Dallas Charge Signs Brittany Schutte

Talk about a surprising move. This might be the best under-the-radar signing with the biggest potential upside all offseason. Former Florida Gators all-American Brittany Schutte has signed with the Dallas Charge.

A former first-team all-American, Schutte's career path is an interesting one. In 2010 and 2011, she earned all-tournament honors at the Women's College World Series and was named an NFCA first-team all-American in 2011, as well. She was the undoubted centerpiece of the Gator lineup at one time, a powerful bat and capable of playing multiple defensive positions.

In 2012, a jaw injury halted her junior campaign and she missed several weeks of the regular season befor e returning for the Gators' abbreviated postseason run. Schutte elected to forgo her senior season of playing eligibility and took a high school coaching job in 2013.

Also a former member of the US National Team, Schutte will be the second ex-Gator to join first-year head coach Jen Rocha in Dallas.

Charge general manager Kevin Shelton called Schutte "just the kind of player we're looking for - she's a teacher, so she has summers free to play; she wants to play; and she's tall and has power."

Schutte attended the Charge's open tryout and has signed a three-year deal with the club.

Did You Know?

Auburn's Haley Fagan to the left; Trevecca's Haley Fagan
to the right

The name Haley Fagan is well-known in SEC circles. For many, their first thought be of the former South Alabama Jaguar and current Auburn Tiger slugger. The youngest of a trio of sisters that have starred across the SEC spectrum the last several years, Haley Fagan transferred to Auburn prior to the 2015 season and cemented her place square in the middle of the powerful Tiger lineup, hitting .347 with thirteen home runs and a .598 slugging percentage. She tore her ACL last fall and has been out all season following surgery, but will return as a redshirt senior in 2017.

Did you know that there is more than one Haley Fagan in the softball world? A part of the 2013 freshman class at the University of Tennessee, the "other Haley Fagan", a pitcher, spent one season at UT before eventually winding up at Trevecca Nazarene University, a Division 2 school. On the season, her senior year, Fagan has posted a 2.30 ERA with 275 strikeouts in 282 innings pitched. Opponents hit just .199 against her. Earlier this week, in a regional-opening game against #2-ranked Indianapolis and future pro pitcher Morgan Foley, Fagan pitched a full nine innings, allowing just four hits and one run en route to collecting the upset victory.

Monica Abbot Signs Six-Year Deal w/ Scrap Yard Dawgs

Monica Abbott, widely considered the best active pitcher in the game, has signed a six-year free-agent contract, a "million-dollar deal", with the Scrap Yard Dawgs, the newest expansion team in the National Pro Fastpitch league.

Abbott, 30, has pitched for the Chicago Bandits for the last five seasons, and the Dawgs will be her fifth NPF team overall since entering the league in 2007. She took the 2008 season off to participate in the Olympics as a member of Team USA.

A Tennessee Lady Vol from 2004-2007, Abbott cemented her status as the program's living legend when she ended her career with 189 career wins, an ERA of 0.79, and 2,440 career strikeouts. She ended her collegiate career as the NCAA's all-time leader in six categories, including wins, strikeouts, shutouts, and innings pitched, among others. She was named the National Player of the Year in 2007.

Abbott led the NPF in 2015 with an 0.31 ERA and her thirteen wins were second in the league. She allowed only thirty-two hits in 90.1 innings of work, striking out 149 over the same period of time. Her dominance was integral in the Bandits' taking home the Cowles Cup as the league champions.

The six-year deal is structured interestingly to fit within the league's $150,000 salary cap. Abbott's base salary will annually be $20,000, with the rest of the $1,000,000 sum being filled through various bonuses based on attendance numbers. The league's attendance fluctuate based on many different factors, including at various venues, but various news outlets have reported a minimum of 100 fans in attendance triggers many of the bonuses, as do several other factors.

Abbott will turn thirty-seven in the midst of the final year of the contract, which stretches to 2021. As Graham Hays of ESPNW noted, the deal seems to be particularly structured toward allowing Abbott's return to international competition should softball be re-allowed into the Olympics for the 2020 Games in Tokyo.

