!)

Kelly Majam (Hawaii) – Sophomore – Outfield - Pine Valley, Calif.

Jenna Marston (Missouri) – Sophomore – Infield - St. Louis, Mo.

Meagan May (Texas A&M) – Sophomore – Catcher/1B – Spring, Texas

Morgan Melloh (Indiana) – Senior - Pitcher – Fishers, Ind.

Jen Mineau (Fordham) – Junior – Pitcher - Schaghticoke, N.Y.

Abby Olson (Illinois State) –Senior- Infield – Hartsburg, Ill.

Toni Paisley (East Carolina) – Senior – Pitcher/Utility – Lakewood, Calif.

Samantha Pappas (Oregon) – Sophomore – Outfield – Las Flores, Calif.

Sara Plourde (Massachusetts) – Junior – Pitcher – Bristol, Conn.

Jessica Purcell-Fitu (BYU) – Senior – Catcher – Walnut, Calif.

Jamia Reid (California) – Junior - Outfield – Buena Park, Calif.

Ivy Renfroe (Tennessee) - Sophomore – Pitcher – Jackson, Tenn. (This girl can pitch and I’ve heard her sister is even better! Would not want to face their pitching staff any day of the week!)

Keilani Ricketts (Oklahoma) – Sophomore - Pitcher – San Jose, Calif. (She is a terrific young pitcher and I think she going to be the   person to lead OU to their next WCWS and National Championship!)

Hope Rush (Georgia Tech) – Sophomore – Pitcher – Stockbridge, Ga.

Jenn Salling (Washington) – Senior – Infield – Port Coquitlam, B.C., Canada (You know how I feel about this girl! She is something special and I am going to miss watching her in the purple after this season!)

Taylor Schlopy (Georgia) – Senior – Outfield – West Hills, Calif. (This girl is scary good with her bat like the rest of the UGA offense!)

Brittany Schutte (Florida) – Sophomore – Utility – Fountain Valley, Calif.

April Setterlund (Boston) – Senior – Outfield –Torrance, Calif.

Dorian Shaw (Michigan) – Senior – Infield – Burke, Va.

Kristen Shifflett (Radford) – Senior – Shortstop – Charlottesville, Va.

Jessica Shults (Oklahoma) – Sophomore – Catcher – Valencia, Calif.

Jordan Taylor (Michigan) – Senior – Pitcher – Valencia, Calif.

Rhea Taylor (Missouri) – Senior – Outfield – Buford, Ga. (This girl left me speechless last year at the WCWS! She is quite the softball player and athlete in general!)

Niki Williams (Washington) – Junior – Outfield – Mission Viejo, Calif (Niki is great person and softball player and she has more than earned her place on this list!)

Well I guess I will close by saying this sport never stops amazing me or exciting me! I see such great development and growth in this sport and I can’t wait to see what will have with this sport and the NPF! I’ve got a feeling it’s going to be great!

Let’s go Huskies, Roll Tide, and Boomer Sooner! Let’s get this season started!!