Mark Maloney on Kentucky sports

Highlights from Monday’s baseball/softball media at the University of Kentucky’s Wildcat Den.

Pre-season All-America CF Austin Cousino fields questions during UK Baseball Media Day. (Mark Maloney photo)

Leading off with baseball, as high as No. 8 (Collegiate Baseball) in the pre-season rankings.

The Wildcats are coming off a school-record 45-18 season, 18-13 in the Southeastern Conference, and an NCAA regional berth.

“We’re excited to get the season going. We’ve got a great group of kids,” Coach Gary Henderson said. “Lots of energy in the program. Lots of excitement with returning kids that have done well here, had good summers, had impressive falls. It’s a good group of kids. They like each other. They like to practice. They like to play. So it’s an exciting time for us.”

The Cats’ weekend (SEC) rotation sets up with left-handers Jerad Grundy, A.J. Reed and Corey Littrell.

“We’ve got four guys in my mind that could easily be weekend starters but, obviously, it’s only going to be three. And because of what we’ve got in the bullpen, it seems to make sense to hold the right-hander back.”

The right-hander being Chandler Shepherd, a sophomore out of Lawrence County.

“We need what he has in the bullpen, so that’s what we’ll start,” Henderson said. “Sometimes things change, and sometimes they don’t. There’s been years here we’ve been the same three guys the entire year. We’ll see how it goes. But that’s three talented kids and they’ll do a very good job of competing and throwing strikes.”

Having lost the powerful tandem of Michael Williams and Luke Maile, catcher is the most notable void to be filled.

“We’ve got Micheal Thomas, who’s in front right now,” Henderson said. “We’ve got three other guys — Greg Fettes is a redshirt freshman; Zach Arnold and Casey Schroeder are freshman. All three of the kids have been drafted, so we’ve got some talented kids back there.

“I’m really happy with Micheal Thomas’ progression  and development, maturity and growth and all those things that you look for. He’s done a great job. If anybody who’s followed the program at all during my time here … you know that I’m a big advocate of two catchers. Doesn’t mean that you have to do it that way; I just like to do it that way, for a couple of reasons. That’s exactly what we’ll shoot for this year. Micheal Thomas right now is the guy that we’re going to run out there early, and see which one of those other three guys can grow into that position.”

The baseball Cats open the season Feb. 15, facing UNC-Asheville at Wofford. The home opener, against Murray State, is set for Feb. 26.

* UK softball opens Friday, taking on California — the first of six games the Cats will play at Tempe, Ariz.

UK’s first 20 games will be on the road while finishing touches are being put on UK’s renovated home complex.

After playing at Tempe, the Cats will play in tournaments at San Diego, Spartanburg (S.C.) and Tampa. The home opener, against Marshall, is set for March 6.

UK will be home to the Southeastern Conference tournament, May 8-11.

Coach Rachel Lawson said she focused on adding power and speed in what is viewed as an outstanding freshman class. She anticipates that four or five newcomers could land starting jobs.

The Cats made their fourth consecutive NCAA appearance last season, finishing 30-30.

From Jack C. Riley Park in Owensboro, we’re getting ready for the Final Four to begin at 9 a.m. CT (10 ET).

Boyle County faces Mercy in the winners’ bracket finals.

The loser of that game will drop down to play the winner of the other 9 a.m. game, the losers’ bracket semifinals between Lone Oak and Greenwood.

The winners’ bracket champ will await the losers’ bracket survivor.

* Mercy scores four runs in the top of the first against Boyle County.

Jordan Vorbrink singled in one run. Another scored on Erika Downey’s squeeze bunt. Two more came home on Aubrey Meiners’ base hit.

Lone Oak leads Greenwood 1-0 in the third inning.

* Mercy adds two runs, one earned, in the top of the second to take a 6-0 lead over Boyle County.

Lone Oak leads Greenwood 1-0 in the fourth inning.

* Mercy goes to the bullpen to open the second inning. Haley Twymann replaces J.J. Francis and sets Boyle County down 1-2-3. Through two complete, Mercy leads 6-0.

The Rebels also go to the bullpen, with Elyse Petrie out to open the third inning.

Lone Oak leads Greenwood 1-0 in the fifth inning.

* Boyle County mounts its first serious threat in the third inning, putting runners on second and third with one out. Mercy‘s Haley Twymann punches out the next two batters to keep the Jaguars in control, 6-0, through three innings.

Greenwood and Lone Oak are tied 1-1 in the sixth inning.

* Boyle County goes down 1-2-3 in the fourth inning, still trails Mercy 6-0 in the winners’ bracket finals.

In the losers’ bracket semifinals, Greenwood and Lone Oak are tied at 1 in the seventh.

* Mercy adds two runs in the top of the fifth to lead Boyle County 8-0.

Lone Oak caps a 2-1 eight-inning victory over Greenwood.

* In the middle of the sixth inning, Mercy leads Boyle County 8-0 in the winners’ bracket finale.

* Mercy‘s Haley Twymann strikes out the side in order. The Jaguars go to the seventh inning with an 8-0 lead over Boyle County.

* Mercy completes an 8-0 victory over Boyle County in the winners’ bracket finals.

