NFCA FASTPITCH DELIVERY MAY 2015

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Fastpitch Delivery PAGE 1 MAY 2015

You might say it was a perfect moment, as Oklahoma City University softball coach Phil McSpadden reached win No. 1,458 on April 10 to move ahead of NCAA victory leader and fellow NFCA Hall of Famer Margie Wright for the most wins against four-year schools of any college softball coach.

McSpadden collected the milestone victory in the Stars’ home sweep of Southwestern Assemblies of God (SAGU), 13-1 and 8-0 at Ann Lacy Stadium.

The game that delivered the record was a five-inning perfect game by pitchers

Maria Gomez and Abby Meador.McSpadden has a 1,458-356 record

in his 28th year at the NAIA school. The Stars have won eight national titles — in 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2007 — while finishing national runner-up four times — in 1993, 1999, 2010 and 2012 — under McSpadden.

Wright led Illinois State and Fresno State to a 1,457-542-3 mark from 1980-2012. Mike Candrea sat third on the list with an 1,418-347-2 record in his 28th season with the University of Arizona, while the University of Michigan’s Carol Hutchins had a 1,406-469-4

““We work on quality at bats. We want them to go to college and start, not just be on the team. We want players going up there to rip. We’re going to be aggressive at the plate.”

Sherrill Has Made N.C. School Alexander The Great

COACH’S PROFILE PAGE 12THOMAS EDISON,AMERICAN INVENTOR AND BUSINESSMAN

MAY 2015 VOLUME 20, NO. 5

NATIONAL FASTPITCH COACHES ASSOCIATION

WORDS TO COACH BY...“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The

most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.”

Late UMass Coach Sortino Joins ECAC Hall

McSpadden Stands Alone In Victory Column

Wilson Acquires Louisville SluggerDeal joins two iconic, century-old brands, longtime NFCA sponsors

After more than a century of family ownership, Hillerich & Bradsby Co. (H&B), recently reached an agreement to sell its NFCA Corporate teammate and

Official Bat brand Louisville Slugger to Wilson Sporting Goods Co., an NFCA Corporate Friend and the Association’s Official Ball, for $70 million.

The deal, pending H&B shareholder approval, joins two iconic century-old companies. H&B started making bats in Louisville, Ky., in 1884, while Chicago-

SEE WILSON PAGE 16

Late NFCA Hall of Famer and longtime UMass softball coach Elaine Sortino, who won 1,185 games over 34 stellar seasons at the school, was part of the 25-member inaugural class of the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Hall of Fame, presented by Webster Bank, on April 17 at the Matrix Conference & Banquet Center in Danbury, Conn.

The ECAC honored student-

athletes, coaches, administrators, teams, officials, support staff and supporters who have made significant contributions over the organization’s 75

years of existence.“We’re so happy that the ECAC

included Elaine Sortino in the inaugural class,” said Lacy Lee Baker,

NFCA executive director. “Elaine was an incredible coach and person, and made a huge impact on all the student-athletes who played for her.”

Sortino captured 23 Atlantic 10 Conference titles and made 21 NCAA regional appearances and three trips to the Women’s College World Series. She was also an 11-time Atlantic 10

SEE SORTINO PAGE 19

Oklahoma City University Coach Tops Fellow NFCA Hall Of Famer Wright With Win 1,458

Monthly columnist Charity Butler says just about anything is possible if you have faith and work hard toward your goal.

FD PAGES 3 & 11

See Who’s LeftThe fields for Schutt Sports/NFCA Division II Player of Year and NFCA Division II Freshman of Year have been cut to 25.

INSIDE

VIEWPOINTS PAGE 14

NEW MEMBERS ................................ PAGE 3DIVISION I HCC MINUTES ................ PAGE 4QUESTION OF THE MONTH ............. PAGE 9EDUCATION .................................... PAGE 13SOFTBALL BY SMITTY ................... PAGE 17RULES CORNER .............................. PAGE 18

McSpadden

Downtown Atlanta Home To 2015 NFCA ConventionAtlanta, Ga., the South’s largest city,

will host this year’s NFCA National Convention, December 2-5 at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis. Visitors are likely to be greeted with a big helping of “How y’all doing” hospitality, as the city combines Southern charm with a newly found sophistication of top restaurants, shopping and

entertainment. Atlanta began as a railroad

terminus, and it’s still a transportation hub with Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport just 15 miles from downtown. The busiest airport in the world has direct, nonstop service to more than 150 U.S. destinations – 80 percent of those within a two-hour

flight – and more than 75 international destinations in 50 countries.

All of the convention meeting events will be held within the Atlanta Marriott Marquis, which is conveniently located in Peachtree Center. The indoor MARTA

SEE ATLANTA PAGE 10

Sortino

SEE MCSPADDEN PAGE 8

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Fastpitch DeliveryPAGE 2 MAY 2015

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Members of the NFCA receive 12 issues of Fastpitch Delivery, an annual calendar, discounts on various products and resource materials and the yearly NFCA Directory of Information.

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The NFCA is proud to announce the 25 finalists for the inaugural Schutt Sports/NFCA Division II Na-tional Player of the Year award.

This group of student-athletes is represented by 20 different pro-grams and 11 conferences. Fourteen from the original top 50 made the cut and are joined by 11 newcomers. The field consists of 23 upperclass-men, including 14 seniors, along with eight juniors and three sopho-mores.

Valdosta State boasts three se-lections, while defending national

champion West Texas A&M, North Georgia and Augustana (S.D.) each had two student-athletes recognized. Programs with one representative were Missouri-St. Louis, Dixie State, Cal State Monterey Bay, St. Mary’s (Texas), Indianapolis, Hum-boldt State, Emporia State, Southern Indiana, Rollins, Missouri Western,

Bellarmine, Northwest Missouri State, Ashland, Cal State San Ber-nardino, Oklahoma Christian and Texas Woman’s.

The Great Lakes Valley Confer-ence paced the way among confer-ences, with four representatives. The California Collegiate Athletic Asso-ciation, Lone Star Conference, Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association and Gulf South Confer-ence each had three student-athletes. The Peach Belt Conference, North-ern Sun and Heartland Conference posted two, while the Pacific West

Conference, Great Lakes Intercolle-giate Athletic Conference and Sun-shine State Conference were also represented.

The 10 finalists will be announced on April 30 and the top three on May 14, with the National Player of the Year revealed on May 20.

The NFCA Division II Head Coaches Committee, plus the gener-osity of Schutt Sports, has led to the creation of this the award to honor the outstanding athletic achieve-ment of student-athletes in Division II softball.

Final 25 Player Of Year Contenders RevealedNEWS & NOTES

The NFCA is proud to announce the 25 finalists for the inaugural NFCA Division II National Fresh-man of the Year trophy.

The NFCA Division II Head Coaches Committee created this award to honor the outstanding athletic achievement of freshman student-athletes in Division II softball.

The finalists hail from 23 differ-ent universities and represent 15 conferences, ranging from New York to California.

The South Atlantic Conference’s Carson-Newman and the the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Con-ference’s Minnesota Duluth each boast two finalists.

The South Atlantic Confer-ence, Lone Star Conference and

Mid-America Intercollegiate Ath-letics Association picked up the most overall selections with three apiece. The Heartland Conference, Rocky Mountain Athletic Confer-ence, Great Lakes Valley Confer-ence and the Northern Sun each

had two representatives. The Pacific West, Southern In-

tercollegiate Athletic Conference, California Collegiate Athletic Conference, Northeast 10, Gulf South Conference, Great Ameri-can Conference, East Coast Con-ference and Peach Belt Conference each had one finalist.

On April 30, the list will be trimmed to 10 finalists, while the top three will be selected on May 13.

The National Freshman of the Year trophy will be presented on May 20 prior to the opening of the NCAA Division II National Cham-pionship in Oklahoma City, Okla.

Watch List For Inaugural Schutt Sports/NFCA Division II National Honor Cut In Half

Lucas Angelo, Assistant Coach, Bethalto Civic Memorial (Ill.); Brandon Bailey, Head Coach, Solano Galaxy; Bill Baylog, Head Coach, Team NC Baylog; Jimmy Bowman, Assistant Coach, Virginia Wesleyan College; Carnelius Cruz, Assistant Coach, Milford Hawks (Ga.); Rick Diamond, Head Coach, Berwyn Bandits; Richard Edwards, Head Coach, Delaware Cobras; Randy Fielder, Head Coach, Bluefield College; Jennie Harp, Associate Head Coach, Richard Bland College; Tim Haverman, Assistant Coach (hitting), NM Furies; Mavreen Hering, Volunteer Assistant, Rowan University; Matisse Lee, Head Coach, Claflin University; Jared Martin, Head Coach, CT Hornets; Ron Metzler, Head Coach, Green Bay Preble (Wis.); Lisa Mills, Head Coach, Arundel High School (Md.); Jen Richard, Head Coach, University of the Sciences in Philadelphia; Alyssa Smoke, Head Coach, Holy Names University; Chet Thorne, Head Coach, Kansas Renegades; Hector Torres, Head Coach, Spain National Team; Jadyn Wallis, Head Coach, The University of Science & Arts of Oklahoma; Amber White, Assistant Coach (pitching), Brandeis University; Adriana Wortley, Head Coach, Pierce College; Stephanie Zimny, Head Coach, Calumet College of St. Joseph; Christie Zinanti, Head Coach, Colorado State University-Pueblo.

New Members

Inaugural Division II Freshman Of Year Finalists Announced

SEE THE LIST ON PAGE 11

SEE THE LIST ON PAGE 11

The NFCA’s official Twitter account, @NFCAorg, recently scored its 15,000th follower.

It had been averaging 70 new followers each week in the leadup to the spring season, but that number increased to more than 22 new followers a day as games started to be played during a 45-day stretch between January 27 and March 13, allowing additions of the

14,000th through 15,000th followers. Overall, the NFCA’s social media

accounts on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram continue to be ranked in the top five percent of all social media users, according to the analytics website Twtrland.com.

