Rounding Third Softball

Husson University Infielder Kenzie Dore has been named the 2021 Schutt Sports/NFCA Division III National Freshman of the Year. Dore hit .455 with 30 runs, 45 hits, eight doubles, three triples, four homers and 38 RBI, plus 14 walks, five steals and just seven strikeouts in 115 plate appearances. Husson finished the season 29-3 and 16-0 in North Atlantic Conference play while reaching the finals of the NCAA Bangor Regional.

Mike Smith will be returning as head coach at California Baptist University RTS has confirmed.

Smith coached the Lancers for eights seasons between 2004-2011 building an NAIA powerhouse and winning a National Championship in 2009. He last coached between 2015-2019 turning the program at Ole Miss from the SEC bottom-dweller, to national contender. The Rebels appeared in the NCAA Postseason four straight seasons, the programs first ever NCAA appearances, and made two Super Regional appearances in 2017 and 2019. Ole Miss won the the 2017 SEC Tournament Title which was also a first in program history. Before his stint at Ole Miss, Smith spent 2011-2014 at McNeese State where he led the Cowgirls to the Southland Conference Championship in 2013 and 2014.

California Baptist will be in their last probational year in Division I as a member of the WAC in 2021-22 after making the transition from Division II. Current head coach Bill Baber, a longtime confidant and assistant of Smith, will remain on the Lancer coaching staff.

University of Indianapolis Pitcher Kenzee Smith has been named the 2021 Schutt Sports/NFCA Division II National Freshman of the Year. Smith posted a 23-3 mark in the circle with a 1.21 ERA and 173 strikeouts over 167.1 innings of work for the Greyhounds. UIndy finished the 2021 season 46-8 and advance to the NCAA DII Midwest Regional Finals.

The best eight collegiate softball teams in the country won’t be the only ones descending on Oklahoma next week. USA Softball has announced that the Women’s National Team will play a set of exhibition games against the USSSA Pride starting next week in the Sooner State. Team USA will play in Stillwater on June 2, 6, and 7 at Cowgirl Stadium. On June 4 the Red, White, and Blue will compete at The Mecca of Softball at Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City. The USWNT and the Pride will play at 11 am CST that morning before the evening session of the Women’s College World Series.

The National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) has announced the 2021 Division II All-Americans. The teams, voted on by the DII All-American Committee, is made up of 54 student-athletes from 43 different programs.

First Team

P, Morgan Perry, Saint Anselm College

P, Mackenzie Ward, Minnesota State University, Mankato

P, Kenzee Smith, University of Indianapolis

C, Shanna McBroom, West Texas A&M University

1B, Hannah Marsteller, Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania

2B, Sydni Hawkins, Missouri Western State University

3B, Alyssa Herrera, Georgian Court University

SS, Nicole Pennington, Valdosta State University

OF, Lauren Wedman, Colorado Mesa University

OF, Kendall Cornick, Augustana University

OF, Ruby Salzman, West Texas A&M University

UT-P, Hannah Rose Corbin, Columbus State University

DP or UT-Non-P, Lauryn Henderson, Academy of Art University

At-Large-C, Faith Willenbrock, Millersville University of Pennsylvania

At-Large-1B, Tatum Brummitt, University of North Carolina at Pembroke

At-Large-P, Kylee Smith, University of North Georgia

At-Large-UT-P, Ellie Smith, Colorado Mesa University

At-Large-C, Bailey Byers, Malone University

Second Team

P, Ashley Mickschl, Augustana University

P, Abbey Busby, Palm Beach Atlantic University

P, Ally Muller, Adelphi University

C, Ashley Perez, University of Texas at Tyler

1B, Mahina Sauer, Southern Nazarene University

2B, Sam Catron, Hillsdale College

3B, Nicole Purtell, Shepherd University

SS, Margaret Simmons, University of North Georgia

OF, Rajene Bowe, Dominican College

OF, Shelby Robb, Metropolitan State University of Denver

OF, Allie Miller, Auburn University at Montgomery

UT-P, Sidney Booth, Northwest Nazarene University

DP or UT-Non-P, Kylee Leonhardt, Lenoir-Rhyne University

At-Large-DP or UT-Non-P, Izzy Starr, Humboldt State University

At-Large-P, Callie Nunes, Concordia University Irvine

At-Large-SS, Tatum Dow, Western Washington University

At-Large-OF, Taylor Shingler, Maryville University of St. Louis

At-Large-P, Kali Crandall, Oklahoma Christian University

Third Team

P, Ali Shenefield, Rollins College

P, Payton Foster, University of Texas at Tyler

P, Hannah Beatus, Grand Valley State University

C, Kat Donzella, West Liberty University

1B, Molly Cobb, Auburn University at Montgomery

2B, Kiley Robb, Valdosta State University

3B, Teala Howard, University of West Florida

SS, MaKray Odom, Trevecca Nazarene University

OF, Mary Pardo, Augustana University

OF, Courtney Barnhill, Angelo State University

OF, Caitlyn Canady, Columbus State University

UT-P, Ava Fitzmaurice, University of New Haven

DP or UT-Non-P, Torri Chute, Augustana University

At-Large-3B, Kaitlyn Weis, Northwest Missouri State University

At-Large-UT-P, Morgan Hill, Valdosta State University

At-Large-1B, Jenna Lipowski, Kutztown University of Pennsylvania

At-Large-P, Andrea Morales, Rogers State University

At-Large-OF, Gabrielle Simms, University of the Sciences

The National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) has announced the 2021 Division III All-Americans. The teams, voted on by the DIII All-American Committee, is made up of 55 student-athletes from 41 different programs representing the NCAA’s eight regions.