The loss drops Boyle to the losers’ bracket finals versus Lone Oak, to start soon.

The Boyle-Lone Oak winner will face Mercy with the championship on the line at 1 p.m. CT.

If Mercy loses that game, a deciding game would follow.

* Coming off an 8-0 shutout loss to Mercy, Boyle County gets off to a good start in the losers’ bracket finals by scoring a run in the top of the first against Lone Oak.

Heather Hasty reached on a one-out double. Courtesy runner Shelby Bishop scored on Hannah Miniard‘s single to right.

* Lone Oak goes down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the first, as does Boyle County in the top of the second. In the middle of the second, Boyle County leads 1-0.

* Sarah Kreuter leads off the second inning with Lone Oak‘s first hit off of Hannah Miniard, but can’t score. Through two innings, Boyle County leads 1-0.

* Lone Oak ties Boyle County in the third inning, but runs itself out of the rally.

With the bases full and nobody out, Alex Sohl drove in the run with a sacrifice fly to center. However, Whitney Asprey was doubled up as she tried to advance from first to second, and then Jacqueline Roof was caught for the third out when she tried to go from second to home.

* Lone Oak gets back-to-back two-out doubles by Whitney Aspery and Alex Sohl to score a run and take a 2-1 lead over Boyle County through five complete innings.

* In the top of the sixth, Boyle County’s K.K. Daniels rips a ground-rule double that one-hops the fence in left-center. Sammi Key follows with a gapper to right-center, but it robbed of a run-scoring hit when CF Sarah Kreuter makes a diving catch. To the bottom of the sixth, Lone Oak leads 2-1.

* Last chance for Boyle County. Through six complete innings, Lone Oak leads the Rebels 2-1.

* Boyle County comes back to tie Lone Oak 2-2, scoring a run in the top of the seventh.

Amy Woolum reaches on a one-out error, then is bunted to second by Elyse Petrie.

Lauren Richards sends a sinking liner to right, where Kelsee Henson tries for a shoestring catch. The ball gets past her for a triple, with Woolum scoring. Richards is stranded at third.

* Lone Oak wins in the bottom of the seventh.

Kelsee Henson leads off with a double, then scores when Jacqueline Roof’s sacrifice bunt is misplayed for an error. Final: Lone Oak 3, Boyle County 2.

The Purple Flash advance to face Mercy for the tournament championship.

* Mercy opens the state championship game with four consecutive hits and leads Lone Oak 3-0.

* Through three complete innings, Mercy leads Lone Oak 4-0. If the Jaguars hold on, they win the state championship. If Lone Oak comes back to win, a deciding game will follow.

* Through 4 1/2 innings, Mercy leads Lone Oak 4-0.

With teams from the Herald-Leader circulation are eliminated, I am now heading home.

Keep up with tournament scores on Twitter: @khsaaevents

From Jack C. Riley Park in Owensboro, we’re down to the last two games of the day in the Rawlings/KHSAA Softball State Tournament.

In elimination games, Greenwood is taking on Ryle, while North Laurel is facing Lone Oak.

Tonight’s winners will meet in the losers’ bracket semifinals, Saturday at 9 a.m. CT (10 ET).

At the same time, Boyle County will play Mercy in the winners’ bracket finals.

Losers’ bracket finals are set for 11 a.m. CT (noon ET). A potential final game will be played at 1 p.m. CT. If necessary, another game would immediately follow.

* Lone Oak scores twice in the bottom of the first; now leads North Laurel 2-0 in the second.

No score in the first between Ryle and Greenwood.

* North Laurel answers with two runs in the top of the second, tying Lone Oak 2-2.

Ryle and Greenwood are scoreless in the second inning.

* Greenwood has taken a 2-0 lead over Ryle through four complete innings.

North Laurel leads Lone Oak 3-2 in the middle of the fifth.

* Lone Oak has rallied for three runs and is still batting in the sixth, now leading North Laurel 5-3.

Greenwood leads Ryle 2-0 in the sixth.

* Greenwood  polishes off a 2-0 victory over Ryle. Both runs scored on Aeron Smith’s third-inning double.

Meanwhile, Lone Oak leads North Laurel 5-3 in the seventh inning.

* North Laurel scores five runs in the top of the seventh to take an 8-5 lead over Lone Oak.

The Jaguars were down to their final strike when Blake Johnson drove a two-out, two-strike, three-run triple to deep right field, giving the Jaguars a 7-5 lead. She later scored the eighth run.

* Lone Oak rallies with four runs in the bottom of the seventh to edge North Laurel 9-8.

Jacqueline Roof’s two-out, two-run double seals the win. Lone Oak will face Greenwood in Saturday’s semifinals of the losers’ bracket.

Early results from the Rawlings/KHSAA Softball State Tournament, being played at Jack C. Fisher Park in Owensboro:

Lone Oak has jumped out to a 3-0 lead over Owensboro Catholic through one inning.

Greenwood has a 1-0 lead over Mercy, also after one inning.

Boyle County holds a 3-0 lead over Estill County, in the second inning.

North Laurel and Ryle are scoreless in the second.

* Boyle County has increased its lead to 5-0 over Estill County, in the top of the fourth inning.

