Countdown to the season: Eight weeks!

It's kind of hard to believe, but the 2010 season is almost here. In fact, the first games for Western Athletic Conference teams get underway eight weeks from today -- on Thursday, Feb. 11.

Over the next several weeks, we're going to take a look at the upcoming season with previews of the teams, the schedules, the non-conference opponents, the players to watch, and much more.

Our voting for the 2010 WAC favorite has concluded, and after your 208 votes were counted, you've chosen Fresno State (83 votes) as the preseason favorite to win the conference title. The second choice was Hawai'i (53), followed in order by New Mexico State (21), Nevada (18), Boise State and San Jose State (10 each), Louisiana Tech (9) and Utah State (4). We'll see how the official coaches poll matches up when it is released next month.

With numerous returning athletes and key players, WAC softball teams appear poised to make some significant national noise in 2010.

Fresno State's Southern wins All-Decade honor

Former Fresno State standout pitcher Jamie Southern has been named to the 30-member All-Decade softball team comprised by ESPN RISE.

ESPN RISE, celebrating high school athletes, based its selections on high school and collegiate accomplishments from 2000 to 2009, along with other criteria.

Southern was a four-time Western Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year earlier this decade, leading the Bulldogs to four straight NCAA Tournament berths and three NCAA regional championship game appearances. The right-hander from Clovis, Calif., finished her Fresno State career by ranking in the Top 10 of nine separate NCAA categories.

She came to Fresno State after being named California's High School Player of the Year in 2000. Southern earned a myriad of honors while playing for the Bulldogs. In addition to being named WAC Pitcher of the Year an unprecedented four times, she was a four-time NFCA First-Team All-American, a four-time Easton Sports First-Team All-American, two-time NCAA ERA statistical champion, and was twice named Fresno State Female Athlete of the Year (regardless of sport). In 2002, Southern was one of three finalists for both the Honda Award and USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year, each given to NCAA softball's most outstanding player.

In 2002, Southern became the first player in conference history to win both WAC Freshman and Pitcher of the Year honors in the same season. That feat was matched most recently by current Fresno State pitcher Morgan Melloh, who duplicated winning both awards in 2008.

In 2005, Southern was named the WAC's Female Athlete of the Year among all sports, and following her senior season, earned perhaps the most prestigious honor a collegiate athlete can receive. She was named winner of the 2006 NCAA Top VIII Award, which goes to the top eight senior athletes in the nation.

When Southern received the NCAA Top VIII Award, she etched her name in the record books alongside some of the all-time greats in NCAA and U.S. history. Past honorees of that same award have included Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Cheryl Miller, Tiki Barber, Doug Flutie, John Elway, Rebecca Lobo and Steve Young.

Broncos announce signings and schedule

Boise State has announced its 2010 spring softball schedule, along with the names of four newcomers who will join the program beginning in the 2011 season.

Signing letters of intent were Morgan Barnes, a pitcher from Grants Pass HS (Grants Pass, OR), Jessica O'Donnell, an infielder from Wilson HS (Lakewood, CA), Mackenzie Whyte, an infielder from Westlake HS (Austin, TX), and Devon Bridges, a utility player from San Ramon HS (Danville, CA).

Barnes is a two-time, all-state player for a former state championship team in Oregon, while O'Donnell is a two-time, all-league honoree and defensive standout. Whyte has been named to the All-Central Texas second team twice, and Bridges has twice been named to the all-East Bay Athletic League team. Each will play their first game for the Broncos in February 2011.

In 2010, Boise State will face a challenging schedule in which the first 19 games will be played away from home.

Some of the marquee opponents on the 2010 slate include Oregon, Oklahoma, UNLV and Long Beach State, all of whom reached last season's NCAA Tournament. Minnesota becomes the first Big Ten Conference team ever to play a softball game in Boise. In mid-March, the Golden Gophers will participate in BSU's Springhill Suites Invitational at Mountain Cove.

Boise State, in the uneven Western Athletic Conference schedule, has 12 home league games and 9 away in 2010. New Mexico State, Hawai'i, Utah State and San Jose State will be making their first trips to Boise.

NM State adds two new recruits for '11 season

New Mexico State head coach Kathy Rodolph this morning announced the signing of two recruits who will join the Aggies for the 2011 season.

Rodolph signed Celisha Walker, a pitcher-utility player from Santa Monica HS (Santa Monica, CA), and Alyssa Ruiz, a catcher from Chaparral HS (Temecula, CA).

Walker went 17-4 with a 1.39 ERA as a junior for her high school in 2009. She earned second-team, All-Southern Section honors in Division IV. Ruiz was one of three softball players from her high school to receive a scholarship to an NCAA Division I school, with teammates also signing letters of intent to attend Ohio State and Ball State.

In 2010, New Mexico State returns seven of the nine players who started the Aggies' final game a year ago.

Wahine announce addition of five new recruits

Head coach Bob Coolen announced the signing of five high school recruits who will begin playing for Hawai'i in 2011.

