Choosing a team to play with your sophomore year is a big decision because, let’s face it, time is running out.  My goal is to play softball in college so I need to make sure I play for a team that will provide an opportunity for me to do that.

I tried out for 5 teams this past August and got offers from 4, so the ball was in my court (so to speak), which was a great position to be in.  The things I took into consideration were the coaches, the talent, the pitching, but most important, would joining this team make me a better player? 

I chose The Choppers.

The Choppers are managed and coached by Gary and Dean Fausett.  They run a tight ship, they are extremely knowledgeable about the game and have successfully built a strong and competitive program within the last few years.  They have been to ASA Nationals 3 times and placed 2nd in 16u one year and last year took 3rd in 18G.  Really, who wouldn’t want to play for these guys?  The girls are great, we have awesome pitching and our offense looks dominant.

I have no regrets and feel very strongly that I made the right decision. 

The road to ASA Nationals can be long, but well worth it. My team just got a berth to ASA Regionals this weekend where 30 teams will be competing for that sought after berth to ASA Nationals in South Dakota.

Our first game is Friday and my personal goal this week is to hit 6 buckets a day so I can have the confidence and practice I’ll need to contribute to the offense we’ll need to get us to Sunday.

Until you’ve been to ASA Nationals, it’s hard to comprehend what an amazing experience it can be for a player especially at the 16u/18u age groups. I know how important this is and right now, it’s all I see.

I think we’ve got a good shot this weekend to come out strong at Regionals.

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After coming back from the loser’s bracket, Coach Candrea and his Wildcats defended their title and defeated the Tennessee Lady Vols.

Taryne Mowett threw every inning of this world series and took her team to the championship game and let her offense do the rest.

In the bottom of the 5th inning Jenae Leles hit a shot to center to bring in the first 2 runs of the game followed by a Chelsie Mesa 3 run homer giving the Wildcats a 5-0 lead.

With only 2 at bats left, despite a bases loaded situation in the 6th, the Lady Vols couldn’t answer back.  The game ended with a grounder to third and a Wildcats celebration.  Taryne Mowett was named the MVP of the series.

Congrats to Coach Candrea and the Arizona Wildcats.

Congratulations to all the teams that advanced to the College Softball World Series at the Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City!

• Washington
• DePaul
• Arizona State
• Northwestern
• Texas A & M
• Tennessee
• Baylor
• Arizona

This is the first time in a long time if not ever that there are no California teams represented in the World Series.

Here’s a link to the schedule for next weekend.

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Valencia High School defeated Marina High today in a 10 inning game, winning 1-0.

With bases loaded, no outs, bottom of the 10th, Valencia’s shortstop, Alyssa Ishibashi, came up to bat determined to make something happen and what do you know? She did! She hit a line drive up the middle to score Shannon Fitzgerald (running for Amy Moore who lead the inning off with a single), winning the game 1-0, and ending Marina’s season.

For the record…Amy Moore made two game saving plays today at the plate.   She really had an awesome day!

Valencia now advances to the semi-finals with a record of 30-1, and they set off to play Santiago High School in Corona on Tuesday.

Good luck girls and great job today!

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Memorial Weekend kicks off some of the best softball games of the year as teams compete to play in Oklahoma in the Softball World Series.
Congrats to the teams that have made it this far. (I admit that I am sad that UCLA and Oregon aren’t in there, but there’s always next year.
Here’s the schedule for this weekends’ Super Regionals (Double Eminination)

