MILLION MILE MARCH

Our Million Mile March
starts Tuesday, September 1

Please share the link below on any and all social media as well as email anyone you think might be interested. 
 

► http://www.alexslemonade.org/mypage/1165527◄

Please remember even the smallest amount makes a difference!!!

Click here for the Wesley College Softball Facebook page
 

Click here for the ASA USA Softball Facebook page

NATIONAL NEWS LINKS

National college reports
Links for breaking fastpitch
national news & information

Below are a few popular links (among many different sources) for national collegiate softball news and information. 

In season, of course, there also is news, roosters, stats, etc. about the Wesley Wolverine team at their homepage at: athletics.wesley.edu/sports
/sball/index. 

Also there are the CAC local reports, the official Capital Athletic Conference news feed with links to league schedules, standings, statistics, etc.
 
GENERAL NATIONAL SOFTBALL NEWS...

► FPN: news source for NCAA college & club softball news.
► USA: latest events and results for USA Softball from USOC official site.
► NCAA: college scores, schedules, rankings, brackets, stats, video & more.  
► NCAA Div III: focus on D3 news and information only.
► USA Elite Select: site for elite fastpitch players to showcase their skills.
► NFCA headlines: latest activities & promotions of National Fastpitch Coaches Assoc.
► SPORTS madness: updated national news, brackets, Top 25 and players of the week etc.
► ESPN college softball: softball news at the leading national sports broadcaster.

Also, the National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) homepage is at www.profastpitch.com and the International Softball Federation is at www.isfsoftball.org.

FASTPITCH FORUMS... 

► Hey Bucket provides comprehensive boards on the fastpitch game.
► 43 Ft is for parents & players to discuss & review games & equipment.
► DiscussFastpitch.com reviews hitting, pitching, drills and softball tips.
► SoftballChannel posts discussions covering all aspects of the softball game.

Also, USSSA DE/MD / MidAtlanticFastpitch / Maryland Fastpitch Softball are local boards oriented to club ball. 

NEW NCAA RULES

In-game video approved
New NCAA fastpitch rules
for 2016 collegiate season

Here are a few proposed softball rules approved by the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel for the 2016 season… 

► VIDEO: Teams can use in-game video as long as it is kept off the playing field during an inning or used to review an umpire’s decision. 

► INTERFERENCE: A defensive player cannot block a base without having possession of the ball or being in the act of catching a thrown ball.

► BASE PATH: A runner’s lane will no longer be required to be painted on the field between home plate and first base.

► BAT BARREL: Players cannot use a bat with a barrel that is yellow or non- contrasting to the ball.

► HIT BY PITCH: A “no pitch” will be called if a batter is hit by a pitch while being out of the front of the batter’s box.

► SLIDING: Base runners are prohibited from sliding out of the baseline directly into a fielder. In these instances, the base runner will be declared out.

► UMPIRES: Coaches and players may not question the strike zone or any call based purely on the umpire’s judgment. Questioning will result in a warning, and any subsequent violations can result in ejection.

CLICK HERE for the full story, which includes 

ADDITIONAL NEW rules not listed here.

CONTINUOUS EFFORT

ASA USA Softball Facebook page

CO-CAPTAINS

Left-to-right, TOP: Wesley Wolverines senior #32 C/3B Kayla Fromal (Middletown, DE), senior #6 MI Breanna Hartman (Red Bank, NJ), BOTTOM: junior #18 C/3B Nina Marcano (Middletown, DE), senior #22 C/UT Morgan Seymour (Smyrna, DE), CENTER: junior #12 P/MI Lindsay Siok (Milford, DE).

HARD MAKES IT GREAT

SPRING GAMES VIDEOS

CLERMONT, FL SPRING GAMES PREVIEW

Wesley softball will participate in the Spring Games, Clermont, FL, this coming March 2016. The Wolverines will leave Friday, March 4 and return Saturday, March 12 via Amtrak's Auto Train. The sponsor of the tournament is PFX Athletics.

Below are two videos (posted by PFX Athletics on Facebook) that were made by college teams about their experiences at the Spring Games. The first is actual game footage of the Southern New Hampshire University Penmen at the 2015 tournament. The second records the Endicott College Seagulls 2014 trip by bus, plane and van from Beverly, MA to the Clermont, FL.

NOTE: BOTH VIDEOS ARE ON THE LONG SIDE and a little repetitious, but each does show how one team made the trek and how the other competed at the March event.

THE SPRING GAMES FASTPITCH ACTION… 


THE TRIP WITH TEAM CHATTER, SINGING & ANTICS... 

FIRST LIFT OF SEASON

First official lift of season
Wolverines building core strength,
maxing out squats in weight room

SQUATS. That's largely, though not entirely, what kept the  Wolverine softball team busy last night at the Peter Bielfield Weight Room inside the Wesley West Field House on the Wesley College campus.

Squats are important for building core strength, essential for the fastpitch player seeking increased power, speed, agility – and, especially, sudden explosiveness (i.e., pushing nimbly against the ground) that translates into effective swings, throws, steals and fielding. These exercises strengthen the lower body, trunk and make bones stronger.

