USA Softball

Abbott named 2007 Player of the Year

May 29, 2007

The USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Year Award, in its sixth year, is designed to recognize outstanding athletic achievement by NCAA Division I collegiate softball players across the country. This marks the second consecutive year that Abbott has been named as a top three finalist for the USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Year and the fourth consecutive year she was named as a top 10 finalist.

“I have worked so hard and have come so close to getting this award that I can’t really put it into words what this honor means to me and I am very humbled” said Abbott after receiving the honor at the opening ceremonies of the NCAA College World Series. “I would like to thank USA Softball and the University of Tennessee for giving me the honor to be a contender for this award.”

In her final campaign at the collegiate level, Abbott is leaving a mark on a sport that she has been playing since she was seven. So far this season she has broken the career NCAA Division I record for wins, strikeouts, shutouts and appearances. She picked up her third Southeastern Conference Pitcher of the Year award and was named as a first-team All-SEC and All-South Region selection. She now leads the nation all-time with 185 career victories, 2,365 strikeouts, 108 shutouts and 247 appearances. She currently leads NCAA Division I with 649 strikeouts, 46 wins and in strikeouts per seven innings at 14.5.

“Monica Abbott is very deserving of any award she gets because she epitomizes everything that is right about college softball,” said Tennessee Co-Head Coach Ralph Weekly. “She is an honor student and a team leader. She has great character and a great work ethic. She always puts the team first. She is now and has always been the captain of our ship. Karen and I are proud to have coached her.”

Abbott has thrown 22 career no-hitters with six perfect games during her time at Tennessee, with five of those coming in 2007. With 649K’s, she is just 14 short from tying the NCAA Division I single season record for strikeouts of 663 set by former Southern Miss hurler Courtney Blades in 2000.

The three finalists for the 2007 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Award, listed in alphabetical order, were Abbott, Arizona State sophomore Kaitlin Cochran and Oklahoma sophomore Samantha Ricketts.

A replica of the award will be placed in a permanent display in the ASA National Softball Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City, along with photos of the winner. An additional replica of the award will be presented to the player’s academic institution at a designated event in the fall.

Cat Osterman of the University of Texas became the first three-time winner of the USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Year Award in 2006 after leading her Longhorns to the Big 12 regular season title and a berth into the NCAA Women’s College World Series. Past winners of the award include Stacey Nuveman (UCLA-2002), Osterman (Texas-2003, 2005, 2006) and Jessica Van der Linden (Florida State-2004).

About ASA 

The Amateur Softball Association, founded in 1933, is the National Governing Body of softball in the United States and a member of the United States Olympic Committee. The ASA has become one of the nation’s largest sports organizations and now sanctions competition in every state through a network of 84 local associations. The ASA has grown from a few hundred teams in the early days to over 240,000 teams today, representing a membership of more than three million. For more information on the ASA, visit www.asasoftball.com. 

About USA Softball 

USA Softball is the brand created, operated and owned by the ASA that links the USA Men’s, Women’s, Junior Boys’ and Junior Girls’ National Team programs together. USA Softball is responsible for training, equipping and promoting these four National Teams to compete in international and domestic competitions. The USA Softball Women’s National Team is one of the only two women’s sports involved in the Olympic movement to capture three consecutive gold medals at the Olympic Games since 1996. The U.S. women have also won eight World Championship titles including the last six consecutive.

Top Three Finalists Announced for Player of the Year

May 23, 2007

An initial “Watch List” was released on January 30 and the list of 25 finalists was announced on April 4. The field of finalists was trimmed to 11 on May 9 just prior to the start of post-season competition.

For the third consecutive year, the three finalists for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year come from different Conferences including the Southeastern Conference, Pac-10 and Big 12. These three individuals have already garnered top awards in their respective Conferences and have led their teams into the NCAA Super Regionals.

The three finalists for the 2007 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Award, listed in alphabetical order, are:

Monica Abbott (Tennessee) – Senior – Pitcher - Salinas, Calif.

Kaitlin Cochran (Arizona State) - Sophomore - Outfielder - Yorba Linda, Calif.

Samantha Ricketts (Oklahoma) - Sophomore - First Base - San Jose, Calif.

