College Spotlight: Junior Pitcher Danielle Williams Has Northwestern in the Top 25… & Was Equally Strong in Her Pre-College Days!

Entering this weekend’s series against Big Ten foe Minnesota, the Northwestern Wildcats were only one of three teams in the Top 25 DI rankings with just two losses on the year and a large part of the school’s success can be attributed to great pitching, notably junior Danielle Williams who came into today with a 10-1 record and a 1.69 ERA.

From Northern California, Danielle had pitched 60 innings with 74 strikeouts and just 11 walks.  She also has batted .286 with three triples and eight RBIs in 14 games she’s played.

Back as a high school senior in 2018, she made the PGF All-American Game and was the winning pitcher and also was a PGF All-Tournament Team selection and at the high school level was a National Player of the Year runner-up to winner Ashley Rogers, now at Tennessee.

Danielle played for her parents, Mike & Jenny, on the Sorcerer – Williams 18U team and had her fair share of success both at the club and high school levels as she was an All-American at Amador Valley High in Pleasanton, California.

She was ranked in the Top 25 of the 2018 Extra Elite 100… this is her bio from that class:

24—Danielle Williams, P, Sorcerer Gold (Northwestern)
Danielle will all but assuredly end her very successful career at Amador Valley (Pleasanton, California) High as a four-time All-American, but that opportunity briefly looked to be in jeopardy after she suffered a knee injury in Colorado last summer playing club ball. Fortunately, she’s bounced back to have a strong senior season, and the lefty hurler was selected as the Extra Inning Softball National Player of the Week for May 6 when she struck out 27 in 12 innings and pitched a pair of shutouts. For her career, Danielle has struck out 52 percent of the batters she’s faced and has a 0.57 high school ERA. As a junior she went 17-1 with a 0.34 ERA and 17 complete games, a trio of no-hitters and 231 strikeouts in 122 innings. This year she’s on a similar path with several no hitters and a perfect game already. Her parents, Mike and Jenny, are coaches in the Sorcerer organization and Danielle will follow in the footsteps of her sister, Krista (Williams) Bommarito, who finished playing at Northwestern last year. Says Wildcats Head Coach Kate Drohan: “We are excited to welcome the Williams family, again! Danielle is an elite level pitcher who has a great competitive spirit in the circle. She has the opportunity to impact every part of our game because quite simply: she knows how to win.”

Here are a few of the articles we had featuring the outstanding player early in her college and pre-Northwestern days!

*****

Northwestern’s Danielle Williams Named 2019 Schutt Sports / NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year

Originally published May 28, 2019 on Extra Inning Softball

Northwestern’s Danielle Williams was named the 2019 Schutt Sports / NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year award, announced at the NCAA Women’s College World Series banquet, Tuesday evening at the OKC Farmers Market event center.

Williams becomes the first Freshman of the Year from the Big Ten Conference after being named the Wildcats’ first-ever top-three finalist.

She led the Big Ten this season with 31 wins and 13 shutouts, ranking tied for third and fifth in the nation, respectively. It is the most victories and shutouts for a Northwestern pitcher in her rookie season since 1984.

Williams, the Wildcats’ first pitcher to earn Big Ten Freshman of the Year since 2004, is also ranked among the top 10 in the nation with 317 strikeouts (6^th) and 9.7 strikeouts per seven innings (9^th), while posting a 1.55 ERA with just 46 walks and a .163 batting average against.

The rookie southpaw played a pivotal role in Northwestern’s first Super Regional appearance since 2008. Williams, a native of Pleasanton, Calif., earned first team NFCA All-Great Lakes Region recognition.

Minnesota’s Natalie DenHartog and Alabama’s Montana Fouts joined Williams as top-three finalists.

In its sixth year, the Schutt Sports / NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year award was created to honor outstanding athletic achievement among Division I freshmen softball student-athletes. The top three and the winner are voted on by the NFCA’s Division I All-American Committee, consisting of one head coach from each of the Association’s 10 regions.

Schutt Sports/NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year

• 2019 – Danielle Williams, Northwestern
• 2018 – Jocelyn Alo, Oklahoma
• 2017 – Rachel Garcia, UCLA
• 2016 – Amanda Lorenz, Florida
• 2015 – Paige Parker, Oklahoma
• 2014 – Annie Aldrete, Tennessee & Kasey Cooper, Auburn

*****

Extra Inning Softball 2018 1st Team High School All-American Pitchers Who Are Making A College Impact Now

Originally published Feb. 18, 2019 on Extra Inning Softball

If you’ve been watching the NCAA Div. I preseason teams closely, you’ve probably noticed that several true freshman pitchers—including UCLA’s Megan Faraimo, Alabama’s Montana Fouts, Northwestern’s Danielle Williams and Tennessee’s Ashley Rogers—have stepped into the spotlight and performed exceedingly well.