The signing makes Abbott the fourth former Lady Vol to join the Dawgs for their first season of play, joining fellow former Tennessee stars Ivy & Ellen Renfroe and Madison Shipman.

The timing of the contract's announcement is interesting, as well, as the Bandits had placed the franchise tag on Abbott to allow for exclusive negotiation up to the tag's expiration on May 1. That the contract with such intricately-woven language would be finalized in such a short period of time is intriguing. The Dawgs will have to forfeit their 2017 first-round draft selection to the Bandits due to signing the tagged player.

Marist Freshman Oberdorf Impresses From the Court to the Diamond

The Marist Red Foxes are in the midst of their finest softball season in recent memory. Favorited in the conference tournament as that time of year nears, there are a few places credit for the program's surge can be applied. No player has made more of an impact, though, than freshman Claire Oberdorf.

Photo courtesy Marist Athletics

The rookie out of Greensburg, Pennsylvania came into this season without having spent much time on the field, and had to replace her sneakers for cleats. After spending the entire basketball season with the Red Foxes' women's basketball team, the two-sport star joined the softball team and has been a most welcome addition.


Oberdorf started all thirty-two basketball games in the 2015-2016 season, one of just three Red Fox players to do so. She averaged just under 4.5 points and right at 3.0 rebounds per game. The starting point guard at season's end, Oberdorf says time management is the only drawback to being a two-sport collegiate star.

"The only challenge I have faced by playing two sports at the Division 1 level is time management. I have been able to keep good grades and get all my work done on time. Sometimes it gets stressful, but I have done my best to get everything done."

Claire is the younger of two Oberdorfs on the softball team; older sister Jayne is a junior pitcher in the midst of a solid campaign in her own right. “Being able to play with my sister is so much fun," Claire says. "I love being in the field behind her while she’s pitching. It is always good to know we are both here to push each other to make us better."

Photo courtesy Marist Athletics

The Red Foxes are in the midst of a seventeen-game winning streak, having taken home the W in twenty-seven of their last twenty-eight matchups. No player has been more integral to her team's success down the stretch than Claire Oberdorf; before this weekend's series, she sports a .432 batting average and .703 slugging percentage with five home runs, thirty-four RBI, and fifteen stolen bases. Her batting average is fifty-six points higher than her nearest teammate in that category and ranks 38th nationally.

While playing multiple sports at the Division I level is not without its challenges, Claire sees many a positive side to it, as well; "Basketball conditioning kept me sharp even with being away from softball for quite some time. Being in shape from basketball has made the transition a lot easier. That’s the bonus of playing two sports because you transition right into the other and staying in shape gives me an edge early on in the seasons."

Already announced as a top-25 finalist for Freshman of the Year, Oberdorf is one of the most exciting young players to come out of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference in some time and, having already made her mark on the Marist program, is undoubtedly a future national name, both on the court and inside the foul lines.

Prep Game Turns Into Offensive Onslaught, Record-Setting Affair

A late-season game between two Illinois high schools wound up making national headlines after an offensive onslaught and numerous record-breaking performances.

The game between the Peoria Lions and Manual Rams matched or upended eighteen different Illinois state records. Swiped bags were a popular occurrence as one of the newly-set records was the mark of forty stolen bases in the game by Peoria alone! Twelve steals in the bottom of the first and nine stolen bags from Abby Carlton added to the Lions' bag of records.

For their part, the Rams swiped eighteen bases, including eleven in their part of the second inning alone.

Manual's Monique Miller earned six walks for her own record-setting performance.

The game ended in a 29-28 victory for Peoria, ended the team's thirty-seven-game losing streak. The Lions had twenty hits in the game, though none of them were for extra bases.

In the circle, Manual's Alexis Randle, who ultimately took the loss, threw 244 pitches, while Peoria's Chasity Alexander threw 210.

Top 25 Finalists Announced for Division II Player of the Year

The second-annual Division II National Player of the Year award will be handed out in 2016 and the top twenty-five finalists who will vie to receive it have been announced.