In her final campaign at the collegiate level, Tennessee’s Monica Abbott of Salinas, Calif., is leaving a mark on a sport that she has been playing since she was seven. So far this season she has broken the career NCAA Division I record for wins, strikeouts, shutouts and appearances. She picked up her third Southeastern Conference Pitcher of the Year award and was named as a first-team All-SEC and All-South Region selection. She now leads the nation all-time with 183 career victories, 2,345 strikeouts, 107 shutouts and 244 appearances. She currently leads NCAA Division I with 629 strikeouts, 44 wins and in strikeouts per seven innings at 14.6.

This marks the second consecutive year that Abbott has been named as a top three finalist for the USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Year and the fourth consecutive year she was named as a top 10 finalist.

"Monica Abbott is the type of athlete that every coach would like to have on their team," Lady Vol co-head coach Ralph Weekly said. "She is extremely talented with a tremendous work ethic and brings great energy out to the field every single day. Monica is very humble and always puts the team first in everything she does. She is a team captain and a team leader who has always been critical to the success of our teams at Tennessee."

"I am extremely honored to be among the three finalists for the USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Year award," Lady Vol senior pitcher Monica Abbott said. "This has been an exciting season for me and my teammates, and I'm very happy that I've been able to contribute to the success of our team during my final season at UT. I'd like to thank everyone responsible for the honor of me being considered for such an amazing award."

Kaitlin Cochran’s sophomore season at Arizona State is proving to be even better than her freshman season just a year ago which saw her named as an NFCA First-Team All-American. For the second time in her career, this Yorba Linda, Calif., native claimed the Pac-10 Batting Title, wrapping up the 2007 regular season with a .506 batting average, 88 hits, 18 home runs and 57 RBI for a slugging percentage of .931 and an on-base-percentage of .621. She also leads the Sun Devils in stolen bases this season with 27 and has a nearly flawless fielding percentage of .978.

“To have Kaitlin named to the top three finalists for USA Softball National Player of the Year is a huge honor, not only for her, but for her team as well,” Sun Devil Head Coach Clint Myers said. “She has had a phenomenal season and has worked for every acclaim, award and record she has received or set this year. Kaitlin is an athlete any coach would dream of having on their team. She works and demands more of herself than any coach or teammate could demand. She’s been selfless in her play this year, putting the team first and herself last, where at the end of the day what matters is the team and the win, not the stats she posted.

She is an amazing athlete and person and no matter what she decides to do in life, she will succeed, whether it be in playing, coaching or teaching. I’m more than proud to have her as a member of this amazing Arizona State team and she has deserved this honor, not only for her actions on the field, but off.”

Cochran’s record breaking season consists of taking over as the new ASU single-season hits leader with 88 breaking former All-American Ann Rowan’s 17-year record of 86 set during the 1990 season. She also toppled herself in the ASU record book surpassing her single-season home run record of 17 with her current total of 18, which combined puts her fourth in career home runs at ASU as a sophomore.

”I don’t honestly know what to say about this, it’s never something I expected,” said a surprised Kaitlin Cochran. “It was flattering to be put on the pre-season list for the award, and to make the top-25 and even the top-10 list. Never did I imagine I would be in the three finalists for the USA Softball National Player of the Year award. It’s not something I would ever expect with so many other amazing softball players in the nation. It’s an amazing feeling to have someone think so highly of you, after the hours and the effort put in. Like I said every player in the nation puts in that time and work, but in receiving it I know that I’m not the only one being honored. My teammates, coaches, family and supporters also deserve this, and I cannot thank them enough for helping me become the athlete I am today.”

She has already been selected as the Pac-10 Player of the Year, her second Pac-10 Award after winning Freshman of the Year in 2006. She was also selected First-Team All-Region which qualifies her to be named as a First-Team All-American.

Oklahoma sophomore Samantha Ricketts has been a huge reason for the success of the Sooners this season. The San Jose, Calif., native is considered one of the most prolific hitting first baseman to compete at the collegiate level in more than a decade and for good reason. She set the Big 12 and Oklahoma single season record for RBI with 81 and currently leads the nation in RBI per game with 1.33. She led the Big 12 Conference in home runs, RBI, total bases and slugging percentage during the regular season. She has smashed four grand slams this season and is only two home runs shy of the Oklahoma single-season record.

For her efforts this season, Ricketts was selected to the All-Big 12 First Team and All-Region First Team for a second consecutive year. She will be looking to lead her Sooners back to the World Series for the first time since 2004 when Oklahoma faces DePaul this weekend in the Super Regional in Norman.

