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2005 PLAYER PROFILES |
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Meet the Brakettes |
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SS Lovena Chaput |
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Lovena Chaput is a starting outfielder for ex-Brakettes pitcher Kathy Arendsen at the University of Oregon. Chaput was an All-State shortstop in high school and she will play that position for the Brakettes. The 5-foot-9 native of Tualatin, OR, hit .310 for the Ducks who finished with a 36-25 record and an NCAA Regional Tournament berth. She had 10 doubles, three triples and five home runs among her 57 hits. In PAC-12 play, Chaput led the Ducks in hitting with a .308 batting average. At Tualatin High School, Chaput was a two-time All-State softball pick and she earned nine varsity letters in four sports (softball, soccer, basketball and volleyball). She chose Oregon, and former Brakettes pitcher Kathy Arendsen (head coach) over Oregon State, North Carolina, Rutgers, St. John’s, Southern Mississippi and Hawaii. |
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UT Amanda Jensen |
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Amanda Jensen enters her second year with the Stratford Brakettes. Appearing in 43 games last year, Amanda hit .327 and scored 39 runs, playing both second base and outfield positions. A graduate of Olivet Nazarene University, Jensen is the only player in ONU history to start and play every inning of every game. She played an incredible 1,861 innings over 256 games, both school records. The team’s shortstop, Jensen rewrote the school record book, finishing with 21 covering a myriad of offensive and defensive categories. The Tigers’ leadoff hitter had a .368 career average and struck out only 34 times in 985 at bats. Once on the base paths, Jensen stole 78 of 81 bases, including a string of 63 in a row. She was drafted in the 2004 NPF draft by the Arizona Heat as the No. 12 pick and she was subsequently traded to the Texas Thunder, where she was the final player cut from the squad. |
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OF/UT Jill Cimminello |
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A 2003 graduate of Quinnipiac University, Jill Cimminello recently concluded the season as the interim head coach at the University of Rhode Island, where she was appointed on April 20. Prior to the elevation, the Norwalk, CT, native was an assistant softball coach. Jill was a four-year starter at Quinnipiac for Coach Germaine Fairchild and she hit .331 her senior year with 27 RBI. As a junior, she hit .344 and gained All-NEC acclaim. She is a former Norwalk High School standout, where she played field hockey, basketball and softball. Last summer Cimminello played for the New Bologna Softball Team in the highest level of professional competition in Italy. |
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RF Donna McLean |
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Donna McLean has been with the Stratford Brakettes for the past 12 years and she continues to get better each season. Last year the former Westfield, MA, State standout enjoyed an outstanding campaign as she hit .315 and was a pillar in right field. Playing in 40 games, McLean had 29 hits in 92 at bats and she drove in 12 runs. It was her single to left field with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning that drove in the game’s only run in a 1-0 championship triumph over Storm USA. McLean gained first team All-America laurels for her superb play in the Auburn, AL, meet. During the past three years McLean has been credited with 35 outfield assists as she has played a key role in a trio of ASA Championships. The 1996 team batting champ with a .414 average, Donna also was a second team All-America pick in 2000. McLean still holds the record for RBI in a game. She hit for the cycle and drove in 10 runs on June 28, 1987. |
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OF Linda Secka |
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Linda Secka is the starting center fielder for DePaul University, which made its third appearance in the College World Series in May. Starting all but one game for the 45-21 Lady Blue Demons, who will switch to the Big East Conference next fall, Secka finished the year with a .254 batting average, going 47-for-185 at the plate. She also showed plenty of power with 11 doubles and 9 home runs to go along with her 47 RBI. Linda has great speed and possesses a strong throwing arm, evidenced by seven outfield assists. She earned Conference-USA All-League honors as a freshman and hit .349. A native of Warrington, PA, she played at Central Bucks West High School where she played four years of varsity softball. Secka was a member of last year’s U.S. Junior National Softball team. |
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3B/1B Jennifer Owens |