We thought we’d go back to our Extra Inning Softball 2018 1^st Team High School All-American list from last June and look at who we listed and, of those, see who’s stepped into the circle for their college teams and not missed a beat.

As we do every year, players are profiled by position including a Multi-Purpose category which takes into consideration athletes who shine at more than one position or role… think Rachel Garcia being a great pitcher AND hitter).

Here are 14 from the Class of 2019 who have already made an impact as true freshmen along with 2019 college info based on stats prior to Thursday’s games (players listed alphabetically as they were in the All-American lists from 2018).

*****

Extra Inning Softball 2018 1st Team All-Americans—Pitchers… & How They’re Doing as College Freshman

originally published on Extra Inning Softball on June 25, 2019

Sr. Megan Faraimo, Cathedral Catholic (San Diego) CA
Megan is a 6-foot-1 right-handed pitcher listed by Extra Inning Softball as the top prospect in the senior class and she was also named as the Gatorade National and State Player of the Year. The San Diego star headed to UCLA went 26-3 and led the Dons to the San Diego Section Open Division finals this year. For the year she compiled a 0.23 ERA and struck out 405 batters while giving up just 47 hits versus just eight walks in 186 1/3rd innings. Megan had four perfect games, five no-hitters and 17 shutouts this year She also finished her high school year with 1,028 K’s and is also a PGF All-American.
Now: Even with NCAA Div. I National Player of the Year Rachel Garcia sharing the innings, Faraimo has been spectacular. Having just made the USA Softball JO National Team on January 1, she threw two no-hitters in February and has a 4-0 record with a 0.77 ERA and 45 strikeouts against only six walks in 27 1/3^rd innings.

Sr. Hannah George, Northside GA
Hanna, a North Carolina signee, went 17-1 with a 0.39 ERA and was the key cog for the Northside team that went 34-3 and won the first state championship in the softball program’s history. She came up clutch when it counted, giving up just one hit while striking out eight to clinch the title series against Stephens County.
Now: George has appeared in the second most games for the Tarheel pitching staff after Brittany Pickett and has a 1-2 record but does have a 1.88 WHIP and has struck out 15 batters in 25 innings.

Sr. Karly Heath North Augusta SC
The tall right-handed pitcher was the 2018 Gatorade State Player of the Year as she went 21-2 with a 0.16 ERA as the Yellow Jackets made it to the Class 4A semifinals this spring. The senior headed to South Carolina struck out 278 hitters versus 17 walks in 133 2/3rd innings. She earned her third straight year of being named All-State and Region 4 Player of the Year.
Now: On a staff that has seen five pitcher throw for five innings or more and all get at least one win, Heath has started three games and has a 1-0 record with a 5.25 ERA, but has limited opponents to a .147 batting average.

Sr. Ali Kilponen, Valor Christian (Highlands Ranch) CO
Ali earned her fourth Class 4A Player of the Year selection by going 22-1 with a 0.42 ERA and, although for the first time in her prep career the Eagles didn’t win a state title, she still was dominating with 273 K’s against only 12 walks in 134 innings pitched. The LSU signee also was named as the 2018 Gatorade State Player of the Year, the South Metro Pitcher of the Year and the All-Colorado Player of the Year.
Now: Kilponen has a 2-0 record and a 3.82 ERA with 12 K’s against just two walks in 11 innings. She is one of two true freshmen (see Shelby Wickersham below) who should give LSU outstanding pitching for the next four years.

Sr. Shelby Wickersham, Mount Carmel (New Orleans) LA
One of the top pitchers in the 2018 class, Shelby has won state titles in volleyball and softball and this year led her team to the state semi’s where they lost despite the LSU signee giving up only two hits. For the season she won 16 games and had a 1.08 ERA with 232 strikeouts in 136 innings and was part of one perfect game two no-hitters, three one-hitters and five two-hitters. Shelby, ranked in the Top 10 of the Extra Elite 100 (2018 class) was named Valedictorian and graduated with a 4.6 GPA
Now: The Tigers have four pitchers who have all started three games or more and Wickersham has been right in the mix with Maribeth Gorsuch and Shelbi Sunseri with four wins. She pitched a no-hitter in her first official college start and has a 4-1 record with a 1.31 ERA and has held opponents to a .165 batting average.