“This is a tremendous honor for one of the best and purest hitters I have seen in such a young career,” said Oklahoma Head Coach Patty Gasso. “Not only did she set OU and Big 12 single season records in RBI, she is also one of the toughest outs in the country. She is very deserving of this and works so diligently both offensively and defensively. I know that Sam is going to be both thrilled and humbled in the fact that she is such a great team player as this recognition is also a tribute to our team and the table setters in front of her that reach base time after time and allow her to drive in runs.”

“I’m still very shocked and honored because there are so many great players all around the country and on my own team,” Sooner first baseman Samantha Ricketts said. “It’s a huge honor and I really wouldn’t be in this position without my teammates and coaches. If it wasn’t for all of the girls on my team getting on base, I wouldn’t have nearly as many RBI this season so this reflects on them as well. I appreciate the recognition from USA Softball and I’m looking forward to this weekend for the Super Regional.”

The winner of the 2007 USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Year Award will be announced Tuesday, May 29 during the opening ceremonies of the 2007 NCAA Women’s College World Series.

A replica of the award will be placed in a permanent display in the ASA National Softball Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City, along with photos of the winner. An additional replica of the award will be presented to the player’s academic institution at a designated event in the fall.

Cat Osterman of the University of Texas became the first three-time winner of the USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Year Award in 2006 after leading her Longhorns to the Big 12 regular season title and a berth into the NCAA Women’s College World Series. Past winners of the award include Stacey Nuveman (UCLA-2002), Osterman (Texas-2003, 2005, 2006) and Jessica Van der Linden (Florida State-2004).

About ASA 

The Amateur Softball Association, founded in 1933, is the National Governing Body of softball in the United States and a member of the United States Olympic Committee. The ASA has become one of the nation’s largest sports organizations and now sanctions competition in every state through a network of 84 local associations. The ASA has grown from a few hundred teams in the early days to over 240,000 teams today, representing a membership of more than three million. For more information on the ASA, visit www.asasoftball.com. 

About USA Softball 

USA Softball is the brand created, operated and owned by the ASA that links the USA Men’s, Women’s, Junior Boys’ and Junior Girls’ National Team programs together. USA Softball is responsible for training, equipping and promoting these four National Teams to compete in international and domestic competitions. The USA Softball Women’s National Team is one of the only two women’s sports involved in the Olympic movement to capture three consecutive gold medals at the Olympic Games since 1996. The U.S. women have also won eight World Championship titles including the last six consecutive.

Invitees for Womens National Team

May 21, 2007

Invitees for Women’s National Team Selection Camp 

USA Softball will be looking to defend its World Cup title from 2006 and capture its sixth consecutive Pan American Games gold medal in Rio. The USA Women’s National Team will also compete in the Canada Cup, June 28-July 8, in Surrey, B.C., Canada. The USA Women’s National Team has not competed in the Canada Cup since 2003.

A total of 37 players have been selected to attend the Women’s National Team Camp including the 22 member National Training Team selected back in September of 2006. The invitees for the USA Softball Women’s National Team Selection Camp are listed below:

*Monica Abbott (Salinas, Calif.)

Callista Balko (Tucson, Ariz.)

*Laura Berg (Santa Fe Springs, Calif.)

Katie Burkhart (San Luis Obispo, Calif.)

*Crystl Bustos (Canyon Country, Calif.)

Kristen Butler (Orlando, Fla.)

Gina Carbonatto (Lake Stevens, Wash.)

India Chiles (Louisville, Ky.)

Kaitlin Cochran (Yorba Linda, Calif.)

Garland Cooper (Mission Viejo, Calif.)

*Andrea Duran (Selma, Calif.)

*Jennie Finch (La Mirada, Calif.)

*Lisa Fernandez (Long Beach Calif.)

*Tairia Flowers (Tucson, Ariz.)

Kristie Fox (San Diego, Calif.)

*Amanda Freed (Cypress, Calif.)

*Vicky Galindo (Union City, Calif.)

*Alicia Hollowell (Suisun, Calif.)

*Lovieanne Jung (Fountain Valley, Calif.)

*Kelly Kretschman (Indian Harbour Beach, Fla.)

*Lauren Lappin (Anaheim, Calif.)

Jodie Legaspi (Garden Grove, Calif.)