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Jennifer Owens is completing her first season on the Florida International University coaching staff following a prolific four-year career with the Golden Panther softball and volleyball teams. She finished her softball career as the program’s all-time leader in batting average (.327), runs batted in (136), total bases (340) and doubles (35). She was named to the NFCA All-Southeast Region First Team and the All-Academic All-District III Team in 2003. She was named to the Sun Belt all-conference team four years. Owens, a Miami native, is an elementary school teacher at both Wesley Matthews and Claude Pepper Elementary Schools. Brakettes manager John Stratton expects Jen to add power to the middle of the team lineup. |
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OF/P Julie Brooks |
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Julie Brooks is a first year member of the Brakettes who gives Manager John Stratton a proven veteran both in the outfield and at the plate. A native of Thornill, Ontario, Canada, Julie is a graduate of Rutgers University where she still ranks as the school’s all-time leader in pitching victories with 65. She also is second in complete games with 81 and career innings pitched with 682.1. She also is among the offensive leaders in several categories, including triples (22, first), home runs (16, third), RBI (109, second) and career batting average (.375, third). Last year Brooks played outfield for the Texas Thunder, which had the best regular season record in the National Pro Fastpitch league. She was a member of the Great Britain National team that participated in the 2003 Olympic Qualifier and European Championships and Canada Cup. Earlier in her career, Brooks was inducted into the Canadian National Hall of Fame for winning Junior Nationals in three consecutive seasons with the Chinguacousy Cougars (1996-98). |
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C/IF Germaine Fairchild |
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When Manager John Stratton heard that Germaine Fairchild was coming back to the Stratford Brakettes in 2004, he couldn’t hide his excitement. Fairchild made everyone take notice during her four years with the Brakettes, culminating with her second team batting title in 2003 with a .382 average. A first team All-America pick in 2003, Fairchild continues to be the most versatile player on the club as she has played six different positions since joining the Brakettes. She was a second team All-America and the MVP in the Northeast Seaboard League Tournament in 2002. A graduate of Tulsa University, Germaine later played professionally with the Virginia Roadsters. During her collegiate career, Fairchild was a member of the All Missouri Valley Conference Academic Team from 1993-95. She completed her college career in style, hitting .326 (42-129) with 14 doubles and 29 RBI during her senior season in 1995. Following an open tryout in 1998 with the Women’s Professional Softball League, Germaine signed with Virginia. Her most memorable softball event came with the Roadsters when she hit game-winning home runs in consecutive games to defeat the eventual champion Tampa Bay Firestix. Last year Germaine played for the National Pro Fastpitch league champion New York Juggernaut. |
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P Sarah Pauly |
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When John Stratton first saw Sarah Pauly pitch he didn’t waste any time telling people that she would be one of the great pitchers in the game. Stratton is glad the 6-foot-3 Pauly decided to bring her talents to Stratford after her illustrious career at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. During her recently concluded senior campaign, Pauly compiled some unbelievable statistics. The Phoenix, AZ, native posted a 37-7 record, a 0.56 ERA and 497 strikeouts in 288 innings. She earned Big South Conference Pitcher of the Year acclaim and the most valuable player award as her team captured the league tournament with a 4-0 record. Pauly pitched every inning in the tournament to lead her team to its third straight conference crown and NCAA tournament berth. Featuring a lively riseball and sharp curve, Pauly finished her career with the Islanders with a 112-46 record. Since the Islanders were only NCAA for three years, Pauly’s career strikeout total of 1,370 puts her in sixth place all-time. Had the 266 strikeouts as a freshmen counted it would have put her in No. 3 all-time with 1,636. At Desert Vista High School in Phoenix Pauly went 24-4 with a 0.23 ERA her senior year. She led her team to the regional title with 304 strikeouts and a first-team All-State selection. |
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IF Kim Ovittore |
