Fastpitch Players Sign with Jackson State and Florida A&M

JSU's Jasmine Warren

Gainesville, FL - Two members of the 2011 Mid-Florida Conference Santa Fe College Saints Fastpitch team have signed letters of intent with NCAA universities, Coach Chris Ahern announced. Jasmine Warren signed with Jackson State University (Jackson, MS) and Venica Brown signed with Florida A&M University (Tallahassee, FL).

FAMU's Venica Brown

Warren, a pitcher and outfielder the past two seasons for Santa Fe, has signed with Jackson State University, a NCAA Div. I school in the Southwestern Athletic Conference. In 2011, first year head coach Rich Fremin led the Tigers to their first ever NCAA Regional Tournament appearance and the SWAC tournament championship.

A duel position player at SF, Warren started 17 games at pitcher for the Saints as a sophomore, finishing with a 10-3 record and a 1.48 ERA. As a hitter, she had a .314 average (48-for-153) with five doubles, 10 RBI and a team leading 22 stolen bases.

Brown has signed her letter of intent with Florida A&M, a NCAA Div. I university in the Mideastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). The Rattlers are coached by Veronica Higgins and finished the 2011 season with a 26-26 overall record and a 8-4 mark in the MEAC.

As a sophomore, Brown came off the bench as the back-up catcher and drove in seven runs in 36 plate appearances.

For complete schedules and more information on Saints Fastpitch, please visit www.sfcollege.edu/athletics.

By Santa Fe College Media Relations

JSU Softball Claims First SWAC Title

IRONDALE, Alabama - The Jackson State Lady Tigers softball team defeated the Mississippi Valley State Devilettes 6-2 in the 2011 Southwestern Athletic Conference championship game Sunday evening at Shea Brothers Field. With the win Jackson State wins its first conference championship in softball and claims the SWAC's automatic bid to the NCAA regional.

The Lady Tigers never trailed in the championship finale against Valley. Wendi Reed, the tournament MVP, opened the game with a solo home run and Farren Wright scored on an Arianna Smith single to give JSU a 2-0 lead in the first inning.

Reed scored a run for JSU in the third on a Wright single. Valley scored two runs in the bottom of the third to cut the lead to 3-2. Anesha McClendon helped increase JSU's lead to 4-2 when she hit a solo homer in the sixth. JSU put the game out of reach in the seventh when Reed hit a two run blast to off the left field foul pole, scoring LeEthel Guillory.

Jackson State entered the tournament as the second seed in the eight-team double-elimination field. The Lady Tigers were one game out from elimination, but came back to defeat Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Alcorn State twice to stay alive.


Videographer: SupportJacksonState

Jackson State became the third team from the state of Mississippi to win the softball crown in the last three seasons. Alcorn State and Mississippi Valley State were the previous two winners.

Jackson State and first year head coach Rick Fremin will now await its seeding into the NCAA Softball Tournament. The selection show airs Sunday, May 15 at 9 p.m. CST on ESPNU.

2011 SWAC All-Tournament Team
CeCe Kolesar, Arkansas-Pine Bluff
Kiah Williams, Southern
Audrey Phillips, Southern
Jasmine Hubbard, Alcorn State
Bianca Armstrong, Alcorn State
Nicole Burr, Mississippi Valley State
Alex Robertson, Mississippi Valley State
Janell Plaza, Jackson State
LeEthel Guillory, Jackson State
Wendi Reed, Jackson State (MVP)

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Tahoma High's Sammii Jimenez signs on the dotted line with Texas Souther University

Covington, Washington - Tahoma High's Sammii Jimenez signed on the dotted line Monday afternoon.  Jimenez, a senior pitcher for the Bears fastpitch team, committed to play on scholarship at Texas Southern University located in Houston, Texas.

She celebrated with teammates, friends and family at Tahoma as she signed the paperwork. Jimenez plans to major in education. She hopes to teach kindergarten. "They have the major that I'm looking for," she said. "It also had a family feel and I love the atmosphere."

Texas Southern is a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference, the SWAC. "I went down there in January... and I loved it," she said. "The weather was perfect. I loved it."

SIGNING PHOTOS

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TSU softball team continues to shine

Houston, TX - The Texas Southern softball team is surging at the right time.

The Tigers swept rival Prairie View A&M in a three-game series over the weekend at Memorial Park to improve to 20-22 overall and 11-3 in Southwestern Athletic Conference play. TSU, which has won nine of its last 10 conference contests, has a 3½-game lead over Grambling State in the SWAC Western Division.