Twenty-two Division II programs are represented by at least a single player on the list, as well as fifteen conferences. Humboldt State with three and North Georgia with a pair were the only teams to place more than one player on the list of finalists.


Notable names on the list include national headline-grabbers Morgan Foley of Indianapolis and Hannah Perryman of Missouri-St. Louis, as well as the award's inaugural winner in 2015, North Georgia's Courtney Poole. The list is comprised of fourteen seniors; six juniors; and five sophomores.

The current list of twenty-five will be narrowed down to the top ten finalists on May 6, with the final trio named on May 12 and the National Player of the Year trophy being awarded on May 17.

The full list of finalists can be found below:

Stephanie Adkins	Pitcher	Saint Leo
Kaitlyn Bannister	Third Base	Alabama-Huntsville
Janessa Bassett	Outfield	Dixie State
Lyndsay Butler	Pitcher/Outfield	Wayne State (Mich.)
Morgan Foley	Pitcher	Indianapolis
Ally Foster	Utility	Bellarmine
Brooke Goad	Outfield	Southern Arkansas
Stephanie Hartness	Outfield	North Georgia
Haley Hodges	Catcher/Infield	Southern Indiana
Hanna Holland	Outfield	Humboldt State
Courtney Iacobacci	Outfield	Fairmont State
Makayla Kovac	Shortstop	Colorado Mesa
Lexi Loos	Outfield	Wayne State (Neb.)
Brenna Martini	Third Base	Adelphi
Katie Obemma	Pitcher	Humboldt State
Hannah Perryman	Pitcher	Missouri-St. Louis
Courtney Poole	Pitcher	North Georgia
Kiley Rusen	First Base	Valdosta State
Jessica Simmons	Second Base	SE Oklahoma State
Lacey Taylor	Catcher	West Texas A&M
Carley Tysinger	Pitcher	Catawba
Kelsey Vining	Outfield	Montevallo
Katelyn Vinson	Third Base	Midwestern State
Madison Williams	Pitcher	Humboldt State
Kat Zabielski	First Base	NYIT

Weekend Roundup

NEWS:

• Oregon senior Janelle Lindvall set the program's all-time career RBI record.
• Texas coach Connie Clark earned her 800th career win.
• Northwestern coach Kate Drohan earned her 500th career win.
• Georgia State head coach Roger Kincaid earned his 200th career win.
• Kennesaw State's Taylor Denton tied the program's career stolen bases record.
• UMKC's Katie Kelley set the program's career doubles record.
• Charlotte's Lexi Betancourt set the program's career pitching wins record.
• Baylor senior Linsey Hays set the program's career doubles record.
• Congrats to this week's members of the No-No Express:
• Devin Brown, South Alabama (5.0 IP, 11 SO, vs. Kennesaw State)

KELSEY STEWART HIT TRACKER

The Florida Gators' second baseman comes into the season 113 hits away from the career NCAA record. We will track her progress weekly.

Original photo: Tim Casey/Florida Communications

UPSET ALERT: Ranked teams that suffered losses this week.

- #1 Florida - Lost to #22 Texas A&M 6-4

- #4 Alabama - Lost to #28 South Carolina 2-1

- #5 Auburn - Lost to #13 Tennessee 10-2 (5); Lost to #13 Tennessee 12-1 (5)

- #6 James Madison - Lost to #123 Elon 5-4 (15)

- #8 Washington - Lost to #24 Utah 6-5

- #10 Louisiana-Lafayette - Lost to #99 Georgia Southern 2-0

- #17 South Florida - Lost to #29 UCF 9-0; Lost to #29 UCF 5-3

- #19 Georgia - Lost to #30 Ole Miss 1-0

- #20 Arizona - Lost to #16 UCLA 8-7; SWEPT by #7 Oregon 2-0, 7-0, 8-0 (5)

- #22 Texas A&M - Lost to #1 Florida 14-3 (6); Lost to #1 Florida 7-3

- #24 Utah - Lost to #8 Washington 6-0; Lost to #8 Washington 8-0 (6)

