Done with the 2014 and 2015 Hot 100 lists (initial versions) so we’re moving on to gathering info for the 2016’s!  Read how to submit your favorite player for consideration.  Also, we profile a talented NorCal scholar-athlete who’s heading out of state but still will play in the Pac-12.  We also profile another Californian and then go to the East Coast to learn of the commitment of an ACC-bound athlete.  Finally, though we don’t cover college softball as much as club and high school, we do like to present news from time to time and have the preseason Top 25…

 

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TIME TO START GATHERING 2016 INFO!

We’re still catching our breath from running the 2014 and 2015 Hot 100’s, but want the dozens of you coaches, players and parents tied into 2016 athletes that you’re up next!  This will take a while, but let’s start now to gather names and recommendations for the top sophomores in the country.

Club and high school coaches: please e-mail me your recommendations and present a case as to why your favorite 2016 should be considered to make the list.  Email: brentt@studentsports.com

Player and parents: fill out the Recruit Form link and be sure to send in photos (action and head shots both if possible).

We’ll keep you posted as to the timing of the launch of the 2016 prospects–best guess as of now is it will be in the 4-8 week range.

— Brentt Eads

 

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PLAYER PROFILE: MARISA GIVEN

Grad Year: 2015

Pos: outfield/utility
High School: Notre Dame (Salinas, Calif.)
GPA: 4.26
Club: Sorcerer 18Gold
Honors: Academic: ASB Commissioner of Activities / CSF (California Scholarship Federation); Softball: three year varsity player,  2013 Central Coast Section Div. 3 Champions and 3^rd ranked D4 school in Calif..  Basketball: three year varsity player.
College: Oregon

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StudentSportsSoftball.com: Playing for the Sorcerer program, what does wearing the club team’s colors mean/symbolize to you?
Marisa Given: Phil Mumma, who unfortunately passed away this past September, built one of the best softball programs in the country and for me to wear the team colors gives a sense of pride and responsibility.  It’s great to be able to say I’m on one of the best teams in the country, but I also need to make sure that I am constantly showing what it means to be a Sorcerer.

SSS.com: Tell us how you were first seen by the Oregon coaches, then how long until they offered?
MG: The first time the Oregon coaches really saw me was at their fall elite camp in 2012.  I committed at the winter elite camp in 2013, only 4 months later.  Her father, John, adds: Marisa was actually first contacted by Oregon via her travel coach after 14UPGF Nationals.  We’re not sure how many times they watched her play.  She attended the fall camp two months after PGF and that was the first time that Marisa was able to interact with the coaches.

 

SSS.com: When did you decide to commit and what led into the decision?
MG: I decided that I wanted to go to the University of Oregon during the fall camp when I first saw the school.  The whole landscape and the vibe of the school was exactly what I wanted, and I could not be happier with my decision.

SSS.com: How did you tell the coaches, in person, on the phone, on an unofficial visit?
MG: I told the coaches over the phone.

 

SSS.com: How many times have you been to the Duck campus?  And what do you think of their facilities?
MG: I have been on the campus three times, and am getting ready to leave for my fourth visit.  The facilities are absolutely amazing and up to date.  There’s talk of a new stadium being built in the next few years and that would just be icing on the cake.

 

SSS.com: How far away from home will be?  Was distance a factor in your decision at all?
MG: Distance was a consideration, but was not a huge factor in my decision.  I wanted my parents to be able to come watch my games and with games at Stanford and Cal every year or two, that shouldn’t be a problem.  Also, the number of televised games is going up and will make it much easier for them to watch on the Pac-12 network.

 

SSS.com:  What makes you a Pac-12 caliber softball player?
MG: One of my biggest strengths is that I am a very smart player.  What I like to call my “softball IQ” is very high.  Physically, I have a very strong arm in the outfield, and am a great all around hitter.

 

SSS.com: What’s stands out so far as the pinnacle of your softball career?
MG: My best memory of my career was definitely committing to my dream school.  Nothing beats that moment when all the hard work pays off.

 

 

Quick Hitters

 

 

What’s a fun weekend for you include?
A fun weekend includes hanging out with friends, watching sports games, and— especially during the season—when I get to go play tournaments.

You’re about two hours from the Bay Area… do you go there much and if so what do you like to do?
I don’t go to the Bay Area very much except for practices.  I’m not a huge fan of the big bustling cities, but to visit once in a while is very fun.

Favorite fashion item(s):
Socks and shoes.

What kind of bat do you use (and do you like it)?
My favorite bat of all time is the Easton (Purple) Stealth and Sorcerer is sponsored by Easton so that works out good.  Oregon uses DeMarini bats so I’m starting to use those in preparation for that.

Least favorite characteristic in a person:
Lack of a sense of humor.

Which do you spend more time on: phone, tablet (iPad), laptop or headphones/iPod?
Phone.

What’s your dream vacation?
African Safari, sky diving, cage diving, sand surfing, etc.

When was the last time you were really scared?
Three days ago when there was a spider crawling up my leg!

What’s something unusual or different about you that few know?
I really like to draw, most people don’t know that.  I hope to minor in some art form in college.

How would your friends describe you in one word?
Funny.

If you were stranded on a desert island and could only take one thing with you, what would it be?
I would bring an unlimited amount of apples (one of my favorite foods).

What’s your No. 1 goal for 2014?
To be better overall than I was in 2013.