The Tigers dismantled Prairie View in convincing fashion. Sophomore Rebecca Villarreal tossed a one-hit shutout in Friday's run-ruled 9-0 victory, and TSU polished off the sweep with Saturday's 11-3 (5 inn.) and 7-2 wins.



The TSU All-Sports Athletics Banquet will include the Football Championship Ring Ceremony

The Texas Southern Football Championship Ring Ceremony will now take place on Thursday, April 14th along with the Texas Southern 2010-11 All-Sports Athletic Banquet.

“In light of our recent changes, we had many complications in continuing with the original plans for the football ring ceremony,” said TSU athletics director Dr. Charles McClelland. “Therefore, we will have the ceremony along with our overall athletics banquet where all the student-athletes, supporters and administrators can enjoy the event.”

The All-Sports Banquet will be held at the Intercontinental Houston Hotel (2222 West Loop South) at 7:00 pm in the Discovery Center Rooms A&B.

Members of the 2010 championship football team will be presented with their rings and recognized for their accomplishments. The 2010 TSU Tigers Football team defeated Alabama State to capture TSU’s first lone football championship title.

Outstanding student-athletes from all Texas Southern sports will also be recognized for their accomplishments both on and off the playing field.

If you purchased a table or tickets to the football ring ceremony, those tickets will be honored for the combined event on April 14th. If you cannot attend, the athletics department will offer refunds. Please contact Tonia Kirven for more information at 713-313-7048 or kirventm@tsu.edu.

By Rodney Bush, TSU Sports Information Director

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NCAA's: Alabama Softball Beats Alcorn State, 9-0

Alabama Softball Beats Alcorn State, 9-0

Tuscaloosa, Ala. - - The Alabama softball team (49-9) opened NCAA postseason play with a convincing 9-0 victory over Alcorn State (24-25) Friday evening in game two of the Tuscaloosa Regional at the Alabama Softball Complex. With the win the Crimson Tide has run off 25 straight victories, tying the third longest winning streak in school history. “We talked about whoever we play, you play your best and respect the opponent by coming out and playing a great game,” UA head coach Pat Murphy said. “I think we did just that. Lauren Sewell did a really good job and Amanda Locke was awesome in the three batters she faced. We scored in every inning and that’s what we do.”

Tide slugs its way past Alcorn State

TUSCALOOSA | Alcorn State coach Kevin Montgomery figured his team's only chance against the University of Alabama softball team would be if the Crimson Tide took his Lady Braves lightly in the first round of the NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional. Fat chance. Alabama (49-9) needed less than an hour-and-a-quarter Friday to send Alcorn State (24-25) to the loser's bracket with a 9-0 victory, shortened to five innings by the mercy rule. The Crimson Tide, the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament, won for the 25th time in a row, extending the nation's longest winning streak.

“We talk about whoever we play — no matter the opponent, the situation, the site — you play your best and you respect the opponent by coming out and playing a great game,” Alabama coach Patrick Murphy said. “I think we did just that. “We scored in every inning. That's kind of like our … what we do. That's how we roll.” Alabama got rolling early against the Lady Braves, scoring two runs in the first inning and adding three in the second and three more in the third.

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Alcorn State will face the University of Alabama-Birmingham in an elimination game Saturday at 4 p.m.

Alcorn State Claims 2010 SWAC Softball Championship Title‎

The (Alcorn State University) Lady Braves started the day with an 11-2 rout over Grambling State to secure a place in the championship game against the six-time defending champion (Mississippi Valley State University) Devilettes. In the first inning of the title game, MVSU’s first two batters, Ashley Hobbs and Angelica Wade hoisted home runs out of the park, giving Alcorn State an early 0-2 deficit. However, the Lady Braves answered back at the top of second with a Jennie Hatch homer that drove home two runs. The game would remain knotted at two all for the next five innings.

After a brief rain delay at the top of the eighth inning, Alcorn State returned from the hiatus re-energized as the Lady Braves rattled off three hits while scoring four runs to take the 6-2 lead. The Devilettes looked poised for a scoring surge of their own after an Angelia Jones homer at the bottom of the eighth. However, MVSU wasn’t able to score again, halting a six-year conference championship win streak. Alcorn State was led by Rachel Morris who was 2-for-4 in the game while Haleigh Eubanks led the way for the Devilettes, going 3-for-4.