Sr. Danielle Williams, Amador Valley (Pleasanton) CA
The Northwestern signee led her team to the North Coast Section Div. I championship as she went 23-3 with 22 complete games, 14 shutouts and five no-hitters. The lefty hurler was selected as the Extra Inning Softball National Player of the Week for May 6 when she struck out 27 in 12 innings and finished the season with 316 K’s vs. only 24 walks and limited the opposition to just a .108 batting average. Danielle was also chosen as a PGF All-American.
Now: Williams has quickly become the ace of the Wildcats staff as she has more innings pitched than the three other Northwestern pitchers combined. In 56 1/3^rd innings she has a 0.99 ERA with a 9-1 record and 63 strikeouts against only eight walks. Opponents are batting just 1.79 against her and the NorCal product has three shutouts and six complete games of her seven started.

P/IF Sr. Jenny Bressler, Plymouth (Canton) MI
Jenny has been one of the most successful pitchers and infielders at the club and high school levels the past few years. This year she was the Gatorade State Player of the Year, a USA Today 3rd Team All-American and earned All-State for the third year as the UNLV batted .447 with 44 RBI and compiled an 21-3 mark with a 1.10 ERA while limiting opponents to o.128 batting average. She was also a Final Four finalist for State Player of the Year.
Now: Bressler has become the go-to pitcher for the Rebels as she leads the team in wins (6), innings pitched (46), best ERA (1.26), opponent’s batting average (.244), appearances (10) and strikeouts (39). She has a 6-2 record overall.

P/IF Sr. Alex Echazarreta, Madison (Vienna) VA
Alex was the pitching and hitting star for the Warhawks, which went 28-0 to win a second straight Virginia 6A title and earn MaxPrep’s Team of the Year honor. Alex was a two way star going undefeated at 24-0 with a 0.59 ERA with 237 K’s in 141 innings while batting .495 with 11 home runs and 36 RBI. The four-time All-Conference selection, who plays the corner infield positions when not pitching, has signed with Purdue.
Now: The Big Ten pitcher has the third most inning (12.2) for her staff and is tied for the team lead with two wins against one loss. She has started three games and has a 3.87 ERA with

P/1B Sr. Montana Fouts, East Carter KY
Montana put up video game numbers not just this year but her entire career. She went 37-1 as a senior with a state-record 0.09 ERA—only three earned runs allowed all season—and struck out 481 batters in 232 1/3^rd innings while recording 12 no-hitters and eight perfect games. Offensively, she batted .566 with 71 RBI and 12 home runs to lead her team to a 4^th place finish in the Kentucky state tournament. The Alabama signee who will play in Japan this summer with the Crimson Tide was picked as the USA Today and MaxPreps National Player of the Year. She also made the Top 10 of the Extra Elite 100 and received PGF All-American status but can’t play in the All-American game July 27 as she’ll be overseas.
Now: After a spectacular high school and club career, Fouts has not missed a beat as she’s become the Tide’s ace. In six appearances, she’s 6-0 with a 0.54 ERA and all of her starts have been complete games. In 39 innings, she’s allowed just three earned runs and has 48 strikeouts versus just three walks. She is another player who will participate on the USA Softball JO Team this year.

P/IF Sr. Ashley Rogers, Meigs Co. TN
Ashley closed a record-setting career with her third state championship and repeated as Gatorade Player of the Year and Tennessee Miss Softball while earning 1^st Team All-American recognition by USA Today and MaxPreps. The Tennessee Vols commit went 29-2 with a 0.20 ERA with 398 K’s in 174 innings while batting .463 with eight home runs and 37 RBI. She also was listed in the Top 15 of the Extra Elite 100 and was chosen as a PGF All-American and will play in the All-American Game July 27.
Now: Just days after being listed as a 1^st Team Extra Inning Softball All-American, Rogers was named the Extra Inning Softball National Player of the Year. An injury slowed her down over the summer, but she’s come back strong and healthy as shown by her 5-0 record with a 1.57 ERA and 49 K’s in 35 2/3^rd innings. She has the most innings pitched so far of the Vols’ staff and has three complete games so far in her six starts.

