Top-Ranked Huskies Advance To Fifth Straight College World Series
May 23, 2000
UP NEXT
NCAA College World Series
| Thu., May 25 | G1: Washington vs. DePaul, Noon CT |
| G2: UCLA vs. Alabama, 2:30 p.m. CT | |
| G3: Oklahoma vs. California, 6 p.m. CT | |
| G4: Arizona vs. Southern Miss, 8:30 p.m. CT | |
| Fri., May 26 | G5: Winner G1 vs. Winner G2, 6 p.m. CT |
| G6: Winner G3 vs. Winner G4, 8:30 p.m. CT | |
| Sat., May 27 | G7: Loser G1 vs. Loser G2, Noon CT |
| G8: Loser G3 vs. Loser G4, 2:30 p.m. CT | |
| G9: Winner G7 vs. Loser G6, 6 p.m. CT | |
| G10: Winner G8 vs. Loser G5, 8:30 p.m. CT | |
| Sun., May 28 | G11: Winner G5 vs. Winner G9, Noon CT |
| G12: Winner G6 vs. Winner G10, 2:15 p.m.CT | |
| G13 (if necessary): 5 p.m. CT | |
| G14 (if necessary): 7:15 p.m. CT | |
| Sun., May 21 | CWS Championship Game, 12:15 p.m. CT |
IN THE POLLS (May 10)
| Washington | No. 1, USA Today/NFCA |
| Arizona | No. 2, USA Today/NFCA |
| UCLA | No. 3, USA Today/NFCA |
| Oklahoma | No. 4, USA Today/NFCA |
| Southern Miss | No. 8, USA Today/NFCA |
| California | No. 10, USA Today/NFCA |
| Alabama | No. 11, USA Today/NFCA |
| DePaul | unranked |
HUSKY QUICK FACTS
| 2000 Overall Record: | 61-7 |
| 2000 Pac-10 Record/Finish: | 17-4/Champions |
| Head Coach: | Teresa Wilson (Missouri '84) |
| Record at UW: | 398-139 (.741)/8th year |
| Career Record: | 602-300 (.667)/14th year |
HUSKIES HEAD TO COLLEGE WORLD SERIES: The Washington Huskies (61-7) enter their fifth straight College World Series, this year as the No. 1 seed, and will face DePaul on Thursday at noon Central Time. The double-elimination tournament--until the final game, which is a winner-takes-all contest--will be held in Oklahoma City, Okla., May 25-29, at the Don Porter Hall of Fame Stadium for the 10th time in the past 11 years. DePaul, 40-20, won the No. 8 Region as the fifth seed with a 4-1 record and is making its second straight appearance in the World Series.
OTHERS IN THE FIELD: The six other teams who advanced are, in order of seed, Arizona, Oklahoma, UCLA, Alabama, Cal and Southern Mississippi. Alabama, DePaul and UCLA are in Washington's half of the bracket.
ON THE AIRWAYS: KKOL 1300-AM will air a live broadcast of every game the Huskies play in the College World Series. To listen on the Web, go to www.gohuskies.com, scroll down and click on the Yahoo Broadcast button on the right side, and select Softball from the pull-down menu. ESPN2 will air both semifinal games live on Sunday, and ESPN will broadcast the final live on Monday.
TIDBITS ABOUT THE FIELD: Seven of the eight teams were ranked in the top 11 in the nation in the final regular-season NFCA/USA Today poll: No. 1 Washington (61-7), No. 2 Arizona (57-7), No. 3 UCLA (43-10-1), No. 4 Oklahoma (60-8), No. 8 Southern Miss (60-11), No. 10 California (49-23) and No. 11 Alabama (65-12). Only DePaul (40-20) is unranked. The Blue Demons began the year at 14th in the preseason poll and fell the next few weeks to 15th, 20th and 22nd before dropping out for the remainder of the season on Mar. 15. Six of the eight teams were CWS participants a year ago: Arizona, Cal, DePaul, Southern Miss, UCLA and Washington. Alabama and Oklahoma are making their first-ever trips to the Series.
HOW THEY GOT HERE: Arizona, Oklahoma, UCLA and Washington each were the No. 1 seeds and skated through their regionals undefeated. Alabama and Southern Miss were two seeds, with the Crimson Tide winning in four. USM, third-seed Cal and fifth-seeded DePaul each suffered a loss.
UW VERSUS THE OPPONENTS: Washington has played five of the seven other teams in the College World Series and is 12-3 against the field: Arizona (4-1), California (2-1), DePaul (2-0), Southern Mississippi (2-0) and UCLA (2-1). UW has not faced Alabama or Oklahoma this season. Complete series records appear later in this guide.
HUSKY FACTS AT THE CWS: UW is one of only two teams which has a current four-year streak of appearances at the College World Series. Arizona is the other. Also, UW is tied for sixth all-time in CWS wins with 11 and was the youngest program to win a game in the NCAA CWS, doing so in its fourth year of existence in 1996.
