News and Notes

2009 23U ASA Nationals: The Hurricanes lost the First game 3-1 and then crushed the opposition in the remaining games. By run ruling (by mercy) the remaining teams. Game 2 was 10-0 (5 innings), Game 3 was 14-0 (5 innings), Game 4 was 9-1 (5 innings), Game 5 was 15-0 (5 innings) and the Final game was 11-2 (5 innings).

A note from the Head Coach of Virginia Legends on the 23U games:

“We (VA Legends) lost our 1st bracket play game (4-3 to Wagners in ITB after we beat them 10-3 in pool play and we later beat them 9-2 in bracket play) after winning our 2 pool games and then won 4 in a row.

This put us in the finals against the Hurricanes. They won the Women’s Open last year. The Southern California Hurricanes were the best hitting amateur I have seen in my 10 years of ASA ball. It would probably have taken Cat or Abbott to shut them down. They had 3 NFCA All-Americans (including 2 US Elite players in Langenfield & Roth) and we had 2 NFCA All-Americans (Nemitz who is on the US Elite team headed to the Pan AM games) and FSU P Sarah Hamilton. They put on a hitting exhibition in the finals that was truly amazing. The hit 4 HR’s off my pitching staff (and 14 hits in 4 innings) as I used 5 pitchers and everyone got hit hard as we lost 11-2 in 5 innings.”

Roth Tabbed BIG EAST Softball Player of the Week
Melissa Roth earns her third league honor this season

April 27, 2009
Louisville junior catcher Melissa Roth is the BIG EAST softball Player of the Week after producing a .667 batting average as the Cardinals rolled to a 3-1 record last week. This marks her third BIG EAST Player of the Week nod this season.

The Long Beach, Calif., native had at least one hit in each of the Cardinals' four games last week, including four that went for extra bases. The junior notched a .786 on-base percentage, after being hit by a pitch twice and being walked three times. Roth hit a home run in both of Louisville's wins in the doubleheader with Georgetown on April 25. In the second game of the twin bill with the Hoyas, Roth's two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning gave the Cardinals a 4-2 win in walk-off fashion. She leads the team with 14 homers on the season and is just three home runs shy from tying the school record.

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Canes win 2008 ASA Women's Major Championship

The Finals of the Winner's Bracket

The Hurricanes took the lead in the 2nd inning on a Lead off double by Dani Miller and 2 outs later Roth doubled her home.

In the 5th with 1 out Amanda Kamekona stole second and scored on Mel Sanchez RBI single with Sanchez going to second on the throw home. Langenfeld then followed with an RBI single. In the 7th with 2 out Langenfeld hit a Solo HR to straight away center making the score 4-0. The Extreme did not go quietly in the 7th as they had 3 hits and scored 3 runs before the last batter grounded into an inning ending double play.

The Losers Bracket Final matched the Stratford Brakettes up against the WNY Extreme. The Extreme had put them in the Losers Bracket by a score of 2-1. The winner of this game would play the Hurricanes for the Championship.

The rains then began and did not end for several hours. The fields were left unplayable and the ASA Representatives had to make a decision. Based on the Hurricanes being the lone team without a loss they were declared the CHAMPIONS.

back row left to right: Melissa Sanchez, Nichole Whaley, Dani Miller
middle row: Paul Wilk, Jen Griffin, Megan Langenfeld, MiaSarah Cesena, Angela Turrey
bottom row: Jim Jimenez (partial), Amanda Kamekona, Torrie Anderson, Krystal Heinle, Colleen Roberts,
Amanda Shaw, Melissa Roth, Ken Bailey

Pool Game #1 vs WNY Extreme 7-0
- Krystal Heinle pitched a 1 Hitter with 5 K's
- Melissa Roth tripled in 2
- Amanda Shaw RBI triple
- Megan Langenfeld and Dani Miller
had RBI doubles to lead the way

Pool Game #2 vs St Louis Saints 15-0
- Langenfeld had a 3 inning Perfect Game
- Langenfeld and Melissa Sanchez went 3-3
- Torrie Anderson was 2-2

Elimination Game #1 vs Topton VIP's 9-2
- Heinle pitched a 4 hitter w/4 K's
- Sanchez was 2-2 w/a 2 run HR
- Jen Griffin was 2-3 w/a solo HR
- Melissa Roth was 2-4 with a triple and
single

Elimination Game #2 vs Lady Explorers 9-0
- Langenfeld pitched a 5 inning 1 hitter w/4 K's
- Langenfeld also lead the way with the bat
going 3-3 - a double and 2 singles
- Dani Miller was 2-3 (2 doubles)
- Mel Roth and Nichole Whaley were also 2-3

Elimination Game #3 vs WNY Extreme 4-3

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Hurricane's Mowatt Leads Arizona to NCAA Championship,
Named ESPY Female Athlete of the Year

June 18, 2007
The NCAA News

Arizona faced elimination four times in the Women’s College World Series, but the Wildcats’ confidence never wavered.

