Rounding Third Softball

Northwest Missouri State has found their new head coach. Naomi Tellez will take over the program after Ryan Anderson coached the Bearcats for 15 seasons. The relatively young coach comes from North Dakota after serving as the pitching coaching for the Fighting Hawks. In the 2021 season the UND pitching staff had a 3.63 ERA and a combined 17-33 record.

The Pre-WCWS Virtual Press Conferences start in just 45 minutes. The fifteen minute pressers will feature each head coach and one selected player TBD. No. 1 Oklahoma kicks it off at 12:30 pm CST. Check-in on Twitter @Rounding3rdSB for real-time updates and insight from each conference.

Pre-WCWS Virtual Press Conference Schedule (all times CST):

Oklahoma 12:30

Alabama 1:15

James Madison 1:30

Arizona 2:15

Oklahoma State 2:30

UCLA 3:15

Georgia 3:30

Florida State 4:15

Ave Maria University has parted ways with head coach John Kelly RTS has confirmed. Kelly spent four seasons leading the Gyrenes after joining the program from Georgia Tech. He compiled a record of 81-86.

It was a clean sweep for the Oklahoma Sooners on Tuesday evening with freshman Tiare Jennings and senior Jocelyn Alo picking up two of most prestigious awards in Collegiate Softball.

Jennings received the NFCA/Schutt Sports Freshman of the Year Award. Jennings is the nation’s top run producer hitting .485 with 84 RBI and 1.42 runs scored per game. She also ranks in the NCAA’s top five in slugging (1.059), home runs (25), doubles (22), and hits (82).

Alo was named the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year. Alo hit .487 this season, while also leading the nation in home runs with 30 hitting at least one in 28 of her 52 games played. She drove in an impressive 82 runs on the season with a slugging percentage of 1.1135.

RTS is on the ground for Women’s College World Series Week. We will be bringing you complete top to bottom coverage all week from here in Oklahoma City.

Coverage will start tonight with the announcements of the NFCA/Schutt Sports DI Freshman of the Year and the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year at 7 pm CST.

Our coverage will continue Wednesday with the coaches/players pre-WCWS Virtual Press Conferences starting at 12:30 pm CST. This years press conferences and traditional team practice sessions at Hall of Fame Stadium are closed to the public and media due to safety protocols. The National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) will also announce their Division I All-American Teams virtually on Wednesday at 3 pm CST.

Thursday the WCWS begins and our coverage will start with the Session 1 matchup between No. 1 ranked Oklahoma and No. 22 James Madison, and continue through the completion of this years championship. Follow RTS on Twitter @Rounding3rdSB for real-time updates, insider information, and all the happenings throughout the week here at the WCWS.

Drexel Head Coach Carl Taylor and his entire coaching staff have been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of an internal investigation by the university. The investigation pertains to what the school termed “troubling allegations of misconduct” in the treatment of student-athletes. Taylor just completed his seventh season leading the program. The Dragons finished the 2021 season 29-12 overall and 13-5 in CAA play.

West Texas A&M has secured the program’s second National Championship defeating Biola 4-1 in the NCAA Division II Final. The Lady Buffs needed three games to dispatch the upstart Eagles in the championship tilt as both teams split the first games in the title series. WTAMU won their first championship back in 2014.

Virginia Wesleyan has won the NCAA Division III National Championship defeating the defending champions (2019) Texas Lutheran 9-1. The Marlins and Bulldogs stretched the championship series to three games as they each split the first two. The national title is the third in five years for VWU having won back-to-back championships in the 2017 and 2018 seasons.

Longtime international coaching stalwart Monti Van Brunt will join the coaching staff at Dallas Christian College RTS has learned. DCC will have their first season of competition in 2022. Van Brunt is a 17 year veteran in softball serving on national team staffs of China, the Netherlands, Germany and the Czech Republic. In addition he had a stint on staff at the University of Mount Olive. Van Brunt also coached on the club level in the U.S. and in the Italian and Dutch Softball Leagues. Dallas Christian appointed Pat Hallahan as the program’s first head coach earlier this year.

Rock Valley College has won its seventh consecutive NJCAA Division III National Championship. The Golden Eagles ripped through the championship tournament out scoring opponents 57-3 and defeated Corning Community College 13-2 in the finals. RVC owns the record for most consecutive national titles across all three NJCAA divisions.