The NFCA boasts more than 3,400 Facebook likes and have collected 250 Instagram followers since adding that

to its social media offerings on January 26.

Sixty-eight percent of the followers are female, while the other 32 percent are male. The bulk of the followers (68 percent) are between the ages of 18-34, with a 34 percent split between the 18-24 and 25-34 age groups. Another 21 percent are in the 35-49 age range, while six percent are ages 12-17.

NFCA’s Official Twitter Account Reaches 15,000 Followers

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March 3, 2015 Telephone Conference No. 2015-03The meeting was brought to order at

10:00 a.m. CST. Those present were: Michelle Burrell, America East Con-

ference; Kyla Holas, American Athletic Conference; Lonni Alameda, Atlantic Coast Conference; Bridget Orchard, Atlantic 10 Conference; Jen Steele, At-lantic Sun Conference; Stacy Gemein-hardt-Cessler, Big 12 Conference; Amy Kvilhuag, Big East Conference; Barb Sherwood, Big Sky Conference; Dot Richardson, Big South Conference; Terri Sullivan, Big Ten Conference, alternate; Linda Garza, Big West Conference, alternate; Jaime Wohlbach, Colonial Athletic Association; Shonda Stanton, Conference USA; Michelle Venturella, Horizon League, alternate; Lisa Van Ackeren, Ivy League; Melissa Inouye, Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference; Kar-en Linder, Mid-American Conference; Amy Hayes, Missouri Valley Confer-ence; Steve Johnson, Mountain West Conference; Roy Kortmann, Northeast Conference; Jane Worthington, Ohio Valley Conference; Heather Tarr, Pa-cific-12 Conference; Michelle DePolo, Patriot League; Jo Evans, Southeastern Conference; Mandy Burford, Southern Conference; Stephanie Hughes, South-land Conference; Rick Fremin, South-western Athletic Conference; Annie Smith, Sun Belt Conference; Holly Van Vlymen, The Summit League; Jessica Rodgers, West Coast Conference; Nikki Palmer, Western Athletic Conference.

Dee Abrahamson, NCAA Softball Secretary-Rules Editor, Guest; Sharon Cessna, NCAA Director of Champi-onships, Guest; David Batson, NFCA Legislative Consultant, Guest; Natalie Poole, NFCA Division I Representative; Carol Bruggeman, NFCA Associate Ex-ecutive Director.

Heidi Cavallo, Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference was not on the call.

1. Approval of February Call Minutes. It was moved (Lonni Alameda) and sec-onded (Steve Johnson) that the Febru-ary call minutes be approved.

2. Working Groups Updates. HCC created action items and time lines for working group hot topics moving for-

ward into the 2015-2016 legislative cy-cle. Updates, surveys, documents, and action items were discussed.

A. Certification of Events Action item: Working group chairs

Natalie Poole and Heather Tarr are working on a “best practices” document to share with HCC. The NFCA Recruit-ing Committee is also working this docu-ment. The final “best practices” docu-ment will be shared with the travel ball community and any other interested NFCA members.

B. Moving the Season Back 1. HCC reviewed results of Feb-

ruary survey and agreed to accept ad-ditional responses through March. Final results will be discussed on April call.

Action Item: HCC reps are encour-aged to reach out and get information from schools that have not responded. David Batson, NFCA Legislative Con-sultant, reminded HCC we need to have a high level of responses and informa-tion to have credibility on proposals.

C. Recruiting Calendar 1. HCC discussed recruiting cal-

endar/camps/clinics information (see at-tachments).

Action Item: David Batson, NFCA Legislative Consultant, will draft legis-lation on the new recruiting calendar. Proposed legislation will be sent to HCC and respective conference coaches for feedback and ultimately, support. At the NFCA Convention, there was near unanimous support for changing the current recruiting calendar.

D. One-time transfer rule Action Item: David Batson, NFCA

Legislative Consultant, will draft legis-lation to add softball to the current leg-islation for the one-time transfer rule. Proposed legislation will be sent to HCC and respective conference coaches for feedback and ultimately, support. At the NFCA Convention, there was near unanimous support for the one-time transfer rule.

E. Slowing the Early Recruiting Process Down

1. Information received from NCAA stated it will be very difficult (although not impossible) to move NLI to a prospect’s junior year in high school. The NLI af-fects Division I and Division II so Division

II would also have to be included in any future NLI discussions.

Action Items: NFCA Legislative Consultant David Batson, will draft leg-islation regarding slowing the early re-cruiting process down. It was noted by several HCC members that compliance and enforcement with this new proposal would present concerns moving for-ward.

2. Scouting. There were many con-cerns and numerous calls made to NFCA office during the first two weeks of the softball season regarding scouting. The NCAA, along with several conferences, sent correct scouting rules and interpre-tations to HCC for distribution to respec-tive conference coaches in mid-Febru-ary. HCC felt everyone was now on the same page regarding scouting rules.

3. “Buster Posey” Rule. Lonni Al-ameda opened discussion on whether or not softball would like to consider adopting the “Buster Posey” rule. It reads as follows:

“Unless the catcher is in possession of the ball, the catcher cannot block the pathway of the runner as he is at-tempting to score.” The runner shall be declared safe if the catcher violates that provision. In addition, it is not a viola-tion “if the catcher blocks the pathway of the runner in order to field a throw, and the umpire determines that the catcher could not have fielded the ball without blocking the pathway of the runner and that contact with the runner was un-avoidable.”

Some in the group felt the current catching rule was too lengthy in the rule book and relied heavily on interpretation of umpires. This issue will be revisited in the future and potentially become a proposal for the Rules Committee.

4. “Talking Points” Sheet for Soft-ball. The NFCA will develop and send to members a “Talking Points” sheet for softball. This sheet will include relevant information to help softball coaches dis-cuss with administrators the importance of keeping softball within athletic depart-ments and/or in cost of attendance dis-cussions.

5. Other Business. A. Artificial Noise Makers. There

was concern regarding the current rule

about artificial noise makers and a sug-gestion to have umpires police the issue. Currently, the opposing coach brings it to the attention of the umpire and then a warning is issued for the first violation (in the SEC, the warning is given at the pregame meeting). The concern sur-rounds the rule potentially pitting coach-es against one another. One team may see what “they can get away with” until the opposing coach steps in, which only fires the offending team up. Games-manship was discussed. The current rule is written to keep umpires focused on the field rather than requiring them to monitor dugout activity. If it was a typical rule, umpires would be required to listen and watch for violation which is particu-larly challenging with two-person crews. Dee Abrahamson, NCAA Secretary-Rules Editor, suggested two options: a) writing a new rules proposal or b) make a more severe penalty under the current rule as a disincentive.

B. Pitching Toes. There was con-cern regarding extra long extensions placed on pitcher’s shoes to appear as though the pitcher’s toe is in contact with the ground and therefore, keep from being called for illegal pitches. By current rule, pitching toes are allowed as long as they are securely fastened. If there is concern about these particular extensions, and if coaches want them banned, a rules proposal must be sub-mitted and the rule must be changed.

C. Illegal Pitches. Questions were raised regarding whether or not the ad-vancement of runners (especially from third base to home) is necessary when an illegal pitch is declared. Both pros and cons of the issue were discussed. Dee Abrahamson, NCAA Secretary-Rules Editor mentioned every year, proposals are submitted regarding this subject. The general consensus of the Rules Committee to date has been to not reduce the current penalty as it may dis-incentivize correct pitching. Once again though a coach may write a proposal and provide a rationale for change.

6. Conference Call. The next HCC conference call will be held at 10 a.m. Central time on Tuesday, April 7.

7. Adjournment. The meeting was adjourned at 11:25 a.m. Central time.

MINUTES – HCC

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University of Oklahoma star first baseman Lauren Chamberlain was the No. 1 pick of the defending Cowles Cup champion USSSA Pride to kick off the 2015 NPF College Draft presented by Bownet on April 1 at the CMA Theater inside the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tenn.

Her teammate, Oklahoma infielder Shelby Pendley, was selected second by the Pride, making NPF history as the first players from the same program to be selected back-to-back as the first two picks in draft.

Florida State pitcher Lacey Waldrop, the 2014 USA Softball Player of the Year, was taken third overall by the Chicago Bandits, while the expansion Dallas Charge selected University of California infielder Danielle Henderson with the No. 4 choice — their first draft pick in franchise history.

Her older sister, Jolene Henderson, a fellow Cal product, was the first player signed by the Charge on January 27.

The Charge wrapped up the first round by drafting Minnesota utility player Kaitlyn Richardson.

The Pennsylvania Rebellion, who didn’t have a first-round pick, made three second-round selections at No. 6, 8 and 9, picking Western Kentucky pitcher Miranda Kramer, Oklahoma State outfielder Shelby

Davis and Florida State shortstop Maddie O’Brien, respectively.

The last of the five league teams to pick, the Akron Racers, finally made their first pick in the third round, choosing Auburn University outfielder/first baseman Morgan Estell.

The Charge also got a “Market Choice Selection” prior to the draft, taking Texas native Renada Davis, a shortstop at North Carolina State University. The league gave Dallas the opportunity to choose a player that was either originally from the state of Texas or competed for a Texas college or university. The pick was revealed between the third and fourth rounds.

The Pac-12 led all conferences with nine selections, followed by the Southeastern Conference (six), Atlantic Coast Conference (six), Big 12 (four), Big Ten (two), Atlantic Sun (two), Conference USA (two), Mid-American Conference (one), Mountain West (one) and Summit League (one).

This marked the third year in a row that the draft was held in Nashville and the first time the event was televised live nationally by Bernie Guenther and Barb Jordan on broadcast partner CBS Sports Network.

—Courtesy National Pro Fastpitch

Chamberlain No. 1 Pick In NPF College DraftNEWS & NOTES

National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) and CBS Sports Network have signed an agreement making CBS Sports Net-work the exclusive television home of the NPF for the second consecutive season, expanding the overall package of NPF coverage.

CBS Sports Network will continue to provide exclusive coverage of the NPF’s regular season, featuring eight weeks of live Monday and Tuesday night primetime telecasts for a total of

16 games, with coverage taking place from seven different cities in five dif-ferent states.

