Florida's powerhouse softball team is showing its No. 1 ranking is no fluke, and freshman Jess Damico (Pacific) is playing a key role.
Damico is the starting left fielder for the Gators, who are off to an 9-0 start. On Saturday, the Gators earned the program's 700th victory with an 11-1 win over Michigan State. Damico had a hit in the historic game, is batting .263 and shows an impressive .391 on-base percentage.
Damico is part of a heralded freshman class at Florida and one of three first-year players to crack the starting lineup of one of the nation's elite Division I programs. Florida has qualified for four straight College World Series.
Damico was a hot commodity after a stellar prep career that saw her establish a state record as a junior with 15 home runs, then bat .605 as a senior and play in the Under Armour All-America game.
Prior to starting her career for Florida, Damico helped the USA Softball Women's Junior National Team win the gold medal in the International Softball Federation World Championships in December in Cape Town, South Africa.
Damico and Florida return to action Thursday when they begin play in the Cathedral City Classic in Palm Springs, Calif.
MCKENDREE SOCCER PREPS FOR D-II SCHEDULE
Their approaches are polar opposite, but the results have been equally successful.
The McKendree men's soccer program has tended to rely on international talent in recent years to stockpile victories, while the women's team has banked on the Metro East feeder system.
Both programs' recruiting classes reflect those mindsets as McKendree prepares to begin play in the rugged NCAA Division II Great Lakes Valley Conference.
"We'd like to bring in players who can make an immediate impact, and I think we've achieved that so far," men's coach Donny Sheehan said. "The Great Lakes Valley Conference is one of the toughest NCAA Division II conferences in the country, and we're excited to compete with the best."
Two of the top McKendree signees are goalkeeper Scott Armistead of New Zealand and midfielder Jan Peters of Germany. McKendree had 12 international players a year ago, with seven eligible to return. It finished 17-1 in 2011, establishing a school record for victories.
The men's and women's teams will compete this fall for GLVC regular season and postseason honors but are not eligible for the NCAA tournament while making the transition to NCAA Division II from NAIA. McKendree is on schedule for full NCAA membership in 2013-14.
Leading the signees for the McKendree women's program are forward Jordyn Reiniger (Collinsville) and midfielders Alyssa Patterson (Triad) and Cassie Kaiping (Waterloo).
"I'm very excited about this incoming class," women's coach Tim Strange said. "Heading into NCAA Division II and the Great Lakes Valley Conference, we needed to recruit some high-level players, and I think we accomplished that."
The McKendree women were 12-6 a year ago, closing the season with nine straight victories.
UMSL CAN CLINCH HOOPS TITLE
The Missouri-St. Louis men's basketball team can clinch the Great Lakes Valley Conference West Division title outright with a victory over Maryville on Thursday at the Mark Twain Building. Starting time is 7:30 for the final game of the regular season. GLVC postseason play opens Saturday with yet-to-be determined matchups and sites.
UMSL, 17-8 overall, is 12-5 in the GLVC and leads Illinois-Springfield (14-12, 11-6) by a game. UIS beat UMSL 70-69 Saturday to tighten the standings heading into the final week.
UMSL has never won a GLVC men's baskeball title since joining the conference prior to the 1995-96 school year.
Senior guard Troy Long (Cincinnati) is averaging a team-best 16.1 points per game. Joshua McCoy (Fort Zumwalt South), a 6-4 junior, is dropping in 14.5.
WEBSTER SOFTBALL LOOKS LOADED
Softball success and Webster University have become synonymous in recent years, and this spring will likely provide more of the same. The Gorloks should again be in the thick of the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship hunt. Webster returns 11 players from a team that was 13-3 in the SLIAC and 25-15 overall.
Webster has won three of the last four SLIAC regular-season titles and has reached the league tournament finals seven consecutive years.
Two of the returnees are first-team all-conference players in senior Hanna Brindisi (Howell, Mich.) and sophomore Kristie Konersmann (Northwest). Brindisi hit nine home runs and collected 42 RBIs as a junior, and Konersmann hit .351.
