Former Cal State Northridge coach Gary Torgeson passed away on Saturday in Ventura, California at the age of 78. Torgeson led the Matadors for thirteen seasons after taking over the program in 1982. During a time that the program competed at the Division II level, Torgeson led CSUN to four national championships. His team won a conference title in each of his thirteen seasons at the helm. From 1982-90, the Matadors reached the Division II championship finals on seven occasions, winning the national title in 1983, ’84, ’85, and ’87, and finishing as national runners-up in 1982, ’86, and ’90.…
Author: jmcleod
The NCAA Division I Council issued a decision on Friday afternoon that seems to put into action the opportunity for student-athletes competing in spring sports to gain an extra year of eligibility due to the impact seen by the coronavirus pandemic. On Thursday, the NCAA announced the cancellation of all 2019-20 athletic championships, including the Women’s College World Series. Highlights from the Division I Council’s decision include: The Council Coordination Committee agreed that it will be appropriate to grant relief for the use of a season of competition for student-athletes who have participated in spring sports. The Council Coordination Committee…
On Thursday afternoon, the ACC announced the suspension of all of the conference’s athletic activities, including the conference softball season. “The Atlantic Coast Conference has suspended all athletic related activities including all competition, formal and organized practice, recruiting and participation in NCAA championships until further notice. The decision was made following consultation with the league’s presidents and athletic directors to mitigate the further spread of COVID-19,” the conference said in a statement. Some teams in the ACC are already two weeks into conference play. This is a developing story and will be updated.
The PAC-12 announced on Thursday that the league is suspending all athletics play for an indefinite period of time. “The PAC-12 Conference has made the decision to cancel the remainder of the PAC-12 Men’s Basketball Tournament and all PAC-12 sport competitions and PAC-12 Championship events, effective immediately, until further notice. This decision has been made in consultation with our member universities in an effort to limit the spread of the virus and in the interest of the health and safety of our student-athletes, campus personnel, working and event personnel, and all those who attend PAC-12 events.” PAC-12 softball teams were…
UPDATE 11:35: The SEC issued a statement on Twitter: “ALERT 2: Based on the latest developments and the continued spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19), the Southeastern Conference today announced the suspension of regular season competition for teams in all sports on SEC campuses, as well SEC championship events, until March 30.” ORIGINAL STORY: The Southeastern Conference on Thursday elected to suspend all of the league’s athletic seasons, including softball, through March 30th, sources informed JWOS. An official league statement is expected later on Thursday. On Wednesday, the conference had issued a directive that limited fan attendance at all athletic events, and…
The Ivy League on Wednesday announced that the conference has cancelled all spring sport seasons for the remainder of 2020, and on Thursday, the Patriot League became the next Division I conference to follow suit. Both leagues cited concerns over the growing spread of the coronavirus in announcing the cancellations, which apply immediately to all spring sports for the conference’s member schools. Dana O’Neil, a college basketball reporter for The Athletic, tweeted on Wednesday afternoon that the Ivy League was likely to “request a blanket waiver/extra year for all spring sport athletes whose seasons were just canceled.” [LINK] “With further…
Earlier in the week, the NCAA released the inaugural RPI rankings of the 2020 season. This is earlier than the rankings have traditionally been released, and the list is a diverse one, with eight non-Power Five schools in the top thirty-five and a number of non-traditional softball powers at the “top of the heap” at in the initial release. While much is sure to change before the NCAA tournament selection committee has to pick the field of sixty-four, who were the biggest winners of the initial rankings release? 1. Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns
Legendary Florida Southern head coach Chris Bellotto will retire after the 2020 season, the school announced earlier in March. Assuming the head coaching role following Bellotto’s retirement will be current assistant coach Mo Triner. Bellotto has spent nearly forty years as the Mocs’ leader, helming the program since 1982. During her career, Bellotto has earned more than 1,300 career wins, with twenty-four conference titles and the 1993 Division II national championship trophy to her credit. She stands in second place among active Division II coaches in career victories, and led the program from a slow-pitch softball program through a transition…
Celeste Loughman of UTSA and Weber State’s Lauren Hoe earned JWOS Co-Players of the Week honors, and along with those ladies, here are our picks for the week’s top performances: Georgina Corrick, South Florida Corrick finished with a 4-0 record for the week’s games, posting a 0.59 ERA in 23.2 innings of work. She collected thirty-seven strikeouts and allowed just four walks, a strikeout/walk ratio better than 9/1. She finished with a trio of complete games on the week, and set the USF program’s single-game strikeout record with eighteen against Wisconsin, and even added a 3-run home run…
The Frances Marion Patriots now sit at 24-3 on the season, a red-hot start to the year for a team that was picked to finish seventh in the preseason coaches poll. Buoyed by solid pitching, the Patriots’ offense has been its brightest spot this season, scoring 195 runs through their first twenty-seven games of the year, good enough for an average of more than seven runs per game. Head coach Stacey Vallee lauded her team’s offensive approach as the “catalyst” behind their success through the first portion of the year. Sporting a young roster, ten freshmen make up the largest…