In addition to regular season cover-age, CBS Sports Network will carry live action of every 2015 Champion-ship Series game — potentially nine contests — from Hoover Metropolitan

Stadium in Hoover, Ala.“We are extremely proud to continue

our partnership with CBS Sports Net-work for the second year in a row,” said NPF commissioner Cheri Kempf. “We realize there is a very broad audience following the sport of fastpitch softball, and we look forward to expanding the coverage of the very highest level of competition the sport has to offer.”

On April 1, CBS Sports Network aired the NPF College Draft for the

first time live from the CMA Theatre in the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, in Nashville, Tenn.

NPF regular season coverage begins on June 8, with the defending Cowles Cup champion USSSA Pride visiting the expansion Dallas Charge for a 7 p.m. EST contest at The Ballfields at Craig Ranch in McKinney, Texas.

For the complete schedule, visit www.profastpitch.com

—Courtesy National Pro Fastpitch

CBS Sports Network, NPF Strike New Television Broadcast Agreement

NPF College Draft SelectionsFirst Round

1. Lauren Chamberlain, 1B, USSSA Pride (Oklahoma)

2. Shelby Pendley, INF, USSSA Pride (Oklahoma)

3. Lacey Waldrop, RHP, Chicago Bandits (Florida State)

4. Danielle Henderson, INF/C, Dallas Charge (California)

5. Kaitlyn Richardson, UT, Dallas Charge (Minnesota)

Second Round6. Miranda Kramer, LHP, PA Rebellion

(Western Kentucky)7. AJ Andrews, OF, Chicago Bandits

(LSU)8. Shelby Davis, OF, PA Rebellion

(Oklahoma State)9. Maddie O’Brien, SS, PA Rebellion

(Florida State)10. Kylee Lahners, INF/OF, Dallas

Charge (Washington)Third Round

11. Amber Freeman, C, USSSA Pride (Arizona State)

12. Morgan Estell, OF/1B, Akron Racers (Auburn)

13. Brenna Moss, OF, Chicago Bandits (Fresno State)

14. Cheyenne Cordes, INF, PA Rebellion (California)

15. Ashley Burkhardt, INF, Dallas Charge (Purdue)

Market PickRenada Davis, SS, Dallas Charge

(N.C. State)Fourth Round

16. Kahley Novak, SS/2B, Dallas

Charge (Arizona State)17. Emilee Koerner, OF, USSSA Pride

(Notre Dame)18. Sammy Marshall, SS, Chicago

Bandits (Western Illinois)19. Griffin Joiner, C, Akron Racers

(Kentucky)20. Devon Wallace, UT, PA Rebellion

(Arkansas)21. Lauren Haeger, RHP, Dallas

Charge (Florida)Fifth Round

21. Emily Weiman, RHP, PA Rebellion (N.C. State)

22. Shellie Robinson, OF, Akron Racers (USC Upstate)

23. Branndi Melero, OF, Chicago Bandits (Auburn)

24. Emma Johnson, RHP, PA Rebellion (Kent State)

25. Janie Takeda, OF, Dallas Charge (Oregon)

Sixth Round26. Ally Carda, RHP, Dallas Charge

(UCLA)27. Hallie Wilson, UT, USSSA Pride

(Arizona)28. Stephany LaRosa, C/1B, Chicago

Bandits (UCLA)29. Megan Low, C/INF, Akron Racers

(UTSA)30. Amber Parrish, C/INF, PA

Rebellion (UNC)31. Kaitlyn Thumann, OF, Dallas

Charge (Baylor)32. Farish Beard, RHP, Dallas Charge

(South Alabama)

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USA Softball Names 26 Player Of Year FinalistsNEWS & NOTES

The NFCA is pleased to announce that Sports Attack will be the NFCA National Convention Clinic Series sponsor.

“We’re happy that Sports Attack will be involved with our 2015 NFCA National Convention in At-lanta, Georgia, as the Convention Clinic Series sponsor,” said Lacy Lee Baker, NFCA ex-ecutive director. “Our convention clinic is always a popular part of the convention, and Sports Attack’s involvement will only make it more successful. We’re also excited that we’ll be raffling off one of Sports Attack’s Hack Attack pitching ma-chines as part of the convention.”

With over 40 years of pitching machine design experience, Sports Attack has established itself as a leader in cutting-edge sports train-ing equipment. The exclusive de-sign of the Hack Attack and Junior Hack Attack three-wheel softball

pitching machines allow hitters to see the ball clearly through release, just like a live pitcher. Both throw fastballs, risers, drops and right- and left-handed screwballs to hitters.

The company also has developed equipment for institutional, club and professional users around the world in the sports of baseball, cricket,

football, rugby, soc-cer, tennis and vol-leyball.

“The National Fast-pitch Coaches Asso-ciation is the premier

organization for the exciting sport of fastpitch softball,” Sports Attack President Amanda Pratt said. “It is a privilege for Sports Attack to sup-port the powerful voice and strong advocacy the NFCA provides as we truly share the love of the game.”

For more information about Sports Attack, visit its website at www.sportsattack.com. For more infor-mation about the NFCA, visit www.NFCA.org.

Sports Attack Partners With NFCA As Convention Clinic Series Sponsor

ASA/USA Softball named the 26 finalists for the 2015 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award, which will be announced prior to the start of this year’s NCAA Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City.

Due to a tie, 26 student-athletes (rather than the normal 25) have been named finalists for the award, which is considered the most prestigious honor in NCAA Division I softball and recognizes outstanding athletic achievement by players across the country.

The list is comprised of 12 seniors, 11 juniors and two sophomores and one freshman. The student-athletes selected represent 19 universities and nine athletic conferences.

Arizona, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Oklahoma, Oregon and UCLA each

have two players represented and Alabama, Arizona State, Auburn, Florida State, James Madison, Louisiana-Lafayette, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, Notre Dame, UCF and Western Kentucky each have one member on the list.

On May 6, just prior to the start of postseason play, the list will be narrowed to 10 players. The three finalists will be announced May 20 and the winner will be named on May 26.

The USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year is selected by coaching representatives from 10 Division I conferences in the 15 ASA

regions, by members of the media who consistently cover Division I softball, as well as past winners of the award.

While an athlete did not have to be among the initial 50 on the Watch List to be considered for this round of consideration, the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year will come from these 26 finalists.

Previous recipients of the award are UCLA catcher Stacey Nuveman

(2002), Texas pitcher Cat Osterman (2003, 2005 and 2006), Florida State pitcher Jessica Van der Linden (2004), Tennessee pitcher Monica Abbott (2007), Virginia Tech pitcher Angela Tincher (2008), Washington pitcher Danielle Lawrie (2009 and 2010), Stanford shortstop Ashley Hansen (2011), Oklahoma’s Keilani Ricketts (2012 and 2013) and Florida State’s Lacey Waldrop (2014).

— Courtesy ASA/USA Softball

Finalists For USA Softball Player Of The Year• AJ Andrews, OF, LSU• Bianka Bell, INF, LSU• Allexis Bennett, OF, UCLA• Kristen Brown, INF, North Carolina• Ally Carda, P/UTIL, UCLA• Emily Carosone, INF, Auburn• Lauren Chamberlain, INF, Oklahoma• Lexie Elkins, C, Louisiana-Lafayette• Kellie Fox, INF, Arizona• Amber Freeman, C, Arizona State• Megan Good, P/UTIL, James Madison• Chelsea Goodacre, C, Arizona• Sara Groenewegen, P, Minnesota

• Lauren Haegar, P/INF, Florida• Cheridan Hawkins, P, Oregon• Alex Hugo, INF, Georgia• Miranda Kramer, P, Western Kentucky• Haylie McCleney, OF, Alabama• Shelby Pendley, INF/P, Oklahoma• Sierra Romero, INF, Michigan• Kelsey Stewart, INF, Florida• Janie Takeda, OF, Oregon• Shelby Turnier, P, Central Florida• Lacey Waldrop, P, Florida State• Karley Wester, OF, Notre Dame• Paige Wilson, INF, Georgia

Louisiana-Lafayette coach Michael Lotief has taken a leave of absence from the team to address an ongoing medical condition with his throat.

“This has gone on the last five to six months – it has gotten worse with in-fections,” Lotief said in a statement. “Throughout it all (until now) I never missed a day, or a practice.

“Lately, the health issues have in-creased, making it hard for me to swal-low and even talk. Surgery revealed a

very inflamed esophagus that required immediate attention from a specialist. I have spent four days in the hospital, making it impossible for me to travel and attend practice.”

Associate head coach T.J. Hubbard has been running the team during Lo-tief’s absence. The school said it will provide updates as they become avail-able.

—Courtesy Louisiana-Lafayette Sports Information

Louisiana-Lafayette’s Lotief Leaves Team To Address Medical Condition

Hood College coach Terry Burdette lost his daughter, Amy Burdette Riggs, a 34-year-old mother of two, when a truck hit her SUV head-on March 9.

Burdette Riggs was a former star pitcher at Iona College after winning two state titles in the 1990s at Walkers-

ville (Md.) High, where she threw nine no-hitters her senior season and went 50-3 with 583 strikeouts for her career.

Burdette said his daughter was the reason he got into coaching, starting in tee ball and continuing to the travel ball level with the Frederick Heartbreakers.

Burdette Loses Daughter In Car Crash

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record in 32 seasons, including one year at Ferris State (Mich.).

Before a healthy gathering of Oklahoma City University softball alumni who contributed to many of those wins over the years, the Stars, ranked No. 1 in the NAIA, improved to 35-1 and 12-0 in the Sooner Athletic Conference this season.

“I could just go through a whole list of tremendous ball players that have helped us win ballgames, and in many cases, tremendous people who have supported us behind the scenes,” McSpadden said.

On the night, the Stars pounded four home runs among 18 hits, nine of which went for extra bases.

“We had an exciting turnout of alumni to support Coach in getting his 1,458 wins,” said Kylee Rounsaville, who nailed her 15th homer of the year in the first game.