P/UT Sr. Kathryn Sandercock, Bishop O’Connell (Arlington) VA
Kathryn pitched and hit Bishop O’Connell to a second straight 3A title as she went 18-3 with a 1.17 ERA and struck out 233 batters in 132 innings pitched. She also pitched 21 complete games with 11 shutouts, two no-hitters and a perfect game. The Florida State signee batted .543 with seven home runs and 43 RBI and had an on-base percentage of .591 and an OPS of 1.531. Her big final senior year earned the pitcher on the USA Women’s Jr. National Team every national All-American honor including PGF, MaxPreps and USA today. She was a Top 30 player in the Extra Elite 100 as well.
Now: On a staff headlined by Meghan King, last year’s WCWS pitching star, Sandercock—who we profiled earlier in February—has been undefeated as has been the FSU team. The USA JO Cup pitching selection has gone 7-0 so far for the Noles with a 1.31 ERA and 19 K’s in 32 innings and has held the opposing hitters to a .228 batting average.

P/OF Sr. Marissa Schuld, Pinnacle (Phoenix) AZ
Marissa repeated as the Gatorade Player of the Year in Arizona and received USA Today 1^st Team honors after leading the Pioneers to a 30-6 record and the 6A state championship as she went 11-1 with a 0.74 ERA and 151 K’s with just six walks given up in 76 innings. In the state title game, the Arizona signee pitched a complete game shutout with 14 K’s. Offensively, she batted .574 with 16 home runs, 12 doubles, nine triples, 57 RBI and 48 runs scored with a .626 on-base percentage and 1.252 slugging percentage. Another highly lauded player, she earned PGF All-American, USA Today 1^st Team and MaxPreps 1^st Team honors as well.
Now: Schuld is easing into the Arizona rotation which has Taylor McQuillin and Alyssa Denham at the front of the stat line, but in her limited action the Arizona native has been impressive, compiling a 1-0 record with a 1.17 ERA in six innings.

P/UT Sr. Alex Storako, Lincoln-Way East (Frankfort) IL
Alex helped lead her East to the Class 4A Section Finals by going 20-2 in the circle allowing only 14 earned runs in 128 2/3^rd innings for a 0.76 ERA with 255 strikeouts. The Michigan signee also batted .439 with five home runs and 31 RBIs and a .495 on-base percentage. Alex was selected as a MaxPreps 1^st Team All-American and earned Class 4A All-State and Herald-News Softball Player of the Year honors for the second straight year.
Now: The Wolverines have struggled with a 6-8 record entering today’s action and none of the three hurlers have a winning record but Storako is tied with Meghan Beaubien in innings pitched with 42. She has a 4-5 record but a respectable 2.50 ERA and has struck out 49 in 42 innings pitched. Opponents are hitting only .184 against her.

P/IF Sr. Payton Tidd, San Marcos CA
Payton was the ace for the San Marcos team that won its second CIF-San Diego Section Open Division in three years and ended up being ranked as the No. 1 team in California by CalHiSports.com. The right-hander signed to Notre Dame went 25-2 with a 0.47 ERA and 180 strikeouts in 133 innings and batted .453 with seven homers and 33 RBI. For her championship season she was voted as the California Player of the Year by CalHi and as the Player of the Year in San Diego by SoCalSidelines.com.
Now: Many might not know that Tidd’s high school team topped Megan Fariamo’s in the San Diego Section Open Championship last year and, like her counterpart, is seeing a lot of time in the circle this year so far. She has a 3-3 record with a 3.53 ERA and has 32 K’s in 33 2/3rds innings for the Irish.

[/mepr-active

*****

Extra Inning Softball National Player of the Week (June 3, 2018)

Originally published June 3, 2018 on Extra Inning Softball

We announce this week’s Extra Inning Softball National High School Player of the Week awards by honoring one pitcher who ended the year perfectly by winning a state title in the Midwest and another pitcher of note who led her team to a NorCal championship and even added a home run to help her cause.!

This will be our final 2018 National High School Player of the Week edition; however, we will now begin taking nominations for Extra Inning Softball ALL-AMERICAN Teams!

If you’d like to nominate players for All-American consideration, email us at [email protected].

***

Extra Inning Softball’s National High School Player of the Week

Sydney Campbell (Keystone, LaGrange, Ohio)

You can’t beat perfection, although sometimes it may take 12 innings to achieve it.

Saturday was championship day in many states including Ohio, Texas and California, but few could match the season that Keystone High—which we profiled earlier this season— put together behind the impressive pitching talents of junior Sydney Campbell.

Keystone finished the season 34-0 and Campbell capped off a 29-0 record with an outstanding performance in the Ohio Division II state title game, a 3-2 win over Beloit West Branch.

