June 7, 2007

Southland talent spread throughout tournament rosters
By Jim Barrero, Times Staff Writer

Just as the NCAA softball tournament reduced its field from 64 to 16 a week earlier, the baseball tournament did likewise over the weekend.

Here is a look at baseball locals who played for out-of-area teams that didn't make it to this weekend's super regionals:

• Fresno State (37-27) reached the regional final in San Diego but lost to Cal State Fullerton. Junior outfielder Steve Susdorf (Newhall Hart HS) had a monster season, playing in all 64 games and batting .347 with 51 runs and 12 doubles.

Susdorf led the team in home runs (12) and RBIs (67) and came within a point of tying for highest average on the team.

Freshman right-handed pitcher Tanner Scheppers (Dana Hills Dana Point HS) saw his season end Sunday when he was hit in the head by a line drive against Minnesota. Scheppers was diagnosed with a concussion and released from a local hospital later that night.

On the season, Scheppers was 6-5 with a 4.80 earned-run average in 90 innings. Scheppers made 24 appearances and had 90 strikeouts.

Another key pitcher for Fresno was junior right-hander Jason Breckley (Moorpark HS). Breckley had a 3-1 record and 33 strikeouts in 34 2/3 innings with a 4.67 ERA and led the team in appearances (28) and saves (six).

Two other key players were junior outfielder Ozzie Lewis (Granada Hills Kennedy HS) and sophomore catcher Dan Grubb (Orange Lutheran HS). Lewis batted .295 in 58 games with 14 doubles, 31 runs, seven home runs and 37 RBIs. Grubb played in 58 games and batted .289 with 24 runs, five doubles, three home runs and 25 RBIs.

• San Diego (43-18) had a record-setting season but was stunned in its regional, where it was host, with a loss to Minnesota.

The No. 4 Toreros had numerous former locals on their roster, led by sophomore Josh Romanski (Norco HS), a left-handed pitcher and infielder. Romanski played in 56 games, batting .335 with three home runs, 10 doubles, 43 runs and 30 RBIs.

On the mound, Romanski was 9-1 in 18 appearances with three complete games, 92 strikeouts and a 3.05 earned-run average in 112 innings.

Junior catcher Logan Gelbrich (Santa Monica St. Monica) played in 60 games and batted .316 with 35 runs, 16 doubles, four home runs and 38 RBIs.

Junior infielder Kevin Hansen (Glendora HS) was another key contributor, playing in 61 games with 32 runs, 11 doubles and 34 RBIs.

• North Carolina State (38-23) saw its season come to an end with a loss to in-state rival Charlotte. Junior infielder Tommy Foschi (La Quinta HS) played in 38 games for the Wolfpack, batting .333 with three home runs, 19 runs and 19 RBIs.

• St. John's (41-19) was eliminated by top-seeded Coastal Carolina, 6-5, in its regional. Freshman infielder Daniel Rose (Santa Margarita HS) played in 28 games for the Red Storm, batting .319 with three doubles, nine runs, nine RBIs. Rose also had five stolen bases in six attempts.

• New Orleans (38-24) saw its season come to an end with a loss to host Wichita State. Senior first baseman Greg Wolfe (Corona HS/Chaffey College) played in 61 games and batted .244. Wolfe also had 11 doubles, 39 runs, 11 home runs and 45 RBIs. He also led the team in hit by pitch with 12.

• Virginia Commonwealth (37-23) lost to St. John's to be eliminated from its regional. Senior pitcher Luis Abbruzze (Anaheim Canyon HS) completed his career with seven appearances this season and no decisions. He pitched 10 1/3 innings and had a 5.23 ERA.

• Lafayette (33-20) set a team record for victories and played in its first NCAA regional in 17 years, losing to Rutgers. Freshman infielder Justin Shepherd (L.A. Loyola HS) played in 12 games and batted .150 with three runs and three RBIs.

The NCAA softball tournament ended Wednesday with Arizona winning the national championship with a 5-0 victory over Tennessee in the decisive third game at Oklahoma City.

Only eight teams make it to Oklahoma City each season and there were four schools (not yet covered in this space) with a host of locals that couldn't quite reach that goal. Here is a look at those four:

• DePaul: Freshman pitcher Becca Heteniak (Simi Valley Royal HS) played a large role in getting the Blue Demons (47-12) deep into the postseason. Heteniak finished with a record of 20-6 in 31 appearances with a 1.21 ERA and 179 strikeouts in 156 innings. Heteniak also batted .238 with seven doubles, four home runs and 22 RBIs.