UW IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT: The Huskies have a rich tradition in postseason play, having made the NCAA Tournament in all but their first year of existence in 1993. UW is 31-10 overall in the tournament, including 20-4 in regionals and 11-6 in the College World Series. Washington has advanced to the semifinals or final in the past four years, finishing second in 1996 and 1999, and third in 1998 and 1999. A yearly breakdown:
USA TODAY/NFCA POLL (May 10)
| 1. | Washington (22) | 54-6 | 670 | 1 |
| 2. | Arizona (5) | 50-7 | 653 | 2 |
| 3. | UCLA | 36-10-1 | 611 | 3 |
| 4. | Oklahoma | 55-6 | 596 | 4 |
| 5. | Arizona State | 39-16 | 545 | 5 |
| 6. | Fresno State | 47-12 | 530 | 6 |
| 7. | LSU | 53-10 | 507 | 7 |
| 8. | Southern Mississippi | 54-10 | 499 | 8 |
| 9. | Stanford | 44-14 | 455 | 10 |
| 10. | California | 44-20 | 422 | 9 |
| 11. | Alabama | 59-10 | 395 | 11 |
| 12. | Cal State Fullerton | 43-11 | 364 | 14 |
| 13. | Oregon State | 36-17-1 | 345 | 12 |
| 14. | Michigan | 40-13-1 | 323 | 13 |
| 15. | Iowa | 42-12 | 317 | 15 |
| 16. | Louisiana-Lafayette | 44-13 | 257 | 17 |
| 17. | Notre Dame | 46-12 | 201 | 19 |
| 18. | Nebraska | 45-18 | 184 | 20 |
| 19. | Oregon | 34-24 | 161 | 16 |
| 20. | Long Beach State | 37-20 | 138 | 18 |
| 21. | Florida Atlantic | 55-15 | 130 | 22 |
| 22. | Mississippi State | 41-23 | 83 | 21 |
| 23. | Illinois-Chicago | 49-23 | 66 | 23 |
| 24. | Florida State | 48-25 | 52 | RV |
| 25. | South Carolina | 35-25 | 38 | 25 |
HUSKY HONORS
| Jaime Clark | All-Pacific Region First Team |
| All-Pac-10 First Team | |
| NFCA Player of the Week (3/1) | |
| Pac-10 Player of the Week (2/15) | |
| Kim DePaul | All-Pac-10 Second Team |
| Jamie Graves | No. 1 Region all-tournament team |
| All-Pacific Region Second Team | |
| All-Pac-10 First Team | |
| Pac-10 Pitcher of the Week (5/15) | |
| Pac-10 Pitcher of the Week (5/1) | |
| Pac-10 Player of the Week (3/21) | |
| NFCA Leadoff Classic all-tournament | |
| Kelly Hauxhurst | No. 1 Region all-tournament team |
| GTE All-District VIII academic team | |
| All-Pac-10 Honorable Mention | |
| Pac-10 Player of the Week (4/18) | |
| NFCA Leadoff Classic all-tournament | |
| Rosie Leutzinger | No. 1 Region all-tournament team |
| All-Pac-10 Second Team | |
| Jennifer Spediacci | No. 1 Region Most Outst. Player |
| GTE All-District VIII academic team | |
| All-Pacific Region First Team | |
| Pac-10 Pitcher of the Year | |
| All-Pac-10 First Team | |
| NFCA Player of the Week (4/18) | |
| Pac-10 Pitcher of the Week (4/18) | |
| Pac-10 Pitcher of the Week (3/28) | |
| Pac-10 Pitcher of the Week (3/21) | |
| Pac-10 Pitcher of the Week (3/7) | |
| Jenny Topping | No. 1 Region all-tournament team |
| All-Pacific Region First Team | |
| Pac-10 Newcomer of the Year | |
| All-Pac-10 First Team | |
| Pac-10 Player of the Week (3/7) | |
| NFCA Player of the Week (3/7) | |
| NFCA Leadoff Classic MVP | |
| Teresa Wilson | Pac-10 Co-Coach of the Year |
PAC-10 SENDS FOUR TO THE SERIES: Pac-10 Conference teams were awarded five of the eight No. 1 seeds at the regional tournaments--UW, Arizona, ASU, Stanford and UCLA--and all but Stanford advanced to the College World Series. Last year the league placed five teams in the Series (including Arizona State), culminating in an all-Pac-10 final of Washington vs. UCLA.
UW SWEEPS THROUGH NO. 1 REGIONAL: The Huskies allowed just one run in 26.0 innings and scored 24 themselves in winnings four games in the No. 1 Region. UW downed Army (5-0), Western Illinois (6-0), No. 22 Mississippi State (4-1) and Utah (9-0 in 5) before an average of 1,616 fans. The team hit .411, led by .667 (8-for-12) averages by Kelly Hauxhurst and Jenny Topping. Jennifer Spediacci threw a no-hitter on Friday to defeat WIU, striking out 13, and Jamie Graves struck out 10 against Army.
ALL-TOURNAMENT HONORS: Jennifer Spediacci earned Most Outstanding Player of the No. 1 Regional. She finished the weekend with a 2-0 record in two complete-game shutouts and 19 strikeouts in 12.0 innings. Batters hit a paltry .054 against her while she hit an outstanding .625 (5-for-8) for the tournament. She was joined on the all-tournament team by Jamie Graves (0.50 ERA, 2-0, 13 strikeouts, 14.0 innings), Kelly Hauxhurst (.667, 6 runs), Rosie Leutzinger (.467, 7-for-15, 4 runs) and Jenny Topping (.667, 8 RBI).
