Winnetka couple Sid and Laura Glenn never expected to be rivals.
That is until their alma maters faced off in an NCAA Final Four game April 6 in Minneapolis.
“I think the instant reaction when we realized they were going to play each other was, ‘This is never going to happen again, we’ve got to get tickets and we have to go,’” said Laura, who graduated from Michigan State University. Continue reading
Arizona – Arizona is historically one of the best teams year-in and year-out and that continues this year. Along with hosting two tournaments of their own, they participated in three prestigious tournaments (Kajikawa Classic, Cathedral City Classic and Judi German Classic). That was to get them ready for the grueling Pac-10 schedule. They faced 20 tournament teams throughout the season and came away with a 21-15 record. They had a hiccup in the middle of the conference season when stud pitcher Kenzie Fowler went out with an injury but she’s back in the circle for the Wildcats.
Arizona has knocked 72 balls out of the park, led by Stacie Chambers. Stacie Chambers has 18 bombs this year and 85 for her career, which ties her for the school record. Her 66 RBI also lead the team. Brigette Del Ponte has knocked 16 out of the park. She also has a team-high 21 doubles and is second on the team with 57 RBI. Brittany Lastrapes has 16 doubles, 11 home runs, 38 RBI and a .415 average. Lini Koria adds 13 homers and 33 RBI to the powerful lineup, which has outscored opponents 345-183.
The Wildcats use a two–woman pitching rotation, featuring Fowler, a sophomore, and Shelby Babcock, a freshman. Fowler has the better record and ERA (23-7, 1.75), but Babcock has been an integral part of the team as well. Fowler has struck out 211 opponents, while Babcock has 116 punchouts.
Harvard – The Crimson come into the tournament after winning their fifth Ivy League titles, first since 2007. Harvard has also won 14 of their last 15 games. Their 36-14 record includes only three games against NCAA teams, ones in which they went 1-2.
The Crimson throws a lineup at you that may not look that impressive, but are a well-balanced squad that does the little things. Kasey Lang leads Harvard in pretty much offensive category with a .444 average, .483 on-base percentage, .804 slugging percentage, 11 home runs 20 doubles and 65 RBI. In fact, her RBI total is 30 more than the next highest. Oh yeah, Lang is only a freshman. Ellen Macadam leads the team in hits (76) and runs (52), while Ashley Heritage leads the squad with 21 stolen bases.
Rachel Brown leads the pitchers with a 21-6 record, 1.9 ERA and 291 strikeouts. In fact, she has an almost 5:1 K:BB ratio. The other pitcher joining her as a mainstay is freshman Laura Ricciardone, who has put together a nice first season, racking up a 13-5 record.
Texas Tech – After making the NCAA Tournament only twice before current coach Shanon Hays took over in 2010, the Red Raiders have now qualified for the second consecutive season. The team finished the season 40-14, only the second time the school has reached the 40-win plateau.
Texas Tech boasts six players who are hitting .343 or greater. Tow players, Sandy James and Cydney Allen, are in double digit home runs. Allen has knocked 15 out of the ballpark, while knocking 59 runs in. James has 13 bombs on the year and 52 RBI, third highest on the team. Emily Bledsoe is hitting a team-high .384 and is second on the team in both steals (13) and doubles (14). Logan Hall has a team-high 62 hits, 11 doubles and 55 RBI.
The Red Raiders employ Brittany Telley and Kelsey Dennis as their top two pitchers. Telley has a 14-6 record and 2.70 ERA. She has 73 K’s on the season. Dennis has a 12-5 record and 2.85 ERA. She leads the squad with 74 punchouts. So its easy to say the two are truly 1 and 1A.
New Mexico State – The New Mexico State softball team made history Saturday afternoon by clinching the program’s first NCAA Tournament bid after defeating Fresno State 5-0 in the 2011 Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Softball Tournament Championship. A tough nonconference schedule, which included games against Oklahoma, Arizona, Arizona State and Nebraska, seems to have paid off for the Aggies, who come in having won 16 of their last 19 games.
New Mexico State has nine players hitting over .300, including star Hoku Nohara, who leads the team with a .43o clip. She also has an impressive 23 home runs and 7o RBI. Tiare Jennings is right behind her with 15 home runs and 56 RBI. Valerie Swedberg rounds out the double digit home run hitters with 11. She also leads the team with 13 doubles and has 48 RBI. Kylie Randall is a terror on the basepaths, having been caught only twice in 38 attempts.
Alex Newman has a 22-6 record to lead the team and also has a team-low 3.39 ERA. She also leads the team with 83 strikeouts
>Northwestern vs. Texas Tech
Northwestern has lost all seven bowl games it has played since winning its first one — the 1949 Rose Bowl. The Wildcats (7-5) are making their third consecutive postseason appearance despite losing five of seven games after starting 5-0 for the second time in three years.
The Wildcats will be without All-Big Ten quarterback Dan Persa after he suffered an Achilles’ tendon injury in a victory over Iowa. So redshirt freshman Evan Watkins, who has started the two games since Persa went down, will be starting what is probably the biggest game of his young career. Watkins has thrown for 258 yards, a touchdown and four interceptions in those two games.
While Watkins will likely target Jeremy Ebert, who led the Big Ten with 919 receiving yards, Northwestern could be without its top three rushers. Leader Mike Trumpy may sit out due to a wrist injury suffered in the Illinois loss, and the Wildcats definitely won’t have Persa or Arby Fields, who led the team in rushing in 2009 but recently decided to transfer. But if Trumpy has to sit, Northwestern can rely on senior Stephen Simmons, junior Jacob Schmidt and true freshman Adonis Smith. Unfortunately the three have combined for only 419 yards and four touchdowns. Schmidt has all the touchdowns.
Quarterback Taylor Potts is a big reason Texas Tech is making its 11th consecutive bowl appearance. He’s completed 65.9 percent of his passes for 3,357 yards with 31 TDs and nine interceptions. The senior has helped Texas Tech rank eighth in the FBS in passing with 314.8 yards per game while averaging 32.1 points, including 99 over its final two games — non-conference victories over Weber State and Houston.
Northwestern also must contend with Potts’ former teammate at Abilene High School, Lyle Leong. The senior has a team-high 808 receiving yards and is second in the FBS with 17 touchdown receptions. But he isn’t the only big-play threat. Detron Lewis has a team-best 79 receptions for 803 yards and six scores. Lewis caught 10 passes for 114 yards and a TD in last season’s bowl win.
While Texas Tech is a pass-first team, this is the 11th straight season it has had a quarterback throw for at least 3,000 yards, it may be running backs Baron Batch and Eric Stephens who are the difference in the game against the Wildcats, who allowed 848 rushing yards and 10 TDs over the last two games.
Prediction: Watkins struggles against the Red Raiders and Potts leads an aerial attack that ambushes the Wildcats. Tech 35-14.
Michael Wojtychiw 