All times are eastern standard time and shown on either ESPN or ESPNU
Cal St.-Fullerton vs. Arizona @ Tucson, AZ
May 26
8 p.m
May 27
3 p.m
5:30 p.m (IF)
Baylor vs. Michigan @ Waco, TX
May 25
7:30 p.m
May 26
2 p.m.
4:30 p.m. (IF)
Tennessee vs. Hawaii @ Knoxville, TN
May 25
8 p.m.
May 26
4 p.m.
6:30 p.m. (IF)
Texas A&M vs. Florida @ College Station, TX
May 25
7:30 p.m.
May 26
2 p.m.
4 p.m. (IF)
Oklahoma vs. DePaul @ Norman, OK
May 26
12 p.m.
May 27
1 p.m.
3 p.m. (IF)
Alabama at Washington @ Seattle, WA
May 25
6:30 p.m.
May 26
3 p.m.
5:30 p.m. (IF)

South Carolina at Northwestern @ Tucson, AZ
May 25
4 p.m.
May 26,
2 p.m.
5:30 p.m. (IF)
LSU at Arizona State @ Tempe, AZ
May 25
10 p.m.
May 26
7:30 p.m.
10 p.m. (IF)

You can also check the ESPN website for updates.

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The 2007 D1 Super Regionals begin Friday 5/25. There are 16 teams left that will be fighting to the end to compete in Oklahoma City at the College World Series.

Here is a list of the teams left and who they play (BOLD is the host team).
Arizona vs Cal State Fullerton
Michigan vs Baylor
Tennessee vs Hawaii (Go Monica Abbott!!)
Florida vs Texas A & M
Oklahoma vs DePaul
Alabama vs Washington
Arizona State vs LSU
South Carolina vs Northwestern

Here’s the bracket in case you want to see results from Regionals last weekend.

I had a really hard time finding any games that were televised this past weekend, so I’m hoping ESPN will broadcast the super regionals.

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I have my eye on my next bat. It’s the Miken Halo -8 (33/25). The Miken is said to have an extended sweet spot and an extra long barrel, so I might get a little more barrel flex out of it. So far I’ve only found it online for $279.99, so I’m waiting a bit to see if I can get a deal anywhere. My Schutt bat is working out just fine for me right now so I’m not in too much of a hurry, but within the next few months I’d like to own the Halo.

The Halo also comes in a -9, -10 and -12 (The -12 is purple) Too bad it’s too light for me, my school colors are purple. It’d be pretty sweet to have a purple bat.

Anyway, if I keep talking about it, maybe pops will pick one up for me after he sees my report card.

UCLA’s Bruin softball team ended it’s season today in a tough loss against Loyola Marymount (4-2). Fighting to the end the Bruin ladies came up short and were eliminated from the NCAA Regional Tournament.

UCLA and new head coach Kelly Inouye-Perez have nothing to be ashamed of. They are a winning team with the hearts of champions. Sadly though, it just wasn’t in the cards for them this year. With every end comes a new beginning. The Lady Bruins can now take what they’ve learned from this season and move forward with new goals and new records to break.

UCLA’s overall season record was 37-18 with a Pac-10 showing of 12-9.

Loyola Marymount must defeat the Hawaii Rainbow Wahine twice in order to advance to the Super Regionals, while team Wahine only needs one more win.

Check out UCLA’s official site for more scoop and game stats.

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The NCAA is an acronym I will be hearing a lot over the next few years. Incase your wondering what it means, it stands for National Collegiate Athletic Association. The website is a must for any student-athlete wanting to play sports in a D1 or D2 college. Anything you need to know about eligibility rules and recruiting is on their website.

Registering online was very easy. Basically you’ll need your social security number along with a credit card to pay the $50 fee (There is also an option to pay by check). All the other information they ask for you should already know. It took about 20 minutes.

A few things to remember before you register:

They’ll ask you for your graduation date, so knowing that in advance would be good.
You will need an email address that cannot change. If you change your email address you‘ll have to re-register and don’t forget your password! If you lose your log-in info, you’ll have to fax something to them to get your ID and password.
You’ll have to fill out a questionnaire determining your ‘amateur status’. They will ask you things like: Have you been paid to play? Do you have an agent? Stuff like that.

It is recommended that you sign up before your Junior year.

You can contact the NCAA Clearinghouse at 877-262-1492 or go to their website here.

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