Instead, the program’s championship mettle was on full display as the Wildcats rallied from a one-game deficit in the championship series to defeat all-America pitcher Monica Abbott and the Tennessee Lady Vols for the national title in Oklahoma City June 6.

Arizona put an exclamation point on its come-from-behind effort by downing the Lady Vols, 5-0, in Game 3 of the series. Junior pitcher Taryne Mowatt, the tournament’s most outstanding player, finished an incredible performance at the WCWS by wiggling out of jams and eventually shutting out Tennessee for two straight games to help her program register its eighth NCAA championship.

Mowatt received all the offensive support she would need in the bottom of the fifth inning of the deciding game. Sophomore third baseman Jenae Leles delivered a two-run single, and senior second baseman Chelsie Mesa smacked a three-run homer off Abbott, who ended her career as the Division I record holder for wins (189), appearances (253), strikeouts (2,440), shutouts (112) and innings pitched (1,448).

“I had yet to make good contact with Monica and she threw me that same pitch probably 50 times before that,” Mesa said. “I stepped out of the box and told myself

that she wasn’t going to throw it by me again, and I hit it. It was very hard to take my eye off that ball to touch first base. But as soon as it went over I was the happiest person on that field.”

Before the final victory, the Wildcats, 50-14-1, had to win Game 2 of the championship series. Mowatt constantly pitched out of trouble and her teammates scratched across a run against Abbott in the 10th inning of a 1-0 victory June 5.
To earn a shot at Tennessee, Arizona had to beat Pacific-10 Conference rival Washington twice.

“This was one of the most memorable College World Series I have been through in a long time,” said Wildcats coach Mike Candrea, who has led the program to all eight of its national championships. “With the grit and the focus, the relaxation, the fire, T-Mow (Taryne Mowatt), obviously, on the mound, and our seniors stepping up when it counted.”

Abbott, 50-5, had not allowed a run in the WCWS until the 10th inning of Game 2 of the final series.

Tennessee, 63-8, finished its best season by playing for the championship for the first time. The Lady Vols, who finished third in the WCWS the previous two seasons, were able to put people on base against Mowatt but couldn’t come up with a clutch hit in the final two games, stranding 26 runners.

“There is no way you can explain it to our team,” said Lady Vols senior centerfielder Lindsay Schultzler. “We are not walking away as failures, because we did something nobody else has done before at this school (advancing to the WCWS championship game). I think we represented well. Sometimes things just aren’t meant to be.”

Both Abbott and Mowatt put up staggering numbers in the tournament. Abbott struck out 75 batters in the WCWS, which would have been a record if not for Mowatt’s 76 Ks.

Mowatt threw eight complete games in Oklahoma City, which included more than 1,000 pitches in 60 innings. Mowatt excelled at limiting damage with runners on base.
“I definitely put myself in a lot of tough situations,” Mowatt said. “I just stuck with it and let them hit it into the defense. My defense was there behind me to make the plays.”

“The Pac-10 prepares you for weeks like this because we are used to going out every weekend and playing the very best,” Candrea said. “I never saw a doubt in my kids’ eyes. After our first loss, they did the same thing every day, they felt confident. Truthfully, they went out and had fun.”

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Schutt Hurricanes win 2005 ASA Women's Major Championship

8/17/2005
STRATFORD, Conn. – Suzy Brazney got her wish – a national championship -- after announcing earlier in the week that the ASA Women’s Major Fast Pitch National Championship, which concluded here Tuesday evening, would be her last after a 26-year career.

With Brazney behind the plate, the Schutt Hurricanes of Burbank, Calif. come-from-behind to defeat the Stratford Brakettes, 3-2, at DeLuca Hall of Fame Field in the championship game to finish undefeated (5-0).

The Brakettes, who were seeking their fourth national title in a row and

27th overall, finished 4-2 in the championship and 51-17 for the season, which was their last as an amateur team. In 2006, the Brakettes will become the seventh team to join the National Pro Fastpitch League.