North Laurel and Ryle remain scoreless through 5 1/2 innings.

Greenwood still leads Mercy 1-0 in the bottom of the fourth.

Lone Oak is on top of Owensboro Catholic, 5-0 in the bottom of the third.

* To the seventh inning, North Laurel and Ryle remain locked in a scoreless battle.

Boyle County leads Estill County 5-0 in the fifth; Greenwood still leads Mercy 1-0 in the fifth; and Lone Oak has blown out to a 7-0 lead in the fourth against Owensboro Catholic.

* North Laurel and Ryle go to the eighth inning in a scoreless showdown.

Lone Oak continues to lead Owensboro Catholic 7-0 in the fifth; Greenwood still leads Mercy 1-0 in the sixth; and Boyle County maintains a 5-0 lead over Estill County in the sixth.

* Ryle edges North Laurel 1-0 in eight innings, getting a two-out, full-count RBI single by Haylee Smith. Hannah Brumbach, who drew a leadoff walk, scored for the walkoff win.

The hit was one of only three allowed by North Laurel’s Megan Baldwin, who struck out two.

Winning pitcher Ali Crupper scattered six hits and struck out three.

* Boyle County closes out an 8-0 winners’ bracket victory over Estill County.

K.K. Davis held the Engineers to four hits, striking out eight.

At the plate, Davis went 3-for-4 and drove in a run. Lauren Richards had two of the Rebels’ 13 hits, drove in a run and scored three times. Hannah Miniard had a hit and drove in two runs.

* Down to its last out, Mercy gets a two-out RBI-single by Lauren Springhetti to tie Greenwood 1-1 in the seventh. Springhetti took second on the throw to the plate. She would have scored if not for an inning-ending diving catch in right-center by Brittany Graham to rob Ally Wildt of a game-winning hit.

Meanwhile, Lone Oak has closed out a 7-1 victory over Owensboro Catholic.

* Mercy loads the bases with two outs in the bottom of the eighth, but Greenwood pitcher Elizabeth Moss gets a come-backer to end the inning. To the ninth, Jaguars and Gators are tied 1-1.

* Mercy, Greenwood still locked in 1-1 tie through nine innings.

Losers’ bracket games are underway: Nicholas County vs. Oldham County; Ashland Blazer vs. Christian County; Johnson Central vs. Green County. Waiting for the Mercy-Greenwood game to end, Scott County will face Bullitt East.

* Mercy is batting in the bottom of the 10th inning, tied with Greenwood 1-1.

Elsewhere, Oldham County leads Nicholas County 3-0 in the second; Green County has a 1-0 lead over Johnson Central in the second; and Christian County is up on Ashland Blazer 2-0, thanks to Jasmine Matchen’s two-run homer.

* Mercy edges Greenwood 2-1 in 10 innings.

Morgan Meyer led off the inning with a bunt single, then took second on Morgan Ellington’s single to shortstop. Jordan Vorbrink brought Meyer home with a walkoff single to right-center.

* Scott County and Bullitt East are underway.

On nearby fields, Oldham County leads Nicholas County 4-0 in the fourth; Christian County has a 2-1 lead over Ashland Blazer in the fourth; and Green County leads Johnson Central 6-0 in the third.

* Scott County scores three times in the top of the first against Bullitt East. The big blow is Michaela Abney’s two-out, two-run single.

* Bullitt East scores an unearned run in the bottom of the first to cut Scott County’s lead to 3-1.

* Scott County adds a run in the top of the second to lead Bullitt East 4-1. Maddison Mullin reached on a two-out single, her second hit of the day, then scored on a fielding error.

* Ashland Blazer is clinging to a 3-2 lead over Christian County in the seventh inning.

Scott County still leads Bullitt East 4-1, now in the bottom of the third; Green County leads Johnson Central 10-3 in the sixth; and Oldham County has a 10-2 lead over Nicholas County in the sixth.

* Christian County scores three in the top of the seventh to take a 5-3 lead over Ashland Blazer.

Scott County increases its lead over Bullitt East to 5-1. Madison Mullin, now 3-for-3, ripped a two-out triple, then scored on Michael Luckett’s single.

Green County closes out a 10-3 win over Johnson Central, while Oldham County leads Nicholas County 11-5 in the sixth.

* Christian County’s three-run seventh holds up for a 5-3 win over Ashland Blazer.

Scott County leads Bullitt East 5-1 in the fifth, and Oldham County is up 11-5 over Nicholas County in the seventh.

* Oldham County completes a 14-5 victory over Nicholas County.

In the middle of the sixth, Scott County leads Bullitt East 6-1.

* Scott County bats around in the top of the seventh, scoring three times to take a 9-1 lead over Bullitt East. Madison Mullin drives in one with a single, making her 5-for-5.

* Bullitt East scores one in the bottom of the seventh, but Scott County comes away with a 9-3 victory.

Madison Mullin goes 5-for-5 to lead the Cardinals’ 14-hit attack.

Scott County will stay on the field to play North Laurel in an another elimination contest.

* Scott County and North Laurel are underway.