Rounsaville kicked off the Stars’ scoring on the night by driving in Cheyanne Terry with a two-out base hit to left field in the first inning of the first game. Jamie Rateliff followed by blasting a two-run homer over the left-

field wall.Rounsaville struck for a three-run

blast to left in the second inning for a 9-0 Oklahoma City lead. Madison Ellis also hammered a two-run shot over the left-field wall.

Ellis smacked a solo blast to left in the third. Rounsaville added a two-run double, then Shelbi Legg had a run-scoring double to the left-center gap.

Maci-Brooke Lambert picked up the victory, allowing one run on three hits and a walk in three innings.

Meador set SAGU down in order over the final two innings, notching four strikeouts.

In the nightcap, Gomez fanned eight in four innings and struck out the side in her last two innings. Meador retired SAGU in order in the fifth, with center

fielder Jocelin Diaz’s diving catch on Katelyn Veteto’s fly ball securing the historic final out.

Diaz did it on offense, too, with her two-run homer to left putting the Stars ahead 7-0 after two innings.

— Courtesy Oklahoma City University

MCSPADDEN SETS MARK FOR FOUR-YEAR COLLEGESCONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

McSpadden By The Numbers• 8 national championships• 4 national runner-up finishes• 26 national tournament appearances• 23 straight national tournament berths• 18 50-win seasons• 4 60-win seasons• 69 wins in 1999 for NAIA single-season record• 8-time National Coach of the Year• 7-time NFCA Coaching Staff of Year• 5 national players of the year• 3 national pitchers of the year• 4 national catchers of the year• 4 alumni who won Olympic medals• 76 all-Americans• 3 four-time all-Americans• 13 CoSIDA academic all-Americans• 38 NAIA scholar-athlete award winners

Milestone Wins1: Oklahoma City 14, North Texas 4, Feb. 25, 1988100: Oklahoma City 13, Boston College 1, March 7, 1990200: Oklahoma City 13, Hofstra 5, March 14, 1992300: Oklahoma City 11, Northeastern

State 0, March 11, 1994400: Oklahoma City 7, Nicholls State 6, Feb. 23, 1996500: Oklahoma City 11, Phillips 0, April 30, 1997600: Oklahoma City 10, Emporia State (Kan.) 0, March 20, 1999700: Oklahoma City 7, Cornerstone (Mich.) 1, May 17, 2000800: Oklahoma City 3, William Jewell (Mo.) 0, April 19, 2002900: Oklahoma City 10, Friends (Kan.) 0, April 16, 20041,000: Oklahoma City 5, Rogers State 0, April 4, 20061,100: Oklahoma City 7, USAO 3, April 8, 20081,200: Oklahoma City 3, St. Gregory’s 0, April 8, 20101,300: Oklahoma City 13, Northwestern Oklahoma State 0, April 24, 20121,400: Oklahoma City 3, Oklahoma Baptist 2, April 3, 20141,457: Oklahoma City 13, Southwestern Assemblies of God 1, April 10, 20151,458: Oklahoma City 8, Southwestern Assemblies of God 0, April 10, 2015

All-Region And All-America TimelinesNCAA DIVISION I

4/29—All-Region nomination forms available online5/5—Last day for nominations5/8—All-Region ballots available online5/12—Last day to complete ballot5/14—All-Region teams announced5/22—All-Americans announced

NCAA DIVISION II4/24—All-Region nomination forms available online5/6—Last day for nominations5/7—All-Region ballots available online5/12—Last day to complete ballot5/14—All-Region teams announced5/20—All-Americans announced

NCAA DIVISION III4/27—All-Region nomination forms available online4/30—Last day for nominations5/1—All-Region ballots available online5/4—Last day to complete ballot5/11—All-Region teams announced5/20—All-Americans announced

NAIA5/4—All-Region nomination forms available online5/11—Last day for nominations5/14—All-Region ballots available online5/21—Last day to complete ballot5/22—All-Region teams announced6/2—All-Americans announced

NJCAA DIVISION I4/22—All-Region nomination forms available online

5/5—Last day for nominations5/11—All-Region ballots available online5/19—Last day to complete ballot5/22—All-Region teams announced6/3—All-Americans announced

NJCAA DIVISION II4/22—All-Region nomination forms available online5/5—Last day for nominations5/11—All-Region ballots available online5/19—Last day to complete ballot5/25—All-Region teams announced6/5—All-Americans announced

NJCAA DIVISION III5/7—All-America nomination forms available online5/18—Last day for nominations5/26—All-Americans announced

CAL JC4/24—Award nominations submitted5/4—Award winners announced

NWAC5/1—All-America nominations open5/10—All-America nominations due5/10—All-America ballots available5/11—All-America ballots due5/14—All-Americans announced

HIGH SCHOOL4/27—All-Region nomination forms available online6/11—Last day for nominations6/19—All-Region teams announced6/25—All-Americans announced

Oklahoma City University coach Phil McSpadden talks to his team during a break in the game action. Photo courtesy of Oklahoma City University.

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One day in practice, we had our players bring their headphones and iPhones/MP3 players to practice and come prepared with a playlist that

would help them get in “the zone,” and be “practice ready.” The entire practice they were allowed to listen to their own music and also work on walking with confidence the entire practice. All practice we had our pitchers throwing to the catchers and competing against our hitters. Our hitters would work on their timing, rhythm and confidence at the plate. The same applied when we worked defensively. We even included it in our strength and conditioning session. It has worked (so) well for us that we applied it to our dynamic warmup in practice and pregame. We became more consistent in our approach to practices/games and so far it (has) allowed us to be more focused.

Bridgette QuimpoRamapo College

With snow and rain it’s been so hard to get any practice in really. It’s a oldie, but just to get the players visualizing, I numbered tennis balls

and had them call it out during their swing with soft tossing.Clifton DavisKnightdale (N.C.). High School

We have an exercise called the Trash Can Throw. The girls get two throws trying to hit the hole in a trash barrel. They love to challenge

each other and some of them are pretty good at it. It teaches them to look at your home plate and throw straight to the target. If they can get two hits in the barrel they usually get a free Coke or one less lap around the gym. We try and think of different things to encourage them.

Dennis CoxRiverton Parke (Ind.) High School

One thing we started doing is playing versions of tag for conditioning or warm up. Sometimes the girls just go through the motions in dynamics

and agilities, but when they do five minutes of tag, they’re going all out and (get) out of breath. It was something that I got at a three-dimensional coaching convention and it works.

Marie ThomasonEmbry-Riddle Aeronautical University

The most creative thing we’ve done in a softball practice is throw raquetballs to outfielders to practice tracking and catching. The smaller,

blue-colored ball — especially on windy days — gives the players extra challenges when trying to make the play on the run.

Matt PearsonMartin Luther College

This year we created as many different situations as we could think of, cut pieces of paper and put them into cups for the players to draw

from. The cups included number of outs, the type of hitter and whether she was right or left handed, runners on base, speed of runners and batter, type of ball hit, speed of the ball, etc. Each situation was completely random. We drew a player’s name at random as well, and that player had to get up in front of the team and use a whiteboard to talk through the situation and what they thought should be done. We gave them one minute to draw the situation on the whiteboard and explain it to the team. Each other player on the team had a diamond on a piece of paper so they, in a sense, were able to create their own “playbook” as each situation was discussed. We got very positive feedback from our players on this technique. This opportunity also helps our players with their public speaking skills and thinking on their feet.

Leslie HuntingtonUniversity of Wisconsin-Eau Claire

What is the most creative thing you’ve done in a practice session this season?

Have a Question or an Answer?

Here is your chance to give input in a very simple manner – we need ideas for questions you would like to see answered in a future edition, so please feel free to share those ideas.

Respond by emailing Dave Hines at [email protected].

QUESTION OF THE MONTH

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NFCA Recruiting Camp Registration OpenThe NFCA Recruiting Camps are

currently open for registration. The 2015 slate features six administered camps, three endorsed camps and five new EXCEL camps.

The administered camps are the ones the NFCA has offered since their debut 1993 and continue to be one of the most popular ways for high school athletes to showcase their talent to college coaches around the nation..

For endorsed camps, prospective athletes apply at NFCA.org and administration, including acceptance of athletes and registration is handled

by the respective local staff. Although these camps are managed by other groups, each camp must comply with strict NFCA standards.

In the new NFCA EXCEL camps, players are provided both hitting and defensive instruction by college coaches before players compete in games. Specific NFCA measurement testing will also be conducted for all players.

To see the locations, to sign up or get more information on any of the recruiting camp offerings, please visit NFCA.org.

Newspaper Delivery Method RequestedAny NFCA member who has

not responded to one of the recent surveys to indicate that he or she would like to continue receiving a printed copy of the newspaper has started receiving Fastpitch Delivery in only electronic format beginning with this month’s issue.

Those that want to continue

to receive a printed copy of the newspaper must contact Kelley Fisher ([email protected]) or Katelyn Funchess ([email protected]) to let them know your preference.

Those opting for a print edition of the newspaper will have access to the electronic version via the My Coach’s Box section of NFCA.org.

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access offers guests easy direct access to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, while the hotel is just steps from the Georgia Aquarium, World of Coca-Cola, and close to CNN Center, GICC, Georgia Dome and the College Football Hall of Fame.

The hotel features its own 24-hour fitness center, in addition to spa options at The Spa. There are unique dining options at Sear, High Velocity and Pulse, a restaurant and cocktail lounge. A Starbucks is also located in the hotel.

The schedule for the convention begins with the golf tournament on Tuesday, December 1. Committee meetings will be held Wednesday morning, December 2, followed by the preconvention seminar and the general session. Speakers are being selected now and will be announced this summer.

It also will be the 14th year that National Fastpitch Coaches College sessions will be held in conjunction with the convention, and four are scheduled:

November 30 & December 1: Course 406 – Coaching Dynamic

Team Practices, and Course 407 – Winning Strategies for Game-Day Coaching.