Wesley Wolverine junior #12 P/MI Lindsay Siok (Milford, DE) doing a Greek lunge, 
while those re-racking behind her are sophomore #4 MI/OF Samantha Burns 
(Magnolia, DE) and junior #18 C/3B Nina Marcano (Middletown, DE).

Wesley Wolverine freshman Megan DiRubbio (Smyrna, DE) 
and junior #9 P/OF Lily Engel (Dover, DE).

Wesley Wolverine freshman #2 OF Kateri Peters (Havre DeGrace, MD) 
and junior #18 C/3B Nina Marcano (Middletown, DE).

Wesley Wolverine sophomore #1 3B Tiarra Maddox (Bridgeville, DE).

Wesley Wolverine junior #17 OF Casey Beall (Severn, MD) 
and freshman #2 OF Kateri Peters (Havre DeGrace, MD).

DREAM BIG

Softball Performance Facebook page

SAAC 8-31 MEETING

Monday, August 31

Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC)
4:00 PM @ The Underground

TEAM GAME

Softball.com Facebook page    

BLOG DEMOGRAPHICS

Readership analysis
Softball blog most popular
with players' family & friends

Who is reading this blog? Google analytics has some answers.

On average, there are anywhere from 50 to 100 readers per day, but the numbers have been as low as 29 and soared to as much as 245, depending on what has been posted. This can amount on average to 350 or even many more individual unique visitors per week -- and double these figures for actual "page views". Traffic is highest Monday through Friday and drops significantly over weekends.

The most popular content read is, as would be expected, news and information about specific players and/or the team in general.

CLICK ON GRAPHIC ABOVE TO ENLARGE

Based on past years' blog efforts, these reader numbers should continue to grow steadily as we approach and enter the regular spring season. Coverage of actual games always draws the greatest interest. Still, for now, please do spread the word about the blog, especially to immediate family, relatives and friends of the team.

The blogs pageviews are reviewed equally by men and women, while most intensely by the 35-64 age group (80%) with those 45-54 (40%) most dominant. This data most probably reflect parents of players and prospects as well as local and regional softball coaches and enthusiasts.

As for readers' primary interests, “sports fans (26%)” rank high, of course, though the leading category is “arts & entertainment aficionados (30%)”, which broadly covers lovers of movies, TV, music, theater and more.

“News junkies (16%)” round out the top three affinities for blog readers that combined together account for 72% of the readership.

WEIGHT ROOM

Strength, agility training
Weight room workouts start tonight,
now part of college athlete’s routine
 

In case you thought the first week of college for the Wesley Wolverine softball team was all about settling-in, arranging schedules, buying books, meeting professors, attending classes, and catching up with friends at the college center, you are 100% right. 

But there also is the Peter Bielfield Weight Room, which is now a regular routine wedged between the Wolverines' classes.

Here are a few cell phone shots of the softball squad from last year (2014)...

NEW COLLEGE PRESIDENT

CLICK HERE for the full story.

Mr. Clark is a former commandant of midshipmen at the U.S Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD.

BASE RUNNING

ART OF BASE RUNNING
Softball Strong Facebook page 

MHD VIDEOS

Click on video below to START or STOP it.

 

LOUISVILLE SLUGGER XENO

Louisville Slugger “pop”

Brand new Xeno bats for 

2016 Wolverine's season

The Wesley Wolverines can bring their own personal bat or bats to the game

...OR, a player can use any of the new team bats this season. Each team bat is a different weight 2016 Louisville Slugger Xeno.

#1 collegiate bat

The Xeno is arguably the most popular bat in collegiate softball. It certainly was popular at last season's Women’s College World Series.

“The team seems to like this bat better than the ones in the past,” notes Head Coach Juli Greep. “It has broken in very quickly and has great bat control and pop.” 

S1iD Technology
 
Louisville Slugger marketing claims the bat's “pop” is from their “S1iD Technology” that allows the barrel to flex to its MAXIMUM allowable performance and actually exceed the legal ball exit speed ratio.

This bat literally bends for a sling shot effect when contact is made with the ball!

iST Technology

The Xeno brand also boasts of a “iST design” that connects barrel and handle for strong solid feel, creating a greater sweet spot as well as the ability to absorb more vibrations before reaching a player's hands.

“I'm just such a super fan of Louisville,” adds Coach Greep. “I'm not sure we will ever swing anything else.”

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XENO POPULAR WITH SLUGGERS: CLICK HERE for the full story 

from the Bristol Herald Courier, Virginia.

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Below, video review (which is an ad from JustBats.com) 
about the Louisville Xeno followed by the Xeno "flex" caught on film...

THEY'RE BACK

DRASS FIELD

WOLVERINE SPORTS NEWS... 

Delaware State News Facebook page

CLICK HERE for the full story on Drass Field.

THROWING A CHANGE UP

HOW TO THROW A CHANGE UP 

TALK TO A WOLVERINE ABOUT “SLOW BALL”   

ALL-CONFERENCE JUNIOR #12 P/MI LINDSAY SIOK (Milford, DE) 

has mastered the off-speed pitch combined with its deceptive delivery 

and location across the plate.

TOUGH WORDS

All About Fastpitch Facebook page