This is Alcorn State’s first conference championship since 1997, when they were co-champions with Grambling State. With the win, the Lady Braves are automatic qualifiers for the NCAA regional tournament. The softball selection show is set for Sunday, May 16 at 9 p.m. (CT) on ESPNU.

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MVSU Softball Pounds A&M

DEVILETTES DEFEAT BULLDOGS 14-7

The Mississippi Valley State Devilettes women's softball team pushed its undefeated conference win streak to 12 with a competitive 14-7 victory over the visiting Alabama A&M Bulldogs. MVSU (28-12, 12-0 SWAC) were led by Ashley Hobbs and Haleigh Eubanks - both going 3-for-4 in the contest. Rashundra Brass, Ta'Niya Wallace and Angelia Jones each had two hits in the contest. Eubanks also drove in three runs shile Brass and Wallace each drove in two.

Alabama A&M (7-17-1) were paced by Re'Quincia Mack and Sabrina Hurns, who each had two hits in the contest. Hali Buie drove in three runs for the Bullogs. The contest opened with both starting pitchers (Buie for AAMU and Lauren Derting for MVSU) going strong for two innings. After both no-hit bids were broken by singles to left field, MVSU got on the scoreboard in the third inning as Angelia Jones homered to center field. A Eubanks single to right center gave the Devilettes a 2-0 lead after three innings of action.

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MVSU Devilettes falls to LSU and East Carolina in NCAA Tournament

Mississippi Valley State fell to LSU 8-0, and East Carolina 4-2 to end their SWAC Championship season at 28-28.

BATON ROUGE, La. - The East Carolina softball team defeated Mississippi Valley State, 4-2, for its first-ever NCAA Tournament victory Saturday afternoon before 945 fans at LSU's Tiger Park. The Pirates improve to 37-29 on the season and 1-1 in the Baton Rouge Regional. The Devilettes end their season at 28-28 after making their fifth appearance in the NCAA Championship.

MVSU jumped ahead in the top of the second. Angelia Jones doubled with one out which moved Megan Hays to third base. Hays had walked to lead off the inning. Then, Pirate hurler Brooke Swann unleashed a wild pitch that allowed Hays to score, putting the Devilettes ahead 1-0.

ECU responded in the bottom half of the second. Back-to-back doubles by Vanessa Moreno and Angel Barrella tied the game before Cristen Aona belted a long ball off of the scoreboard to score Barrella, making the score 3-1 in the Pirates' favor.

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Mississippi Valley tops Southern U for SWAC softball title

PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas — Mississippi Valley State won its fifth straight Southwestern Athletic Conference softball title Sunday. And for the second year in a row and the fourth time in that run, Valley did so by beating Southern. As it was last season, Southern forced a second game only to have Valley win.

Tournament Most Outstanding Player Brittany Franklin went the distance as Valley won the championship game 6-3. Earlier, Southern junior Lauren Dodd’s sixth-inning grand slam lifted the Lady Jaguars to a 5-2 win in the first game.

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Alabama A&M expects stronger defense

Photo: Re'Quincia Mack, SWAC preseason Player of the Year, Junior, 5-8 Centerfielder, Buckhorn H.S., Huntsville, AL. Mack batted last season .361 with 8 homers, 28 RBIs, 48 hits, scored 37 runs and had a .932 fielding percentage.

New coach Brown says team can make tournament

Nedra Brown is hoping to do for Alabama A&M's softball program what she did for the Bulldogs' volleyball team. Brown guided the volleyball program to the Southwestern Athletic Conference championship last October in her first season. She'll try to do the same thing in softball.


Photo: Debra Borcherding, SWAC preseason Pitcher of the Year, Senior, Right Handed Pitcher, Ames H.S., Ames, IA. Borcherding was 8-16 with a 5.41 ERA last season on a bad defensive club.

"We want to be competitive every time we take the field," said Brown, whose team opened the season Saturday dropping a doubleheader at Tennessee State. "If we can do that and improve over the course of the season, we'll have a chance to get into the (SWAC) tournament and hopefully make a run at it."

