Washingtons Lawrie Nabs First Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division I National Player of the Week

STARKVILLE, Miss. – Senior Danielle Lawrie of Washington has been named as the NCAA Division I Louisville Slugger/NFCA National Player of the Week for games played during the week of Feb. 11-14.

Lawrie, who split time between pitcher and designated player, was 6-for-15 at the plate on the week with five runs, nine RBIs and four home runs, including a grand slam against Cal State Northridge. … Continue Reading

Washington Repeats as Unanimous No. 1 in USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Poll

STARKVILLE, Miss. – On the strength of a 5-0 opening weekend record, Washington received all 30 first place votes for the second-consecutive week to lead the first USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Poll of the 2010 regular season. Fellow unbeaten Arizona jumped four spots to claim the No. 2 position in the poll, while Florida, Michigan and Arizona St. rounded out the top five, respectively.

DePaul was the only team to fall out of the poll this week dropping from No. 21, while Texas was the only addition and joined the fray at No. 20. … Continue Reading

Perfect Start Propels Siskiyous to Top of Cal JC Rankings

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – A 4-0 start to the season was enough to move previous No. 4, Siskiyous, past Sierra and into the No. 1 spot in the latest California Community College Athletic Association Softball Top 20 Coaches’ Poll.

Former No. 1, Sierra, dropped just one spot to No. 2, while East Los Angeles made the week’s biggest jump soaring 15 spots from No. 18 to No. 3. … Continue Reading

Defending National Champion California Baptist No. 1 in NAIA Coaches’ Top 25 Preseason Poll

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Defending national champion California Baptist has been tabbed as the No. 1 team in the NAIA Softball Coaches’ Top 25 Preseason Poll, the NAIA announced Tuesday. The Lancers were the unanimous pick, earning all 23 first-place votes and tallying 653 points. Dickinson State (N.D.) is listed second with 629 points. Oklahoma City and Point Loma Nazarene (Calif.) are tied for third with 594 points and Lubbock Christian rounds out the top-five teams with 549 points.

No. 1 California Baptist returns 12 starters from its 2009 national championship team, including 2009 NAIA Pitcher of the Year, Tory Ferreira. Ferreira became the first pitcher in NAIA history to go undefeated and have at least 20 wins, as a freshman. The 2009 NAIA National Championship MVP Ashley Boyd returns for her senior season. The senior shortstop set school single-season records for home runs (16), hits (100), runs scored (82) and total bases (178). The Lancers finished last season with a school record 61 wins, on their way to winning the school’s first softball championship. … Continue Reading

NFCA Division II Top 25 Poll – 2010 Preseason

The NFCA Division II Top 25 is voted on by 16 NCAA Division II head coaches, two representing each of the eight NCAA regions. Final 2009 records are shown. First-place votes are in parentheses. … Continue Reading

USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Poll – 2010 Preseason

The USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Poll is voted on by 30 NCAA Division I head coaches, one representing each of the 30 conferences. Records shown are the teams final 2009 records. Last ranking reflects the final 2009 poll. First-place votes are in parentheses. … Continue Reading

NFCA Announces Elected Board Members

Kathryn Gleason, who will take over as NFCA first vice president at the end of the 2009 NFCA National Convention, is entering her seventh year on the Michigan State softball staff. This is her fifth season as the associate head coach after being promoted to the position in the summer of 2005. Previously, she was an assistant coach at Purdue for three years and an assistant at Massachusetts, also for three years.

Gleason just completed a two-year term as NFCA second vice president after serving two terms as the assistant coach representative for the Association. A native of Country Club Hills, Ill., she was inducted into the Marian Catholic High School Hall of Fame as “Athlete of the Year” in the 2002 induction class. Gleason was also inducted into the East Suburban Catholic Conference High School Hall of Fame in March 2008. … Continue Reading

Play it Forward Wants To Honor Coaches Who Have Made a Difference

The Play it Forward campaign is a collaboration of Up2Us and YouthNoise that seeks to promote the importance of youth sports and to recognize the role of coaches in shaping young people’s futures.

Play it Forward centers around the Coach Appreciation Week Resolution, which was introduced with the help of Rep. McIntyre, N.C. and will go to a House of Representatives vote on September 14. Coach Appreciation Week is intended to spark a national dialogue about the importance of sports as a vehicle for youth development and to inspire volunteerism around youth sports. The Play it Forward campaign will highlight the stories of coaches from around the country who have made a difference in the lives of their players, both on and off the field. Three winning coaches will win a trip to Washington, D.C. and be honored with the National Coach Appreciation Week “Coach of the Year Award at the Up2Us National Conference.
… Continue Reading

NFCA Announces 2009 Diamond Catcher of the Year Award Recipients

08/05/09 – NFCA Release
The NFCA and Diamond Sports, the NFCA’s “Official Protective Equipment,” have released the 10 catchers who have been named the winners of the 2009 Diamond Sports Catcher of the Year award.

Diamond Sports and the NFCA present the award annually to the top catcher from NFCA member schools in each of the following divisions: NCAA (Divisions I, II and III), NAIA, NJCAA (Divisions I, II and III), Cal JC, Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges (NWAACC) and high school. … Continue Reading

NFCA Names 2009 adidas Golden Shoe Award Winners

The NFCA and adidas have released the 10 student-athletes who have been named the winners of the 2009 adidas Golden Shoe award.

NFCA and adidas present the award annually to the top base stealer from NFCA member schools in each of the following divisions: NCAA (Divisions I, II and III), NAIA, NJCAA (Divisions I, II and III), Cal JC, Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges (NWAACC) and high school. … Continue Reading