New additions to the Rainbow Wahine squad will be catcher Sharla Kliebenstein of El Camino HS (Oceanside, CA), pitcher Mala Lemay of Escondido HS (Escondido, CA), infielder Kaile Nakao of Santa Monica HS (Santa Monica, CA), infielder Gerika Pantohan of Campbell HS (Ewa Beach, O'ahu, HI), and utility player Jazmine Zamora of Great Oak HS (Temecula, CA).

Kliebenstein and Lemay are teammates on the 18U San Diego Legacy team that finished ninth of 144 teams at the 18U Nationals in Las Vegas last summer. Nakao is a two-time all-league honoree, Pantohan is a three-time all-state selection in Hawai'i, and Zamora is an all-league pick who was invited to the 2008 Adidas Top 100 camp.

Fresno State signs a pair for 2011 season

Defending Western Athletic Conference champion Fresno State and head coach Margie Wright announced the signing of two infielders who will play their first games at Bulldog Diamond in the 2010-11 school year.

Joining the Fresno State softball team beginning in the 2011 season will be Vonnie Martin, an infielder from Plano Senior HS (Plano, TX), and Brooke Ortiz, an infielder from Lodi HS (Lodi, CA).

Martin, a two-time all-district honoree, is the single-season and career home run leader at her high school, had a .519 on-base percentage last season, and was recently named one of the 10 best softball players in the highly-competitive Dallas, Texas, area. Ortiz is an all-league honoree who has led her high school team in several categories, including runs, hits and on-base percentage.

In 2010, Fresno State returns 14 letterwinners and seven starters from its 2009 WAC championship team. The Bulldogs' 2010 roster features just two seniors.

Techsters sign five for 2010-11 season

Louisiana Tech head coach Sarah Dawson announced the signing of five players for the 2010-11 squad, including one who will follow in her sister's footsteps in Ruston.

The newest additions are infielder Emma Eichman (Fossil Ridge HS, Fort Worth, TX), infielder Katelynn Hill (Hebron HS, Dallas, TX), pitcher Erin Kipp (Bullard HS, Bullard, TX), catcher/infielder Tricia Van Winkle (Coppell HS, Coppell, TX), and outfielder Cassie Krieg (Sonora HS, Sonora, TX). All will take the field for Louisiana Tech for the first time in February 2011.

If Krieg's name sounds familiar, it should for Western Athletic Conference fans. Cassie's sister, Meghan, is one of the WAC's top returning pitchers and earned second-team all-league honors as a sophomore a season ago.

Tech is coming off back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since joining the WAC. In 2010, Dawson's squad will seek to return to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three seasons. The Techsters reached an NCAA regional championship game in 2008 after a surprising run that resulted in the school's first WAC Tournament title.

Hawai'i hosts annual alumnae game tonight

The Rainbow Wahine of Hawai'i will host their annual Alumnae Game tonight -- Friday, Nov. 13 -- at 6 p.m. HT at the Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.

Hawai'i returns 10 letterwinners from last season when it finished 30-24 overall and 15-6 in Western Athletic Conference play. Coach Bob Coolen's squad narrowly missed out on an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament a year ago, but hopes to return to the 64-team field in 2010. Returning for their senior seasons will be Katie Grimes, Kanani Pu'u-Warren, Amanda Tauali'i and Traci Yoshikawa.

The Wahine Alumnae will be led by former All-WAC standouts Tyleen Tausaga, Kate Robinson and Clare Warwick. Admission to tonight's contest is free.

Wolf Pack announces 2010-11 recruiting class

Nevada has announced its 2010-11 recruiting class, which consists of four high school standouts who will begin playing for the Wolf Pack in the 2011 season.

The class includes Bailey Brewer, a pitcher/utility player from Sedro Woolley HS (Mt. Vernon, WA); Caylin Campbell, an infielder from Westlake HS (Westlake Village, CA); Karley Hopkins, an infielder/outfielder from Spanish Springs HS (Sparks, NV); and Wendy Tamayo, a catcher/utility player from Mater Dei Catholic HS (Chula Vista, CA).

2010 season just three months away

As the calendar changed to November, we're now reminded that the 2010 college softball season is just three months away. In fact, just 14 weeks from Thursday, the season begins for Western Athletic Conference teams.

Hawai'i, New Mexico State and San Jose State will be the first teams to get underway, opening the 2010 season on Thurs., Feb. 11.

The Aggies will host Nebraska in a single game that evening, prior to hosting the Hotel Encanto Invitational later that weekend. NM State and Nebraska will meet again Sunday in tournament play.

San Jose State faces host Arizona State Feb. 11 in opening-day action at the Kajikawa Classic in Tempe. And Hawai'i opens its own Oceanic Time Warner Cable Paradise Classic by hosting McNeese State on Feb. 11.

Most other WAC teams will begin their 2010 campaigns on Fri., Feb. 12, though a schedule for Boise State has yet to be completed. Other season opening contests for WAC teams:

• Nevada vs. Oregon State (Kajikawa Classic)
• Utah State vs. Maine (Red Desert Classic)
• Santa Clara at Fresno State
• Southeastern Louisiana at Louisiana Tech

Utah State releases 2010 schedule

Utah State and first-year head coach Carissa Kalaba have released the Aggies' 2010 softball schedule, which is highlighted by a game against defending NCAA champion Washington.