December 5-7: Course 401 – The Art of Championship Coaching, and Course 403: Position Play and Individual Defensive Skills.

There are on-field components for all the classes except Course 401, and the NFCA is currently determining the campus sites. Transportation will be provided to and from the hotel to the sites.

When Should I Arrive?Going to one of the National

Fastpitch Coaches College classes November 30-December 1? Arrive Sunday, November 29.

Playing in the golf tournament? Arrive on Monday, November 30.

Attending the NFCA Pre-Convention Seminar? Arrive Tuesday, December 1.

On an NFCA committee? Arrive Tuesday, December 1.

Attending convention only? Arrive Tuesday, December 1, or the morning of Wednesday, December 2.

The convention will end late Saturday afternoon, so you can schedule return travel on Sunday, December 6, unless you plan to stay for the post-convention course starting Saturday evening, December 5, through Monday morning, December 7.

How Do I Register? The NFCA will mail registration

materials in September, and the online registration form will be available in late August.

Can I Make My Hotel Reservations Now?

Yes, the NFCA has blocked rooms at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis at a $139 rate (plus tax) for one to four people in a room. To make your reservations, you can do this online or call 866-469-5475 and ask for rooms in the NFCA block. Go to this web site to make your online reservations: https://resweb.passkey.com/go/NFCA2015

THE CUTOFF DATE FOR RESERVATIONS IS NOVEMBER 6, 2015; YOU MUST IDENTIFY YOURSELF WITH THE GROUP TO GET THE SPECIAL RATES. All reservations must be guaranteed with a major credit card.

Dress CodeThe NFCA National Convention is

casual, except the NFCA Hall of Fame Banquet on Friday, December 4. The attire for this prestigious event is dressy.

The lobby provides a stunning view of the interior of the NFCA Convention host hotel. Photo courtesy of Atlanta Marriott Marquis.

ATLANTA HOME OF 2015 NATIONAL CONVENTIONCONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

The Atlanta Marriott Marquis is located in Peachtree Center in the heart of the South’s largest city, with easy access to everything. Photo courtesy of Atlanta Marriott Marquis.

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2015 NFCA DIVISION II AWARD TOP 25 FINALISTS

Schutt Sports/NFCA Player Of The Year NFCA Freshman Of The Year

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When he coaches his final high school game later this spring, Alexander Central (N.C.) head coach Monte Sherrill wants what all coaches want — to go out with a championship.

For Sherrill and the Cougars, though, things are a bit different. They are expected to win one, following two straight state titles and in the midst of an 81-game win streak.

OVER THE PAST 21-plus seasons under Sherrill, Alexander Central has truly been Alexander the Great, going 620-56 with eight state championships and three runner-up finishes.

Last season, the Cougars went undefeated (35-0) for the first time in school history, en route to another state Class AAAA crown and a No. 1 ranking in the final USA Today/NFCA Super 25 poll to garner NFCA National Coaching Staff of the Year and National High School Coaches Association Softball Coach of the Year honors.

B e h i n d t h r e e N F C A A l l -Americans, including Gatorade North Carolina Player of the Year Vada Sherrill, Monte’s daughter, Alexander set a state record for runs in a season (426) and posted 24 double-digit victories to claim its fourth state crown in the past six

seasons.“It’s been an amazing ride,”

Sherrill said. “It’s something else. Trying to maintain a standard of excellence is brutal at times. You don’t sneak up on anyone and you get everyone’s best.”

AS A FORMER Marine, Sherrill, of course, has a plan to combat that.

“We try to make the practices harder than the games,” he explained. “My time in the Marine Corps instilled a philosophy of committing to the process. We’re getting in 500 swings a day. There’s no (replacement) for hard work.”

He said he fosters military-style togetherness, where no one is more important t h a n a n o t h e r a n d everyone has a role to play in the team’s success.

“We don’t worry about individual stats,” Sherrill s a i d . “ W e talk about honor, discipline and program.”

“I’M LIKE Vince Lombardi with Dr. Phil in my hip pocket,” Sherrill joked, adding that the team has a 15-minute motivational session each day.

Sher r i l l sa id h is offens ive philosophy changed after star pitcher Chelsea Wilkinson, a two-time

Gatorade North Carolina Player of the Year and four-time All-American, departed in 2012 for the University of Georgia.

“We lost those two strikeouts per inning,” he said. “We had to

Sherrill Helps Make Alexander The Great

Alexander Central head coach Monte Sherrill poses with the 2014 National High School Coaches Association Softball Coach of the Year award. Courtesy Team Hajer Photo.

North Carolina High School Powerhouse Follows Lead Of Head CoachBy DAVE HINES

Editor

COACH’S PROFILE

IN THE PRESS BOX WITH MONTE SHERRILL1) How has the game changed in the time you’ve

been coaching?“The players are far more serious about the game

and focused. Being able to dress out a team in four uniforms — you couldn’t do that 20 years ago.”

2) What are some problems coaches now face that are different from when you started coach-ing?

“Travel ball has enabled parents at the high school

and college levels to think they have a say in play-ing time. They want instant gratification. Sometimes (players) get it right away ans sometimes it takes years to develop.”

3) If you knew then what you know now, how would your coaching have been different?

“My first few years I tried to outwork people. I still do, but I think I needed that seasoning to get better.”

4) Is there a secret to success in coaching?“I feel like my background in the Marine Corps and

faith in the Lord have helped me. (In the Corps) you’re responsible for doing your job and no one should have to go behind you to make sure you’re doing it.”

5) What would your ideal season be like?“We had the ideal season last year, taking ev-

eryone’s best shot and coming out on top and also coaching my daughters.”

SEE SHERRILL PAGE 19

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We have all been there. Things in a game are not going as we had planned and you decide you need to have a little chat with your pitcher.

So you call a time out and head to the mound. Now, what do you say that will get your pitcher on track so that you can get back on the offensive side of the ball? The first question to answer is “Why are you going to the mound?”

I have found that coaches go for one of three reasons: 1. To discuss how to throw to the next hitter(s), 2. To try and get the current pitcher on track or 3. To give the pitcher you really need to get in the game a chance to warm up a bit more, so you are basically buying time.

It is important when deciding to go to the mound that you know exactly why you are heading out there. If the reason

is that you are mad at the pitcher and want to make sure she knows that, my advice would be to stay in the dugout. Pitchers have this sixth sense of when the coach is mad, so I would suggest saving your time for a later moment.

Once you have settled on why you called the timeout, you need to be clear in how you would like to use this precious time. If you are going to discuss the next hitter, make sure you are clear as to your game plan.

If the game plan is to walk the next hitter, make sure you also include how you are planning to pitch the hitter after the walk. This will give your pitcher a clear plan and will help her understand the situation.

Now let’s chat about reason number two. I would venture to say that this is probably the most common reason for a mound visit. Your pitcher has gotten off track and you need to get her

back on track or you will be to reason number three before the visit is over.

Well, believe it or not, how the mound visit goes will typically be based upon the groundwork you have laid in the months leading up to this point in time.

I work with the British National team. When I was being interviewed for the position, they did not ask me if I would coach the pitchers, they asked me if I would support the pitchers.

I love the way they put that. I was hired to support our pitchers, to give them advice, provide them with the information needed to be successful and then to back them in their efforts to achieve greatness. As coaches, this is our role exactly, and never more so than during a mound visit.

So, how do you prep for a mound visit months in advance? Well, one thing I do is ask pitchers during a practice to describe their perfect mound visit. I ask them, “What do you need from me when things are going bad?” Some players need a get-your-head-out-of-a-bad-place talk and some just need to feel like you still believe in them. The answers will vary, but it will give you great insight as a coach into handling your pitchers.

The next key preparation component is teaching pitchers to make quick adjustments. Making adjustments to the many variables in a game must be practiced to a point that adjustments become part of who a player is. When the stresses of a game are encountered, many players stick to what they are most comfortable.

The problem is the best teams are those who do not stay in one place, but constantly adjust to the game. Pitchers are no different. If they are comfortable with quick adjustments, a quick chat at the mound will many times get them back to where they need to be to perform.

The last component to consider is the location and circumstances of the interaction. Think of how you would feel if your boss walked into your office and publicly spoke to you about

how you are currently — in real time — doing your job. Well a mound visit is just that.

Now, think about this. What if a trusted mentor were to stop by and chat with you about how you were doing your job and gave you sound advice as to how to make things better? Most of us would agree this is a much better scenario.

Pitchers are no different. The circle is their office, where they conduct business. As coaches, we must by mindful of that. Again, we would be comfortable with a mentor. Our pitchers must see us as a trusted mentor for pitching, and this only comes from building that foundation in the months leading up to season.

Finally, if you are headed out there for reason number three, I would suggest walking slowly and chatting as long as possible with the catcher.

There are a million different things you can say on a mound visit, but to get the best results for your trip, keep the game plan clear and lay the groundwork now for success in games later.

Megan Brown is an assistant coach at the University of Akron and the pitching coach for the Great Britain National team.

She earned her doctorate in kinesiology from Auburn University and was a three-time All-America pitcher at Florida Southern College, earning Hall of Fame induction for both her alma mater and the Sunshine State Conference.

Brown played in National Pro Fastpitch from 2007-09 and in Europe from 2010-13. She previ-ously coached at the University of Connecticut under longtime coach Karen Mullins.

How To Make The Most Of Mound VisitsEDUCATION

By MEGAN BROWN, Ph.DAsst. Coach, Univ. of Akron

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As a shameless optimist, I relish challenging the limits of possible. The truth is, however, realistically all things are not possible.

For instance, it is impossible for me to win the lottery, because I have yet to purchase a ticket. I can believe with everything in me that I will win big, but my number cannot be called because it does not exist.

We often limit what is possible for ourselves by complacently choosing to believe “everything will work out.” In fact, thinking positive thoughts without taking the appropriate action is, in a word, worthless.

INCREASING OUR possibilities requires unlocking latent potential, and maximizing potential is hard work.

As coaches, we buy into maximum potential as a desirable destination ... theoretically. Creating a functional road map that equips us with the skills and resources to actually arrive is altogether different.