• Florida: Two locals earned All-American honors for the Gators (50-22). Sophomore pitcher Stacey Nelson (Los Alamitos HS) was a second-team selection and sophomore second baseman Kim Waleszonia (Fontana HS) made the third team. Nelson was 34-14 with a 0.95 ERA. She set school records for wins, innings pitched (318), appearances (58) and starts (42). She also had 285 strikeouts, 14 shutouts and gave up only four home runs. Among the teams she defeated this season were NCAA finalists Arizona and Tennessee. Waleszonia finished the season with a .365 batting average and set Florida season records for hits (88) and stolen bases (24). She also scored 46 runs, had 15 doubles, five triples, three home runs and 29 RBIs. Another local who contributed was senior shortstop Lauren Roussell (Cerritos Gahr HS), who played in all 72 games and batted .251 with 12 doubles, seven home runs and 26 RBIs.

• Hawaii: There were five locals on the roster for the Rainbows (50-13), four of whom were position players that came in off the bench. None of the four played in more than 26 games this season. The other player, sophomore pitcher Courtney Baughman (Valencia HS) was 5-2 in 12 appearances with a 3.04 ERA and 36 strikeouts in 48 1/3 innings.

• South Carolina: The Gamecocks (38-26) were ousted by Northwestern in the regionals. There were two locals on the roster, one of whom saw extensive playing time. Freshman outfielder Jessica Josker (Hemet HS) played in 60 games, batting .223 with 11 doubles, 22 runs, one home run and 15 RBIs.

There are more than 500 NCAA Division I softball players with local ties on rosters this season. That means there are plenty of schools (and locals) that never even made it to the postseason.

Still, there are numerous individuals who had strong seasons.

Because of sheer numbers, we will break down our recognition of these players into two parts, this week taking a look at players who attend schools that are found between the letters A-M:

Sophomore infielder Jessica Johnson (Santa Ana Mater Dei HS) won the team triple crown for East Carolina (34-16). Johnson batted .365 with 14 home runs and 46 RBIs and hit a 12th-inning home run to put the Pirates into the Conference USA tournament championship game. Freshman pitcher Toni Paisley (Lakewood HS) finished with a 16-4 record in 27 appearances for East Carolina. She also had 152 strikeouts in 139 1/3 innings with a 1.71 ERA…. Three of the top four hitters for Illinois Chicago (20-33) had local ties. Freshman infielder Brook Frydenhall (Corona HS) batted .333 in 52 games with three home runs, nine doubles and a team-leading 31 RBIs. Sophomore infielder Melissa Marinacci (Anaheim Esperanza HS) batted .294 in 45 games with five doubles, three home runs and 18 RBIs. Junior outfielder Ashlee Ackerman (Alta Loma HS) batted .278 in 53 games with 25 runs, 13 RBIs and a team-high 10 stolen bases…. Junior outfielder/catcher Holly Bussey (Moreno Valley Canyon Springs HS) led Bethune Cookman (22-36) with a .414 average in 58 games. Bussey also had 13 doubles, three triples, two home runs and 45 RBIs. Right behind Bussey for the Wildcats was junior utility player Christina Trimble (Riverside King HS), who batted .406 with 10 doubles, three home runs and 45 RBIs….

Freshman catcher/infielder Ashley Munoz (Diamond Ranch HS) led Colorado State (30-28) with 14 home runs. Munoz also batted .316 in 50 games and had 31 RBIs. Freshman outfielder/third baseman Brittany Huerta (Atascadero HS) played in 57 games, batting .266 with 12 home runs and 33 RBIs…. Sophomore utility player Renee Ramos (Chino Don Lugo HS) played in 46 games for Boston College (15-31) and batted .285 with seven home runs and 25 RBIs. Junior outfielder Amanda Booth (Riverside King HS) played in 43 games and batted .278…. Freshman pitcher Megan Currier (Torrance HS) was the workhorse for Boston University (34-14) this season. Currier finished 18-6 in 30 appearances with a 2.20 ERA in 175 1/3 innings. She had 68 strikeouts and 26 complete games…. George Washington was 23-27 this season and junior infielder Caroline Howe (Los Alamitos HS) batted .279 in 48 games with seven home runs, 11 doubles and a team-high tying 25 RBIs. Freshman pitcher Amanda Gabriel (Fullerton Sunny Hills HS) made 35 appearances and was 13-10 with five saves and 131 strikeouts in 169 innings with a 2.49 ERA….