*Caitlin Lowe (Tustin, Calif.)

Toni Mascarenas (Garden Grove, Calif.)

*Jessica Mendoza (Camarillo, Calif.)

*Cat Osterman (Houston, Texas)

*Sarah Pauly (Phoenix, Ariz.)

Samantha Ricketts (San Jose, Calif.)

*Jennie Ritter (Dexter, Mich.)

*Lindsay Schutzler (Monterey, Calif.)

*Jamie Southern (Clovis, Calif.)

Kristina Thorson (Lake Forest Park, Wash.)

*Jenny Topping (Whittier, Calif.)

Mackenzie Vandergeest (Thousand Oaks, Calif.)

*Natasha Watley (Irvine, Calif.)
Tammy Williams (Roscoe, Mo.)

Megan Willis (Chandler, Ariz.)

*Member of the 2006-07 National Training Team

Coaches for the 2007 USA Softball Women's National team are Head Coach Mike Candrea (Casa Grande, Ariz.) from the University of Arizona, Assistant Coach Chuck D’Arcy (Sacramento, Calif.), Assistant Coach Karen Johns (Charlottesville, Va.) from the University of Virginia and Assistant Coach John Rittman, (Stanford, CA) from Stanford University.

Other coaches who will be attending the Women’s National Team Selection Camp are Carol Hutchins (University of Michigan), Mike Larabee (Wright State), Mark Lumley (Baylor University), Scott Whitlock (Kennesaw State University) and Teresa Wilson (Texas Tech University).

About ASA 

The Amateur Softball Association, founded in 1933, is the National Governing Body of softball in the United States and a member of the United States Olympic Committee. The ASA has become one of the nation’s largest sports organizations and now sanctions competition in every state through a network of 84 local associations. The ASA has grown from a few hundred teams in the early days to over 240,000 teams today, representing a membership of more than three million. For more information on the ASA, visit www.asasoftball.com. 

About USA Softball 

USA Softball is the brand created, operated and owned by the ASA that links the USA Men’s, Women’s, Junior Boys’ and Junior Girls’ National Team programs together. USA Softball is responsible for training, equipping and promoting these four National Teams to compete in international and domestic competitions. The USA Softball Women’s National Team is one of the only two women’s sports involved in the Olympic movement to capture three consecutive gold medals at the Olympic Games since 1996. The U.S. women have also won eight World Championship titles including the last six consecutive.

UCLA’s Langenfeld Named Player of the Week

May 15, 2007

The freshman hurler became the only pitcher in the Pac-10 this season to win games in the same weekend against Pac-10 Champion Arizona and Pac-10 Runner-Up Arizona State, accomplishing the feat on back-to-back nights on the road against two of the Pac-10's best pitchers. Both of UCLA's opponents were in the top ten of the ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25 Poll at the time with Arizona holding the No. 3 spot while Arizona State was ranked No. 9. UCLA's win at Arizona snapped a 17-game home winning streak for the Wildcats and gave UCLA a win in the season series vs. U of A for the third straight year and a fourth consecutive win at Hillenbrand Stadium in Tucson.

“A great part of the success of UCLA Softball is our ability to bring in great talent. We have had a history and tradition of freshmen contributing right away and Megan Langenfeld has been able to contribute both in the circle and at the plate this year,” said UCLA head coach Kelly Inouye-Perez. “She is a big part of UCLA’s momentum going into postseason play and this is a wonderful honor for Megan and for UCLA.”

In Thursday's win at Arizona, Langenfeld allowed just two earned runs in seven innings in the circle, striking out three and throwing 116 pitches. She also connected on a three-run home run in the fifth inning, breaking a 4-4 tie that gave UCLA a 7-4 win over Arizona.

On Friday at Arizona State, she returned to the circle, throwing 161 pitches allowing just two earned runs with six strikeouts as the Bruins posted a 4-3 win over the Sun Devils. Langenfeld once again contributed offensively, going 2-for-3 at the plate with a two-RBI double in the first inning.

“I am very honored to be named the ESPN.com/USA Softball National Player of the Week,” said Langenfeld of her first-time honor. “Our team did well this weekend and I hope that we can take that same intensity into this weekend’s postseason games.

She entered the game in relief on Saturday, coming in during the fifth inning, facing eight batters and allowing only one hit while striking out one.