It seems all coaches at some point challenge their athletes to give 110 percent. This is another concept that sounds brilliant in theory, but breaks down practically. In reality, the 110 percent approach actually stifles progress.

One hundred and ten percent is only possible in the realm of mathematical theory, and is not feasible in everyday life. To

illustrate, let us revisit fifth grade with a math word problem:

Question: Sally has a pizza made up of 10 slices. She wants to give 110 percent of her pizza to Jane. How many slices must Sally give Jane?

Answer: Eleven slices of pizza.

Jeff Foxworthy would be quick to point out that often times we “are not smarter than a fifth grader!” Sally does not have 11 slices of pizza to give. We cannot give more than what we have been given.

WE ONLY have access to the 100 percent that makes us who we are. If we find the key to unlock our full potential, however, we become equipped to accomplish incredible feats.

The problem lies in the perspective. Most of us have abilities and limits we do not even know exist. We must accept there is more potential within us than we can currently appreciate.

The truth is, we can think happy thoughts and hope for all sorts of possibilities, but rarely do we come close to actualizing our full potential.

Why? Giving 100 percent is hard. 100 percent hurts. Endurance sprints anyone? Going all out is painful, but it is the only way we improve.

GIVING OUR ALL does not mean we sprint through every day at breakneck speed, though. Living to the max is much more challenging than exhausting ourselves.

Maximizing our full 100 percent capacity means pushing ourselves to grow personally, being honest,

open and even vulnerable with those we trust, addressing tough issues, controlling our tempers, working until the job is done and refusing to cut corners.

It’s operating with absolute integrity, admitting when we are wrong and asking forgiveness, practicing personal discipline concerning our health and so much more.

FROM THIS point of view, we can all improve. We are full of untapped potential.

How do we move from positive-thinking theory to tangible accomplishment? We demand our personal best in all areas. Consider the following 10 slices of life (in no particular order):

• Family/Home Life• Friends/Social• Work/Education• Pace of Life• Hobbies/Fun• Physical Health• Emotional Health• Personal Development• Faith/Values• AdventureAre we truly willing to give 100

percent in all 10? This list is certainly not comprehensive, but it is a practical place to begin. Taking inventory in these 10 areas will undoubtedly reveal opportunities to grow and maximize potential.

The more vigilant we become in growing these capacities, the more possibilities will be available to each of us.

Our benchmark for maximizing is not the effort or capabilities of those around us. We can give 110 percent

compared to others, and still settle for less than our full 100 percent potential.

SIMILAR TO THE sting of lactic acid buildup during endurance sprints, giving it all is grueling. This is why many people hope for great things to be possible but few actually reach maximum potential.

Nonetheless, the outcome is worth the effort. When we are willing to maximize potential, we experience opportunities far beyond anything we dream possible.

One hundred and ten percent is not possible, but 100 percent will suffice. Let’s get to work!

By CHARITY BUTLERFounder, Exceed Sports

Charity Butler is respected nationally & in-ternationally as a pro athlete, writer, speaker, collegiate coach, hitting instructor and Certi-fied Intrinsic Life Coach®.

As a Pro Speaker for Sports World, Inc, Butler travels the country speaking to more than 40,000 people annually. As a recognized ex-pert in confidence training, she also presents at various conferences, colleges & universities.

Butler is the founder of Exceed Sports, LLC (www.Exceed-Sports.com) and of the I HEART FASTPITCH Campaign (www.iheartfastpitch.com). Follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @CharityButler

Anything Is Possible If You Just Have FaithVIEWPOINTS

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In the movie “For Love of the Game,” Kevin Costner played a pitcher who said, “Clear the mechanism.” This phrase was his anchor for blocking out distractions and locking his mind onto the task at hand. It gave him tunnel vision.

Hank Aaron blocked out distractions when he was sitting on the bench by covering his face with his hat and staring at the pitcher through the little eyelet. Whatever the sport and whomever the athlete, focus is a common variable for every successful performance.

ALL ATHLETES think too much at times. Most recognize this as a mistake. Most have also experienced being totally engrossed in the present moment and recognize this as a powerful feeling that they want to repeat. Leaders make developing the skill to focus with tunnel vision on the task at hand a priority.

Some are naturally good at it. For others, it is very much a learned skill. Whether it is within their first or second nature, leaders on the diamond know how to switch back and forth between being an athlete and being a coach. Between pitches, they coach, caring for themselves and teammates.

When it is time for athletic action, they are neither analyzing nor caring. Rather, they are looking at a target and playing the game. Leaders may have even more potential distractions than others, but they are exceptional at blocking them out when they step into “sacred space.” When it is time to perform, they know how to focus.

A singular focus on the task at hand happens at very specific times in softball. A hitter steps into the batter’s box with both feet. A pitcher engages the pitching rubber. A baserunner positions her body to leave base at (or just before) the release of the pitch. A defender other than the pitcher steps forward on to the balls of her feet into

her “circle of focus.” These are all sacred spaces.

Lots of preparation (hundreds or maybe thousands of reps) and resources go into each memorable moment made from these sacred spaces during the game. Often, an athlete will try hard and perform lousy because of her inability to be fully present. Being totally engrossed in the softball experience is empowering and loads of fun, but is it a skill that can be practiced? Absolutely!

Humans are capable of processing literally thousands of thoughts per minute. They can concern themselves with the past, the future or the various things going on right now. Often, it is useful to think about many different things. Inside sacred space is not one of these times.

The leader’s goal is to lose herself in the process of doing her job. When the pitch is in the air, her concentration cannot be ideal if any part of her mind is distracted by thoughts about the past or the future. She stays in the moment by setting aside her needs, fears, desires, satisfactions and regrets. Only the now is controllable.

FOCUSING COMPLETELY on one thing at a time can be difficult. A common hindrance is worry about what teammates, coaches and parents will think. It is wonderful to want to please others, but being a “people pleaser” is a common personality flaw when it comes to focusing on the task at hand. Leaders work to please themselves by giving their best effort, trusting that doing so maximizes their chances at both winning and pleasing others.

There is a time to analyze, but when performing, leaders release any regrets, grudges or even questions about the past. They even let go of positive thoughts about the past. Other athletes think they are doing well with the thought, “I can’t believe I messed that up. I won’t do that again.” This may or may not lead to a good adjustment between pitches, but if it remains in consciousness inside sacred space, it interferes with an effective focus.

An athlete does not need to be perfect to be mentally tough, but she must know how to keep a mistake on one play from having a negative effect on a future play. Inevitably, some stuff will hit the fan. Adversity in softball is inevitable.

How does she flush the past and get the negative and distracting thoughts out of her head? By focusing on the plan and execution of the next play, and using the symbol of sacred space for clarity about when to switch from self-coaching to doing. A great mantra for athletes: “Flush it! What’s next?”

IF PRACTICED often enough, executing this plan becomes second nature. Many athletes do a version of this, but lack clarity about their own strategy. Adding clarity and practicing this skill of forgetting bad stuff by focusing on their job on the next play can ingrain this good habit.

Very few athletes have mastered flushing it. Sometimes, the attempt to forget the past is unsuccessful. She wants to forget about it, but she is unable to do so.

When the athlete is frustrated and the memory is stuck in consciousness, a second strategy is amazingly effective for remaining confident and focused. In other words, it is common that an athlete might hold onto negative emotions about the umpire’s call, the teammate’s mistake or the fact that she just messed something up that she normally can do perfectly 10 of 10 times in practice.

The single key that will allow her to flush it when the negative thinking is stuck is forgiveness.

Why forgive a mistake or bad luck? Two answers are needed. First, because if she does not do so, she will probably not let it go. Many athletes understand this first answer readily, but are typically still unable to forgive because they forget the other reason: Nobody is perfect. Clever athletes practice forgiving to forget every time they start to get frustrated or angry. They even use a symbol like grabbing dirt or grass in their fist, then throwing it away.

This is just a symbol, initially, but if they remember to forgive because nobody is perfect before throwing it away and practice this regularly, eventually the symbol can link up to refocusing on the task at hand in the brain.

Softball is a great game that requires teamwork, intelligence, adjustments and an ability to keep things simple. It also has a rhythm to it — step into sacred space, step out and repeat. Focus one pitch at a time. When outside of this sacred space, leaders are coaches for themselves and others.

They work to create an ideal state for themselves and their teammates and commit to a specific plan of attack for the next pitch. When they step into sacred space, they switch from a thinking mode to an acting/reacting mode. They focus with tunnel vision on the task at hand.

By AARON WEINTRAUBMental Training Expert

Aaron Weintraub runs www.CoachTraub.com, a consulting business with the mis-sion of over-delivering value on goods and services designed to help you and yours win the mental side of the game. He also recently launched a blog called Smile Coach.

His website, www.smilenowcoach.com, is dedicated to inspiring you to inspire others with short articles and videos.

Weintraub holds a bachelor’s of arts de-gree from Emory University and a master’s of education degree from the University of Virginia. Before becoming a full-time mental skills coach, Weintraub served as an assistant baseball coach for 13 years at Emory, the University of Virginia, Presbyterian College, Brevard College and Cedar Valley College. He is married with four children and lives in The Colony, Texas.

Eliminating Overthinking In Sacred SpaceTRAINING YOUR MIND

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It’s so simple to decide to do something. It’s a “Yes.”

It’s a time that signals the start of something. It’s a want for different. It’s a need for change. But that first decision screams “Yes” and it is the beacon for all the others in its path that are yet to come.

I often start my coaching, both one-on-one and with teams, with this one question: Why?

Why do you play the sport, run the race, do the work, fight the fight, practice and train as hard as you do? What is the fire in your belly that gets you up early and keeps you up late?

What makes your heart skip a beat when you think of your passion to be a part of it? Quite simply, what is your why?

If you don’t have that defined, you will find yourself at the crossroads. When it gets hard — and it will get hard — you won’t have a way of overcoming it.

And in those moments you face

a decision. You feel the need to get tougher just to battle the hard or you bury your head in your shell, worrying about how you will even just take your next breath. You question and doubt and wonder.

