Rounding Third Softball

International education was the name of the game this past weekend in Germany. U.S. Native Coaches Monti Van Brunt and Michael Bastian made the trip to the Deutschland for a national clinic for coaches in the DBV (German Baseball/Softball Federation). Van Brunt an assistant coach at Dallas Christian College, and Bastian the operator of The Fastpitch School (TFS) instructed in the areas of offense, defense, and pitching during the clinic. Both coaches are no stranger to the international game as they have been involved with National Programs in the United States, Germany, China, Czechia, and The Netherlands.

Jan McDonald has announced she will retire as Director of Athletics at North Greenville University at the end of this spring. McDonald served NGU for 41 years, including 18 as head coach of the softball program. She started the program in 1985. McDonald guided the Crusaders through transitions from junior college competition to the NAIA, the NCCAA, and finally into NCAA Division II.

USA Softball has announced the U-18 Women’s National Team Roster. The squad will compete later this summer at the WBSC U-18 Women’s Softball World Cup Group Stage event in Dallas, Texas August 29-September 2. 16 athletes were selected through USA Softball’s High Performance Program (HPP) to represent the Red, White, and Blue.

Paislie Allen INF

Harlie Chism INF

Payton Crank OF

Addisen Fischer P

Lexie Hames P

Cameryn Harrison P

McLaine Hudson INF

Ella McDowell INF

Elsa Morrison C

Sofia Mujica C

Isabella Ruggiero C

Townsen Thomas OF

Saylor Timmerman P

Cayden Tullier INF

Brooke Wells INF

Payton Westra OF

RTS has learned that longtime coaching stalwart and Northern California Legend Tim Kiernan will be named coach for the La Crosse Steam of the new Northwoods League. Kiernan coached Sacramento City College for 34 seasons amassing a 1141-273 record, while winning 22 conference championships and three CalJC State Titles. He also spent time coaching top squads on the club level and in the various incarnations of the women’s professional softball league.

The new summer collegiate softball league will launch this June with four teams in La Crosse, WI; Minot, ND; Madison, WI; and Mankato, MN. The Northwoods League is no stranger to collegiate summer competition, having fielded one of the top summer collegiate baseball leagues for over three decades.

The Southeastern Conference has released their Preseason Coaches’ Poll. The Tennessee Lady Vols have been picked to win the conference barely edging out Georgia by one point. Both squads received six first-place votes, while Florida garnered one.

1. Tennessee (6) 137

2. Georgia (6) 136

3. LSU 106

4. Arkansas 103

5. Auburn 100

6. Alabama 88

7. Florida (1) 77

8. Texas A&M 75

9. South Carolina 68

10. Kentucky 53

11. Missouri 28

12. Ole Miss 24

13. Mississippi State 19

California Baptist has broken ground on a new softball clubhouse at John C. Funk Stadium. The 11,445-square-foot building is located between the softball and baseball facilities, and will service both programs. The facility will feature new locker rooms, sports medicine space, coaches’ offices, and a conference room. The structure will also feature balconies overlooking the field. Completion for the projected is slated for this fall.

Go to CBU Athletics Provides an Update on Baseball and Softball Clubhouse – CBU Athletics (cbulancers.com) for images.

Hall of Fame Coach Mike Candrea has been named Interim Athletic Director at the University of Arizona. The former Wildcat Head Coach steps-in for Dave Heeke who has resigned after serving in that capacity for seven years in Tucson. Candrea had a career coaching record of 1,674–433–2 while winning eight DI National Championships.

Former All-American Miranda Elish has been hired as interim head coach at Andrean High School in Indiana. The Crown Point native takes over after serving as Associate Head Coach in 2023 on the program’s state runner-up squad. The three-time Gatorade High School Player of the Year competed on the collegiate level at Oregon, Texas, and Oklahoma State.

Softball America has released their Division I Preseason Top 25. To no surprise the back-to-back-to-back defending National Champion Oklahoma Sooners sit atop.

1	Oklahoma	61-1
2	Tennessee	51-10
3	Florida State	58-11
4	Stanford	47-15
5	Clemson	49-12
6	Georgia	42-15
7	Texas	45-15-1
8	Arkansas	40-19
9	Duke	48-12
10	UCLA	52-7
11	Baylor	40-18
12	LSU	42-17
13	Utah	41-16
14	Oklahoma State	47-16
15	Nebraska	36-22
16	Oregon	38-17
17	South Carolina	40-22
18	Virginia Tech	39-20
19	Texas A&M	35-21
20	Auburn	43-19
21	Alabama	45-22
22	Washington	44-15
23	Louisiana	50-16
24	Florida	38-22
25	San Diego State	39-17

Rachel Balkovec is expected to be named farm director for the Miami Marlins. Balkovec, the first female to manage a minor league team, has worked in professional baseball the past decade. She spent the past two years managing the Tampa Tarpons, the New York Yankees’ Single-A affiliate. Balkovec played collegiate softball at the Creighton University, before transferring to the University of New Mexico where she was a catcher for the Lobos.