For the week, Langenfeld posted a 2-0 record with a 1.75 ERA and 10 strikeouts. She pitched 16 of UCLA's 20 innings on the weekend while hitting .333 at the plate (3-for-9) with two runs scored, a double, a home run and five RBI for a .778 slugging percentage.

Pitcher Development Program

May 15, 2007

Schedule for World Cup and ACS

May 11, 2007

Tennessee’s Callahan Selected Player of the Week

May 08, 2007

Callahan really set the tone for the Big Orange offense with her powerful performance in the opener against Alabama by going 3-for-4 at the plate with a season-high five RBIs as UT rolled to a 9-2 victory. The first baseman delivered an RBI single in the second, a two-RBI double in the fourth and a two-RBI base hit in the fifth to help overwhelm the Tide.

"It's a great honor to be named the USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Week for the first time," Lady Vol junior first baseman Tonya Callahan said. "I've been working really hard with our coaches (Ralph and Karen Weekly) on keeping my weight back, and this is proof to me that all the hard work is paying off. I'm so happyto be at Tennessee andto have the tremendous support of my teammates. Receiving this award wouldn't be possible without their help."

Callahan was 2-for-2 in Sunday's 4-0 game with a solo home run and an intentional walk to complete a stretch during which she reached base eight consecutive times over the two contests by either hit, walk or hit by pitch.

"This is very exciting for both Tonya and our program," Lady Vol co-head coach Karen Weekly said. "She is truly most deserving after the great performance she had for our team this past weekend. It is especially gratifying when someone with Tonya's work ethic receives an award like this."

After the No.1/No.2 match-up, she raised her season average to .399 to go along with 12 doubles, a team-high 10 homers and a team co-best 49 RBI. Counting just SEC match-ups only, Callahan is hitting .373 over 27 tilts with six two-baggers, three homeruns and 19 RBI. She boasts 17 multi-hit games and 12 multi-RBI contests this season.

This is the first-time honor for Callahan and the second time this year for the Vol program as pitching ace Monica Abbott claimed the first honor of the season

Tennessee Regains Top Spot

May 08, 2007

Oklahoma (49-6) moved up to the No. 2 spot this week while Alabama moved into a tie for third with Arizona (38-10-1). Baylor (45-12) climbed up to No. 5 after securing their first ever Big 12 regular season title with wins over Texas (33-17) and Texas A&M (39-9).

LSU (49-10), who knocked off top ranked Tennessee a week ago, dropped to No. 6 this week after losing two of three at rival Georgia (43-25) to finish second overall in the SEC. Despite the losses, LSU still claimed its eighth western division title in 11 years.

Virginia Tech (44-14) continues to better their ranking moving up two spots to No. 15 this week after a mid-week sweep of Big South champs, Liberty (36-24). The Hokies won the regular season ACC title for the first time in school history and will face eighth seeded Virginia (17-37) in the opening round of the ACC Tournament on Thursday.

No. 17 Georgia Tech (49-13), who advanced two spots in this week’s poll, is currently on a sixteen-game winning streak and enters the ACC Tournament as the No. 3 seed.

For the first time this season there are actually 26 teams in the Top 25 Poll after teams tied in two positions in the poll. Alabama and Arizona tied at No. 3 while Florida (44-19) and Fresno State (42-16) regained a spot in the Top 25 rankings this week sharing the 25^th position. NC State (42-17) dropped out of the Top 25 despite being idle this past week.

ABOUT ASA 

The Amateur Softball Association, founded in 1933, is the National Governing Body of softball in the United States and a member of the United States Olympic Committee. The ASA has become one of the nation’s largest sports organizations and now sanctions competition in every state through a network of 84 local associations. The ASA has grown from a few hundred teams in the early days to over 240,000 teams today, representing a membership of more than three million. For more information on the ASA, visit www.asasoftball.com. 

ABOUT USA SOFTBALL 

USA Softball is the brand created, operated and owned by the ASA that links the USA Men’s, Women’s, Junior Boys’ and Junior Girls’ National Team programs together. USA Softball is responsible for training, equipping and promoting these four National Teams to compete in international and domestic competitions. The USA Softball Women’s National Team is one of the only two women’s sports involved in the Olympic movement to capture three consecutive gold medals at the Olympic Games since 1996. The U.S. women have also won eight World Championship titles including the last six consecutive.