On adjoining fields, Oldham County and Owensboro Catholic are scoreless in the second inning; Christian County and Greenwood are tied 2-2 in the second; and Green County leads Estill County 2-0 in the sixth.

* Green County blanks Estill County 4-0 in an elimination contest.

Meanwhile, Greenwood leads Christian County 3-2 in the fifth; Owensboro Catholic leads Oldham County 2-0 in the fourth; and North Laurel leads Scott County 1-0 in the second.

* North Laurel plates four runs in the top of the third inning to take a 5-1 lead over Scott County.

* North Laurel still leads Scott County 5-1 through four complete innings.

Owensboro Catholic leads Oldham County 6-1 in the sixth.

* Greenwood has completed an 8-3 victory over Christian County.

Elsewhere, North Laurel leads Scott County 5-1 in the sixth, and Owensboro Catholic leads Oldham County 6-3 in the seventh.

* Owensboro Catholic holds on for a 6-3 victory over Oldham County.

North Laurel leads Scott County 5-1 in the middle of the sixth.

* North Laurel adds a run in the seventh, then survives a two-run rally by Scott County in the bottom of the inning for a 6-3 losers’ bracket victory.

In winners’ bracket games, Mercy leads Lone Oak 4-2 in the fifth. Boyle County and Ryle are just underway.

* Erika Downey goes 2-for-4 with three RBI as Mercy defeats Lone Oak 7-2 in a winners’ bracket contest. Winning pitcher J.J. Francis gives up two runs on seven hits.

In the other winners’ bracket game, Boyle County leads Ryle 1-0 in the fourth.

* Boyle County leads Ryle 6-0 in the sixth inning of a winners’ bracket game.

In losers’ bracket play, Owensboro Catholic and Greenwood are scoreless in the third, and North Laurel leads Green County 2-0 in the third.

* Ryle, held to one hit through five innings, rallies for three runs in the sixth inning to cut Boyle County‘s lead to 6-3. However, the Raiders leave the bases loaded.

Owensboro Catholic leads Greenwood 1-0 in the fourth, and North Laurel leads Green County 2-0 in the fifth.

* Boyle County adds a run in the top of the seventh, then retires Ryle in order to complete a 7-3 victory. That puts the Rebels into Saturday’s winners’ bracket finale versus Mercy.

In losers’ bracket play, North Laurel leads Green County 6-1 in the seventh, and Greenwood has come from behind to lead Owensboro Catholic 3-1 in the sixth.

* North Laurel completes a 6-1 elimination-game victory over Green County. Kailin Yantz and Emily Sears had two hits each for the Jaguars.

One losers’ bracket game is in progress, with Greenwood leading Owensboro Catholic 3-1 in the seventh.

* Greenwood also moves on, finishing off Owensboro Catholic 3-1.

Former University of Kentucky softall All-American Molly Johnson was named Friday to the United States National Team.

Molly Johnson (Staff file photo, 2009)

Johnson, a shortstop, became UK’s first softball All-American in 2009, when she broke three school records (81 hits, 53 runs, .498 on-base percentage) and set career highs in nine offensive categories. She completed her UK eligibility in 2010 and served as an assistant coach for the Wildcats this year.

This will be her third consecutive season representing Team USA. She also played for the USA Futures squad last year.

The 2011 National Team has an 18-player roster and one alternate.

The team will open play against the USA Softball Junior National Team on Saturday, June 25, with a doubleheader exhibition series at Plant City, Fla. Exhibition doubleheaders against the Junior Nationals also are set June 29 at Salem, Va., and July 1 at Bowie, Md.

Then, it will be on to international play.

Team USA will go to Surrey, British Columbia, for the Canadian Open Fast Pitch International Championship, July 9-17. That will be followed by the World Cup of Softball VI, July 21-25, at Oklahoma City.

The Americans will be after their ninth Pan American Games gold, Oct. 17-23, at Guadalajara, Mexico.

South Florida’s Ken Eriksen will coach the National Team, assisted by Olympic gold-medalists Tairia Flowers and Stacey Nuveman. Flowers is head coach at Cal State Northridge, while Nuveman is an assistant at San Diego State. Completing the coaching staff is Oregon head coach Mike White.

The National Team roster (with school attended): Valerie Arioto (California); Whitney Canion (Baylor); Kaitlin Cochran (Arizona State); Lauren Gibson (Tennessee); Kelly Grieve (Tennessee); Taylor Hoagland (Texas); Ashley Holcombe (Alabama); Molly Johnson (Kentucky); Stacy Johnson (Iowa); Megan Langenfeld (UCLA); Jenae Leles (Arizona); Michelle Moultrie (Florida); Christine Orgeron (Louisiana Lafayette); Keilani Ricketts (Oklahoma); Brittany Schutte (Florida); Jordan Taylor (Michigan); Rhea Taylor (Missouri), and Chelsea Thomas (Missouri). Alternate: Jessica Shults (Oklahoma).

Kentucky remained steady at No. 23 in the latest ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 poll, released Tuesday.

Over the weekend, the Wildcats (22-7 overall, 8-3 SEC) swept Mississippi State for the second time in three seasons.