And then when you are done, you move on. You take the next step, or do the next pushup or run the next race. You carry on.

Not because you feel you want to, but because you have to. Because you knew why.

There was a reason you started in the first place. And that reason is either what drives you or what nags at you. Have you ever seen someone who constantly sets goals they never achieve? And then they wonder why?

They have a reason, not a why. A reason has no real attachment, no emotion that digs at your gut. It just is.

Lately, I have become a runner. I run for many reasons. To feel better, to lose weight, get healthier, compete against myself, race, for fun.

I joined a team of over 1,000

people who run to raise money for cancer and for local families battling cancer. That team is what drives me.

My why is about the people I run for. Not just the ones who are battling cancer, but also my very own teammates whom I have grown to love. It’s the fire in my belly and the drive to show up, even when I am tired or don’t want to.

I just show up. And my why is what drives me. I run for the people more so than the reasons. I am attached to the emotion of team, cancer and a purpose bigger than myself. The reasons will happen as a byproduct of the why.

The days I am tired and don’t feel like it, I can always get healthier tomorrow. But running for those who can’t or being accountable to my teammates who are doing this together is why I show up.

As of this Saturday, I have put in 177 miles so far this year. Not always because I have reasons to do so, but because I have a fire in my belly for my why.

When it gets hard — and it will — remember why. It will always guide you to success.

THE MENTAL GAME

Jen Croneberger is a mental game coach who speaks at clinics, team workshops and corporate seminars. She has been inter-viewed on ABC News (Philadelphia affiliate) on many occasions about the mental game, consulted by MTV’s MADE as a fear coach and was the 2009 Female Business Leader of the Year for Chester County, Pa. She works with many organizations and sports teams from professionals to youth and is formerly the head softball coach at Ursinus College. Follow her on Twitter at @JenCroneberger and find her on Facebook at Jennifer Lynne Croneberger. Her blogs and more informa-tion on her programs can be found on www.thefivewords.com.

When It’s Hard, Remember WhyBy JEN CRONEBERGER

President, JLynne Consulting Group

based Wilson introduced its first glove in 1919, after getting its start in 1914 producing baseball shoes, basketballs, footballs and racket strings.

“The decision to sell the Louisville Slugger brand was a difficult and serious one to make. The Hillerich family, and those closest to the brand, firmly believes that a new business model is necessary to realize the enormous potential of this brand in the future,” John A. Hillerich IV, Chief Executive Officer of H&B said in a joint statement from the two companies. “We recognized from our first conversation with Wilson that they would be a great partner and steward

of the brand our family created and so many have nurtured for 131 years.”

“The Wilson brands — Wilson, DeMarini and ATEC — all have great presences in baseball and softball,” Hillerich continued. “Wilson has the financial resources, research and development staff and structure, and the experience with big brands to create great synergy and grow the Louisville Slugger business, ensuring that it will remain synonymous with baseball for decades to come.”

Under the terms of the agreement, H&B will become Wilson’s exclusive manufacturing partner for wood bats. H&B will manufacture all Louisville Slugger-branded MLB, Minor League Baseball, amateur player and souvenir wood bats for Wilson. H&B will continue to manufacture wood bats at the Company’s downtown Louisville

factory. H&B will also maintain ownership

and continue to operate the highly successful Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory and Gift Shop, a cornerstone of the city’s tourism business. H&B’s Bionic Gloves division and Powerbilt golf brand are not part of the agreement with Wilson.

“We are excited to welcome Louisville Slugger into the Wilson family,” Mike Dowse, President of Wilson Sporting Goods, Co., said. “Growing our baseball and softball business globally is a key business strategy, and H&B has created one of the most recognizable baseball brands in the world. We believe Louisville Slugger will enrich our company significantly, enhance our baseball and softball product offering at all levels of the game, and ensure we are delivering

only the best performance products to athletes of every age.”

Wilson will market and sell Louisville Slugger-branded products through its baseball and softball business unit. The company currently manufactures and sells high performance gloves, bats, uniforms, apparel, protective gear, accessories and player development equipment and training tools through its various brands.

Wilson said it will market and sell Louisville Slugger products as a stand-alone brand, similar to its DeMarini brand, which it acquired from late founder Ray DeMarini in 2000. Under Wilson’s leadership, DeMarini added apparel, including team uniforms, to its brand offerings in 2012.

Wilson said it intends to grow the Louisville Slugger brand both domestically and abroad.

WILSON STRIKES DEAL TO BUY LOUISVILLE SLUGGERCONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

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We hear it all the time in sports. That players need to be focused, have intensity, gain the momentum and keep ahold of it like a tiger by the tail.

We hear about pep talks and famous inspirational speeches, about coaches asking their players to “dig deep” or give “110 percent.” We think we know what these things are when we see them. But can we define them?

DO WE KNOW when a team or player is focused? What are the objective criteria that define intensity and momentum? Do you know when you have momentum or when you have lost it?

Focus by definition is related to the center of interest or activity, and it means “to pay attention to” something.

I’ve seen some softball coaches tell their team that to demonstrate focus they should be up against the fence cheering constantly during a game if they are not out on the field playing a position, hitting, or running the bases.

This supposedly lets the coach know that the kids are “into” the game — that they are focused.

But is this the kind of focus that leads to success or is it a kind of placebo that makes the coach feel good?

If the team stood on their feet the entire game and cheered loudly but still lost, did they lose the momentum? And if so, how did that happen if they were focused and intense? Should the coach then question their commitment, focus, and intensity?

In our own program we have taken a different approach. It starts with the idea that the time in the dugout off the field is incredibly valuable, and that it can and should be used wisely.

We also believe that if our players love the game and are there for the right reasons, it will be obvious. If they are not, that also will be obvious.

Our teams hustle off the field at a sprint, in order to provide more time in the dugout for our use. What do we do with this time? We do not use it to cheer.

THE NEXT several hitters are getting on their gear (sometimes as deep as six players at a time) and mentally preparing to face the pitcher. We assume we are going to get hits and that many more than three players are going to hit in a given inning.

We work together to discuss the pitching patterns, how particular types of pitches are breaking, which types of pitches are the best to hit and which to let go until two strikes.

We also discuss how the defense may be shifting and how that may impact areas of the field that have less coverage.

As our hitters return to the dugout, they are adding to that intelligence and staying abreast of pattern changes throughout the game. Sometimes they sit quietly and visualize what they have seen thus far and picture themselves hitting the ball exactly where they want it to go.

OUR BATTERY for a given game sits together, quietly talking over what is working, plus what is not, and building up the intelligence needed to face particularly troublesome hitters. Our coaches monitor this flow of information throughout and occasionally add our own observations, desires or demands.

Players who are on the bench

for that particular game are tasked with making sure we are ready to sprint on the field as soon as our turn at bat is over, that every outfielder has someone with whom to play catch, that any pitcher who needs to be prepared to go into the game in relief is warmed up.

They help our coaches make sure we report any substitutions and they add their own observations to our team’s intelligence reports.

In other words, our concentration is on the game itself.

Our program takes a slightly different approach than most. Focus, intensity and momentum are words we never use. Fundamentals are what we need to be concentrating on. We use an approach that every pitch is the ballgame.

WHAT EXACTLY does this mean? If a leadoff hitter steps into the batter’s box to begin a game, and she is hitting away, her approach should not be any different than if that same hitter stepped in with bases loaded, two out, a 3-and-2 count and down one run in the seventh inning when she has the green light.

If every pitch is the ballgame, and if my mental approach is the same regardless of the score, then I am concentrating on the right things as a hitter and that is the correct execution of the fundamentals we teach.

And if our team properly executes fundamentals, and we have equal or better talent than the opposition, the result more often than not will be a win. Often times when we do this, we are able to overcome teams that have better athletes than our squad.

Although hitting has been emphasized in this discussion, it is

just an example. Pitching, fielding, running, throwing, catching — all aspects of the game — benefit from the same concentration on fundamentals.

SIMILARLY, when mistakes are made (heaven forbid the dreaded occasional error), we see them as opportunities to learn whether something went wrong with our fundamentals, and hence something to work on in practice, or whether the error was not preventable and simply a part of the game.

Errors (and losses) taken in the proper perspective can be great tools for learning and improvement, rather than a means to question a team’s commitment, focus or loss of momentum.

The following is a belief that you can choose to accept or reject. I do not believe that our teams over the years have ever lost a game. We have simply run out of innings and, given a little more time in the dugout, we would have figured out how to beat the opposition.

Ernie Smith is the former head softball coach at Rich East (Ill.) High School and ex-assistant coach at Bradley University and with his father, Dick, at the University of St. Francis. He also spent time as an assistant baseball coach at the University of Illinois and has been a collegiate coach, clinician and speaker for over 25 years.

SOFTBALL BY SMITTY

The Focus, Momentum And Intensity TrapBy ERNIE SMITH Editor’s note: Ernie Smith is pinch hitting for his father this month. Not to worry,

Smitty will be back to pass along his unique brand of softball knowledge in June.

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In a recent column we explored some of the advantages a team may get by knowing certain rules. We will continue that theme this month by discussing the fourth-out appeal.

Appeals can be a bit confusing as explained in a previous article. One of the most confusing of these appeal rules is the fourth-out appeal.

This is a valid appeal play which all codes have available to the defensive team when the occasion arises. Check the following rules for your situation:

• ASA – Rules Supplement 1 and 5.5.C

• NCAA – 6.1.4, A.R. 7.1.3 • NFHS (high school) and PGF –

2.1.13 and 9.1.1e• USSSA – 9.1.9The fourth-out appeal may be the

most confusing of all appeal plays, but it can be the most rewarding. It is used to eliminate a run scored by the opposing team. A fourth-out appeal is made by the defense after the third out is made.

• In ASA, a fourth-out appeal can be made only on a runner who has missed a base or left a base too soon while attempting to tag up on a caught fly ball.

• In NFHS, the rule book states that if there is more than one out declared by the umpire which terminates the half-inning, the defensive team may select the out which is to its advantage to negate a score.