The Aggies will be one of four Western Athletic Conference teams to play the defending national champion Huskies in 2010. Utah State meets UW on Feb. 19 at a tournament hosted by San Diego State.

Among the other schedule highlights for Utah State: A pair of games against perennial Big XII power (and former NCAA champion) Texas A&M and a pair against surprise 2009 NCAA Super Regional participant North Dakota State. The Bison defeated former NCAA champion Oklahoma a year ago in the Norman Regional and advanced to Super Regional action in their first year of tournament eligibility.

With the cold climate of Logan a determining factor, Utah State will play just 13 home games in 2010. The Aggies, the only WAC team not to qualify for the WAC postseason tournament a year ago, will play their first 30 contests on the road.

Aggies release powerful 2010 schedule

New Mexico State has released its 2010 softball schedule, and Coach Kathy Rodolph's squad may be facing its toughest slate of opponents in school history.

The Aggies, who will host next season's Western Athletic Conference Tournament in May, will see a number of quality non-conference opponents making the trip to Las Cruces. Marquee home games include matchups with perennial Southeastern Conference power Tennessee, Nebraska of the Big XII, and Big Ten teams Penn State and Minnesota.

In tournament play, New Mexico State will tangle with eight-time NCAA champion Arizona, Pac-10 power California and UNLV, among others. Surprise 2009 Missouri Valley Conference tournament champion Bradley will also make an appearance in Las Cruces for the annual Troy Cox Classic.

Overall, it's a significant upgrade to the schedule and should allow New Mexico State to be in the discussion for an at-large NCAA bid if necessary. Of course the Aggies will need to win some of those 'big' games on the slate, but the importance of schedule strength can't be denied come NCAA selection time.

The Aggies will participate in the tough USF Under Armour Showcase in Clearwater, Fla., in March as well. There, they'll find some highly competitive opponents in Long Island University, South Florida, James Madison and Florida-Gulf Coast. Though lesser known to some, those four should all field strong teams next season and provide high-caliber competition.

Tech 2010 schedule features 4 tourneys

The 2010 Louisiana Tech softball schedule includes games at four in-season tournaments, two of which will be hosted by teams from the Southeastern Conference.

The Lady Techsters, who finished fourth in the WAC a year ago, will open the 2010 campaign at home with a doubleheader versus Southeastern Louisiana. From there, it's off to the Southern Miss tournament where they will face -- among others -- the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame.

After participating in a tourney at McNeese State, the Techsters will play in tournaments on consecutive weekends at Auburn and Arkansas of the SEC. Non-conference opponents also on the docket include Grambling State and Centenary.

Tech will host 12 WAC games while playing nine on the road. Home WAC opponents will be Boise State, New Mexico State, Utah State and Nevada. On the road, the Lady Techsters will face Hawai'i, Fresno State and San Jose State.

Hawai'i to play 33 home games in 2010

Hawai'i has released its 2010 softball schedule, which includes a whopping 33 home games and some marquee opponents who will make the trek to the islands.

Perennial powers appearing at the Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium this season include defending national champion Washington, Stanford, California and DePaul, among others. UH will host four tournaments while playing in a pair of tourneys on the mainland, including the prestigious Cathedral City Classic.

In Cathedral City, the Wahine will meet powerful Arizona, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Oregon in addition to UC Davis.

With the uneven Western Athletic Conference schedule, Hawai'i will see the reverse of last year and play nine home games versus 12 road contests. In a unique scheduling move, UH will face three WAC road series in a one-week span with just one off day between games. On April 3-4, the Wahine will face New Mexico State in Las Cruces; on April 6-7 it's a three-game set at Utah State; and on April 9-10, things conclude with three games at Boise State.

Hawai'i will face back-to-back difficult series to end the regular season. UH plays at Nevada before hosting defending WAC champion Fresno State during the Wahine's final two weekends of play before the WAC Tournament.

Nevada releases 2010 schedule

The 2010 softball schedule for the University of Nevada has been released and is complete with the exception of the field for a February home tournament.

Nevada's most difficult weekend of the season may be its opening one, Feb. 12-14 at the Kajikawa Classic in Tempe. There, the Wolf Pack will meet defending NCAA champion Washington in addition to 2009 NCAA Tournament entrants Northwestern and Texas A&M.

Also among the highlights is a trip to the midwest for early March games at the OU/OSU Invitational. Nevada will face a tough trio in Oklahoma, Louisville and Oklahoma State. The Pack is slated to begin its home schedule in late February with three games against teams to be announced at a later date.

Home non-conference schedule highlights include three games against UT-Martin, a pair of games against Brown University and single games versus UC Davis and Weber State, which returns after a lengthy absence to NCAA Division I softball next spring.

Nevada will host 12 Western Athletic Conference games at home, including key series with both defending WAC champion Fresno State and perennial power Hawai'i. The Pack will play nine games (three series) on the road against New Mexico State, Louisiana Tech and Utah State.