 

 

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RECRUIT SPOTLIGHT: KAITLYN JENNINGS

High school: Los Osos
City: Rancho Cucamonga
State: 
Calif.
Grad year: 2015
Club: American Pastime Gold
Position(s):  outfield/second base
Height: 5-4
Stats & Honors: 2013: Outfield Player of the Year; Scholar Athlete; hit .414 with .494 on-base percentage
College: Fresno State
Why Fresno State: “From the minute I stepped onto the campus, I knew it was the place for me. The coaches and I hit it off really well, and I loved how the entire community rallied behind the entire school and athletics programs.”

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RECRUITING NEWS:

*** Brooke Burns, a 2016 shortstop who plays for the Carolina Elite Team Mizuno program, has verbally committed to North Carolina.

Brooke committed in December before the holidays when she made an unofficial visit to the Tarheel campus.  She had previously toured Central Florida, Nebraska and College of Charleston and was scheduled to visit Kentucky the following week, but feel in love with UNC when she visited the ACC school.

“It was mainly the coach,” she explained today, “and the atmosphere felt like home.  It felt like I wasn’t that far away from home either.”

Her father, Rocky, added that, “the coaches seemed like at North Carolina it wasn’t just about softball, but academics too.  Coach [Donna J.] Papa seems like she’s a Momma figure.”

Brooke and her family live 3 ½ hours away in Chapin, S.C., 20 miles west of Columbia, and as a freshman last year at Chapin High set a school record with 37 RBI while hitting .472 and adding five home runs—all top numbers on her team.  She also earned All-State and All-Region honors.

During the summer and fall the sophomore infielder played for Carolina Elite Team Mizuno and hit .456 with 12 home runs and 60+ RBI.

One cool thing about Brooke, who’s nickname is “Bird,” is that she is on the home page of the website for famed hitting coach Charlie Lau (lauhitting.com).

“He saw her swing at one of the tournaments and fell in love with it and her one handed finish,” her father explained.

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COLLEGE PRESEASON RANKINGS ARE OUT:

Tennessee, last season’s national runner-up to Oklahoma, will start the 2014 campaign at No. 1 as the Tennessee Lady Vols (52-12) received seven first-place votes and totaled 729 points to hold down the top spot in the USA Today/NFCA Division I Preseason Top 25.

The lofty ranking marks the first time the Big Orange has started off a season in the top position as well as the initial instance for the program to be rated No. 1 since back on May 9, 2007.

Defending national champion Oklahoma (57-4) received 17 of 32 possible first-place votes, but trails Tennessee by nine points in this year’s initial ranking. National semifinalist Washington (45-17) received a single first-place nod to sit at No. 3, while fellow Women’s College World Series participants Florida (58-9 – six first-place votes) and Michigan (51-13 – one first-place vote) hold down slots four and five, respectively.

Alabama (45-15) sits at No. 6 with Arizona State (50-12), Oregon (50-11), Nebraska (45-16) and Texas (51-10) rounding out the top 10.

The Southeastern Conference led the way overall with eight total selections, while the Pacific-12 Conference boasted six and the Big 12 Conference three teams in the preseason rankings. The Big 10 Conference, the American Athletic Conference and the Sun Belt Conference each boasted a pair of squads in the listing, while the Atlantic Coast Conference and Conference USA each saw a single team among the top 25.

The USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Poll is voted on by 32 NCAA Division I head coaches, one representing each conference. Final 2013 records are shown, first-place votes are in parentheses.

 

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USA Today/NFCA Division I Softball Poll – Preseason — Jan. 21, 2014

 

Rank	Team	2013 Record	Totals	Final 2013 Rank
1	Tennessee (7)	52-12	729	2
2	Oklahoma (17)	57-4	720	1
3	Washington (1)	45-17	702	4
4	Florida (6)	58-9	684	5
5	Michigan (1)	51-13	652	6
6	Alabama	45-15	604	10
7	Arizona State	50-12	593	7
8	Oregon	50-11	576	9
9	Nebraska	45-16	572	8
10	Texas	51-10	532	3
11	Texas A&M	42-18	383	13
12	Kentucky	41-21	374	14
13	Louisiana Lafayette	47-15	367	12
14	Missouri	38-14	357	11
15	Florida State	44-19	317	15
16	UCLA	40-20	282	21
17	LSU	42-16	269	18
18	Baylor	42-17	244	20
19	Louisville	48-13	235	19
20	South Alabama	48-9	194	17
21	UAB	40-19	181	16
22	Stanford	39-21	164	22
23	Georgia	40-21	149	RV
24	California	38-19	125	23
25	USF	45-16	98	RV

 

Others Receiving Votes:  Hawai’i (86), Arizona (45), Arkansas (28), Hofstra (27), Tulsa (23), Wisconsin (21), N.C. State (16), Auburn (10), Long Beach State (8), Notre Dame (8), Virginia Tech (8), Houston (6), BYU (5), Oregon State (3), North Carolina (2), Western Kentucky (1)

 

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Players, parents and coaches:  want to know the best way to get us info on your favorite player?  Fill out our Recruit Form link and complete.  It comes directly to me (Brentt) and you very likely could see the info used somewhere on our site!

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If you’d like to submit information, forward to brentt@studentsports.com.  Also, follow us on twitter at @SS_Softball.