I FEEL LIKE A BROKEN RECORD: Records the Huskies have broken this season.
| Season | Career | ||
| RBI: | Jenny Topping, 90 | ERA: | Jennifer Spediacci, 1.09 |
| Home Runs: | Jenny Topping, 24 | Appearances: | Jamie Graves, 167 |
| Walks: | Kim DePaul, 55 | Wins: | Jennifer Spediacci, 99 |
| Hit By Pitch: | Kim DePaul, 19 | Shutouts: | Jennifer Spediacci, 40 |
| Slugging Pct.: | Jenny Topping, .976 | Innings Pitched: | Jennifer Spediacci, 806.0 |
| On-Base Pct.: | Jenny Topping, .562 | Strikeouts: | Jennifer Spediacci, 881 |
| ERA: | Jennifer Spediacci, 0.59 | BB/7 inn.: | Jamie Graves, 1.02 |
| Wins: | Jennifer Spediacci, 33 | Batting Avg.: | Jenny Topping, .441 |
| Shutouts: | Jennifer Spediacci, 16 | At-bats: | Rosie Leutzinger, 862 |
| Strikeouts: | Jennifer Spediacci, 303 | Stolen Bases: | Rosie Leutzinger, 113 |
| Hitting Streak: | Rosie Leutzinger, 21 | Hit by Pitch: | Kim DePaul, 36 |
| Wins: | Washington, 61 | Slugging Pct.: | Jenny Topping, .948 |
| Home Runs: | Washington, 82 | ||
| ERA: | Washington, 0.66 | ||
| Winning Streak: | Washington, 23 | ||
...ON THE VERGE: Several more records are endanger of getting broken, as noted below. Current totals are listed, followed parenthetically by the total it would take to break the school mark.
| Season | Career | ||
| At Bats: | Rosie Leutzinger, 233 (15) | Runs: | Rosie Leutzinger, 188 (1) |
| Hits: | Rosie Leutzinger, 82 (13) | Games Started: | Jennifer Spediacci, 122 (2) |
| Doubles: | Clark, Leutzinger, 23 (5) | ||
| Sacrifice Hits: | Melissa Downs, 13 (3) | ||
| Innings Pitched: | Jennifer Spediacci, 227.1 (27.1) | ||
UW'S SITUATIONAL RECORDS
| Overall/Pac-10: | 61-7/17-4 |
| Home/Away/Neutral: | 15-2/19-3/27-2 |
| Day/Night: | 54-6/7-1 |
| Against College World Series Field: | 12-3 |
| Against NCAA Tournament Field: | 45-7 |
| Run-Rule Games: | 14-0 |
| 7-Inning Games: | 47-4 |
| Extra Inning Games: | 1-3 |
| 1-Run Games: | 5-4 |
| 2-Run Games: | 5-2 |
| Shutouts: | 33-2 |
| vs. Top-25 Opponents At Game Time: | 36-6 |
| Last Year At This Time: | 51-17/15-12 |
| When UW Scores First: | 52-1 |
| When Opponent Scores First: | 9-6 |
| Sunday: | 12-0 |
| Monday: | 2-0 |
| Tuesday: | 3-0 |
| Wednesday: | 2-1 |
| Thursday: | 7-0 |
| Friday: | 16-2 |
| Saturday: | 19-4 |
FINAL PAC-10 STANDINGS
| Pac-10 (Pct.) | GB | Overall (Pct.) | ||
| 1. | Washington | 17-4 (.810) | --- | 61-7 (.897) |
| 2. | Arizona | 16-4 (.800) | 0.5 | 57-7 (.891) |
| 3. | UCLA | 14-7 (.667) | 3 | 43-11-1 (.791) |
| 4. | Stanford | 9-12 (.429) | 8 | 45-18 (.714) |
| 5. | Arizona State | 8-13 (.381) | 9 | 43-20 (.683) |
| 6. | Oregon State | 7-13 (.350) | 9.5 | 40-21-1 (.653) |
| 7. | Oregon | 6-15 (.286) | 11 | 36-29 (.554) |
| California | 6-15 (.286) | 11 | 49-23 (.681) | |
UW SOFTBALL ON THE AIRWAYS
Sat., Apr. 8 at Oregon, 1:30 p.m.-KKOL
Sun., Apr. 9 at Oregon, 12:30 p.m.-KKOL
Sat., Apr. 22 vs. UCLA, 1 p.m.*-Fox Sports Net
Sat., Apr. 29 vs. Stanford, 1:30 p.m.-KKOL
Sun., Apr. 30 vs. Stanford, 12:30 p.m.-KKOL
Fri., May 5 at Arizona, 6 p.m.-KKOL (game may start in-progress at 6:30 p.m.)
Sat., May 6 at Arizona State, 5:30 p.m.-KKOL
Sun., May 7 at Arizona State, 12:30 p.m.-KKOL
Fri., May 12 vs. Oregon, 2 p.m.-Fox Sports NW (replayed Saturday, May 13, at 3:30 p.m.)
