Today we learn about a California girl who has committed to an SEC school, a Texan who’ll be playing Big 12 ball, feature a Pic of the Day and honor the College Players of the Week…

 

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PLAYER PROFILE: KELLIE WHITE

Grad Year: 2016
Pos: P/OF
High School: Mater Dei (Chula Vista, Calif.)
GPA: 3.8
Club: Batbusters-Fox
College: Ole Miss

 

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StudentSportsSoftball.com: It’s always exciting to hear how a player gets to go through the recruiting process… tell us how you were first seen by the Ole Miss coaches, then how long until they offered?
Kellie White: The Ole Miss Coaching Staff watched me play in a showcase in Arizona. After discussing with my travel ball coaches how the fall season progressed, they invited me to their softball camp in late January 2014 and about a week later made an offer.

 

SSS.com: Do you have any ties to the South?  Have you been in the region before?
KW: No family in the Wouth but my Aunt Shannon, Uncle Dan and Grandmother live in Florida. I’ve never played in the south before, but am looking forward to it.

 

SSS.com:  Regarding your unofficial visit to Ole Miss, what did you think of the campus, the history there, the culture and the students?
KW: The campus was beautiful and just an awesome experience. Everyone was so friendly and the pride in the school and their accomplishments were evident. The softball team players were sincere and honest. I can’t wait to be a part of the Ole Miss family.

 

SSS.com: When did you decide to commit and what led into the decision?
KW: I decided to commit because I wanted to play outside of California and experience something new. It just felt so right and Coach Windy, the staff, players, and the academics there was nothing not to like. After discussing with my family and travel ball coaches, it was an easy decision.

 

SSS.com: How did you tell the coaches, in person, on the phone, on an unofficial visit?
KW: I called Coach Windy on a Friday evening and put the speaker phone on so we could all participate. My older brother was so excited he posted it on Twitter immediately.

 

SSS.com: Describe your emotions around telling them, were you more nervous or more excited?
KW: Very excited!

 

SSS.com:  You play with a teammate on the Batbusters, Livy Schiele, who’s going to the SEC also… a little friendly rivalry growing perhaps?
KW: No, I love Livy and she is a phenomenal player. It will be nice to see a familiar face when we play each other. We are both competitive.

 

SSS.com: How about the distance from home… was that a factor in your decision at all?
KW: It does make me a little nervous but my parents and family will be making trips to Mississippi to see me play.

 

SSS.com:  What do you think about playing in the SEC?
KW: I want to play with and against the best and the SEC is part of an elite conference that continues to be a powerhouse in softball.

 

SSS.com:  Tell us what pitches you throw and what is your “out” pitch when you gotta have that last strike…
KW: I have six pitches at this time: fastball, change up, curve, screw, rise and drop . My “out” pitch right now is the curve or screw.

 

SSS.com: What’s been a top memory or two for you in your softball career?
KW: Winning a National Championship in All Stars when I was 11 years old and I pitched the championship game. Another one is winning the CIF championship last year as a freshman and again pitching the championship game. I love being in pressure situations and coming through for my team.

 

Quick Hitters (short answers)

 

What do you think is most serious topic facing our nation today?
Healthcare.

Favorite cereal:
Coco Krispies.

What’s your dream vacation?
Hawaii.

What type of bat do you use (and why do you like it)?
Easton.

How would you rate your singing ability?
Ten out of ten!

What’s playing in your earbuds/headphones right now?
Beyoncé.

What’s something unusual or different about you that few know?
I was named after my Uncle Kellie who was killed in a construction accident when he was 21.

If you wrote an autobiography, what would the title be?
The Kellie White Experience.

What would make you more nervous, pitching in front of 5,000 people or giving a speech in front of 20?
Giving a speech in front of 20.

What is your favorite part of being a softball player?
Everything.

Do you see yourself as a role model?
Yes; I tend to lead by example.