Alabama (33-2, 9-1 SEC) held on to first place for a second week in a row. Despite suffering its first SEC loss of the season and second loss overall, 4-1 to Tennessee, the Crimson Tide received 19 of 20 first-place votes — the most for any team this season.

Tennessee (27-5, 5-3 SEC) climbed one spot in the poll to No. 10.

Another significant move involving SEC teams saw Georgia (27-4, 8-3) vault from No. 4 to No. 2. The Bulldogs swept then-No. 2 Florida, the first time the Gators have been swept in a three-game home series since 2006. Florida (30-4, 7-3) dropped to No. 5 in the poll.

ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25

March 29 – March 21-27, 2011 – Week Seven

Parenthesis Denotes first place votes.

Dropped Out:  LSU
New to Poll: Georgia Tech

Others receiving votes:  LSU (22); Northern Iowa (14); Long Beach State (8); Fresno State (5); Ala. Birmingham (4); Brigham Young (3); North Carolina (2); San Diego State (2); Notre Dame (1); Maryland (1)

Swimmer Ryan Lochte, paralympic cyclist Allison Jones and USA Water Polo’s Women’s Senior National Team are monthly award winners of U.S. Olympic Committee honors for August.

Lochte, Male Athlete of the Month, won the 200-meter backstroke, 200 individual medley and 400 individual medley in the ConocoPhillips National Championships, Aug. 3-7, at Irvine, Calif. His win in the 200 IM was Lochte’s first in head-to-head competition against Michael Phelps.

Lochte also placed second in the 100- and 200-meter freestyle events and won the men’s Kiphuth High Point Award. 

In the Mutual of Omaha Pan Pacific Championships, Aug. 18-22 at Irvine, Lochte won six events — 200-meter backstroke, 200 and 400 IM, 200 free, 400 free relay and 800 free relay — and set championship records in all six. His 200 IM victory also earned him Men’s Swimmer of the Meet. Lochte has the fastest times in the world this year in the 200 back, as well as the 200 and 400 IM.

Jones, Female Athlete of the Month, won the time trial and road race events in her classifications at the UCI Para-Cycling Road World Championships at Baie-Comeau, Canada. That also helped Team USA win the overall medal count.

The USA Water Polo women, Team of the Month, capped a perfect summer by winning the FINA World Cup gold medal for the first time in 31 years with a 6-3 victory over Australia at Christchurch, New Zealand. Kami Craig was named top center forward of the tournament. Earlier in the season, Team USA also owon the FINA World League Super Final.

The Americans knocked off Russia, New Zealand, China and Hungary before defeating Australia for the World Cup gold. Team USA has won every major championship in the last two years since taking silver at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. That includes two World League Super Finals, a World Cup and a World Championships.

MALE ATHLETE OF THE MONTH — 1. Ryan Lochte (swimming); 2. Brady Ellison (archery); 3. Oscar Sanchez (paralympic cycling).

FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE MONTH — 1. Allison Jones (paralympic cycling); 2. Betsey Armstrong (water polo); 3. Lauren Chamberlain (softball).

TEAM OF THE MONTH — 1. USA Water Polo Women’s Senior National Team; 2. USA Softball Junior Women’s National Team; 3. USA Bowling National Team.

Latest rankings of NCAA Division I teams from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association have Kentucky and Louisville in a tight race.

With the regular season completed, the NCAA field is to be set Friday. The first round of the NCAA Championships will be held May 27-29 at Greensboro, N.C., and Austin, Texas.  

The Florida men and Oregon women have the No. 1 spots in the latest rankings.

Louisville’s men are 31st, two spots ahead of Kentucky. Western Kentucky is 56th.

UK’s women are rated No. 29, one spot ahead of U of L. WKU is No. 145.

Florida, winner of the Southeastern Conference championship, is among nine SEC men’s teams ranked in the nation’s top 25. The others: 5. LSU; 9. Auburn; 10. South Carolina; 12. Mississippi State; 15. Mississippi; 16. Georgia; 24. Alabama; 25. Arkansas.

The Big 12 leads the women’s top 25 with five ranked teams. The SEC has four in the top 25: 3. LSU; 6. Florida; 11. Auburn; 13 Arkansas.

For more on the rankings and links to guideline and rationale information, see:

http://www.ustfccca.org/rankings/division-i-rankings

Louisville’s men have a pair of athletes ranked among the nation’s top 10 in their events. Steve Hnat has the fourth-best mark in the shot put and Matt Hughes is No. 5 in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.

UK also has two men in the top 10: Rondel Sorrillo, seventh in the 200, and Sharif Webb, ninth in the 800. Sorrillo also ranks 11th in the 100 and is part of UK’s 20th-rated 4-by-100 relay.

Western’s Gavin Smellie is ranked No. 2 in the 200. He also is No. 48 in the 100 and runs on both the No. 16 4-by-400 relay and No. 27 4-by-100 relay.

Rankings in the Southeast Region have U of L fourth, UK 14th, Western eighth, Eastern Kentucky 36th and Morehead State 40th. (With rankings based on potential points, Western flip-flopped with UK from the national rankings. In other words, Western likely would score more points in regional competition, but UK would score more in nationals.)