Sat., May 13 vs. Oregon State, (DH) 1:30 p.m.-KKOL
Thu., May 18 vs. Army (NCAA), 3 p.m.-KKOL
Fri., May 19 vs. West. Ill. (NCAA), 12:30 p.m.-KKOL
Sat., May 20 vs. Miss. St. (NCAA), 10 a.m.-KKOL
Sun., May 21 vs. Utah (NCAA), 1 p.m.-KKOL
Thu., May 25 vs. DePaul (CWS), 10 a.m.-KKOL
*All NCAA Tournament games will be broadcast live
ALL TIMES PACIFIC TIME
NCAA RECORDS WATCH
| WASHINGTON | Current | NCAA Record | UW Record |
| Walks | 237 | 232 | 218 |
| JAIME CLARK | Current | NCAA Record | UW Record |
| Doubles | 23 | 29 | 27 |
| JENNY TOPPING | Current | NCAA Record | UW Record |
| Slugging % | .976 | 1.019 | .690 |
WASHINGTON IN THE NATIONAL STATISTICS: UW ranks high in several individual and team statistical categories nationally. Following are the stats and rankings through games played May 14.
| Avg.: | UW, .301 (18th), Topping, .424 (17th) |
| ERA: | UW, 0.68 (2nd), Graves, 0.61 (5th), Spediacci, 0.62 (6th) |
| HR: | Topping, 0.37 (1st), Clark, 0.31 (3rd) |
| RBI: | Topping, 1.37 (1st), Clark, 0.94 (19th) |
| 2B: | Clark, 0.36 (6th), Leutzinger, 0.32 (14th) |
| Wins: | Spediacci, 31 (t4th) |
| SO/7 inn: | Spediacci, 9.2 (8th) |
| Runs: | UW, 5.75 (11th) |
| Win %: | UW, .891 (1st) |
| Field %: | UW, .976 (3rd) |
PAC-10 CHAMPIONS: UW clinched the Pac-10 Championship on May 13 with its win over Oregon State. The title was the program's second, the first coming in 1996. UW finished the Pac-10 battle with a 17-4 record, a half-game ahead of Arizona's 16-4. The Wildcats' game at OSU was rained out, and league coaches agreed the game would not be made up. UW was picked to finish second.
POLLING THE HUSKIES: Washington finished the regular season as the No. 1 team in the nation, occupying the spot 13 straight weeks in the USA Today/NFCA poll after appearing in the second spot in the preseason rankings. The Huskies were the unanimous choice in six of the polls. UW has been ranked No. 1 three other weeks in program history, all late during the 1996 season, and have been ranked in the top six in the nation the past 63 weeks dating back to the first weekly poll in 1996. UW has been in the top 25 every year since late in its inaugural year.
| Pre | 2nd | |
| 2/23 | 1st | |
| 3/1 | 1st | |
| 3/8 | 1st* | |
| 3/15 | 1st* | |
| 3/22 | 1st* | |
| 3/29 | 1st | |
| 4/5 | 1st | |
| 4/12 | 1st* | |
| 4/19 | 1st | |
| 4/26 | 1st* | |
| 5/3 | 1st* | |
| 5/10 | 1st |
*-unanimous
WILSON NOTCHED 600TH WIN: Head coach Teresa Wilson reached milestone No. 600 during the No. 1 Regional tournament when the Huskies defeated Western Illinois on May 19. Wilson has amassed a 602-300 overall record in her 14th year as a head coach, winning at a 67 percent clip while leading all three teams she's coached--Oregon, Minnesota and Washington--to postseason competition. Wilson's record at UW is 398-139, a winning percentage of 74 percent. The All-American pitcher at Missouri earned Pac-10 Coach of the Year honors in 1989 while at Oregon, in 1996, and she shared the honor this year. She also was NCAA Coach of the Year in 1989.
QUICKEST TO 50 WINS: This year's Husky team has set program records for the quickest trip to 50 wins in a season and most wins in a season (61). The 2000 squad achieved the 50-win plateau in 55 games, topping the 1996 team's pace of 57 contests. UW pushes its streak of 50-win seasons to six.
STINGY WITH RUNS AT HUSKY SOFTBALL STADIUM: UW's pitching staff is one of the best in the nation anywhere but is even tougher at home. Visitors have gone scoreless in 130 of the past 138 innings in the confines of Husky Softball Stadium.
THAT'S QUITE A ROAD TRIP: Washington opened the season with a very long road trip, of sorts. Although the Huskies returned home between each trip, they played 47 games-about 73 percent of their regular-season schedule-on the road before gracing the fields of Husky Softball Stadium this weekend. The Dawgs will have logged 23,010 air miles and 283 bus miles this season by the time they return home from the College World Series...not counting van miles and U-turns.
ZONING OUT: In the first six weekends of play this season, the Huskies played in no one time zone on consecutive weekends and hit all four in the contiguous United States during that span: Mountain Time (Tucson, Ariz.), Pacific Time (Northridge, Calif.), Central Time (Austin, Texas), Mountain Time (St. George, Utah), Eastern Time (Columbus, Ga.) and Pacific Time (Fullerton, Calif.).
SEXTET OF SENIORS: The Dawgs are a veteran group this year, led by six seniors who have left their marks on the program. Melissa Downs, Jeanine Giordano, Jamie Graves, Erin Helgeland, Rosie Leutzinger and Jennifer Spediacci have led UW to four straight College World Series, finishing second in 1999, and have won 78 percent (214-59) of their games. The group includes three All-Americans (Graves, Leutzinger, Spediacci), five UW record holders (Giordano, Graves, Helgeland, Leutzinger, Spediacci), three WPSL draft picks (Giordano, Graves, Spediacci) and two Washington natives (Downs, Helgeland).
BURNING THE CANDLE AT BOTH ENDS: When the Huskies woke up the morning of Mar. 4 at the NFCA Leadoff Classic, they did not realize they would likely set an unofficial record for numbers of hours at a softball field by a Division I school at a major tournament. The day began with warmups at 8 a.m. for a 10 a.m. game against Florida (UW won, 6-1). After a quick trip to Subway across the street, UW waited for No. 17 Illinois-Chicago to finish a long game so the two teams could complete a lightening-delayed game from the day before. Starting at 3:05 p.m., the Huskies used nine minutes to complete the 6-0 win. In the quarterfinals, UW was to face No. 23 Nebraska at 8:30 p.m., but the game did not begin until 9:45 p.m. because of an extra-inning thriller on the field. The Huskies and Huskers duked it out for 2:42, finishing at 12:27 a.m. UW came back the next day to down No. 5 LSU, 3-0, and No. 8 Fresno State for the tournament title.