 

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RECRUITING SPOTLIGHT OF THE DAY: TARIN TRAVIESO

High school: Antonian College Prep
City: San Antonio
State: 
Texas
Grad year: 2017
Club: Texas Bombers Gold 16U
Position(s): P/1B
Height: 5-5

Stats & Honors: currently hitting .568 with 31 runs (tied for second in the city) with 22 RBI; in the circle has a 2.00 ERA with 46 strikeouts

College: Kansas
Other Offers: Penn State, Southern Miss, Texas-San Antonio
Why Kansas? “I wanted to compete at the highest level possible but at the same time go to an excellent school for academics. I also loved the coaches as well as the facilities. Kansas was a perfect fit for me and I can’t wait to play there!”

What is your favorite bat: “My favorite bat was the black and light blue Xeno by Louisville Slugger. I liked it because the weight was balanced and felt really solid.”
What bat does your team use? “My club team was associated with Louisville Slugger, so I used the white and light blue Xeno. But this season my club team is transitioning over to Worth. I am very excited to try out the ‘Worth 2 Legit’ bat.”
What is your favorite brand of cleats? 
Mizuno
What is the uniform brand you prefer? “I prefer ‘TheGluv’ uniform brand

 

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PIC OF THE DAY:

*** Cassidy “Cat” Blount smiles as she exchanges looks—and apparently laughs—with Newton Co. (Miss.) Assistant Coach Randy Bishop in Monday nights 11-0 win over Clarkdale.    Cat and Coach Bishop communicate back and forth on pitches, calls, batter location and maybe a few jokes along the way during high school softball action.

I love this photo as it displays the fun that softball is–and should be!

 

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COLLEGE NEWS: PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

*** A 2-0 week in the circle that included a pair of wins over then-No. 2 Florida and her first save of the season in a third game earned Alabama Senior Pitcher Jaclyn Traina (Naples, Fla.) USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Week honors for Week Seven the Amateur Softball Association (ASA) of America and USA Softball announced today.

The pitching ace also helped her case from the plate going 4-for-9 for a .444 average on the week. With the wins, the Crimson Tide improved to 27-5 on the season and 8-1 in Southeastern Conference (SEC) play, good enough to jump three spots to No. 5 in this week’s ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 poll.

“It’s a tremendous honor to be named USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Week,” said Traina. “It’s a great award and I am just blessed to be part of this great program at Alabama. It’s an honor to receive this award but I never could have earned it without the help of my teammates.”

On Wednesday, with her team clinging to a three-run lead, Traina entered the game in the seventh and earned her first save of the season as Alabama defeated Georgia State 3-1.

Traina went 2-0 over the weekend, throwing two complete-game victories against the second-ranked Gators. On Friday, she allowed just two runs, one earned, and two hits as Alabama won 4-2. In Sunday’s rubber match, Traina pitched one of her finest performances of the season, throwing a complete-game shutout with just two hits allowed, both of which came in the first two innings. The two hits allowed in each game are a season low for Florida, who had lost just two games before this weekend.

“It’s a tremendous honor for Jaclyn,” said Head Coach Patrick Murphy.  “It’s not easy to go into Gainesville in front of huge crowds all weekend and beat them twice on their own turf. I think Sunday may have been her best game of the year so far.”

This season, Traina holds an 11-2 record with a 1.84 ERA. She has allowed just 23 earned runs and has struck out 99 batters, averaging 1.13 K/IP and holding a 2.54 K/BB ratio. Against ranked teams, Traina is 3-1 with just three earned runs over 27.0 innings pitched.

This is the first USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Week honor for Traina and the first for an Alabama player since Kelsie Dunne earned the award in Week 14 of the 2010 season.

