Alumni Report: She’s Putting the Fight in Irish’s Softball Team

Notre Dame senior third baseman Heather Johnson (Los Alamitos/Mater Dei High) garnered Big East Conference softball player of the week honors Monday after a torrid 12-for-17 performance at the plate in two Fighting Irish victories. Three of Johnson’s hits were home runs and during the span she drove in 14 runs. Johnson is batting .364 on the season with team highs in home runs (five) and runs batted in (33).

Notre Dame  is just outside of the latest ESPN.com/USA Softball top 25 rankings as the season heads into its final month before NCAA Tournament play begins. Also jockeying for a potential tournament bid is North Carolina, where senior outfielder Dani Manko (Misson Viejo/Tesoro High) is providing solid defense for a Tar Heel team aiming to climb the Atlantic Coast Conference’s ladder. She’s perfect in fielding and has recorded 35 put-outs in 29 starts.

Those in the top 20 have less arduous final weeks as most have already secured postseason berths, and Michigan freshman first baseman Mandy Gardner (Mission Viejo/Aliso Niguel High) appears headed to the tournament in her first collegiate season. Gardener has made 10 plate appearances with an RBI and three walks drawn for Michigan (33-3).

Florida sits at 8-6 in the always-competitive Southeastern Conference, 31-7 overall and No. 11 in the current poll. Sophomore utility player Brittany Schutte (Fountain Valley/Mater Dei High) has contributed a powerful bat to the Gator lineup, belting 12 home runs with a .721 slugging percentage. She’s batting .327 overall for Florida, which finishes a weekend series against Arkansas Sunday.

For conferences that are often considered for only at-large berths to the tournament, winning the league crown is essential. UC Davis is in an early four-way tie atop one such conference, the Big West. 

The Aggies are 17-14, 2-1 in conference, including an impressive 9-2 at home with Alex Holmes (San Juan Capistrano/JSerra High) setting pace. Her .392 batting average, .693 slugging percentage and 17 drawn walks are all team highs. Fellow local products Chandler Wagner (Trabuco Canyon/Tesoro High) has six RBIs and Kelly Harman (Trabuco Canyon/Santa Margarita Catholic High) has nine, to go with two stolen bases.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo senior pitcher Anna Cahn (Los Alamitos) was named the Big West’s player of the week, but not for her pitching. She hit her 10^th home run of the season in a victory over UC Riverside that helped the Mustangs keep pace with Davis, Pacific and UC Santa Barbara. Cahn’s 10 round-trippers lead the conference and she has a powerful .768 slugging percentage.

Junior outfielder Nicole Lund (Rancho Santa Margarita/Tesoro High) has provided pop of her own for the Mustangs with three home runs.

Long Beach State has sputtered out of the gate in Big West play, but buoying the 49ers is a stout No. 26 Ratings Percent Index (RPI). The 49ers host Cal State Northridge in this weekend’s series. Sophomore outfielder Brooke Bell (Lake Forest/El Toro High) has seen limited action for the 49ers, making 13 appearances on the season.

Connection’s in the Cards

Infielder Nick Punto (Trabuco Hills High/Saddleback College) will miss a Southern California homecoming this week when his St. Louis Cardinals come to Dodger Stadium for a four-game series beginning Thursday.

Punto is one of two local players on the Cardinal roster—second baseman Skip Schumaker (Aliso Niguel High) is the other—and returns to the National League for the first time since 2003, when he played for the Philadelphia Phillies. The long-time Minnesota Twin signed as a free agent with the Cardinals in January.

His debut has been delayed, however, because of a sports hernia that put him on the 15-day disabled list. Punto is expected to begin extended training sessions in Florida on Monday, according to MLB.com’s Matthew Leach, and will not available for the weekend match-up with Los Angeles, which is one leg of a 10-game west coast swing. But, according to the site, Punto is expected to play in extended training sessions in Florida on Monday.

Eagles Flying High in CCAA

Three squads from the California Collegiate Athletic Assn. appear in the current NCAA Div. II National Collegiate Baseball Writers’ Assn. poll: No. 10 Cal State Los Angeles, No. 14 Chico State, No. 19 Sonoma State, while UC San Diego is among those “also receiving votes.”

The Cal State L.A. Eagles are winners of five of their last six outings, climbing to an overall record of 21-12. Junior twins Brian and David Compton (Cypress/Los Alamitos High) have contributed to the Eagles’ success. Catcher Brian is batting .320 with 17 RBIs and infielder David has hit two home runs.

Sophomore infielder Jordan Castro (Mission Viejo/Capistrano Valley High) has seen a dip in production after his breakout freshman campaign, when he batted .319 with 28 RBIs, but he continues to provide depth in the Eagles’ infield with 17 starts. From the mound, 6-foot-4 junior pitcher Nathan Pickett (Laguna Beach) has made seven starts and struck out 16 batters.

The Eagles are in action this weekend against Cal State Monterey Bay, and recently took three of four from UC San Diego. UCSD is a team looking to regroup as it has taken a dip in the national polls. The Tritons, who began the season in the top 5, are looking to make a late surge in the CCAA.

Junior Jeff Rauh (Lake Forest/Laguna Hills High) has a 2.84 ERA in 19 innings pitched for the Tritons, while freshman pitcher Aaron Wolfson (Laguna Hills/Sage Hill High) has not seen action yet this season. UCSD completes a four-game weekend series at Sonoma State today.

Track and Field Athletes Not Stuck in the Mudd

Several of the nation’s top collegiate track programs call California home, and a bevy of local athletes occupy their rosters.

Claremont Mudd-Scripps is ranked among the NCAA Division III elite, holding the No. 3 spot on the men’s side and the No. 2 on the women’s. Senior pole vaulter Matt Streshinsky (Laguna Niguel/Aliso Niguel High) is a seasoned veteran in his fourth year of competition in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Senior Brian Kopczynski (Coto de Caza/Tesoro High) competes in the 3000-meter steeplechase and 5000 meters, and senior Grant Heffernan (Newport Beach/University High) throws the shot put and discus.

In NAIA competition, Point Loma Nazarene and Azusa Pacific are chasing a Golden State Athletic Conference title. Poing Loma’s roster includes junior Ashlee Szabo (San Clemente), a distance runner who in 2010 qualified for the NAIA national meet in the 5000 meters with a time under 18 minutes (17:57.94).

The Sea Lions’ relay runners have powered the women’s team each of the last two seasons, and pacing the 4x800 unit is sophomore Breelan Matranga (Laguna Niguel/Dana Hills High), who was an NAIA All-American in 2010. Fellow Dana Hills alumna Kassandra Ham competes in sprints, along with freshman Samantha Staph (San Juan Capistrano/Saddleback Valley Christian School), while 1500 and 3000 meter sophomore Anna Bray (Newport Beach/Orange Lutheran High) is a 1500 and 3000 meter specialist.

The men’s team features two-sport athlete Macaine Piercy (Los Alamitos/Cerritos Valley Christian High), a senior who was selected All-Conference as a member of Point Loma's men's soccer team.

Aiding APU’s conference title hopes is sophomore Anthony Lacambra (Laguna Hills/Dana Hills High), a distance runner competing in a number of events for the Cougars. Last weekend, Lacambra posted a season-best 9:50.23 in the steeplechase in an event at Cal State San Marcos.

Is there a local alum we should know about? Contact Kyle Kensing at  kkensing@gmail.com