DEAR DIARY...: Wonder what goes on behind the scenes and in the minds of Husky softball players and coaches? You'll have two opportunities to read a more personal account of Washington softball. Head coach Teresa Wilson will post bi-monthly diary submissions to the cnn-si.com site every other Thursday, while one Husky player per week will write about the team's fortunes on and off the field. Those will be posted on www.gohuskies.com.
SIX-FOR-SIX: The Huskies won all six regular-season tournaments they entered this season: The Pepsi Arizona Classic, the Matador Invitational, the Red Desert Classic, a title they shared with Stanford, the NFCA Leadoff Classic, and the Kia Klassic.
BIG INNINGS: UW has put together some high-scoring innings. The Dawgs scored eight runs in the sixth inning against No. 11 Stanford and got seven in the sixth frame versus Southwest Texas State and Utah. The Huskies pushed six across in the first frame vs. South Florida and Portland State and scored five against several teams: San Diego State (first inning), Cal State Northridge (fourth), SW Texas State (fifth), No. 19 Texas (second), No. 25-tie Oklahoma State (fifth), No. 23 Nebraska (fifth), No. 4 Cal (second), and No. 19 Oregon (fourth).
LONG BALL RECORD PHENOMENON: The Huskies broke the school's individual and team home run records early this season. Washington now has hit 82 dingers in 68 games. That number more than doubles the previous program record of 39 set in 1995. The long ball hasn't figured prominently in Washington's success the past couple of years, with just 26 a year ago and 15 in 1998.
"OVER THE FENCE CLUB": UW's "Over the Fence Club" has a current membership of 12 this season, and nine Huskies have hit at least two. The Huskies have pounded a school-record 82 dingers this season. Jenny Topping's 24 also breaks the individual season mark, and Jamie Clark is close behind with 22.
MORE ON HOME RUNS: Washington has hit home runs in all but 21 games this season, and 149 of its 392 runs have come off four-baggers. Nine Huskies have hit two or more homers in 2000-Jenny Topping (24), Jaime Clark (22), Erin Helgeland (8), Kim DePaul (6), Jennifer Spediacci (6), Melissa Downs (5), Rosie Leutzinger (3), Christie Rosenblad (3) and Kelly Hauxhurst (2). Four UW players have hit two or more four-baggers in one day: Clark (twice), DePaul (twice), Helgeland and Topping (four times).
HITTING STREAKS: Four Huskies have put together double-digit batting streaks this season. Following is a breakdown.
| Player | Gms | Dates | Avg. (H-AB) | Misc. Stats |
| Rosie Leutzinger | 21 | 3/4-4/8 | .395 (32-81) | 18 runs, 5 RBI |
| Kelly Hauxhurst | 15 | 2/12-2/26 | .327 (17-52) | 4 runs, 17 RBI |
| Christie Rosenblad | 14 | 2/18-3/5 | .475 (19-40) | 10 runs, 3 RBI |
| Jaime Clark | 12 | 2/19-3/5 | .525 (21-40) | 10 runs, 17 RBI |
CLUTCH HITTING: The Huskies have had some clutch hitting this season, with 174 of their 363 RBI-almost half-coming with two outs. Jenny Topping leads in that category with 38, Jaime Clark has 26, Jennifer Spediacci 23 and Kim DePaul has added 22.
MULTIPLE HIT GAMES: Eleven Huskies have collected more than one hit in a game this year. Rosie Leutzinger leads that category with 24, including five games with three hits and one game with four. Jenny Topping trails Leutzinger by two with 22. Others in double digits are Jaime Clark (21), Kelly Hauxhurst (18), Kim DePaul (12) and Melissa Downs (11).
THIS NOTE SPONSORED BY DENNY'S: Grand slam, anyone? Erin Helgeland is the latest to be sponsored by Denny's, belting a bases-loaded homer against Portland State on May 2. Jenny Topping has served up four this year and Kim DePaul two, doing what only three other Huskies had ever done before this season. Topping's latest came at Portland State on Apr. 10. She also slammed Utah at the Red Desert Classic, her second in as many days after serving up No. 25 Oklahoma State the previous day. Another came at the hands of No. 17 Illinois-Chicago at the NFCA Leadoff Classic. DePaul, a Tomball, Texas, native, debuted in the Lone Star State by hitting a bases-loaded home run in the second game against Southwest Texas State and added another against Utah.
HIT INEQUITY: There seems to be an inequity in the hit category of Washington games. The Huskies have collected double-digit hits in 23 games and have five or more in 56 of 68 outings. In contrast, UW has given up more than five hits just 15 times. The Dawgs pounded 15 hits in five innings against South Florida for a season high.
BUT WHAT ABOUT THE PITCHING?: Let's not forget UW has one of the best pitching staffs in the nation. Seniors Jamie Graves and Jennifer Spediacci each have earned All-America honors, and last year UW's staff ERA of 0.88 was second-best in the nation. This year they are at 0.66, which ranks second in the nation. Graves and Spediacci also should own virtually every season and career record at UW by the end of their career.