2014 USA Softball National Collegiate Players of the Week

Week 1 (Feb. 6-9): Kylee Lahners – Washington – Junior – Infielder– Laguna Hills, Calif.
Week 2 (Feb. 10 -16): Aimee Creger – Tulsa – Senior – Pitcher– Yukon, Okla.
Week 3 (Feb. 17-23): Ally Carda – UCLA – Junior – Pitcher – Elk Grove, Calif.
Week 4 (Feb. 24 – March 2): Cheridan Hawkins – Oregon – Sophomore – Anderson, Calif.
Week 5 (March 3-9): Dallas Escobedo – Arizona State – Senior – Pitcher– Glendale, Ariz.
Week 6 (March 10-16): Alex Hugo – Georgia – Sophomore – Infielder – Olathe, Kan.
Week 7 (March 17-23): Jaclyn Traina – Alabama – Senior – Pitcher – Naples, Fla.

 

*** Senior pitcher/utility player Jaclyn Traina of Alabama and junior shortstop/outfielder Sammy Marshall of Western Illinois have been chosen as the Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division I Co-National Players of the Week for games played over March 17-23.

Traina, the reigning Southeastern Conference Pitcher of the Week, was her often dominant self from the circle, especially during the Crimson Tide’s high-profile series at then-No. 1 Florida, posting a 2-0 record with a save, a 0.93 ERA and 11 strikeouts over 15 total innings of work.

After earning a save during a 3-1, mid-week triumph over Georgia State, the Naples, Fla., native picked up the win in the series opener at top-ranked UF, allowing one earned run on just two hits with six strikeouts in a complete game effort as ‘Bama won 4-2. Starting Sunday’s rubber-match, Traina was even more dominant from the circle, twirling a two-hit shutout as UA earned the series victory via a 7-0 romp. Thus far in 2014, Traina is 11-2 overall with a 1.84 ERA, eight complete games, two solo shutouts and 99 K’s over a team-leading 87.1 innings of effort.

“It’s a tremendous honor to be named NFCA National Player of the Week,” said Traina. “It’s a great award, and I am just blessed to be part of this great program at Alabama. It’s an honor to receive this award, but I never could have earned it without the help of my teammates.”

“It’s a tremendous honor for Jaclyn,” Alabama head coach Patrick Murphy said. “It’s not easy to go into Gainesville in front of huge crowds all weekend and beat them twice on their own turf. I think Sunday may have been her best game of the year so far.”

It’s hard to top perfection, and that’s exactly what Marshall accomplished this past weekend during a three-game series at IUPUI on the way to earning Summit League Player of the Week accolades. The Naperville, Ill., native was a perfect 11-for-11 (1.000 batting average) from her lead-off position in the line-up with seven runs scored, seven stolen bases, two doubles, a HR and four RBIs.

After going 3-for-3 with two tallies, a double and an RBI during Saturday’s doubleheader opener, she followed that up with a 4-for-4 effort that included two runs scored, four steals, a two-bagger and an RBI. During Sunday’s series finale, Marshall again went 4-for-4 to go along with three tallies, two steals, a HR and two RBIs. She currently leads the NCAA in batting average (.547), is tied for first in runs per game (1.44) and is sixth in both on-base percentage (.594) and stolen bases per game (0.88) while having reached safely in every game this season. Marshall has been held hitless only once while playing a schedule that has included match-ups against nationally ranked teams such as Oklahoma, Tulsa and Auburn.

“I’d like to thank the NFCA for this award…honestly, I never thought this was possible, this is an unexplainable honor,” Marshall said. “Last weekend, I just tried to read the defense and take advantage of what I saw. I’ve always wanted to be a dynamic player getting the team started any way possible, and in the later innings, come through with runners on. If I don’t come through, I know we have players behind me who will, and I have the utmost confidence in every single one of them. We have such a great team, and I have so many teammates who are just as talented as me that I don’t have to put any added pressure on myself. We had two good wins this past weekend because of the production from every part of our order. This award wouldn’t mean anything without the success of the team, and I’m so happy I get to share this honor with my teammates.”

“Sammy worked hard in the offseason to improve every facet of her game at the plate, she didn’t want to be known as just a slapper or as a hitter,” Western Illinois head coach Holly Van Vlymen said. “This past weekend she read the situations very well and executed the game plan we had set when she was at bat and on the bases. She is one of the leaders on this team and leads by example with her work ethic and dedication on and off the field. This team feeds off each other, and with Sammy batting leadoff, she provides a spark for the offense with her confident approach at the plate. Everyone in the lineup knows they can remain relaxed, and that confidence resonates from top to bottom in the order.”