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One of the few players in the Brakettes’ 59-year history to make the team right out of high school, Kim Ovittore brings an impressive resume with her. The Bethel, CT, native recently concluded a legendary scholastic career at Milford’s Lauralton Hall where she led the Crusaders to consecutive CIAC Class M state championships. While she would have preferred to play shortstop, Ovittore was forced to pitch the last two years. She had a 25-1 record with a 0.12 ERA and in169 innings she allowed only 47 hits and seven runs, three of them earned. Ovittore struck out 257 batters and hurled four no-hitters. Named Connecticut’s Gatorade Player of the Year, she also earned MVP honors from the Connecticut Post and New Haven Register teams. Ovittore batted .560 with 15 home runs and 41 RBI this season. Her four-year pitching record was 52-2 record. Ovittore will play shortstop at Delaware next season. |
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P Kaci Clark |
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After a one-year hiatus in the National Pro Fastpitch league, Kaci Clark has returned to the Stratford Brakettes, a move that will help them get ready for their switch to the circuit in 2006. Clark, a Brandon, FL, native, spent the 2002 and 2003 National Championship seasons with the Brakettes where she had a combined 54-2 record and a 0.27 ERA. Clark was the winning pitcher in the 2002 National Championship game at DeLuca Field with a two-hit, 13-strikeout effort in a 1-0 victory over the California Hurricanes. Clark led the team with a 29-0 record and 0.12 ERA with 11 no-hitters, two perfect games and 22 shutouts. She has averaged nearly two strikeouts per inning in her two years with the Brakettes. Clark is a UCLA graduate and she was unbeaten during the Bruins’ 1995 NCAA title campaign. After signing to play in the Women’s Professional Softball League in 1998, she earned the Pitcher of the Year laurels in 1998 and 1999. She also won the MVP award in 1999. A member of the WPSL touring all-star team in 2001, Clark also pitched the first victory over the US Gold Team (Olympic Team). She was a two-time all-star in the WPSL and led the pro circuit in wins (53), strikeouts and shutouts when she returned to the amateur game. Last year Clark was a member of the champion New York Juggernaut. |
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P/UT Robyn King |
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Robyn King is another former Brakettes player to return to the club in 2005. After playing professionally in Italy in 2004, King gives the Brakettes another talented pitcher as well as a position player and hitter. This will be her sixth year with the team after a standout collegiate career at Boston University, where she earned All-New England honors on two occasions. In 2003, King appeared in 46 games and hit .268 with 13 RBI. Her best year with the Brakettes was 2002 when she delivered the game-winning hit in the 1-0 championship game nod over the California Hurricanes. King hit .411, finishing runner-up for the batting title, with 40 RBI. She had 53 hits and scored 31 runs as the Brakettes fashioned a 65-5 record. In addition to her offensive prowess and fielding ability, King will be called upon for some spot pitching duty. She has registered a 23-4 career record with 230 strikeouts in 192 innings. King is a native of Ashby, MA, and formerly played with the Polar Crush of Worcester. |
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IF/UT Erica Sobel |
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Erica Sobel is beginning her fifth year with the Stratford Brakettes. Her versatility has been well documented during three straight ASA title seasons. A career .325 hitter, Sobel had another superb campaign in 2004 when she hit .341 with 10 extra base hits and 21 RBI. Her finest season was in 2003 when she led the Brakettes with 11 home runs and placed second in RBI with 46. Originally invited for a weekend in 2001, Sobel impressed Manager John Strattton so much he invited her to stay for the season and the rest is history. Playing with the Polar Crush of Worcester, MA, as a teenager, Sobel went on to have an outstanding career at Maine, where she set the season and career records for bases on balls. Defensively, you won’t find a better fielder as she has extremely soft hands and gets a good jump on the ball. |
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P Leslie Malerich |
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Leslie Malerich rejoins the Stratford Brakettes for the 2005 season after spending the past three years playing professionally for the Italian National Team. Malerich was the team’s No. 1 pitcher throughout the 2001 regular season and she finished the year with a 24-4 record and 0.22 ERA. In 227 innings, Malerich struck out 299. A graduate of Florida State University, Malerich had three no-hitters her rookie year with the Brakettes, including the opening game of the ASA National Championship in Phoenix, AZ, against the Bloomington, IL, Lady Hearts. She also had two perfect games and six 1-hitters that year. In her senior year at FSU, Malerich pitched the Lady Seminoles to a berth in the College World Series and she recorded wins over UCLA and Nebraska. She reached the century mark in career victories at FSU with the magicial triumph coming against Florida Atlantic University and Brakettes Manager John Stratton. Twice named first team All-State at Merrillville, IN, High School, she led her prep team to the 1997 state championship and she was named both the Player and Athlete of the Year in Indiana. She will be inducted into the Indiana High School Hall of Fame in late June. |