Also back is a solid one-two pitching combo of junior Ashley Meagher (Dupo) and sophomore Trisha Thompson (Glendale, Ariz.). Meagher was the SLIAC pitcher of the year after winning 10 games, and Thompson's 2.14 earned-run average was among the league leaders.
BEATTY, BENSON ARE BACK FOR UMSL
Seniors Shannon Beatty (Kirkwood) and Stephanie Benson (Parkway West) return to the UMSL softball lineup, hoping to help the Tritons win a GLVC West championship.
The Tritons were 31-20 a year ago, including a 20-5 first-place mark inside what was a one-division conference. UMSL was the preseason pick by GLVC coaches to win this year's West Division that also includes Drury, Missouri S&T, William Jewell, Rockhurst, Maryville, Illinois-Springfield and Quincy.
Beatty was a second-team all-GLVC selection as a junior, batting .277 and swatting three home runs. The former all-Suburban South standout figures to be ticketed for third base and designated hitter duties. Benson fashioned an 8-5 pitching record and has won 15 games over the past two seasons.
UMSL has established itself as one of the GLVC softball powers. The Tritons have won 26 or more games four straight seasons.
ARCHERS ARE PILING UP VICTORIES
The St. Louis Community College women's basketball team is in the midst of its most productive stretch of the season. The Archers recently won four in a row and seven of nine to improve their record to 13-9. Freshman forward Lauren Maclin (Ladue) has held one of STLCC's hottest hands, including a recent 18-point, eight-rebound performance in an 86-30 victory over Logan College of Chiropractic.
Maclin, who battled early-season foul problems that limited her playing time, has settled into a comfortable role. "I just try to get in there and take things one game at a time," Maclin said. "Everybody has a role on the team, and I just try to stick with mine."
As a senior at Ladue, Maclin helped a 22-2 team win the Suburban East title while averaging 13 points. She's at 6.7 points a game for the Archers.
SIUE IS PART OF NEW OVC LOOK
The SIU Edwardsville basketball programs will be part of the revamped Ohio Valley Conference look for the 2012-13 season when the league introduces divisional play.
SIUE will play in the West Division with Austin Peay, Eastern Illinois, Murray State, Southeast Missouri and Tennessee-Martin.
The East Division will include Eastern Kentucky, Jacksonville State, Morehead State, Tennessee State, Tennessee Tech and new member Belmont. The addition of Belmont in July will give the conference 12 members, the largest the OVC has been since it was formed in 1948.
Softball and volleyball also will use schedules based on a divisional format, but league officials have yet to determine if those sports will formally recognize divisions. Baseball, women's soccer and men's and women's tennis will not use divisional play because they include fewer than 12 participating teams.
COUGARS BANK ON LOCAL TALENT
SIUE's baseball team returns a plethora of talent -- much of it rooted in the Metro East. The Cougars have 20 players back from a 28-24 squad that provided the school its first winning record since 2007, its last as an NCAA Division II program.
Helping the Cougars get over the Division I hump a year ago were sluggers like outfielders Devin Caldwell (Civic Memorial), Travis Becherer (Highland) and Mitch Matecki (Belleville West), as well as first baseman Joel Greatting (Columbia). All hit over .300, and only Matecki is a senior.
Caldwell was third on the team with a .314 average while pacing the Cougars with six home runs and 53 RBIs. Coach Gary Collins believes the sophomore can be even better.
"The kid had a dynamite freshman year, and there's more in his tank," Collins said. "All he needs to do is be a little more selective at the plate."
The ace of the pitching staff will likely be sophomore Travis Felax (Triad), who was 5-2 with a 2.62 earned-run average as a rookie. "He had a great freshman year," assistant coach Tony Stoecklin said. "We're expecting him to build off of that as a sophomore and anchor our staff, and I don't think we're asking too much of him."
