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California wins Classic; host FIU finishes second

With the cancellation of the championship round, No. 7 California was named Classic champion by virtue of the Golden Bears' 4-0 record on the weekend. Host Florida International (3-1) claimed the runner-up trophy.

Cal's Vicky Galindo was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player after batting .462 (6-for-13) with a double, a triple and five RBI. Fellow Bears Chelsea Spencer and Kristen Morley joined her on the all-tournament team. Leading the way for FIU was pitcher Amanda Nealer who recorded a tournament-high 11 strikeouts in 13 innings.

2003 FIU/Nike Blue & Gold Classic Final Standings
1. California
2. Florida International
3. Massachusetts
4. Texas A&M
5. Syracuse
6. Florida Atlantic

 

2003 FIU/Nike Blue & Gold Classic All-Tournament Team
Vicky Galindo California, MVP Chelsea Spencer California Kristen Morley California Jennifer Owens Florida International Amanda Nealer Florida International Lindsay Tippings Florida international Anna Perey Massachusetts Kaila Holtz Massachusetts Adrian Gregory Texas A&M Jana James Texas A&M Tanya Rose Syracuse Callie Piper Florida Atlantic	All-Tournament Golden Panthers (l to r): Lindsay Tippings, Jennifer Owens and Amanda Nealer.

California's sophomore hurler Kelly Anderson notched a 0.00 ERA, 3-0 record, allowing just 7 hits last weekend as the No. 7-ranked Golden Bears emerged as the National Invitational Softball Tournament champion. Anderson was named to the all-tournament squad after striking out 25 batters in 25 innings and tossing three complete games in four appearances. (Cal photo)

he Florida International softball team hosts the Nike Blue & Gold Classic this weekend at Golden Panther Stadium on the University Park campus in Miami.

Host Florida International, California, Texas A&M, Massachusetts, Florida Atlantic and Syracuse will compete in this round-robin tournament with seeded games and the championship scheduled for Sunday.

Don't let the Golden Panthers season record of 12-17 fool you. The team has been playing much better of late, having won seven of its last 10 games, the most impressive of which was a combined no-hitter last Sunday against Providence College at the Seminole Invitational in Tallahassee.

FIU has one in-season tournament under its belt this year, winning the Schlotzsky's Invitational in Miami last month, which included a victory over No. 22-ranked Alabama.

Senior shortstop Stephanie Wolter has been the offensive catalyst thus far for the Golden Panthers. Batting leadoff, Wolter's .321 batting average is best on the team, as is her 18 runs scored and on-base percentage of .452. Junior RHP Kendra Laminack was named to last weekend's Seminole Invitational all-tournament team after throwing four innings of a combined five inning, no hitter against Providence while registering seven K’s. She also threw three innings of relief without a run on top of striking out six against Utah.

The No. 7-ranked Golden Bears (19-6) are the defending NCAA Division I national champions. For the fifth time in the 17-year history of the National Invitational Softball Tournament, California emerged as the 11-team tournament champion of the San Jose State-hosted event, producing 20 runs to its opponent's three. Call recorded wins against No. 24 Minnesota and Sacramento State in pool play to advance into the winners bracket. Once there, the Golden Bears slid by Georgia Tech, then in a rematch of the 2002 World Series semi-final game, beat No. 10 Arizona State in their first contest of the season against a fellow Pac-12 foe. Cal blanked No. 23 Oregon, 6-0, to be crowned tournament champions.

RHP Kelly Anderson dominated NIST opponents' bats, walking away from the tourney with a 0.00 ERA, including three complete game shutouts in four appearances. The sophomore tossed 25.0 innings while allowing only seven singles and seven walks, while whiffing 25 batters.

The Bears are 6-4 versus ranked opponents this year, outscoring those opponents, 39-19.

The Aggies boost a 19-8 record and a No. 20 national ranking entering this weekend's competition. Like FIU, Texas A&M's most recent games were at last weekend's Seminole Invitational in Tallahassee, where the team won two-of-three games played. Among the Aggies victories thus far this season are impressive decisions against No. 10 Georgia and No. 11 Stanford.