THE GOODS ON GRAVES: Graves is 27-3, with 11 wins over ranked opponents. She sports a 0.60 ERA, with 184 strikeouts and 36 walks in 197.1 innings. The lefty had a career-best day in the semifinals of the Kia Klassic against No. 12 Oregon State, striking out 12 and hitting her first-ever home run. She threw 8.1 innings, allowing no earned runs, before Jennifer Spediacci relieved her to pick up the win. Graves earned Pac-10 Player of the Week honors for her efforts during the Kia Klassic, was named to the NFCA Leadoff Classic all-tournament team, and earned Pac-10 Pitcher of the Week honors on May 1 and May 15.
GRAVES KILLS APPEARANCES RECORD: Senior Jamie Graves toppled another record in UW's first outing against Cal this year. Graves' appearance that game gave her 154 in her career (she now has 167), displacing Stephanie Burns for the top spot in that category. She already holds the UW season records for ERA (0.76--she currently is at 0.60) and appearances (53), and the season and career marks for saves (6 and 10), and fewest walks per seven innings (0.59 and 0.92).
"SPED-ING" AWAY WITH ANOTHER STRIKEOUT RECORD: Jennifer Spediacci has a way with strikeout records. The senior broke the UW career mark two-thirds of the way through her junior season, and she now holds the top two season marks. With nine strikeouts against Portland State on May 2, Spediacci matched last year's total of 250 and now has 303. She is 33-4, defeating 26 ranked teams, with a 0.59 ERA and 48 walks in 227.1 innings.
DOUBLE-DIGIT STRIKEOUTS: Jennifer Spediacci has 10 or more Ks against 10 ranked foes, including a school-record 18 against No. 13 Oregon State on May 13. Her other double-digit victims were Western Illinois (13), No. 12 Oregon State (13), No. 16 La.-Lafayette (13), No. 12 Oregon State (12), No. 2 Arizona (12), No. 23 Nebraska (12), No. 19 Texas (12), No. 4 Arizona State (11), No. 14 Iowa (11), No. 8 Fresno State (10) and No. 17 Illinois-Chicago (10). Jamie Graves has done so four times, against No. 12 Oregon State (12), Army (10), No. 3 UCLA (10) and No. 7 LSU (10).
FOUR STRIKEOUTS IN AN INNING?: Three strikeouts in an inning just isn't enough for Jennifer Spediacci. In the fifth inning against No. 23 Nebraska (at approximately 11:45 p.m.), Spediacci fanned four batters. How? On a third strike, if the catcher drops the ball, the batter must be thrown out at first or will be called safe, which is what happened.
THREE PITCHES AND YOU'RE OUT: Jennifer Spediacci needed just nine pitches to strike out the side in the first inning against No. 17 Illinois-Chicago at the NFCA Leadoff Classic. She followed that by striking out the next two batters and struck out two in the final inning. All totaled, she whiffed 10 Flames.
TOPPING THE RECORDS: At her current rate, Jenny Topping could own quite a few offensive records at UW, both season and career, along with a national mark or two. Realizing her career is young, consider: with 51 walks in 64 games this year, and 58 in 73 games in her career, she would break the NCAA career record for walks, which is 199. UW hitting coach Jen Cline, coincidentally, is third on that list with 175. Topping also holds the season marks in home runs with 24 and RBI with 90.
HER REPUTATION PRECEDES HER: Redshirt freshman Jenny Topping had made only 32 plate appearances as a Husky prior to this season. Yet her first three of the 2000 season were walks, two of them intentional, against first-team All-American pitcher Courtney Blades. Topping hit .533 (8-for-15) in her first six games as a freshman before tearing her ACL in the eighth game of the season. She hit three homers, knocked in 11 runs and walked seven times a year ago.
MEMORABLE FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Freshman Jaime Clark's first impressions have been lasting ones. The right fielder/shortstop slugged a home run off her second collegiate pitch, against All-American Courtney Blades, no less. She also sent a towering shot almost to Lake Washington in her first-ever at-bat at Husky Softball Stadium against No. 4 Arizona State.
CLARK'S TRIO OF THREE-RUN HOMERS: When freshman Jaime Clark knocked a three-run blast against No. 22 Oregon on Apr. 8, it was her third straight game of accomplishing such a feat. She also did so against No. 12 Oregon State (Apr. 7) and No. 4 California (Apr. 2).
LEUTZINGER STEALS THE RECORD: Senior Rosie Leutzinger topped UW's most wanted list in the thieves department. Her stolen base in the sixth inning of the first game against Long Beach State on Mar. 24 gave her a program-record 106 stolen bases in 124 attempts, topping Shelley Brown's numbers of 105/118. Leutzinger has 29 SB this season and 113 in her career, and has three season totals in UW's top 10.
21-HIT SALUTE: Senior Rosie Leutzinger singled or better in 21 straight games this season to topple the school mark of 15 in that category. Leutzinger garnered a hit in every game from the Mar. 4 outing against No. 23 Nebraska to the Apr. 8 game vs. No. 12 Oregon State, none of which were played in the comforts of Husky Softball Stadium. During that span, she had nine multiple-hit games and faced 15 ranked foes. Her batting average of .395 (32-81) included six doubles and a triple.
