Sorcerer 18 Gold - Mumma

Sorcerer outfielder Courtney Moore has committed to Mississippi State University.

Moore, who lives in El Sobrante, Calif. and is a senior at St. Mary's High School in Berkeley, gave her commitment to Bulldogs coach Jay Miller during an official visit Nov. 10 and 11.

Mississippi State is located in Starkville in the northern portion of the state and is a member of the Southeastern Conference. Last year the Bulldogs posted a 35-27 record, 14-14 in the powerful SEC. They qualified for the NCAA regionals.

"I loved the school, the players and the coaches," Moore said, "really loved them." She also was impressed by the student body and community's support for intercollegiate athletics.

Coach Miller, a former fastpitch player, has served as a member of the U.S. National Team selection committe, helping pick our inaugural Olympic team. He coached the American squad that won the 2001 U.S. Cup and the national Elite Team that captured the 2003 Canada Cup. Miller also led this year's junior national team to the world championship.

"And above all," Sorcerer coach Phil Mumma said, "he is one of the real gentlemen in the game." In Moore, Mumma said, MSU gets a powerful hitter and outstanding outfielder. "We are all very proud of Courtney," he said. "In just one fall with us she has worked hard and achieved so much. She is an outstanding, accomplished and intelligent young lady and richly deserves the full scholarship that she has been awarded."

It is anticipated that other Sorcerer commitments will be announced over the next several weeks.

Jan White captured this image in the Sacramento, CA friendly in mid-October.

Can you believe that the umpire called Sorcerer Kayla White out?!

Whitney Shaw, who has played first and third base for Sorcerer over the past two seasons, has selected Harvard University as the institution where she will continue her academic and softball pursuits.

Shaw had narrowed her choices to Harvard and Princeton, based on their academic excellence and successful Ivy League softball programs. Harvard is coached by Jenny Allard and was last year's Ivy champion, having compiled a 14-6 league record and 31-15 overall mark.

Shaw, who attends Redwood High School in Larkspur, Calif., has for some time been focused on a career in architecture and feels that Harvard offers her the best chance to achieve her professional goals. Whitney maintains a 4.0 GPA.

For the past two seasons she has been selected to the San Francisco Chronicle's All-Metro team and has been all-league at Redwood, conference champions during that same period.

"Harvard has been my school of choice for some time now, and I couldn't be happier than I am now with how things have worked out," she said.

"Of the scores and scores of kids who have graduated from our program to play at the Division I level," Sorcerer coach Phil Mumma said, "it is difficult to recall any player as focused on a profession as firmly as is Whit. As coaches, it gives us the best feeling to see softball help enable a young person to fulfill her dreams."

The final tryout for the Sorcerer 18 Gold-Phil and Sorcerer 18 Gold-Pete summer 2007 teams will be this Sunday, November 18, 2007 at Foothill High School in Pleasanton. Position players try out from 10 AM to 12:30 PM and pitchers and catchers from 1 PM to 3 PM.

Sorcerer has won two 18A national championships, qualified for ASA 18 Gold Nationals every year it has played at that level, and had more than 30 former players competing at the Division I college level last spring on teams across the country.

For information contact Phil at 925-825-6274 or Pete at 925-980-7873.

Wow!!! In what may have been the best fall SoCal debut for Sorcerer Softball ever, Sorcerer scored 50 runs in just 5 games against the competition in the Surf City October Showcase in Huntington Beach this weekend.

With coaches from Cal, Stanford, Northwestern, Washington, Oregon, University of New Mexico, Mississippi State, Cal Poly, Kansas, Chapman, LSU, University of San Diego, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Purdue, Illinois State, Utah State, Brigham Young, Southern Mississippi et al watching, Sorcerer put on a quite a show:

• Third-baseman Breana Kostreba crushed a 3-run homer over the fence. Playing third, Breana made an incredible full-speed backward diving catch of a pop up to shallow left field.
• Catcher Whitney Massey scored an inside the park homerun.
• In a demonstration of incredible Sorcerer athleticism, second baseman Shea Williams went horizontal to catch a line drive to center field. The ball hit the tip of her glove. Shortstop Jordan Wallace scoped the ball up and fired it to first baseman Kasey Tydingco who did a full split to catch the ball just before the runner tagged the base for the out.
  
• With runners on first and second, infielder Whitney Shaw ran like the howling Santa Ana wind to reach first base on her first bunt of the season.
• Catcher Maya Burns fielded what had appeared to be a perfect bunt and threw the runner out, demonstrating just how strong her arm really is.
• Pitchers Chelsea Cohen and Jessica Moore battled each other to see who could retire the most runners with consecutive strikeouts. Was it Chelsea with 4?
• Left fielder Kayla White showed her speed and agility with a scoop of a line drive and a frozen rope throw to the infield.
• In appearance after apperance, Emily Allard slapped her way to first base and stole second nearly every time, causing college coaches in the stands to scribble madly about her incredible speed and long strides.
• With oufielders playing 200 feet deep, center fielder Courtney Moore crushed a ball that must have traveled over 230 feet, showing just how powerful she is.