Junior outfielder Makenzie Smith (Lancaster Desert Christian HS) batted .301 for Illinois (30-25) and had a team-best 16 doubles. She also smacked 11 home runs, had 45 RBIs and played in every game…. Junior catcher Tory Yamaguchi (West Hills Chaminade HS) was second on the team in batting for Indiana (21-34) with a .295 average in 53 games. She also led the team with 12 home runs and 32 RBIs and a .597 slugging percentage…. Freshman Brittany Weil (Garden Grove Pacifica HS) was the top pitcher for Iowa (37-21) this season. Weil made 30 appearances and was 18-8 with a 1.69 ERA and 178 strikeouts in 174 innings. She had 20 complete games, nine shutouts and two saves…. Sophomore infielder Meredith Simpson (Mission Viejo Capistrano Valley HS) led Indiana State (22-27) with a .377 average. She also led the Sycamores with 31 runs and three home runs, and had 16 RBIs….

Junior utility player Jenn Chavez (Upland HS) was the top player for James Madison (38-16), pulling off the team triple crown with a .395 average, nine home runs and 44 RBIs. Chavez also led the team with 19 doubles, a .701 slugging percentage and a .452 on-base percentage…. Sophomore infielder Whitney Lowe (Valencia HS) batted .320 in 39 games for Lehigh (35-18-1). Freshman pitcher Tiffany Curtis (Newbury Park HS) had a solid season with a 13-7 record and 2.66 ERA in 29 appearances. She also had 131 strikeouts, 15 complete games and one save in 142 innings…. Kansas (33-24-1) got a lift this season from sophomore utility player Dougie McCaulley (Serrano HS), who batted .265 in 58 games with one home run, 11 RBIs and 11 stolen bases…. Junior outfielder Shannon McKain (Hacienda Heights Los Altos HS) batted .320 in 55 games for Liberty (36-26). She also had 11 doubles, five home runs and 20 RBIs….

Sophomore pitcher/infielder Desiree Fink (Lakewood HS) batted .288 with nine RBIs, 16 stolen bases and a team-high 13 sacrifice hits for Florida International (22-34)…. Freshman catcher/infielder Erin McClain (Ventura HS) batted .280 in 50 games for Army (15-36). McClain also had seven home runs and 29 RBIs…. Sophomore pitcher/infielder Sammi Parks (Riverside Poly HS) was 9-11 in 37 appearances for Belmont (11-38). She had 98 strikeouts in 153 innings and a 4.07 ERA. At the plate, Parks batted .231 with two home runs, seven doubles and nine RBIs…. Sophomore pitcher Ashley Weissenbach (Moreno Valley Canyon Springs HS) was 8-2 with a 2.75 ERA in 71 1/3 innings for Hampton (36-13)…. Sophomore outfielder Amanda Sais (Tustin HS) was second on the team with a .289 average for Hartford (23-27). She also had 10 RBIs and 20 runs…. Freshman catcher/infielder Amanda Littlejohn (Lake Elsinore Temescal Canyon HS) played in all 70 games for Campbell (29-40-1) and batted .220 with three home runs and 24 RBIs…. Sophomore pitcher/utility player Krista Kearns (Santa Fe Springs Santa Fe HS) batted .318 in 34 games for Maryland Baltimore County (32-18). Kearns also had six doubles, four home runs and 17 RBIs. In the circle, she was 4-5 in 11 appearances with a 3.96 ERA and 47 strikeouts in 46 innings….

Freshman infielder Briana Burke (Upland HS) batted .243 in 50 games for Miami of Ohio (26-35-1) with nine doubles, one home run and 22 RBIs. In the circle, freshman Shalise Lugo (Ventura St. Bonaventure HS) was 9-8 with a team-low 1.98 ERA in 23 appearances. Lugo had nine complete games and 101 strikeouts in 113 1/3 innings. Sophomore second baseman Alexis Javier (Downey Warren HS) played in 61 games, batting .212 with 14 RBIs and a team-high 11 sacrifice hits…. Freshman outfielder Caitlin McLure (Fullerton Troy HS) played in 57 games for Middle Tennessee (30-30) and batted .289 with 30 runs, five RBIs and 15 stolen bases…. Junior pitcher Melissa Porsche (Cypress Oxford Academy) was 16-19 for Missouri State (21-29) and had a 2.17 ERA in 41 appearances. She had 222 strikeouts in 232 innings and also batted .224 with four home runs and 17 RBIs…. Holy Cross had a rough season at 5-39, but junior outfielder Jayme Elliott (Manhattan Beach Mira Costa HS) led the team with a .275 average, 14 runs and 36 hits…. Buffalo was only 3-45, but junior utility player Marcy Hansen (Claremont HS) led the team with a .242 average. Junior catcher Lacy Schneider (Hemet HS) led Buffalo with four home runs and was tied for second with 15 RBIs.

"From Here To There" is a weekly web-exclusive column that appears Wednesdays during the academic year. If you are aware of a former area prep standout competing in sports and excelling at the collegiate level or elsewhere, please let us know. Send any leads, tips or ideas to: jim.barrero@latimes.com.