ROSENBLAD'S STREAK ENDS AGAINST FRESNO STATE: Junior Christie Rosenblad has made the most of her hitting opportunities this season. Rosenblad put together a 14-game hitting streak, which ended against Fresno State in the title game of the NFCA Leadoff Classic. The second baseman hit .475 (19-40) during that streak, including 10 runs, three RBI, three doubles and a homer.
HAUXHURST RECORDS 15-GAME STREAK: Junior Kelly Hauxhurst put together a string of 15 games in which she collected at least one hit, tying the school record in that category before senior Rosie Leutzinger's 21-game streak. Hauxhurst hit at least one single in every outing from games against Cal State Northridge (2/12) through Utah (2/26). She was 17-52 during that streak, hitting .327.
ALL-PAC-10 HONORS: Washington's Teresa Wilson was named Co-Coach of the Year by the Pac-10 Conference, Jennifer Spediacci earned Pitcher of the Year honors and redshirt freshman Jenny Topping was selected Newcomer of the Year. Joining Spediacci and Topping on the first team were senior Jamie Graves and freshman Jaime Clark. Senior Rosie Leutzinger and junior Kim DePaul earned a spot on the second team, and Kelly Hauxhurst was named honorable mention. Wilson shared the honor with Arizona's Mike Candrea, the fourth time in conference history the award was shared. Wilson was named Coach of the Year in 1996, the year of UW's first Pac-10 title, and in 1989 while at Oregon. Spediacci and Graves are making their third appearances on the first team after earning second team and honorable mention their freshman season. DePaul and Leutzinger moved up to second team after being named honorable mention a year ago. Leutzinger was first team in 1998 as well.
ALL-PACIFIC REGION: The Huskies landed four players on the All-Pacific Region team. Jaime Clark (outfield), Jennifer Spediacci (pitcher) and Jenny Topping (utility) earned first-team honors, while Jamie Graves (pitcher) was named to the second team.
ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT: Kelly Hauxhurst and Jennifer Spediacci each earned a spot on the GTE Academic All-District VIII softball team. Eleven female student-athletes representing eight different NCAA Division I institutions were honored. Hauxhurst, a junior left fielder, has a 3.38 cumulative grade-point average in speech communications, and Spediacci, a senior pitcher, turned in a 3.22 cumulative grade-point average in business.
SPEDIACCI, HAUXHURST EARN PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS: Senior Jennifer Spediacci was named NFCA Player of the Week Apr. 21 for her performance against No. 2 Arizona and No. 4 Arizona State, and she and junior Kelly Hauxhurst swept the Pac-10 Pitcher and Player of the Week honors. It marked the third time this season the Huskies have swept the awards. Hauxhurst hit .538 (7-13), including 3-for-3 on Sunday against Arizona. Her seven hits included a double and a triple for a slugging percentage of .846, and she scored four runs and knocked in two more. Spediacci went 2-0 while maintaining a 0.00 ERA, with complete-game shutouts over ASU and UA. She struck out 23 in 14.0 innings and held opposing batters, including the nation's best-hitting team in UA and the eighth-best in ASU, to a .176 average. She walked just two batters and offensively hit a three-run homer against Arizona on Sunday.
SPEDIACCI EARNS PAC-10 PITCHER OF THE WEEK HONORS: Senior Jennifer Spediacci maintained a 0.00 ERA through 19.0 innings of play to post three wins, including shutouts over No. 11 Cal State Fullerton and No. 19 Long Beach State, to earn Pac-10 Pitcher of the Week honors Mar. 28. Spediacci threw two complete games and struck out 23 batters while holding opposing hitters to a .186 batting average. Spediacci also was third on the team at the plate, hitting .364 (4-11), with one triple, two RBI and two walks. The award was her third of the season and eighth of her career.
HUSKIES SWEEP PAC-10 HONORS, ROUND TWO: Jamie Graves and Jennifer Spediacci swept Pac-10 Player and Pitcher of the Week honors for their performances at the Kia Klassic, helping UW win the title. Graves led the Dawgs at the plate, hitting .400 (4-10) over the weekend, including her first career home run to help the Huskies down No. 12 Oregon State in the semifinals. In that game, Graves also pitched 8.1 innings and struck out a career-best 12 batters before Spediacci relieved her to earn the win. Graves also hit two doubles, one in the midst of a three-run second inning against No. 2 Arizona in the final to put the Huskies ahead for good. She maintained a 0.00 ERA in 20.1 innings, with 20 strikeouts and two shutout wins, blanking No. 7 Fresno State and Texas. Spediacci went 5-0, including four wins over top-25 teams, four complete games and two shutouts. She allowed just one earned run in 30.2 innings, a 0.23 ERA, while striking out 46 and allowing just 13 hits. Spediacci defeated No. 2 Arizona in the final, shut out No. 16 ULL and DePaul, and handed No. 14 Iowa and No. 12 Oregon State defeats. Batters hit just .123 against her. Offensively, she hit a homer and knocked in four runs.
TOPPING EARNS NFCA HONORS: Jenny Topping was named the Louisville Slugger/NFCA Player of the Week after the NFCA Leadoff Classic. She won the tournament's "triple crown," leading the Classic in batting average (.667 on 10-for-15), home runs (five) and RBI (12). Topping's solo home run was the difference in UW's 1-0 win over No. 8 Fresno State in the title game. Topping followed Jaime Clark with the honor.
