Happy New Year, everyone!
At midnight, the new year officially arrived and now we can say that the 2012 college softball season begins next month.
Let's take a look back at the Top 10 storylines of the 2011 calendar year in Western Athletic Conference softball:
1. Fresno State reaches 30th straight NCAA Tournament
The Bulldogs spent several weeks in the nation's Top 25 national polls, as well as the RPI Top 25, and advanced to their national record 30th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. It's an impressive mark that continues to be unrivaled in the sport. Coach Margie Wright's squad also added to a remarkable streak in which Fresno State has finished either first or second in the final WAC softball regular season standings for 16 straight years. With a number of quality returning players -- including two senior all-conference pitchers -- and some promising and talented newcomers, the Bulldogs are looking for a 31st straight trip to the NCAA tourney in 2012.
2. New Mexico State wins first WAC softball title
Coach Kathy Rodolph's Aggies seemed to venture into each of the past few seasons with championship dreams. But each time that dream was dashed... until last season when New Mexico State put it all together. For the Aggies, it was a season of firsts: Their first WAC regular season title, first postseason conference tournament championship, and first trip to the NCAA Tournament in the sport of softball. The biggest difference came in the pitching circle for New Mexico State. Long an offensive powerhouse, Rodolph's squad added the most important missing ingredient -- quality and deep pitching -- to its repertoire last season.
3. Hawai'i begins season in Top 10 but fades down the stretch
Fresh off its first appearance at the Women's College World Series, Hawai'i received its highest preseason ranking ever in the NFCA Top 25 coaches poll last season, beginning the year ranked 8th in the country. The Wahine spent three weeks in the Top 10, eight weeks in the Top 25, and finished with a strong 37-18 record but were still denied an NCAA Tournament bid. A fourth place WAC finish, combined with a less than stellar RPI, left Hawai'i as the only team in the preseason top 20 of the coaches poll to not reach the postseason. The team's offensive drop-off was staggering compared to the 2010 season: The 2011 team batting average dropped more than 60 points, and Hawai'i hit 102 fewer home runs and 151 fewer extra-base hits than the previous year.
4. Conference realignment talk dominates the landscape
With conference realignment one of the biggest discussions in college athletics all year long, the sport of WAC softball wasn't immune to it either. Fresno State, Hawai'i and Nevada all began their last official school years as WAC members in 2011. Each will depart the league exactly six months from today -- on July 1, 2012. Fresno State and Nevada will join the Mountain West in all sports, including softball, on that date. Hawai'i will join the Mountain West in football only, with nearly all of its other sports -- including softball -- going to the Big West. In losing Fresno State and Hawai'i, the sport of softball in the WAC will lose its two all-time winningest programs, along with its two biggest fan bases, leaving a void that will be difficult to overcome. Meanwhile, Brigham Young is currently readying for a 'one and out' type season where it will compete in the sport of softball as an affiliate WAC member this year only. BYU moves to its permanent home in the sport of softball -- the Pacific Coast Softball Conference -- after this year. And if that wasn't enough, Boise State may be making the oddest move of all. The Broncos, who just left the WAC in July for the Mountain West, announced last year they will be leaving the MW for the Big East in football with their other sports -- including softball -- returning to the WAC soon. Seattle, Texas State, Texas-Arlington and Texas-San Antonio (along with Denver, which does not sponsor softball) will join the WAC beginning July 1.
5. Fresno State's Moses no-hits Hawai'i on national TV
In the only nationally televised WAC softball game of the season, Fresno State pitcher Michelle Moses came up big. The junior right-hander pitched her first career no-hitter and struck out 11 as Fresno State shut out then-20th ranked Hawai'i 5-0 in a game broadcast live to the nation on ESPNU. Moses also added a single of her own and scored a run as the Bulldogs won game one of what would turn out to be an important 3-game sweep of the Rainbow Wahine. The game marked the first time Hawai'i had been no-hit since All-American Monica Abbott of Tennessee accomplished the feat on May 25, 2007 -- a 218-game stretch. In June, Moses was named an Easton All-American.
6. Rainbow Wahine sweep WAC's top two player awards
The WAC coaches decided the conference's two top player awards in 2011 would go to the same players that won top honors in 2010. Junior pitcher Stephanie Ricketts and sophomore shortstop Jessica Iwata of fourth-place finisher Hawai'i were named WAC Pitcher and Player of the Year, respectively, for the second straight season in balloting by conference coaches. It marked the first time in WAC softball history that either award, let alone both, were won by a team that finished lower than second in the conference standings. With that, New Mexico State became the first regular season WAC softball champion not to have a player honored with either the Player or Pitcher of the Year award.
7. Louisiana Tech softball stadium renovation
In June, work crews began a number of upgrades to the Lady Techsters softball complex, including the installation of a new sub-surface drainage system. Also installed was a new irrigation system, new fencing, and a new synthetic turf covering the fronts of both dugouts, behind home plate and in both bullpens. The renovations are the first steps in renovating the facility that will allow Louisiana Tech to host its first WAC softball tournament in 2013. Full plans call for a press box addition, new seating and a covered hitting facility as well. A new wrap featuring graphics honoring former Tech standouts is also part of the overall new look at the 29-year-old facility.
8. San Jose State honors fallen former player
In August, San Jose State broke ground on a beautiful new addition to its softball facility as a way to honor former Spartans player Deanna Mauer. A pitcher during her career at San Jose State, Mauer died tragically April 27 at the age of 23 in a Southern California traffic accident. The memorial includes a large cobblestone patio deck accenting the left field viewing area at the SJSU Field, along with a shaded cover and stone honoring Mauer.
9. Utah State roars back to reach WAC Tournament
It looked to be a season of discontent in Logan when Utah State set a not so glamorous mark, losing a WAC-record 19 straight games at one point. The Aggies were winless in a 19-game stretch from March 9 to April 8, but turned things around in a big way. Utah State went 9-6 during a key stretch run late in the season that included winning three of four conference series. Included in that string was a surprising series victory over eventual WAC tournament No. 3 seed Boise State. USU, which was 5-32 at one point in the season, ultimately ended up as the No. 5 seed in the conference tourney, its highest position ever.
10. New Mexico State, Fresno State rank high academically
Perhaps not coincidentally, the two highest achieving teams on the field were also the highest achieving WAC softball teams in the classroom. New Mexico State ranked No. 1 academically among WAC softball teams, according to stats released by the NFCA. The Aggies were 21st nationally in grade point average at an impressive 3.37 for the team. Fresno State was 2nd in the WAC and 75th nationally in team GPA at a strong 3.22. Coach Rodolph and Wright's squads were the lone WAC softball squads represented in the overall NCAA Top 100. Finishing 129th nationally was Utah State with a team GPA, according to the NFCA, of 2.99.
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