• USSSA states the appeal can be made after the third out as long as it is made properly.

• The NCAA has expanded the types of appeal which will eliminate runs with a ruling on page 10 of the most recent interpretations document found on its website:

“…the defense may appeal after a third out for an infraction by a base runner who apparently scored, to re-

establish the correct batting order and to obtain an inning-ending force out to nullify an apparent run.”

Here are some plays which involve a fourth-out appeal.

Play 1With runners on second (R2) and

third (R3) and one out, both runners tag up before the ball is first touched by the right fielder (F9). F9 catches the ball and throws it to second to appeal R2 leaving early. R3 scores before the live-ball appeal is made by a fielder catching the ball with her foot on second. The umpire calls R2 out on the appeal. There are now three outs. The defense now appeals that R3 left early.

Ruling: For all codes if properly appealed, R3 is called out and no runs score.

Play 2With the bases loaded (R1 at first,

R2 at second, R3 at third) and one out, the batter hits a fly ball to the center fielder (F8) for the second out. All base runners tag up and attempt to advance one base. R3 tags up legally. F8’s throw to third base retires R2 for the third out, but after R3 has scored. R1 did not tag up legally and is properly appealed.

Ruling: For all codes R3’s run scores because R1’s out is not a force out.

Play 3With runners on second (R2) and

third (R3) and two outs, a dropped third strike goes to the backstop. R3 scores, then R2 tries to score, but is tagged out on the play. There are now three outs and one run has scored. During this play the batter-runner has stayed near home plate

to watch the action. The defense now throws the ball to first base to record the fourth out on the batter-runner.

Ruling: In all codes except ASA, no runs will be allowed to score, as this last out is on the batter-runner before she has touched first base. In ASA, the run scores. The “fourth out” appeal to nullify a run must be on a runner who has scored. (2014 ASA Casebook, Play 5.5-3)

There is another caveat to the fourth-out appeal when it deals with an appeal play on runners who are forced to advance. In ASA, the status of a runner if she misses a base is determined when the appeal is made. In the other codes, the status of the runner is based on her status at the time she missed the base.

Play 4With two outs and runners on

first (R1) and third (R3), the batter singles. R3 scores, R1 misses second and is thrown out at third. Even though this is the third out, the defense appeals R1 missing second.

Ruling: In ASA, the run scores, as the fourth out to negate a run must be on the runner who has scored (2014 Casebook Play 5.5-3). In the other codes, no run scores, as the fourth out is on R1 for missing second and at the time R1 missed second it was a force play.

Play 5With bases loaded (R1 at first, R2

at second, R3 at third) and two outs the batter hits a gapper. R2 and R3 score. R1 misses second and stops at third as the batter-runner is thrown out at second trying to stretch the hit into a double. This is the third

out, but now the defense appeals R2 missing second.

Ruling: In ASA the runs score. Because the batter-runner made the third out, the force is no longer in effect for R1 at second. In all other codes, the runs do not score because R1’s status when she missed second was a force out.

So the key on a play which involves multiple outs that ends an inning and these outs may create a fourth out, go forth with an effort to appeal an out which eliminates a run.

John Bennett has 26 years of umpiring experi-ence in fastpitch softball, working high school, travel and college games.

He umpired at the NAIA National Champion-ship Series from 1998-2003, and has umpired in National Pro Fastpitch, dating back to when it was known as Women’s Pro Fastpitch and the Women’s Professional Softball League.

Bennett has umpired Pac-12 and Big West conference contests for many years, earning standing as a crew chief, and has worked many Division I Regional and Super Regional games. The last two years he worked at the Division II National Championship Series in Virginia.

He recently finished his term as the Active Official for the NCAA Softball Rules Committee.

RULES CORNER

Figuring Out Fourth-Out Appeal PlaysBy JOHN BENNETT

Longtime Umpire

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reinvent ourselves.”What he created was an offensive

juggernaut. “We work on quality at bats,”

Sherrill said. “We want them to go to college and start, not just be on the team. We want players going up there to rip. We’re going to be aggressive at the plate.”

This year, Alexander has outscored its opponents 153-7. To say the

philosophy is working would be an understatement.

SHERRILL LEFT the Cougars for four seasons (2004-07) to coach Central Cabarrus High to two state crowns and an 119-3 mark before returning to Alexander in 2008.

If the Cougars surpass the state record of 83 consecutive wins, they will actually break a mark Sherrill set leading the Vikings from 2004-06.

“It’s been a point of humor,” Sherrill laughed. “Some of my old players have been texting me, ‘no

pressure.’ We haven’t talked about it as a coaching staff. We lost seven players (after last year) and I didn’t want to put any undue pressure on them. Hopefully we can win a few more games.”

SHERRILL’S OVERALL record for 25-plus seasons is a mind-boggling 739-59, with a national-best .925 winning percentage over that span. He said he’d like to coach in college and several schools have already reached out to him.

For now, he’s enjoying one last ride in a softball-crazy rural community

where his team serves as the equivalent of the basketball teams that inspired the movie “Hoosiers.”

“We’re the only show in town,” he said.

B u t t h e w i n s a n d a l l t h e accomplishments in the world pale in comparison to the opportunity to coach his daughters. Bailey graduated last year, and is in her first year at Pfeiffer University, while Vada is a senior and Darby is a freshman on the Alexander squad.

“The highlight of my coaching career has been coaching my daughters,” Sherrill said.

SHERRILL HAS SET HIGH STANDARD AT ALEXANDERCONTINUED FROM PAGE 12

Coach of the Year and honored with her staff as the NFCA Division I Coaching Staff of the Year six times.

In 2002, the Minutewomen won 33 straight games from March 23 to May 9, tying for the eighth-longest streak in NCAA history. During Sortino’s time in charge, UMass posted 25 30-win seasons, nine 40-win campaigns, one 50-win season and just one losing season.

“Elaine Sortino was the first head coach I worked for when I began my coaching career,” Boston University head coach Kathryn Gleason said. “She is so deserving of this honor. I know her family, friends and all of her UMass softball family is extremely proud to see her inducted with this incredible class of athletes, coaches and administrators. I was so blessed to have been mentored by Elaine, to work with her and, most importantly, to call her my friend and a member of my family. Her spirit, energy and relentlessness lives on in all of us who were lucky enough to be a part of her and her program.”

Kristi Stefanoni, who succeeded Sortino as UMass head coach after coaching with her and playing for her, agreed the honor is fitting.

“I am just one recipient of the remarkable gift that is Elaine Sortino,” Stefanoni said. “She was a great woman, great coach, outstanding leader and mentor who extended an influence that goes far beyond her daunting records of softball victories,

conference championships, NCAA appearances, All-American selections and Women’s College World Series appearances. Elaine impacted me both on and off the field and has left an indelible mark that I carry with me each and every day. She was never afraid to raise the bar and taught us all to never expect anything less than our best.”

Former U.S. Olympic gold medalist Danielle Henderson went 108-35 and tossed 14 no-hitters and three perfect games under Sortino’s direction, before working alongside her as an assistant coach. She returned to the program after Sortino’s death to assist Stefanoni before becoming a head coach herself at UMass-Lowell.

“I feel extremely fortunate to have played for Elaine Sortino,” Henderson said. “She had such a tremendous impact on my life both as a player and a coach. There will never be anybody else like her in this game and she is greatly missed.”

Sortino was inducted into the UMass Hall of Fame in a special ceremony two months after her death in August 2013 at age 63 and has the school’s softball field named in her honor. She is also a member of the Hall of Fame at SUNY Oneonta, her alma mater.

Her love of softball endured even when weakened by cancer her last two seasons, leading to her arranging a car ride to be in the dugout at the 2012 Atlantic 10 Tournament in St. Louis and the NCAA regional in Columbia, Mo., after being banned from flying with the rest of the team by her doctor.

Sortino also served as the Associate Athletics Director for Sports Programs and Student Services at UMass, as well as the school’s Senior Woman’s Administrator. She was the UMass women’s volleyball coach from 1979-86, compiling a 218-134-1 record and oversaw numerous sporting events during her career, including

the 1995 NCAA Women’s Volleyball Championships, the 1998 Men’s Gymnastics East Regional and the 2003 NCAA Field Hockey National Championship.

The other honorees with Sortino were Eve Atkinson, Athlete/Coach/Administrator, Women’s Swimming & Diving, Lacrosse, Field Hockey; Mary Barrett, Administrator; Charles Brown, Coach/Athlete, Basketball, Cross Country, Track & Field; Asa S. Bushnell, ECAC Commissioner; Lou Carnesecca, Coach, Men’s Basketball; Clayton Chapman, ECAC Commissioner/Athlete, Rowing; Bill Cleary, Athlete/Coach/Administrator, Ice Hockey, Baseball; Don Cook, Athlete/Coach/Administrator, Baseball; Joe Dudek, Athlete, Football; Tom Ehrhardt, Athlete, Football; Jayne Finst, Athlete, Gymnastics; Doug Flutie, Athlete, Football; Bill Flynn, Athlete/Coach/Administrator, Ice Hockey; Dave Gavitt, Coach/Administrator, Men’s Basketball; Amber James, Athlete, Track and Field; Jack Kaiser, Coach/Administrator, Men’s Basketball; Rebecca Lobo, Athlete, Women’s Basketball; Bill Moore, Coach/Administrator, Men’s Basketball, Football; Ron Perry, Sr., Athlete/Administrator, Men’s Basketball, Baseball; Sue Peterson Lubow, Athlete/Coach/Administrator, Swimming & Diving; Larry Schiner, Coach/Administrator, Men’s Basketball; Sharon Taylor, Coach/Administrator, Field Hockey; John Toner, Coach/Administrator, Football; and Scottie Whitelaw, ECAC Commissioner/Coach/Administrator/Athlete, Baseball, Football, Track & Field.

SORTINO IN INAUGURAL CLASS FOR ECAC HALLCONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Late UMass softball coach Elaine Sortino during the 2006 season. Photo by Thom Kendall.

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