O'FALLON'S TINDALL IS STARTING OVER
Former Southwestern Conference slugger Nick Tindall (O'Fallon) is getting a second chance to kick-start his baseball career. A 17th-round draft pick of the Minnesota Twins after his senior season at O'Fallon in 2009, Tindall struggled with injuries and a low batting average (.172) for two years at the rookie level before the Twins cut him.
Now a freshman at Quincy, Tindall is taking advantage of an allowance in NCAA rules. Since Tindall played only at the rookie league level for no more than two years, he is permitted to pursue college baseball.
As a senior at O'Fallon, Tindall established Southwestern Conference records for home runs (18, shared with Edwardsville's Dane Opel the same season) and RBIs (64). He also led the league in RBIs as a junior (53) and graduated with a .442 career batting average.
ALLEN IS BACK FOR MCKENDREE
Autumn Allen (Belleville East) is back as the ace of the McKendree softball pitching staff, and Bearcats coach Evelyn Bean feels the senior is in line for a big year.
"She battled through some soreness last season, and she couldn't compete at the level she wishes she could have." Bean said. "She's been throwing really well in practice, and we're excited for her this season."
Allen posted a 14-7 record in 26 appearances in 2011, striking out a team-leading 142 batters. Allen's 350 career strikeouts rank fourth all-time at McKendree. She also ranks third with 49 complete games and fifth with 40 wins.
AROUND THE AREA
• Freshman guard Cierra Gaines (Edwardsville) has been one of the catalysts in St. Louis Community College's recent women's basketball surge. A four-game win streak and seven victories in their last nine games improved the Archers' record to 13-9. Gaines is third on the team in scoring at 11.7 per game.
• Junior left-hander Jon Levin (O'Fallon) figures to provide bullpen depth at St. Louis University. Levin was 1-2 as sophomore with a 3.69 ERA in 24 appearances for the Billikens, who were 29-26 in 2011.
• Lindenwood-Belleville is scheduled to play 17 of its first 22 baseball games at home, in GCS Ballpark. This is the inaugural season for the Lynx program, and coach Logan Johnson feels his club is up to the challenge.
"(Our players) have been working and preparing since August for the chance to represent our program and the university, and I believe that we've got a quality group that will compete day in and day out," he said. "This spring sets the tone for our entire program, and these guys have done everything to this point to ensure that we are successful."
LU-Belleville hosts Cardinal Stritch (Wis.) University in a 1 p.m. doubleheader Friday.
• Missouri S&T, picked to finish third in the GLVC softball coaches poll behind UMSL and Drury, will be relying on several players with local roots to make a title run in junior outfielder Jamia Hatlan (Summit), who batted .279 last season, plus sophomore infielder Abby Lunn (Hazelwood West) and freshman infielder Dana Lawson (Lafayette).
Freshman pitcher Katie Heidinger (Webster Groves) also looks like a good bet to be part of what is expected to be a strong rotation.
• The Washington University women's cross country team has been selected the 2011 NCAA Division III women's scholar team of the year. The honor comes from the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. The Bears, who won the program's first national championship in November, produced a 3.7 cumulative team grade-point average.
• Maryville figures to be one of the more improved softball programs in the GLVC. The Saints return a strong nucleus from their first year of eligibility in the conference, including senior outfielder Sarah Graham (Eureka), who led the Saints in extra-base hits. Maryville finished 12-36 last season, including 6-18 in the GLVC.
• The Lindenwood wrestling team will be in action Saturday at the National Collegiate Wrestling Association Conference Championship meet at SIU Edwardsville. Lindenwood is coming off a Feb. 15 dual win at Maryville, the No. 18-ranked NCAA Division II program in the nation.
• The Washington men's tennis tennis team, No. 14 in the Division III rankings, opened its season Sunday with an 8-1 win over Rhodes (Tenn.). Washington is idle until March 2, when it meets No. 6 Denison (Ohio) in the first round of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association indoors championships in Greencastle, Ind.