“We didn’t hit,” said Brakettes manager John Stratton.” And the error didn’t help us either. Maybe I should have pulled Pauly earlier. But I asked her if she was tired and she said she wasn’t.”

The Brakettes got only four hits off winning pitcher Taryne Mowatt, but the error that Stratton mentioned turned out to the key play of the game.

After losing pitcher Sarah Pauly fanned Mallory Miller for her 12th strikeout in the top of the seventh, Danielle Peterson singled and Gabby Guerrero hit a sharp grounder to Brakette first baseman Kim Wendland, who looked toward second to get the lead runner. Her throw was off-target, however, and sailed into left field. On the play, Peterson advanced to third.

So instead of two outs and a runner at first, the Hurricanes had runners at the corners and only one out against Pauly, who then gave up a pair of run-scoring singles to tournament MVP Ashley Herrera and Kim Gonzalez before Stratton brought in University of Texas standout Cat Osterman, who got Krista Colburn to bounce into a fielder’s choice and struck out Becky Turi to end the inning.

Trailing 3-2 after leading 2-1 through the first six innings, the Brakettes went down 1-2-3 against Mowatt in the bottom of the seventh. Mowatt, who put the Brakettes into the loser’s bracket Monday night with a 1-0 win in eight innings, fanned Callie Piper and Amanda Jensen to end the game. She finished with four strikeouts and, after giving up three hits in the second inning, allowed only one hit the remainder of the game. One of the hits she allowed in the second inning was a two-out single by Callie Piper to give the Brakettes a 2-0 lead before the Hurricanes pulled to within one by scoring a run in the fourth on an error by Brakette center fielder Linda Secka.

For her outstanding pitching Mowatt, who was 8-1 for the University of Arizona this year, was named winner of the Bertha Tickey Award, which is named after former Brakette and National Softball Hall of Fame pitcher. The award has been given annually since 1967.

After the game the Hurricanes, who finished fourth a year ago, said they would give the championship trophy to Kathy Roberts, widow of former head coach and team founder Mike Roberts, who died 18 months ago of a heart attack. The Hurricanes dedicated this national championship to Roberts and Brazney, with each Hurricane wearing an orange visor with Roberts’ initials on it.

“It’s a nice way to wrap it up,” said the 43-year-old Brazney, who is the head softball coach at Golden West Junior College in Huntington Beach, Calif. and also was named a first-team All-America. It was the 19th time she has been named an ASA All-American and the third time she has been a member of a national championship team. Her other ASA national championships were in 1984 and 1987.

Besides Brazney, Mowatt, outfielder Krista Colburn and Herrera, the Hurricanes placed shortstop Becky Turi and pitcher Monica Abbott on the All-America first team. Joining them are: Kristen Brust, 1B, Storm USA; Callie Piper, 3B, Brakettes; Courtney Lewis, Storm USA, outfield; Amanda Jensen, Brakettes, outfield; Denise Denis, Brakettes, outfield; Anne Wells, utility, Storm USA; Kristie Rochette, utility, Connecticut Classics; Jennifer Dykstra, utility, Storm USA; and Pauly, pitcher, Brakettes.

Named to the second team were: 1B – Kristin Lotti, Stratford Breakers; 2B – Erica Sobel, Brakettes; 3B – Amy Hillel, Storm USA; SS – Lovena Chaput, Stratford Brakettes; OF – Jamie Dacey, Storm USA; Linda Secka, Brakettes; Jessica Brady, Storm USA and Germaine Fairchild, Brakettes; Utility – Kelly Ogden, Storm USA; Brianna Hout, Buffalo Bisons; Amanda Acompora, Connecticut Classics; Catcher –Killian Roessner; Pitchers – Lauren Anderson, Storm USA; Danielle Shields, Storm USA and Viveca Patterson, New Jersey Divas.

Back row from left to right: Ken Bailey, #11 Ashley Herrera, #21 Danni Hall, #13 Krista Colburn, #7 Monica Abbott,
#9 Becky Turi, #30 Kristen Dedmon, #2 Stefanie Draper, Paul Wilk

Front row from left to right: #10 Gabby Guerrero, #24 Mallory Miller, #25 Taryne Mowatt,
#20 Danielle Peterson, #55 Suzy Brazney, #17 Kim Gonzalez

Organization Established 2003