- #25 Notre Dame - Lost to #37 North Carolina 7-6; Lost to #50 Louisville 8-3

WORTH WATCHING: Excellent defense by Mississippi State defensive wizard Kayla Winkfield

ICYMI | Once again @KaylaCamille9 delivered an #SCTop10 Nominee. RT if you think it is #SCTop10 worthy.#HailStatehttps://t.co/jTlfHr12WA

— MSU Softball (@HailStateSB) May 2, 2016

WHAT TO WATCH FOR:

Monday, May 2:

     Auburn vs. Tennessee - SEC Network @ 7:00 pm ET

Wednesday, May 4:

     Florida vs. Florida State - ESPN3.com @ 5:00 pm ET

     North Texas vs. Texas - Longhorn Network @ 6:00 pm ET.

Friday, May 6:

     Ball State vs. Toledo - ESPN3.com @ 3:00 pm ET 

     Oklahoma State vs. Kansas - ESPN3.com @ 6:00 pm ET 

     Arkansas vs. Florida - SEC Network+ @ 6:00 pm ET 

     Texas A&M vs. Auburn - SEC Network+ @ 7:00 pm ET 

     Tennessee vs. Ole Miss - SEC Network+ @ 7:00 pm ET 

     Georgia vs. Alabama - SEC Network+ @ 7:30 pm ET 

     South Carolina vs. Missouri - SEC Network+ @ 7:30 pm ET

Saturday, May 7:

     Georgia vs. Alabama - ESPN @ 12:00 pm ET 

     Seton Hall vs. St. John's - ESPN3.com @ 12:00 pm ET 

     Mississippi State vs. Kentucky - SEC Network+ @ 12:00 pm ET 

     Arkansas vs. Florida - ESPNU @ 1:00 pm ET 

     Tennessee vs. Ole Miss - SEC Network @ 1:00 pm ET 

     North Carolina State vs. Notre Dame - ESPN3.com @ 3:00 pm ET 

     Louisiana-Monroe vs. Louisiana-Lafayette - ESPN3.com @ 3:00 & 5:30 pm ET 

     Louisville vs. Florida State - ESPN3.com @ 4:00 & 6:00 pm ET 

     Washington vs. LSU - SEC Network+ @ 5:00 & 7:30 pm ET 

Sunday, May 8:

     Louisville vs. Florida State - ESPN3.com @ 12:00 pm ET 

     Mississippi State vs. Kentucky - SEC Network+ @ 1:00 pm ET 

     North Carolina vs. Georgia Tech - ESPN3.com @ 1:00 pm ET

     Arkansas vs. Florida - SEC Network+ @ 1:00 pm ET 

     South Carolina vs. Missouri - SEC Network+ @ 1:30 pm ET 

     Washington vs. LSU - SEC Network+ 1:30 pm ET 

     Tennessee vs. Ole Miss - SEC Network+ 1:30 pm ET 

     Georgia vs. Alabama - SEC Network+ @ 2:00 pm ET 

     Texas A&M vs. Auburn - SEC Network+ @ 2:00 pm ET 

     North Carolina vs. Georgia Tech - ESPN3.com @ 3:00 pm ET

PERFORMANCES OF THE WEEK:

• Shelby Friudenberg, Baylor - The Slugging Sophomore of Waco put together another power show in a three-game sweep of Texas Tech where the Bears offense showed out. For her part, Friudenberg hit .400 on the weekend with three home runs and nine RBI. Couple the weekend with a midweek performance that added another dinger and two RBI to her total and she collected a nice quartet of home runs, with eleven RBI in all to go with them.
• Holiday Cahill, Towson - The Tigers' junior first baseman put on a power show all her own in her team's series-ender against Delaware on Sunday. In three trips to the plate, Cahill hit three home runs. Earning at-bats in the 3rd, 5th, and 6th innings, she took the Blue Hen pitchers deep each time, gathering a school-record seven RBIs along the way. She sits second all-time in the program's record books for home runs and both her three home runs and seven RBI are new Tiger single-game records.