First Team

P, Julie Graf, St. Olaf College

P, Cami Henry, DePauw University

P, Kennedy Carruth, Belhaven University

C, Jessica Goldyn, Virginia Wesleyan University

1B, Claire Fountain, George Fox University

2B, Sadie Erickson, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire

3B, Savannah Vargas, George Fox University

SS, Sarah Reinert, Alvernia University

OF, Taylor Skraba, Benedictine University (IL)

OF, Kelly Jurden, Texas Lutheran University

OF, Abby Mace, Salisbury University

UT/P, Alex Braun, Emory & Henry College

DP or UT/Non-P, Kenzie Dore, Husson University

At-Large-P, Hanna Hull, Virginia Wesleyan University

At-Large-1B, Angela Huepfel, St. Catherine University (MN)

At-Large-SS, Sarah Miller, Case Western Reserve University

At-Large-UT/P, Brooke Matyasovsky, Eastern Connecticut State University

At-Large-DP or UT/Non-P, Rebecca Snow, Texas Lutheran University

Second Team

P, Jessica Wilcox, Alfred University

P, Sydney Goldman, Brandeis University

P, Gina Followell, Concordia University Wisconsin

C, Becca St. Germain, DePauw University

1B, Kaleigh O’Brien, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater

2B, Taylor Campbell, Maryville College (TN)

3B, Sydney Schultz, Luther College

SS, Ashley Lugo, Alfred University

OF, Cassie Woods, Eastern Connecticut State University

OF, Sarah Johnson, Geneva College

OF, Kelly O’Gorman, SUNY Cortland

UT/P, Riley Shields, Alvernia University

DP or UT/Non-P, Allison O’Toole, Alfred University

At-Large-UT/P, Emily Trotman, St. John Fisher College

At-Large-3B, Kaitlyn Hasty, Christopher Newport University

At-Large-C, Jenna Trewyn, Milwaukee School of Engineering

At-Large-2B, Hannah Garcia, East Texas Baptist University

At-Large-P, Hannah Tomasko, Aurora University

Third Team

P, Brooke Stock, Babson College

P, Elly Novak, College of Saint Benedict

P, Ashlyn Strother, Texas Lutheran University

C, Brooke Wehr, Moravian College

1B, Lexi Szesnat, SUNY Cortland

2B, Kylee Bundy, Pennsylvania State University, Behrend

3B, Mackenzie McIntire, Pennsylvania State University, Behrend

SS, Becky Pieroni, Concordia University Chicago

OF, Samantha Schattin, Stevens Institute of Technology

OF, Annie Clayton, Birmingham-Southern College

OF, Grace Heath, University of Mount Union

UT/P, Olivia Howe, The College of St. Scholastica

DP or UT/Non-P, Anna Jackson, Berry College

At-Large-1B, Hannah Matthies, St. Olaf College

At-Large-SS, Alehia Tucker, Mount St. Joseph University

At-Large-C, Hannah Ritter, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh

At-Large-1B, Kaci Sherwood, Wartburg College

At-Large-P, Emily Seale, Virginia Wesleyan University

At-Large-DP or UT/Non-P, Tauryn Cummings, East Texas Baptist University

Western Illinois assistant coach Collin Hopkins will join the coaching staff for the USA Junior Men’s National team for the summer. Hopkins will assist USA Softball as a pitching coach. A former player in the National Team Player Pool, he competed for the 18U Team USA squad. Hopkins just finished his first season on the the Leathernecks coaching staff.

The House of Mouse must have a softball fan. Collegiate Softball is coming to major network television as the Super Regional matchup between No. 1 national seed Oklahoma and No. 16 seed Washington will air this weekend on the ABC Network. The game being played in Norman will start at 3 pm EST on Saturday, and will be Game 2 of the Super Regional between the Sooners and Huskies. ABC along with ESPN is owned by parent company Disney.

Seeds and matchups are set for the NCAA Division III Championship Finals. The participating teams represent the eight regional champions crowned over the weekend. The DIII Championship will be held May 27-June 1 in Salem, Virginia.

Participating teams, matchups, and seeding:

No. 1 DePauw

No. 8 Wisconsin-Oshkosh

No. 4 Texas Lutheran

No. 5 Tufts

No. 2 Virginia Wesleyan

No. 7 St. Thomas

No. 3 Birmingham-Southern

No. 6 Rochester

Seeds and matchups are set for the NCAA Division II Championship Finals. The participating teams represent the eight regional champions crowned over the weekend. The DII Championship will be held May 27-31 in Denver, Colorado.

Participating teams, matchups, and seeding:

No. 1 Augustana

No. 8 Valdosta State

No. 4 North Georgia

No. 5 Biola

No. 2 St. Anselm

No. 7 West Chester

No. 3 Grand Valley State

No. 6 West Texas A&M