From KOMU.com website at:
http://www.komu.com/news/schulte-selected-for-usaai-aruba-friendship-ser...

FULTON, MO -- Adding to her fourth consecutive all-AMC selection, senior Kelsey Schulte was recently selected as a member of the USA Athletes International squad that will compete this summer in the Aruba Friendship Softball Series, June 18-25. The pitcher/outfielder will be part of a team selected by Indiana Tech's Becky Norris.

Schulte concluded her career in Forest Green and Burgundy as a standout both in the field and in the circle for WWU. She finishes with a batting average of .326 and her 28 career home runs are second-most in the history of the program. With 165 RBIs over her four-year career, she also holds down fifth all-time in that category. In the circle, she also holds down a number of top five marks, starting 80 games (5th) and appearing in 103 overall contests (4th) for WWU. The senior recorded 405 strikeouts, the fourth-highest career total in Owls history and finished with an ERA of 2.33.

"Kelsey is an excellent example of the type of athletic ambassador USA Athletes International seeks to bring into international competition," added Darrell Phipps, Program Coordinator at USA Athletes International. "She is taking the opportunity to represent her hometown of Honey Creek, Missouri, William Woods University and her family as an ambassador for the sport of softball and the USA."

Norris, who is in her seventh year at the helm at Indiana Tech, recently picked up her 200th career win as a head coach and has a coaching pedigree that included a stint as an assistant at NCAA Division I Eastern Illinois University.

Members of the USAAI teams are selected from a pool of NCAA, NAIA and NJCAA student-athletes nominated by coaches throughout the United States. In order to maintain eligibility under the guidelines of the various governing bodies, student-athletes selected to the teams cover the individual costs associated with the trip through a variety of fundraising activities.

USA Athletes International is a nonprofit organization dedicated to giving amateur athletes the opportunity to compete at the highest levels against teams from around the world.

From the Star Tribune:
http://www.startribune.com/sports/twins/145858745.html

Blount: A nice way to touch them all
Article by: RACHEL BLOUNT , Star Tribune Updated: April 3, 2012 - 6:27 AM

The Century College baseball team held a clinic for players from the Miracle League.

Like so many other kids their ages, Josh and Tyler Lindgren can't wait for one of their favorite signs of spring: baseball season.

"Every morning before school, their grandpa comes over 15 minutes before the bus comes so they can practice hitting and catching,'' said their mom, Dawn Lindgren. "It means everything to them.''

Saturday morning, it meant just as much to their mom to see Josh, 9, and Tyler, 6, hustling around the bases in the gym at Century College in White Bear Lake. The brothers have hypotonia, a condition that can affect physical and cognitive development. But with their Miracle League season just weeks away, they were eager to sharpen their skills at a clinic hosted by Century's fledgling baseball team.

The Wood Ducks, in their second season, are 21-7 and ranked eighth in the nation among Division III junior colleges. Saturday's clinic paired each of the 26 players with a child or teen preparing to play in the Miracle League, which allows 1,500 disabled kids in Minnesota to feel the exhilaration of smacking a single or scoring a run.

Former Twins infielder and manager Frank Quilici was there, too. The Miracle League was a favorite cause of his late friend, Twins Hall of Famer Harmon Killebrew. As he waved the players and their Century buddies around third base, Quilici never stopped smiling -- an inevitable side effect on a day that made baseball feel truly inclusive.

"This is why Harmon became so passionate about this,'' said Quilici, a member of the Harmon Killebrew Foundation board of directors. "When he was almost on his deathbed, he went to a game and stayed until the last kid made the turn around the bases, and he congratulated all of them.

"He really, really wanted to get as many of these fields as possible built. I hope to keep up his legacy. To participate in this wonderful day, I feel just as passionate about it.''

That seems to be a common sentiment about the Miracle League, now in its sixth season in Minnesota. Its new facility in Woodbury, plus others in Blaine, Lakeville and Minnetonka, give a baseball home to players age 4 through 19 with a wide range of disabilities. Dwight Kotila, Century's baseball coach and athletic director, thought a clinic would be a good way for his players to connect with their community and deepen their appreciation for the game.

The 26 available spots were quickly filled by players ranging in age from 3 to 17. Each was partnered up with a buddy, as Miracle League players are in their games, and worked on hitting, throwing and fielding before playing a game.