Selected Top Performances

Oregon’s Alexa Peterson, the PAC-12 Player of the Week, batted .857 (6-for-7) with five runs scored, four extra-base hits and 13 RBIs in a three-game league series at Utah…Cheyenne Cordes of California hit .684 (13-for-19) with seven tallies, three HR’s and 10 RBIs over six games against Grand Canyon, Princeton and Santa Clara…Kansas’ Harli Ridling batted .480 (12-for-25) with two doubles, four HR’s and 11 RBIs and was responsible for the game-winning HR in an upset of #8 Kentucky…Arizona’s Katiyana Mauga batted .615 (8-for-13) with three doubles, four HR’s and 10 RBIs over a five-contest stretch against UNLV and Oregon State…Middle Tennessee’s Laura Dukes was a perfect 9-for-9 at the dish with four doubles, a HR and six RBIs, including a 1-1 effort with a HR and two RBIs versus #3 Tennessee…Ohio State’s Evelyn Carrillo batted .700 (7-for-10) with two HR’s and six RBIs during the Buckeyes’ sweep of Michigan State…USF’s Sara Nevins was 3-0 with a 1.88 ERA and 34 K’s over 18 innings while also tossing her second no-hitter of the season during a win over UConn…Oklahoma’s Shelby Pendley batted .625 (5-for-8) with a walk-off single in the first game against LSU and made three appearances from the circle while earning a save in the finale versus the Bayou Bengals…Norfolk State’s Robyn Mitchell batted .500 (9-for-18) with four HR’s and 16 RBIs against Rider and Coppin State…Creighton’s Liz Dike, the BIG EAST Player of the Week, went 6-for-9 at the dish with five HR’s and 10 RBIs…Loyola Marymount’s Sterling Shuster, the West Coast Conference Player of the Week, led LMU by hitting .500 (10-for-20) with a HR and 10 RBIs over seven contests… Shelby Turnier earned American Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week accolades after garnering three wins with 36 K’s and a 0.61 ERA while also tossing her first career no-hitter in a victory versus Memphis… Courtney Brandt, the Atlantic Sun Conference Player of the Week, batted .500 (9-for-18) with five HR’s and 14 RBIs last week combined against Marist, Buffalo and ETSU… Madison Shipman earned SEC Player of the Week honors after hitting .429 (6-for-14) with a double and seven RBIs against a combo of Middle Tennessee and South Carolina… Tori Chiodo reached base 12 of the 13 times she appeared at the plate for the Boilermakers during a sweep of Penn State, batting .778 for the week with 11 RBIs to be named Big Ten Conference Player of the Week… Sarah Fobbs batted .583 (7-for-12) with four HR’s and seven RBIs while tallying at least one hit in four straight contests… Taylor Newton hit at a .625 clip (5-for-8) with three HR’s and eight RBIs to earn Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Week.

2014 Louisville Slugger Division I National Player of the Week
Feb. 11 – Griffin Joiner – Kentucky – Jr. – C – Hopkinsville, Ky.
Feb. 18 – Bryana Walker – Washington – Sr. – P – La Quinta, Calif.
Feb. 25 – Anna Miller (Co-) – USC Upstate – Sr. – P – Portland, Ore.
Ally Carda (Co-) – UCLA – Jr. – P/UTIL – Elk Grove, Calif.
March 4 – Lacey Waldrop – Florida State – Jr. – P – Chester, Va.
March 11 – Dallas Escobedo – Arizona State – Sr. – P – Glendale, Ariz.
March 18 – Sydney O’Hara – Syracuse – Fr. – P/OF/1B – Cicero, N.Y.
March 25 – Jaclyn Traina (Co-) – Alabama – Sr. – P/UTIL – Naples, Fla.
Sammy Marshall (Co-) – Western Illinois – Jr. – SS/OF – Naperville, Ill.

 

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