Alumni Report: Los Al Althletes at Stanford, Notre Dame and UCI

Providence College's softball program received a true special delivery when a package arrived a few years ago from South Orange County.

Michelle Huber, then a student at JSerra High School, had sent mail to a number of universities in hopes of landing a softball scholarship.

“I mostly mailed schools in Northern California,” she said. “My dad is from Ohio and familiar with the east. He suggested Providence because it’s a great school with great academics.”

Providence's academics, athletics and Rhode Island campus all intrigued Huber, whose lofty prep credentials caught the Friars' attention as well. She hit a team-leading .333 with two home runs in 2008, the last of her four years on the Lions' varsity.

But it was Huber’s performance at a club tournament -- she's a veteran travel-ball player -- that finally sealed the deal.

“I was playing well in a Las Vegas showcase [that the Providence coaching staff] was scouting, and they happened to like what they saw,” Huber said. “Before Providence contacted me, I hardly even knew of Rhode Island.”

However, a recruiting trip on what she called “the most beautiful week of the year” sold her on both the college and the state.

Neither rain, nor sleet, nor snow, nor hail would keep Huber from being delivered to her college of choice. And, she said, there’s been plenty of snow.

“My first winter here I was like, ‘What’s all this white stuff everywhere?’” she said.

For Huber, who grew up in Dana Point, the frigid winter months in New England played a part in at what she said was a difficult adjustment for her.

Venturing 3,000 miles from home is no easy feat for any teenager, and her freshman year included plenty of growing pains.

“I wanted to be close to home,” she said. “I had teammates who lived 10 miles from home and were close to their family and friends. I spent a lot of time in the library. A lot of time.”

All that time spent studying has benefited Huber’s pursuit of a marketing degree. She wants to own and operate a wedding planning business after she earns her MBA. “Hopefully here at Providence,” she said of her graduate-school plans.

The initial fears she experienced attending college on the other side of the country have since subsided, thanks, primarily, to being a member of the softball team.

An outfielder, she made an immediate impact, batting .274 with 11 runs batted in and one home run her freshman season, when she led her team in runs scored (30) and stolen bases (12). As a sophomore, she batted .311 with 33 runs, 18 RBIs, three home runs and 19 stolen bases, all of which earned her third-team All-Big East Conference honors.

“The team becomes like a family," Huber said. "Softball season is our prime time when we’re all together.”

The Friars begin their 2011 season Friday against Illinois and Pittsburgh in the Florida International Invitational.

“I’m looking forward to going to Miami and getting out of the cold,” Huber said.

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Huber’s Providence Friars will jockey for an NCAA tournament berth against 12 Big East rivals, which feature other Orange County players on some of their rosters.

Heather Johnson is a redshirt senior third baseman at Notre Dame, coming off a 2010 season during which she batted .377 and hit 17 home runs on her way to garnering second-team All-Big East honors. The Los Alamitos resident and Mater Dei High graduate helped the Fighting Irish finish 18-3 in conference play last season to share the title with DePaul.

Mackensey Carter, a graduate of Mission Viejo High, is a junior at Georgetown. She batted .344 with four home runs and 24 RBIs last season, when she was named second-team All-Big East.

Julie Smith of Dana Hills High is a sophomore player for the Villanova Wildcats. She had six RBIs in 31 appearances her freshman season. 

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Newport Beach hosted the UC Irvine Anteater Invitational golf tournament on Monday and Tuesday at Big Canyon Country Club. El Toro High alum Scott Travers finished ninth among the 54 competitors, shooting a 219 for Santa Clara. He was two strokes under par in Round 1, and one stroke under in Round 2. The Broncos finished fourth in the 11-team field.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo’s Bryce Greely finished 43^rd in his homecoming, shooting a three-round 262. The Newport Harbor High alum’s best round was a one-over 73.

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The eighth-ranked UC Irvine men’s volleyball’s bested No. 15 Pacific Friday night in Stockton behind strong performances from junior Kevin Carroll (Los Alamitos High) and senior Cory Yoder (San Clemente High).  Yoder registered 12 kills on the night, giving him 167 on the season with a .459 attacking percentage. Carroll recorded seven kills, giving his 46 on the season.

Other South Orange County residents on the Anteaters' roster are Laguna Niguel's John Caroompas III (JSerra High), Mission Viejo's Ian and Kevin Wynne (Capistrano Valley High), Austin D'Amore (Laguna Hills High), Ian Castellana (San Clemente High) and Travis Woloson (Laguna Beach High).

UCI was scheduled to play at Stanford Saturday night. The Cardinal's roster includes Los Alamitos' Ian Connolly, a senior who graduated from Mater Dei, and Gus Ellis, a junior from Corona del Mar who played for the Sea Kings.

Stanford dropped a 3-0 decision at UC San Diego on Friday. In that match,
Laguna Niguel sophomore Colin Frishman (Dana Hills High) had four digs for the Tritons.

Other South Orange county residents on UCSD's roster include Newport Beach senior Phil Bannan (Corona del Mar High), Lake Forest redshirt sophomore Michael Boag (Mission Viejo High) and Rancho Santa Margarita senior Paul Spitsen (Tesoro High).

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