WPCNR PRESS BOX. By Fastpitch Johnny. July 15, 2004: With their seven all-stars flying in from Oklahoma City this morning, the Nauts get down to business in Akron tonight when they meet the first place Akron Racers for the second game of their three game set in the Rubber City. The Nauts will send Kaci Clark to the hill to face Danielle Henderson or Nikki Myers who gave the Nauts a hard time in New Jersey. The Nauts begin are now a game and a half behind the Racers in the National Pro Fastpitch league after Thursday night's loss to Radara McHugh and the Racers, 2-1. McHugh stranded 7 Nauts in outpitching Amanda Scott (now 9-4). Laura Harms, the newcomer from Illinois had 2 hits for the Nauts.
Tonight, the big bat the Nauts will have to worry about is Iyhia McMichael, the Racer Centerfielder who is truly in a league of her own, batting .413 through 75 at-bats with a .408 on-base percentage. The Nauts Kellie Wilkerson is the league's second leading hitter by contrast at .323. Other Racer standouts are Brandi Stuart at 3rd, hitting .268 and Nicole Trimboli at first, hitting .286, and Kristin Johnson batting .288. The Racers feature a strong running game and figure to bring that to bare against Amazing Amanda Scott who did not pitch at the all-star games in Oklahoma City.
Kelli Wilkerson. NPF All Star Homerun Champ. Prior to the All-Star game, NY/NJ Juggernaut slugger Kellie Wilkerson won the first Rawlings Home Run Challenge Trophy, defeating the Racers' Iyhia McMichael. In the three-round competition Wilkerson closed out her teammate Lyndsey Klein, California’s Jaime Foutch and the Texas Thunder, Lindsay Gardner and Clare Burnum. Wilkerson hit nine home runs out of Hall of Fame Stadium.
Photo by David Saffran. Courtesy, NY-NJ Juggernaut
As the Nauts hit the halfway mark of the season, they are built along the lines of owner Paul Plemenos' favorite team, the New York Yankees, depending on the big blow from Kellie Wilkerson who has 12 RBI's with her .323 average and .376 OBA and the extra base blows in timely fashion from shortstop Lyndsey Klein, currently hitting at .270 with a .342 on-base percentage and 14 RBIs.
UCLA's Lyndsey Klein. Long Tall Shortstop League RBI Leader with 14
. Photo by David Saffran. Courtesy, NY-NJ Juggernaut
Carri "Lightening" Leto. Second Base.
Photo by Dave Saffran, Courtesy NY-NJ Juggernaut.
The rest of the Nauts, good hitters all, have been struggling against the formidable pitching of the NPF. Carri "Lightning" Leto with a .254 OBA and .237 batting average leads the team with 6 stolen bases, but this quintessential leadoff hitter has tailed off due to the relentless pitching the Nauts face in this league, day-in and day-out, from her red hot start. Jaclyn Pasquerella at .253, nicknamed "Spiderwoman" for her play around third base holds down that corner, solidifying the infield defense.
The Spiderwoman on Third. Bay Shore's Jaclyn Pasquerella.
Photo by David Saffran. Courtesy, NY-NJ Juggernaut
On the mound the Naut staff of Amanda Scott, Kaci Clark and Gina Oaks is the second most effective staff in the league behind the Texas Thunder trio of Chouinard, Williams and Peaches James. However, Amazing Amanda, Kaci and Gina combined to thrust the Thunder back into third place winning 2 of 3 in Montclair last week.
The Distaff Joe Torre. Manager Dina DeAquino. Photo by WPCNR Sports
Manager Dina DeAquino's steady leadership has guided the Nauts to a 17-7 record since she replaced Linda Derk after two weeks of the season with the team reeling at 5-4 (after having been swept by the Texas Thunder). The change was made due to a difference of philosophies between owner Plemenos and Derk. DeAquino, interviewed by WPCNR after the Naut's rubber game win over the Texas Thunder last week attributed the team's asserting itself in the race to keeping with the philosophy of the club.
DeAquino appears to, like Joe Torre, keep a talented group of players happy and focused, and is not afraid to make moves, use pinchhitters, and places faith in her players. The Nauts always hustle. Always dive. Get their uniforms dirty, and do not like to lose. And never give up. (You don't play 27 innings if you lack heart.)
DeAquino is a 1988 alumnus of Montclair State University, where the Nauts play, and teaches elementary physical education in the Fair Lawn School District, where she has taught for 16 years. She is a graduate of Belleville High School.
At the All-Star Game Homerun contest Wednesday night, the Nauts' Kellie Wilkerson won the home run hitting contest with 9 homers.
Publicity Blackout of Pro Softball by the big four media Continues
The publicity blackout by the Associated Press, ESPN, WFAN and The New York Times was back in effect today continued because none of these four outlets reported the result of the National Pro Fastpitch all-star game last night.