ALL-TOURNAMENT HONORS: Jenny Topping hit five homers, including two game-winners, to earn MVP honors at the NFCA Leadoff Classic. She hit .667 (10-15), with two doubles, 12 RBI and five walks for 1.800 slugging and .750 on-base percentages while playing first base, catcher and designated hitter. Jamie Graves (3-0 and 0.44 ERA with 10 strikeouts and a shutout over No. 5 Louisiana State) and Kelly Hauxhurst (eight runs, two doubles, a career-first homer and two stolen bases) also earned spots on the all-tournament team.
HUSKIES SWEEP PAC-10 HONORS: Jennifer Spediacci and Jenny Topping earned Pac-10 Pitcher and Player of the Week honors for their performances at the NFCA Leadoff Classic. Spediacci posted a 0.29 ERA, earning three complete-game wins and two shutouts over three ranked opponents: No. 8 Fresno State, allowing just one hit and striking out 10 in the championship game, No. 17 Illinois-Chicago (6-0), and No. 23 Nebraska (10-2), with 12 strikeouts. In 24.0 innings of work, she struck out 36, allowed just one earned run and held opposing batters to a .108 average. She also picked up a save against Florida, striking out four and allowing no hits in three innings. Topping earned the honor for the first time in her career, while it was Spediacci's sixth such honor.
CLARK EARNS NATIONAL HONORS: Freshman Jaime Clark earned NFCA Player of the Week honors after her .706 (12-17) performance at the Red Desert Classic. In five games, Clark turned in four home runs and three doubles for a 1.588 slugging percentage. The shortstop/right fielder maintained a 1.000 fielding percentage while collecting 10 RBI with one walk and no strikeouts.
JAIME CLARK DEBUTS WITH PAC-10 PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS: Freshman shortstop/right fielder Jaime Clark burst on to the collegiate scene with power and consistency, earning the season's first Pac-10 Player of the Week honor. In seven games, three against top-five opponents, Clark hit .444 (8-18) with a 1.167 slugging percentage. She knocked her second collegiate pitch-against first-team All-American Courtney Blades, no less-out of the park at the Pepsi Arizona Classic. In that tournament, in which No. 2 Washington defeated No. 5 Southern Miss twice and No. 4 Arizona once, Clark registered a home run, a double and three walks.
USA SOFTBALL TEAM TO PLAY IN HUSKY SOFTBALL STADIUM: The USA Softball women's national team will make Seattle one of its 31 stops across America in preparation for the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. The squad, which won the gold medal at the 1996 Atlanta Games, will play an exhibition game at Husky Softball Stadium on July 16 against players from the Women's Pro Softball League's Akron Racers.
FOUR HUSKIES CHOSEN IN WPSL DRAFTS FOR 2000 SEASON: Four current or former members of the Husky softball team were drafted by Women's Pro Softball League teams in preparation of the 2000 season, which runs June through August. Former All-American and current assistant coach Jennifer Cline went seventh in the Elite/Supplemental Draft, chosen by the Tampa Bay FireStix. Cline played for the Virginia Roadsters last season. Seniors Jamie Graves, Jennifer Spediacci and Jeanine Giordano were picked 19th, 20th and 22nd, respectively, in the Senior Draft. The Akron Racers snagged Graves and Giordano, and Spediacci would join Cline with the Tampa Bay FireStix. Former Husky Sara Pickering, who played with the Virginia Roadsters last summer, is now a member of the Akron Racers. The revamped league consists of four teams located in national training centers planned for Akron, Ohio, and Plant City, Fla. The Akron Races and the 1999 WPSL champion Tampa Bay FireStix remain as the foundation of the league. The Ohio Pride will share Firestone Stadium with the Racers, while the Florida Wahoos will join the FireStix in Plant City Stadium. The season includes 64 league games, 12 regular-season exhibitions, a best-of-three WPSL Championship Series, and two season-ending all-star exhibitions. ESPN2 has agreed to increase its WPSL television coverage from nine to 10 games for the 2000 season.
| Name (Years at UW) | current status |
| Jennifer Cline (1993-96) | 7th pick, Elite, Tampa Bay FireStix |
| Jeanine Giordano (1997-cur.) | 22nd pick, Senior, Akron Racers |
| Jamie Graves (1997-cur.) | 19th pick, Senior, Akron Racers |
| Sara Pickering (1994-97) | member, Akron Racers |
| Jennifer Spediacci (1997-cur.) | 20th pick, Senior, Tampa Bay FireStix |
HUSKIES NO. 2 IN PAC-10 COACHES POLL: The NCAA runners-up Washington softball team earned three first-place votes from Pac-10 coaches and was picked to finish second in the powerhouse Pac-10 Conference behind UCLA. UW picked up 44 points, just three behind the Bruins' 47. Arizona finished third in the poll with 38 points, followed by ASU (28), Stanford (23), Oregon State (19), California (13) and Oregon (12).
A LOOK BACK AT THE 1999 SEASON: After finishing third in the Pac-10 Conference, Washington turned it up a notch in the NCAA tournament, skating undefeated through its own regional and defeating three Pac-10 squads to advance to the College World Series final for the second time in four years. The Huskies clicked on all cylinders during the postseason, batting 40 points higher as a team in the playoffs than in the regular season and lowering their ERA by 36 points. UW hosted and won the No. 3 Regional by downing Colgate (8-0 in six), Tennessee (12-1 in five), Cal State Fullerton (1-0 in nine) and Hawai'i (3-0). At the World Series, the Dawgs then topped Arizona State (4-1), Arizona (3-0) and Cal (3-0) before a two-out, seventh-inning rally fell a run short against UCLA (3-2).