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OF Denise Denis |
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Denise Denis recently concluded her outstanding collegiate career at the University of Massachusetts where she had an unbelievable 2005 season. A Saratoga Springs, NY, native, Denis was a first team All-ECAC pick for the Minutewomen who compiled a 37-16-1 record and gained a berth in the NCAA Austin Regional. Denis’ last collegiate game was against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and future Brakettes teammate, pitcher Sarah Pauly. Denis surpassed most of her career totals in 2005 as she hit .360 with 49 hits in 136 at bats. She scored 32 runs and had 20 extra base hits with her 11 home runs surpassing her previous career total of nine. Denis also had seven home runs and drove in 43 runs (she had 28 in three previous years). Boasting blazing speed, Denis stole 8-of-10 bases and 22 of 29 in her career. While in high school, she was a four-year letter-winner for Saratoga Springs that won the sectional crown her senior year. Denis is no stranger to Brakettes fans, having played for the Adirondack Ice the last four years. |
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C Killian Roessner |
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Killian Roessner completed her freshman year on the Louisiana State University softball team that compiled a 31-23 record in the tough Southeast Conference. Despite hitting only .203, Roessner appeared in 41 games for the Tigers. Defensively, she was outstanding, committing only one error in 132 chances. In her rookie season in 2004 with the Brakettes, Roessner hit .263 in 35 games with three doubles, one home run and 11 RBI and she played exceptionally well in the ASA tournament. She earned three letters in softball at Lawrenceville Prep School (NJ), where she averaged .437 and she was named the 2003 Prep Player of the Year. Killian transferred to Wall High School in 2004. In 2003, her summer team finished runner-up in the Gold National Tournament. |
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C/1B Callie Piper |
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Callie Piper enters her second season with the Stratford Brakettes, but she is no stranger to Manager John Stratton. Piper, a 5-foot-11 native of Wichita, KS, played four years at Florida Atlantic University, where Stratton is the assistant to head coach Joan Joyce. While she was a noted catcher at FAU, Piper has also played first base, third base and outfield for the Brakettes. Callie came through with many big hits last year as she hit .353 and drove in 16 runs. One of the final cuts of the New York Juggernaut in 2004, Piper helped FAU to a 56-18 record and another Atlantic Sun Conference championship and NCAA bid during her senior year. At Wichita Northwest High School, Piper was a softball and basketball standout. |
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P Cat Osterman |
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Cat Osterman will be back with the Stratford Brakettes in time for the National ASA Championship at DeLuca Field. The best pitcher in softball today, Osterman recently was presented with her second USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Award. While leading the University of Texas to a College World Series berth, Cat compiled a 30-7 record and nation’s best 0.36 ERA. She struck out 593 batters, averaging an all-time NCAA best 15.2 per game. With 1,635 career strikeouts, Osterman currently ranks No. 2 in NCAA all-time K’s behind Courtney Blades and she will become the all-time leader with one more collegiate season to go. Cat last played for the Brakettes in 2002 and went 6-0 as she was named the MVP and winner of the Bertha Tickey Award as the top pitcher in the National Championship. This is her fifth year in Team USA softball and third in a row as a member of the US National Team. She earned a gold medal in the Athens Olympics last August as she appeared in three games and did not allow a run in 14.2 innings. She also led Team USA in strikeouts with 23. In 2003 she tossed a perfect game against Canada in the Pan Am Games Championship Game. The 2001 Gatorade National Softball Player of the Year at Cypress Springs High School was the first softball player to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated (Oct. 7, 2002) and the only softball player to twice appear on its cover. |
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