The Associated Press ignoring the game was blatant, because WPCNR contacted Adam Watson, Deputy Sports Editor of the AP in New York Wednesday morning to congratulate him on running a report on the Team USA doubleheader Tuesday night.
However, there was no report on the AP wire on the NPF All Star game result last night.
If you cover Swimming Olympics, you might want to cover Olympic Softball too.
WFAN and The Times did not even cover the Team USA victory Tuesday night or the NPF All-Star game Wednesday evening. Tom Jolly, the man who plays the NY Times Sports Editor in real life, was personally alerted to the Team USA victory and the upcoming NPF game by WPCNR, but Jolly's Sports section did not carry either the Team USA victory (even though the Associated Press carried it), nor the NPF All-Star Coverage this morning.
The Times blatant ignoring of the Olympic Team USA Softball Team with the greatest softball stars in the world is amazing considering their boring and relentless coverage of the unreadable and statistically mind-numbing Olympic Swimming Trials which no one is interested in. I mean, even I could be a swimming champion if I swam enough. But it takes hard work and guts to play softball at this level, especially when the male-dominated sports world ignores you.
Perhaps that crack sports organization at The Times will cover the Team USA doubleheader against the Stratford Brakettes Saturday in Stratford, Connecticut. It is Team USA's last stop on their exhibition tour and it is sold out.
The Brakettes lost to the Greek Olympic Team (filled with American players) 5-0 Wednesday evening. WPCNR notified Mr. Jolly personally about that doubleheader.
THE NATIONAL PRO FAST PITCH STANDINGS July 16, 2004
W L Pct. GAMES BEHIND
Akron Racers 21 8 .714 ----
JUGGERNAUT 22 12 .667 1-1/2
Texas Thunder 18 11 .621 3
New England Riptide 15 18 .438 8
Arizona Heat 10 23 .303 13
Cal. Sunbirds 9 23 .290 13-1/2
Thursdays Scores
Akron 2, Juggernaut 1
New England 7, California 0
Texas 2, Arizona 1
The NY-NJ Juggernaut Season Statistics Through July 12.
| Player |
AB |
R |
H |
RBI |
2B |
3B |
HR |
BB |
SO |
KL |
SB |
HBP |
SH |
AVG |
OB% |
SLG |
| Bauer, Lauren |
78 |
8 |
19 |
2 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
4 |
14 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
0.244 |
0.289 |
0.269 |
| Clark, Kaci |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0.000 |
0.000 |
0.000 |
| Collins, Lindsey |
72 |
4 |
10 |
7 |
5 |
1 |
0 |
5 |
23 |
3 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0.139 |
0.205 |
0.222 |
| Fairchild, Germaine |
35 |
1 |
6 |
7 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
8 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0.171 |
0.216 |
0.200 |
| Hanson, Erika |
30 |
3 |
7 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
4 |
6 |
3 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0.233 |
0.343 |
0.267 |
| Harms, Laura |
21 |
2 |
5 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0.238 |
0.273 |
0.238 |
| Hershman, Sarah |
3 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0.000 |
0.000 |
0.000 |
| Iancin, Lisa |
64 |
4 |
14 |
5 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
8 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
0.219 |
0.275 |
0.281 |
| Klein, Lyndsey |
111 |
16 |
30 |
14 |
5 |
0 |
3 |
5 |
7 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
0.270 |
0.302 |
0.342 |
| Leto, Carri |
114 |
12 |
27 |
6 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
9 |
14 |
0 |
6 |
1 |
3 |
0.237 |
0.298 |
0.254 |
| Oaks, Gina |
86 |
7 |
15 |
4 |
3 |
1 |
0 |
9 |
13 |
3 |
2 |
2 |
7 |
0.174 |
0.268 |
0.221 |
| Pasquerella, Jaclyn |
87 |
9 |
22 |
4 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
12 |
4 |
4 |
0 |
10 |
0.253 |
0.278 |
0.264 |
| Scott, Amanda |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0.000 |
0.000 |
0.000 |
| Scott, Courtney |
42 |
3 |
10 |
5 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
6 |
10 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
0.238 |
0.333 |
0.286 |
| Smith, Jen |
34 |
0 |
7 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
11 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
0.206 |
0.206 |
0.235 |
| Taylor, Venus |
92 |
4 |
13 |
7 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
7 |
20 |
5 |
4 |
0 |
3 |
0.141 |
0.202 |
0.152 |
| Wilkerson, Kellie |
96 |
10 |
31 |
12 |
3 |
1 |
1 |
16 |
19 |
8 |
3 |
3 |
2 |
0.323 |
0.435 |
0.375 |
PITCHING Click on column name to sort