The buddies -- all Century College players -- gave some pointers, but they also gave in to the boundless excitement of kids experiencing the game's most basic joys. One boy was so tickled after hitting a single that he stepped on first base and then ran back toward home, so he could high-five everyone he had passed. Others stayed late to continue playing catch with college athletes who instantly seemed like big brothers.

Catcher Jake Lindmeier, Josh Lindgren's buddy, said the players felt like they were "reliving their childhood.'' First baseman Jack Bordewick -- whose buddy Mackenzie Groth, 3, sported a black-and-pink glove -- found that baseball provided a natural bond with kids whose lives were far different from his own.

Kotila hoped that would happen, and he knew it had when he observed his players pushing their buddies' wheelchairs and holding their hands.

"We wanted to help get the word out about the Miracle League, for people to realize there are special-needs youth that need these facilities,'' he said. "And it makes our players realize they can play a role in someone's life without doing too much. Even just by playing catch.''

Kevin Thoresen, executive director of the Miracle League of Minnesota, said it is growing rapidly. It is planning to build two more fields -- which have accessible dugouts, flat bases and a crushed-rubber surface to accommodate kids with wheelchairs or walkers -- in Minneapolis and St. Paul. The Killebrew Foundation and Twins Community Fund continue to raise money for Miracle League fields, while youth baseball programs supply hundreds of buddies eager to share the game.

The Lindgren boys already have some measure of fame, having thrown out the first pitch at a Twins game last season. The early spring has them itching to try out the new Woodbury field, particularly after Saturday's game in a raucous gym stuffed full of parents, grandparents and 26 new friends.

"There aren't a lot of things for them to do,'' Dawn Lindgren said. "Their self-esteem and independence have really blossomed since they started playing. They just love baseball.''

Follow these links to catch up on Elmira College's Meghan Pass accomplishments as she prepares for the Berlin Open/Prague tour this summer.

http://athletics.elmira.edu/news/2012/3/17/WLAX_0317120241.aspx?path=wlax
&
http://athletics.elmira.edu/news/2012/3/19/MVB_0319122720.aspx?path=mvball

From: The Placer Herald, Rocklin, CA
http://placerherald.com/detail/196123.html

Rocklin native and Whitney High School student/athlete Darian Harris has a busy year ahead. Besides completing her senior softball season this spring with the Wildcats, she’s been invited to play in Italy this summer, and then return to become a member of the Humboldt State softball team.

As a junior, the left-handed catcher/outfielder didn’t miss a game in helping the

Wildcats take the Capital Athletic League crown with a 10-0 record. The club swept into the Sac-Joaquin Section championship game before falling to Rodriguez; the ‘Cats finished the season 25-7.

Harris said she believes Whitney softball will do even better this year, in spite of graduating five seniors

“I think we definitely have the fire power,” Harris said, “and we’ll do better and win sections.”

Harris hit at a .408 clip, with a .474 on-base percentage. Her slugging percentage was .653, with 32 runs-batted-in and 33 runs scored. Harris’s fielding percentage was .996.

For her performance she was named to the CAL all-league first team, and earned honorable mention in the All Metro selections. She was also named Whitney’s Best Offensive Player last year.

“She’s our catcher of the future for us,” said Humboldt State softball head coach Frank Cheek of Harris in a statement to the press. “She’s a good hitter and bats left-handed so it gives her an advantage to get on base.”

Almost before the ink dried on her acceptance of a full-ride scholarship to play for the ‘Jacks, she received a letter from the USA Athletes International organization inviting her to join its team in Italy this summer. The USAAI has asked her to play with its 14-member USA squad and compete in the 2012 Tuscany Tournament, Grosseto, Italy, July 22-31.

The letter emphasized it was an invite to play, and not for tryouts. The team will be coached by Indiana University-Southeast’s Mike Nally.

However, traveling to Europe isn’t an all-expenses-paid trip. Harris said she is working on some fundraising ideas to help her raise the extra money.

If she’s able to make the trip, she’ll return with just enough time to get ready for her next venue – Humboldt State. She’s a bit apprehensive about leaving home for an extended period of time, but also can’t help but feel excited about it.

“I have mixed feelings,” said Harris. “I think (the campus) is as beautiful thing as I’ve ever seen. It’s just so green. I’m excited to go because it’s a dream.”

The Whitney High Wildcats are coached by April Tursky-Steele, a Humboldt State Lumberjack Hall of Fame inductee.