UK’s ranked women are topped by Kristin Smith, fifth nationally in the hammer throw. Ashley Muffet is No. 6 in discus and No. 12 in shot put.

Louisville’s Jere’ Summers is ranked No. 1 in the discus, 7 in the hammer and 31st in the shot.

Regional team rankings have UK fifth, Louisville seventh, Western 11th, Eastern 38th, Murray State 42nd and Morehead 47th.

Virginia Tech’s men and Clemson’s women are the No. 1 teams in the Southeast Region.

National rankings

MEN

1. Florida; 2. Oregon; 3. Texas A&M; 4. Southern California; 5. LSU; 6. Arizona State; 7. Texas Tech; 8. Florida State; 9. Auburn; 10. South Carolina; 11. Brigham Young; 12. Mississippi State; 13. Stanford; 14. Oklahoma; 15. Mississippi; 16. Georgia; 17. Virginia Tech; 18. Baylor; 19. Kansas; 20. Nebraska; 21. Washington; 22. New Mexico; 23. Penn State; 24. Alabama; Arkansas.

WOMEN

1. Oregon; 2. Texas A&M; 3. LSU; 4. Oklahoma; 5. Virginia Tech; 6. Florida; 7. Penn State; 8. Clemson; 9. Florida State; 10. Texas; 11. Auburn; 12. Miami (Fla.); 13. Arkansas; 14. Texas-El Paso; 15. Southern California; 16. Indiana State; 17. Arizona; 18. Brigham Young; 19. Indiana; 20. Illinois; 21. Texas Tech; 22. Stanford; 23. New Mexico; 24. Southern Illinois; 25. Kansas.

Cats on SEC Community Service teams

Distance runners Andrea Halasek-Richardson, a senior, and Josh Nadzam, a junior, are UK’s selections to the SEC Community Service teams, which highlight an athlete from each school “who gives back to (the) community in superior service efforts.”

Women’s selection Halasek-Richardson, out of Scott County High School, compiled 124 1/2 hours of community service dating to 2006. She mentored at Johnson Elementary School and also contributed at Lansdowne Elementary, Cassidy Elementary, Habitat for Humanity and Wildcat Track Club.

Nadzam, the men’s selection, served 89 1/2 hours in 2009. Nearly half of that time was spent at the Ronald McDonald House. He also served at the Kentucky Refugee Ministry, Hope Center, Catholic Action Center, Monaca (Pa.) High School and Calvary Baptist Church.

Johnson will play for USA in Canada, Japan

UK's Molly Johnson

Kentucky senior Molly Johnson has been named to Team USA rosters for an international softball series coming this summer. The Amateur Softball Association (ASA) of America made the announcement.

Johnson, who plays primarily at shortstop, will play in the Canadian Open Fast Pitch International Championships, July 7-11, at Surrey, British Columbia, as well as exhibitions July 13-14 at Whitehorse, Yukon Territory. (Lexington hockey fans may recall Whitehorse as hometown of Kentucky Thoroughblades captain Jarrett Deuling.)

Then, Johnson and Team USA will head to Sendai City, Japan, to play in the Japan Cup, Aug. 3-9.

Kentucky senior Molly Johnson

Kentucky infielder Molly Johnson and a pair of Louisville Cardinals are among 50 players on the Amateur Softball Association of America’s initial “watch list” for the ninth annual USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Year Award.

The list, released Wednesday, includes players from 35 schools and 14 NCAA Division I conferences. Of the 50, 27 are seniors, 17 juniors and six sophomores.

The ASA will announce 25 finalists on April 7. A player does not have to be on this initial list of 50 players to be considered. However, once the group is reduced to 25, the winner will come from that list. The list will be trimmed to 10 on May 12 and to three on May 26. The winner will be announced prior to the start of the NCAA Women’s College World Series at Oklahoma City.

Freshmen are eligible for the list once they have competed on the collegiate level.

All three Bluegrass representatives are seniors.

Johnson is primarily a shortstop but has also played third base and catcher while making 164 consecutive starts for UK. Last year, she helped UK to its first NCAA Tournament appearance last season while becoming the Wildcats’ first All-American in softball. She is an alternate on the 2010 USA Softball National Team. She helped the 2009 National Team win the Japan Cup, belting a grand-slam homer in her first at-bat.

Johnson has UK career records in batting (.395) and slugging (.648), and ranks seventh or better in hits, doubles, triples, homers, RBI, total bases, stolen bases and assists.

Melissa Roth

Joining Johnson on the watch list are U of L catcher Melissa Roth and pitcher/infielder Kristen Wadwell.

Kristen Wadwell

Roth, from Long Beach, Calif., also is a National Team alternate and is reigning Big East Conference Player of the Year. She started all 59 games last season, leading the Cardinals with school records in batting (.444), slugging (.870) and runs scored (64). She tied the school record for RBI in a season (53).

Wadwell, from Sydney, Australia, won a school-record 41 games last season. Another record fell when she struck out 16 in a game against Eastern Michigan. She earned first-team All-Big East honors, as well as being a Big East Academic All-Star.

