Author: jmcleod

Former Cal State Fullerton star and NPF player Missy Taukeiaho has announced her retirement as a player. “This past summer, I officially played my last game and am choosing to hang up the cleats,” Taukeiaho said in a social media post last week. Taukeiaho starred for the Cal State Fullerton Titans from 2014-2016, after beginning her career at the University of Washington for one season. At Fullerton, Taukeiaho made her mark as not only one of the nation’s best at the time, but also as one of the finest in the Titan program’s history. Three times an NFCA all-American, each…

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Cal State Fullerton freshman pitcher Taylor Dockins threw a no-hitter against the University of San Diego on Thursday night. On the eve of her team’s weekend venture to the Mary Nutter Classic, Dockins threw five innings of no-hit ball, limiting the Toreros to just two base runners in the game, one via a walk and one who reached on an error. Dockins’ Titans put together a four-run fifth inning to end the game via the run rule and help close the door on the rookie hurler’s first career collegiate no-hitter. Dockins also struck out two batters in the game that…

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Upsets highlight the first day of the Mary Nutter Classic, week 2 The Mary Nutter Classic met and exceeded expectations on the first day of the thirty-two-team three-day tournament, with dramatic finishes, great pitching, and surprising upsets. Entering the weekend 14-0, the Auburn Tigers bested Notre Dame in their first game in Cathedral City, but were shocked in a late-inning comeback by the Wisconsin Badgers with a final of 3-2 in favor of the team from the Big Ten. A fielder’s choice and throwing error allowed the Badgers to score two runs in the sixth inning and secure a lead that they would not…

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The second week of the Mary Nutter Classic takes place this weekend, and with thirty-two collegiate teams, as well as Team Japan and the USSSA Pride, in town for the weekend, there is sure to be a lot of exciting softball going on in Cathedral City. Here are eight players to keep an eye on during the tournament. Alexis Holloway, Notre Dame Notre Dame enters Cathedral City with a 6-3 record. The Irish are coming off of a weekend when they took three out of four in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge against Minnesota and Michigan. Holloway, a freshman pitcher, earned…

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The Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic takes place every year. A two-week event in Cathedral City, California, the tournament is incredibly popular among softball fans and traditionally brings in many of the nation’s top teams. Just who is the woman whose name the event bears as its moniker? Mary Kathryn Nutter was born on June 25, 1947 in Cadillac, Michigan. She began her softball career at Michigan State, spending much of her early career in the Great Lakes State. She played one season as a player/coach, again with a Michigan-based team, in the WPSL, an early version of what is now…

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Oklahoma, Florida, and Oregon, the nation’s top three teams, each lost this weekend. The Sooners took a loss to Boston University, while the Gators lost in the series finale against Louisiana-Lafayette and the Ducks from Eugene suffered a walk-off loss to Ole Miss in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Elsewhere around the country, Washington stretched their streak of consecutive shutouts to eight in a row. Florida State; Michigan; Minnesota; and Notre Dame traded wins and losses in Tallahassee; and UCLA, LSU, Texas A&M, and Arizona all posted unbeaten weekends. Let’s get to the headlines and highlights from the weekend… NEWS: Mercer’s Meghan…

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Massachusetts senior infielder Jena Cozza has been named the JWOS Player of the Week. At the EMU Madeira Beach Spring Invitational I, Cozza had a career weekend, with a .571 batting average and five home runs. She drove in eleven runs and scored twelve times, in addition to an astronomical 1.857 slugging percentage. Cozza “hit for the cycle” through the course of the weekend, with at least one single, double, triple, and home run. She collected 26 total bases over the course of the week’s five games. The senior shortstop hit a home run in four of her team’s five games,…

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Who is she? Mackenzie Whyte, a former starting shortstop for the Boise State Broncos. What is she known for? Whyte was the Broncos’ starting shortstop from 2011-2014, starting 182 games at the position during that span. She hit .298 in her career with fifteen home runs. Her finest season came during her senior year in 2014 when she led her team with a .363 batting average, hit five home runs, and stole eighteen bases. She was twice named an academic all-conference selection and was named an all-American scholar athlete in 2011. Here’s something interesting… In 2014, Whyte participated in a Locks of…

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With the first weekend of the Division 1 season now completed, Justin’s World of Softball has released our first weekly Power Rankings of the year. ​1. Oregon Ducks The Ducks outscored opponents 73-12 over the weekend, finishing the Kajikawa Classic with a 6-0 record that ​included a season-opening win over Georgia and run-rule victories over Missouri, Fresno State, CSU-Northridge, UTEP, and New Mexico. The Ducks hit seventeen home runs, nine of them from Gwen Svekis and DJ Sanders and ​the pitching staff enjoyed forty-five strikeouts while allowing just ten walks. ​2. Florida Gators The Gators scored forty-three runs on the weekend, with ten…

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Who is she? Kendall Grimm, a former speedster and outfielder for the Wisconsin Badgers. What is she known for? Grimm was twice named an all-Big Ten performer, including a first-team nod in 2012 and a nomination to the all-conference second team in 2013. She ranks in the top ten in six statistical categories in the Badger record books, including tenth all-time with her .304 career batting average and fifth all-time in games played with 209. Here’s something interesting… Prior to becoming a softball star, Grimm was a competitive figure skater!​ Quotable quote: [on what tip she would pass along to the next generation of…

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