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AAMU 2008 SCHEDULE
(Date Opponent / Event Location Time / Result

Sat., Feb. 16 at Tennessee State Nashville, Tenn. L, 7-2
at Tennessee State Nashville, Tenn. L, 6-3

Univ. of Memphis Tournament
Fri., Feb. 22 vs. Ark.-Pine Bluff Southaven, Miss. 12:00 pm CT
vs. Evansville Southaven, Miss. 4:30 pm CT
Sat., Feb. 23 at Memphis Southaven, Miss. 2:15 pm CT
vs. Morehead State Southaven, Miss. 4:30 pm CT
Sun., Feb. 24 vs. SE Missouri Southaven, Miss. 10:00 am CT

Tue., Feb. 26 vs. Auburn Huntsville, Ala. 1:00 pm CT
vs. Auburn Huntsville, Ala. 3:00 pm CT
Tue., Mar. 4 at Tenn.-Martin Martin, Tenn. 1:00 pm CT
at Tenn.-Martin Martin, Tenn. 3:00 pm CT

SWAC East-West Roundup
Fri., Mar. 7 vs. Ark.-Pine Bluff * Shreveport, La. 10:00 am CT
vs. Southern * Shreveport, La. 1:00 pm CT
Sat., Mar. 8 vs. Texas Southern * Shreveport, La. 1:00 pm CT
Sun., Mar. 9 vs. Prairie View * Shreveport, La. 10:00 am CT
vs. Grambling * Shreveport, La. 1:00 pm CT

Wed., Mar. 12 vs. Memphis Huntsville, Ala. 2:00 pm CT
vs. Memphis Huntsville, Ala. 4:00 pm CT
Fri., Mar. 21 vs. Alabama State * Huntsville, Ala. 3:00 pm CT
Sat., Mar. 22 vs. Alabama State * Huntsville, Ala. 12:00 pm CT
vs. Alabama State * Huntsville, Ala. 2:00 pm CT
Fri., Mar. 28 at Jackson State * Jackson, Miss. 5:00 pm CT
Sat., Mar. 29 at Jackson State * Jackson, Miss. 12:00 pm CT
at Jackson State * Jackson, Miss. 2:00 pm CT
Mon., Apr. 7 vs. Belmont Huntsville, Ala. 2:00 pm CT
vs. Belmont Huntsville, Ala. 4:00 pm CT
Fri., Apr. 11 vs. Miss. Valley * Huntsville, Ala. 4:00 pm CT
Sat., Apr. 12 vs. Miss. Valley * Huntsville, Ala. 12:00 pm CT
vs. Miss. Valley * Huntsville, Ala. 2:00 pm CT
Fri., Apr. 18 at Alcorn State * Alcorn State, Miss. TBA
Sat., Apr. 19 at Alcorn State * Alcorn State, Miss. TBA
at Alcorn State * Alcorn State, Miss. TBA

SWAC Tournament
Thu., Apr. 24 SWAC Tournament Houston, Tex. All Day
Fri., Apr. 25 SWAC Tournament Houston, Tex. All Day
Sat., Apr. 26 SWAC Tournament Houston, Tex. All Day
Sun., Apr. 27 SWAC Tournament Houston, Tex. All Day

Tennessee State Softball Sweeps Alabama A&M in Opener

Tennessee State Sports Information

Nashville, Tenn.--- The Tennessee State University softball team opened the 2008 season with a sweep over visiting Alabama A&M University (7-2, 6-3) Saturday at Tiger Field. TSU moves to 2-0 while A&M falls to 0-2.

Leading 2-0 in the fifth inning of game one, TSU posted five runs on five hits and three A&M errors. The Bulldogs rallied to score two runs on two hits in the seventh inning before the Lady Tigers went on to win 7-2.

Photo: Alabama A&M University Lady Bulldogs 2008 Softball Team

TSU jumped ahead 5-0 in the second game following a three run, four hit inning in the third. Alabama A&M scored one run in the fifth and two runs in the sixth inning but TSU would go on to win the game 6-3.

Amanda Vaught picked up both wins with a total of 18 strikeouts. Brittany Webb led with four RBI’s and registered a triple in the first game.

TSU returns to action this Wednesday at home against Lipscomb University in a double header. Game time is scheduled for 2 p.m. at Tiger Field.

Alabama A&M will play at the University of Memphis Tournament beginning on Friday before returning for the home opener vs. Auburn on Tuesday, February 26.

SWAC picks Southern University softball 1st, baseball 2nd

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The Southwestern Athletic Conference released its preseason baseball and softball predictions and all-conference teams Thursday, with the Southern men picked to finish second in Western Division and the SU softball team picked to win the West.

In baseball, Southern was picked behind Prairie View in the West. Prairie View got 12first-place votes and 90 points, while Southern got the remaining eight first-place votes and 85 points. Despite not being tabbed the favorite in the West, Southern baseball players dominated the preseason All-SWAC team.

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