The watch list, in alphabetical order:

Valerie Arioto (Cal jr., utility); Donna Bourgeois (La.-Lafayette jr., p); Chelsea Bramlett (Miss. State sr., c/if); Stephanie Brombacher (Fla., jr., p); Neena Bryant (Oregon sr., of); Anna Cahn (Cal Poly jr., p/dh); Whitney Canion (Baylor soph., p); Stacie Chambers (Ariz., RS-jr., c); Lauren Delaney (Northwestern sr., p); Krista Donnenwirth (Ariz. State jr., ss/3b); Kelsi Dunne (Ala., jr., p); Francesca Enea (Fla., sr., of); Amber Flores (Okla., sr., if); Alisa Goler (Ga., jr., if); Kelly Grieve (Tenn., jr., of); Alissa Haber (Stanford soph., of); Sarah Hamilton (Fla. State jr., p); Ashley Hansen (Stanford soph., if); Becca Heteniak (DePaul sr., p); Katie Holverson (Nev., sr., p); Tiffany Huff (Tenn., sr., c/1b); MOLLY JOHNSON (KY., SR., IF); Megan Langenfeld (UCLA sr., p/1b); Brittany Lastrapes (Ariz., jr., of); Danielle Lawrie (Wash., sr., p); Sam Marder (Ohio State sr., c); Morgan Melloh (Fresno State jr., p); Rachel Mitchell (LSU sr., of); Adrienne Monka (Northwestern soph., if); Charlotte Morgan (Ala., sr., p/utility); Nikki Nemitz (Mich., sr., p); Carly Normandin (Mass., sr., of); Tara Oltman (Creighton sr., p); Kimi Pohlman (Wash., soph., of); Nikki Prier (Jacksonville State sr., if); Jessica Purcell-Fitu (Brigham Young jr., c); MELISSA ROTH (LOUISVILLE SR., C); Katie Schroeder (UCLA jr., of); Taylor Schlopy (Ga., jr., p/of); Kirsten Shortridge (LSU sr., p/of); Kaila Shull (UCLA sr., c/of); Danielle Spaulding (N.C., sr., 1b/p); Rhea Taylor (Mo., jr., of); Chelsea Thomas (Mo., soph., utility); Brooke Turner (Long Beach State jr., p); Maggie Viefhaus (Mich., sr., if); KRISTEN WADWELL (LOUISVILLE SR., P/IF); Amberley Waits (La. Tech sr., if); Kelsi Weseman (Ga. Tech soph., if); Jen Yee (Ga. Tech sr., 2b).

Baseball America rankings put U of L at No. 13

Baseball America’s pre-season Top 25 poll includes Louisville at No. 13. The Cardinals went 47-18 and made their third consecutive NCAA Regional appearance last season.

Kentucky is not listed, but six Southeastern Conference teams are, half of them in the top 10. Texas is No. 1.

1. Texas
 2. Virginia
 3. LSU
 4. Cal State Fullerton
 5. Rice
 6. Georgia Tech
 7. Florida
 8. Cal Irvine
 9. Florida State
10. South Carolina
11. Texas Christian
12. Coastal Carolina
13. LOUISVILLE
14. Arizona State
15. Clemson
16. Miami (Fla.)
17. Arkansas
18. East Carolina
19. San Diego
20. North Carolina
21. Southern Mississippi
22. Georgia
23. UCLA
24. Mississippi
25. Oregon State

Kentucky’s men are No. 19 and Louisville’s women are 14th in the first regular-season U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association rankings of NCAA Division I teams.

The Florida State men and Texas A&M women retained the No. 1 spots awarded in the pre-season. Oregon is No. 2 in both men’s and women’s rankings.

The UK men dropped two spots from the pre-season. The Wildcats are last among seven Southeastern Conference teams ranked among the top 20.

The top 25 men’s teams include seven each from the SEC, Pac-10 and Big 12, plus two each from the ACC and Big Ten.

Louisville’s women climbed four spots from the pre-season. The Cardinals are the first of three Big East teams among the top 25.

The SEC leads the women’s poll with six teams among the top 25. The Big 12 has four teams, followed by the Big East, Pac-10 and ACC with three each.

Both Louisville and Kentucky will be in action this weekend at UK’s Rod McCravy Memorial Meet.

Friday’s schedule is limited to four field events — men’s high jump, women’s pole vault and weight throws for men and women.

Saturday’s card begins at 10:30 a.m. with the women’s high jump and long jump. The first track event, semifinals of the women’s 60-meter hurdles, is set for 12:30 p.m.