Leading Texas A&M's offensive charge is its senior catcher Selena Collins who not only leads the team with a .375 batting average, but also tops the Aggies with 19 runs scored, 14 extra-base hits, eight home runs land 18 RBI. Pitcher Lindsay Wilhelmson tops the staff with a 7-2 record with 53 strikeouts in 63 innings worked.

The No. 24-ranked Massachusetts Minutewomen enter this weekend with an even 7-7 overall record, including a 4-4 mark against ranked opponents. Massachusetts has scored impressive wins against No. 12 Arizona State, No. 16 Florida State and No. 17 Oregon State.

Along the way, UMass claimed the title of the NFCA/Leadoff Classic Tournament last month in Columbus, Ga., and afterwards, sophomore pitcher Kelli Arnold was named the Louisville Slugger/National Fastpitch Coaches Association Player of the Week after recorded a complete game victory and also picked up a save en route to being named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. Senior first baseman Brandi Cross is the Minutewomen's top hitter with a .321 batting average.

The Owls of Florida Atlantic (11-14) are no strangers to the Miami area. They competed for the championship of last month's Schlotzsky's/FIU Invitational here and have already played three games on the Golden Panther Stadium turf. FAU has already picked up a pair of wins against No. 18 Ohio State and most recently has beaten No. 23 Oklahoma State at last weekend's USF Speedline Invitational.

The Owls are led by sophomore RHP Candice Freel (6-4) and sophomore first baseman Pam Mazzarella, who tops FAU with a .328 batting average.

Syracuse comes in with a 4-6 mark after consecutive wins last Monday against Evansville (2-1) and Binghamton (8-0). With those two wins, the Orangewomen snapped a five-game losing streak and won consecutive games for the first time this season.

The Orangewomen had a breakout season in 2002, winning a school-record 25 games, including 12 victories in the Big East. In just the second season of league competition, Syracuse finished third in the conference and earned its first berth in the Big East Tournament. The nucleus of that squad, including four players named All-Big East or all-region, returns and is joined by some highly touted newcomers that will give the Orangewomen its most potent lineup to date. Not only do the SU players and staff expect success in 2003, the other Big East coaches predict a strong season on The Hill. Syracuse finished second in the conference's preseason poll behind defending league champion Notre Dame, garnering 85 of a possible 100 points.

Freshman Jennifer Orpitelli is the top hitter for the Orangewomen with her .458 batting average and senior RHP Tara DiMaggio has three of the four team wins early on.

Directions to FIU University Park

From Miami International Airport
Take State Road No. 836 West (Dolphin Expressway) to Northwest 107 Avenue/South exit. Proceed south on 107 Avenue to Southwest Eighth Street (SR 41/Tamiami Trail). Turn right on Eighth Street, two traffic lights to Southwest 112 Avenue. Turn left onto campus.

From I-95
Traveling north or south on I-95, exit at State Road 836 West (Dolphin Expressway) to Northwest 107 Avenue/South exit. Proceed south on 107 Avenue to Southwest Eighth Street (SR 41/Tamiami Trail). Turn right on Eighth Street, two traffic lights to Southwest 112 Avenue. Turn left onto campus.

From the Palmetto Expressway (SR 826)
Traveling north or south on the Palmetto Expressway, exit westbound on Southwest Eighth Street (SR 41/Tamiami Trail). Proceed to Southwest 112 Avenue. Turn left onto campus.

From Florida Turnpike
Exit at Southwest Eighth Street (No. 25/Tamiami Trail). Turn right on Eighth Street (SR 41/Tamiami Trail). Proceed to Southwest 112 Avenue. Turn right onto campus.

Ticket Information

The FIU Athletic Ticket Office is located on the first floor southeast side of Golden Panther Arena on the University Park Campus and is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Telephone: (866) FIU-GAME or (305) 348-4263 in Miami-Dade County.

Day Pass: $3.00/General Admission | $2.00/FIU Faculty, Staff, Youth and Senior Citizens
FIU Students admitted free with a valid ID card

Nike Blue & Gold Classic Bracket