Sources have confirmed to RTS that Western Michigan Coach Kathy Leitke will retire. Leitke coached the Broncos for 22 seasons amassing 478 victories. She guided WMU to the 2003 and 2011 MAC tournament crowns, leading to NCAA regional appearances both seasons. The 2022 Western Michigan squad finished 22-32.
Waldorf Names Uhlenhopp Head Coach
Waldorf has named Justin Uhlenhopp their new head coach. Uhlenhopp spent this season as interim co-head coach before being promoted. He joined the Warriors as an assistant coach for the 2021 season. The 2022 squad finished 10-28 under his leadership.
NAIA Announces Postseason Field
The NAIA announced today the 40-team field and pairings for the 2022 National Championship Opening Round. 33 automatic qualifiers were given to conference regular-season champions, tournament champions and tournament runners-up, while seven teams were selected at-large. Each of the 10 locations feature a four-team, double-elimination tournament format May 16-18. The 10 opening round champions will advance to the NAIA World Series in Columbus, Ga., May 26-June 1. The qualified teams, sites, and schedule for the NAIA Championship can be found at https://www.naia.org/…/2021-22/Releases/2022_OR_Schedule
New No. 1 In DI
There is a new No. 1 in this week’s USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Coaches Poll!…. Just kidding. Still all Sooners. Oklahoma (48-1) sits atop the poll for the 27th consecutive week. Some new flavors added in the Top 10 as both Arizona State (37-8) and Duke (40-7) join the fray.
| Rank | School (First Place Votes) | Points | 2022 Record | Prev. Ranking |
| 1 | Oklahoma (32) | 800 | 48-1 | 1 |
| 2 | Virginia Tech | 767 | 40-6 | 2 |
| 3 | Florida State | 737 | 49-5 | 3 |
| 4 | Arkansas | 693 | 41-9 | 5 |
| 5 | Alabama | 658 | 41-10 | 6 |
| 6 | UCLA | 636 | 40-8 | 4 |
| 7 | Oklahoma State | 574 | 38-12 | 7 |
| 8 | Arizona State | 563 | 37-8 | 12 |
| 9 | Duke | 540 | 40-7 | 11 |
| 10 | Washington | 502 | 34-13 | 9 |
| 11 | Northwestern | 498 | 39-9 | 8 |
| 12 | Florida | 450 | 41-15 | 10 |
| 13 | Tennessee | 430 | 38-15 | 14 |
| 14 | Kentucky | 395 | 35-16 | 13 |
| 15 | Clemson | 301 | 37-14 | 18 |
| 16 | Texas | 294 | 37-16-1 | 17 |
| 17 | Auburn | 290 | 39-14 | 15 |
| 18 | Georgia | 270 | 40-15 | 16 |
| 19 | Notre Dame | 231 | 39-9 | 20 |
| 20 | LSU | 217 | 34-20 | 19 |
| 21 | UCF | 181 | 44-12 | 21 |
| 22 | Oregon | 124 | 31-17 | 22 |
| 23 | Michigan | 110 | 34-15 | 23 |
| 24 | Missouri | 69 | 33-19 | 24 |
| 25 | Louisiana | 38 | 41-11 | RV |
New to Poll: No. 25 Louisiana
Dropped Out: No. 25 Arizona
Receiving Votes: Stanford (10), Arizona (8), Nebraska (7), Ole Miss (3), Georgia Tech (3), San Diego State (1).
Catawba, Morgan Part Ways
RTS has learned that Catawba College and head coach Mandy Morgan have parted ways. Morgan coached the Indians for four seasons compiling a 65-77 overall record. Before joining Catawba she was the head coach at West Georgia from 2011-2016.
NFCA Names Cal JC All-Americans
The National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) has announced its 2022 Cal JC All-America teams. Twenty-six student-athletes were recognized from the State of California. The North Region featured four honorees from College of San Mateo and three by San Jose City College. Bakersfield College along with JUCO Powerhouse Mt. San Antonio College featured three student-athletes apiece from the South Region. The complete list of all-Americans can be found at https://nfca.org/div…/caljc/nfca-cal-jc-all-americans-2022
Yale Names Ricciardone Head Coach
In a surprisingly quick move, Yale has promoted assistant coach Laura Ricciardone to be the program’s new head coach. Ricciardone joined the Bulldogs’ staff as an assistant coach in 2019 working with the pitchers and on defense. Prior to joining Yale, Ricciardone was the assistant coach, recruiting coordinator and camp director at South Florida. Yale just released former head coach Jen Goodwin last week.
NCAA Announces DIII Championship Field
NCAA announced the selections for the Division III Softball Championship on Monday. 62 teams were paired in 15 four team regionals and one two team regional.
The regional sites and host institutes include:
Amherst, Massachusetts – Amherst
Angola, Indiana – Trine
Ashland, Virginia – Randolph-Macon
Cleveland, Ohio – Case Western Reserve
Decatur, Illinois – Millikin
Geneseo, New York – SUNY Geneseo
Glenside, Pennsylvania – Arcadia
Greencastle, Indiana – DePauw
Marshall, Texas – East Texas Baptist
Medford, Massachusetts – Tufts
Newport News, Virginia – Christopher Newport
Salisbury, Maryland – Salisbury
Seguin, Texas – Texas Lutheran
St. Paul, Minnesota – Bethel (Minnesota)
St. Joseph, Minnesota – Saint Benedict
Union, New Jersey – Kean
The complete regional pairings and bracket can be found at https://www.ncaa.com/brackets/softball/d3/2022
NFCA Announces 25 Finalists For DII National Player and Pitcher Of The Year
The National Fastpitch Coaches Association announced on Monday the 25 finalist for the 2022 Schutt Sports/NFCA Division II National Player and Pitcher of the Year. The list of finalists feature a graduate student, 10 seniors, nine juniors, four sophomores, and one freshman representing 25 programs from 15 different conferences. The winner of each award will be announced on June 2, following the conclusion of the 2022 season. The complete list of finalists can be found at https://nfca.org/…/schutt-sports-nfca-dii-player…
Bourgoyne Charles Resigns At Delta State
Delta State has announced the resignation of head coach Casey Bourgoyne Charles. Bourgoyne Charles spent 14 seasons leading the Lady Statesmen. During her tenure 23 athletes received all-conference recognition, while 11 earned All-South Region. The 2022 DSU squad finished the season 20-28.