MEN                                                                                   WOMEN
Rank (previous rank) School (points)                     Rank (previous) School (points)

 1. (1) Florida State (135.17)                                        1. (1) Texas A&M (189.67)
 2. (3) Oregon (124.74)                                                 2. (2) Oregon (120.25)
 3. (2) Florida (120.22)                                                  3. (5) Brigham Young (117.86)
 4. (8) Texas A&M (118.10)                                           4. (3) LSU (105.16)
 5. (4) Nebraska (107.17)                                             5. (4) Florida State (103.16)
 6. (9) LSU (106.59)                                                       6. (10) Penn State (91.38)
 7. (5) Arkansas (94.10)                                                7. (9) Clemson (85.29)
 8. (7) Arizona State (89.48)                                          8. (12) Tennessee (82.15)
 9. (6) Oklahoma (88.97)                                               9. (6) Florida (79.60)
10. (11) Baylor (67.78)                                                 10. (17) Arkansas (75.59)
11. (14) Texas Tech (65.59)                                       11. (7) South Carolina (74.18)
12. (10) Minnesota (62.80)                                         12. (11) Nebraska (66.28)
13. (13) Virginia Tech (61.23)                                     13. (8) Washington (65.98)
14. (19) Georgia (57.62)                                              14. (18) LOUISVILLE (63.40)
15. (12) South Carolina (57.45)                                 15. (21) Oklahoma (61.68)
16. (38) Indiana (53.65)                                              16. (16) Baylor (61.40)
17. (16) Stanford (48.07)                                             17. (26) Arizona (58.12)
18. (15) Auburn (47.67)                                               18. (13) Virginia Tech (56.30)
19. (17) KENTUCKY (47.42)                                        19. (27) Auburn (53.31)
20. (101) Arizona (41.20)                                             20. (23) Southern Illinois (53.29)
21. (18) Washington State (40.92)                            21. (14) Connecticut (47.74)
22. (20) California (40.72)                                           22. (20) Indiana State (46.28)
23. (22) Kansas State (40.59)                                    23. (22) West Virginia (44.97)
24. (21) Oklahoma State (39.64)                               24. (19) Illinois (44.91)
25. (36) Washington (37.87)                                      25. (25) Texas-El Paso (44.56)

Cardinals 21st, Wildcats 26th in softball pre-season poll

Louisville is No. 21 and Kentucky is one spot shy of making the ESPN.com/USA Softball Pre-Season Collegiate Top 25 poll released Tuesday.

Topping the list is defending NCAA champion Washington (51-12 last season), taking 17 of 20 first-place votes.

U of L (48-11) is one of two Big East teams ranked, one spot behind DePaul. The Cardinals open their season Feb. 12 in the Marriott Tournament at Houston. In order, U of L will face Kansas, No. 15 Baylor (twice), Houston and No. 16 Ohio State.

UK (34-23) had the most votes of “others receiving votes” – 26th overall. The Wildcats begin play Feb. 11 in the Kajikawa Classic where they will face, in order, host and No. 7-ranked Arizona State, San Diego State, Cal State Fullerton, Western Michigan and No. 11 California.

Five Southeastern Conference teams are ranked ahead of UK: No. 2 Alabama, No. 5 Florida, No. 8 Georgia, No. 13 LSU and No. 18 Tennessee.

Rank, Team (first-place votes), 2009 record, points

 1. Washington (17)         51-12   479
 2. Alabama (1)                 54-11   457
 3. Michigan                       47-12   430
 4. Arizona (1)                    46-17   424
 5. Florida                           63-5     407
 6. UCLA (1)                       45-11   396
 7. Arizona State                47-19   387
 8. Georgia                         47-12   363
 9. Missouri                        50-12   337
10. Oklahoma                    41-16   306
11. California                     38-20   282
12. Stanford                       48-11    256
13. LSU                           34-18-1    234
14. Georgia Tech               46-15   215
15. Baylor                            40-22   214
16. Ohio State                     47-11   187
17. Northwestern               31-15   167
18. Tennessee               40-18-1   163
19. Florida State                 44-16   128
20. DePaul                          39-14   107
21. LOUISVILLE                  48-11    93
22. North Carolina              47-13    91
23. La.-Lafayette                 45-13    84
24. Fresno State                 28-20    70
25. UMass                           41-10     55
Others receiving votes: KENTUCKY (26), Jacksonville State (17), Auburn (14), North Dakota State (14), Nevada (12), Oregon (11), Oklahoma State (10), Texas (8), Cal Poly (7), Notre Dame (7), Nebraska (6), Texas A&M 5, Ball State (4), Brigham Young (4), San Diego State (4), Long Beach State (3), Purdue (2), New Mexico State (1), Virginia Tech (1), Western Michigan (1).

SCORE one for the ol’ coach

Jeff Bennett

Former UK baseball coach Keith Madison, now national baseball director of SCORE International, is helping raise funds for the non-profit organization through an online sale of baseball memorabilia. The pair of items come courtesy of Jeff Bennett, relief pitcher for the Tampa Bay Rays and an annual supporter of SCORE. The sale on eBay runs through January.

Descriptions follow.

1. 2009 official MLB Rawlings baseball, with 22 autographs from the World Series champion New York Yankees. Signatures include Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, CC Sabathia, Mariano Rivera, Johnny Damon, Mark Teixeira, Jorge Posada, (World Series MVP) Hideki Matsui, Andy Pettitte, AJ Burnett, Robinson Cano, Melky Cabrera, Nick Swisher, Joba Chamberlain and Manager Joe Girardi.  Online, see: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&Item=220543520321&Category=73418&_trkparms=algo%3DLVI%26its%3DI%26otn%3D1

2. 2009 official Mark Teixeira-autographed baseball bat. The bat was donated from Teixeira’s personal game collection, straight from the Yankees clubhouse, and is signed in permanent silver ink. Online, see: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220546270071