It didn’t come easy, though, as it took 12 innings for the team from 40 northeast of Cleveland, to get the win. Campbell, who is committed to Oakland, went from start to finish for the Wildcats giving up just two hits with three strikeouts and two walks.

Both runs she gave up were unearned.

The softball championship was the fourth Div. II title in school history and first since 2012 when it won a National Championship. The program’s 17th appearance in the state tournament set a state record.

Keystone looked to have the game won in regulation, but the Wildcats’ defense got shaky in the bottom of the 7^th inning as the first two hitters reached on errors.

A two-out single to right tied the game and was also the first hit allowed by Campbell.

The score remained tied until the top of the 12^th when Keystone pushed ahead the eventual winning run on a two-out RBI triple by Marlie McNulty.

Wildcat fans grew nervous in the bottom of the inning when West Branch put a runner on second on a one-out double, but Campbell sealed the win by getting the final two batters to ground back to the pitcher.

Campbell, who admits that she’s not a “strikeout pitcher” told the media after the win: “I think I really proved to everyone today that you don’t need to strike everyone out in order to win.”

Where Keystone ends up being ranked nationally is still to be determined as it was ranked #7 by USA Today heading into the weekend’s action.

On Thursday, Sydney also didn’t have any margin for error as the Wildcats won a tight semi-final win over Fairfield Union 1-0 to advance to the championship game. The shutout was Sydney’s 19^th of the year and in the victory she again only gave up two hits plus one walk while striking out six.

The season stats for Campbell’s dominating season are amazing: a 29-0 record, 215 strikeouts in 171 2/3rds innings, a 0.20 ERA and three perfect games and three no-hitters. Opponents only batted .122 against her as well.

Perhaps most impressive is she only allowed five earned runs all season and six extra-base hits: five doubles, a triple and no home runs and only hit two batters showing her great control and location.

No one is perfect in softball, known to be a “game of failure,” but Sydney came about as close as you’ll find.

Runner-Up National High School Player of the Week

Danielle Williams (Amador Valley, Pleasanton, California)

We like to spread the wealth around when it comes to honors and, although Danielle was the National Player of the Week a month ago (May 6), you can’t ignore the great season—and career—she’s had capped by another stellar week of shutout pitching, as she led Amador Valley to the North Coast Section-Div. 1 title on Saturday.

In the 2-0 win over Foothill (Pleasanton, California), she shined in the circle and at the plate as Danielle scattered four hits while striking out 11 and helped her own cause at the plate as she hit a solo home run in the top of the 4^th inning to stake the Dons to the only run they would need. She also had a two-out double in the first.

These two teams know each other very well—both call Pleasanton home and both compete in the East Bay Athlete League. They played each other four times this year and split the games 2-2.

Foothill’s Nicole May, a heat-throwing right-handed sophomore committed to Oklahoma, and Danielle are the top two pitchers in Northern California and the significance of the title game meant that the winner would likely be the top-rated team in Northern California at the end of the year.

Williams needed to be a shut-down pitcher on Saturday as her team only had three hits against May with two of them being by the senior. Her walk in the top of the 7^th led eventually led to an error by Foothill which allowed an insurance run and the eventual 2-0 final score.

The shutout by the Northwestern signee was her second of the week as she recorded 15 K’s in the semi-final win Wednesday over #1 seed Freedom, 3-0.

And to make the week all that much sweeter, Danielle was announced on Friday as a PGF All-American and one of four pitchers who will represent the West in the PGF All-American Game to take place at 7:30 pm PST on July 27 in Irvine, California.

Previous Extra Inning Softball National High School Players of the Week

• May 27: P Lexi Kilfoyl (Academy at the Lakes, Land O’ Lakes, Florida)
• May 20: P Ashley Rogers (Meigs County, Decatur, Tennessee)
• May 13 (tie): P Sydney Supple (Oshkosh North, Oshkosh, Wisconsin) /
• May 13 (tie): OF Lexi Voss (Marist, Chicago, Illinois)
• May 6: P Danielle Williams (Amador Valley, Pleasanton, California)
• April 29: P Montana Fouts (East Carter, Grayson, Kentucky)
• April 22: IF Kasey Simpson (Keller, Texas)
• April 15: SS Jayda Coleman (The Colony, Texas)
• April 8: P Megan Faraimo (Cathedral Catholic, San Diego, California)
• April 1: C Macy Simmons (Hamilton, Chandler, Arizona)
• March 25: C Paige Pfent (Springstead, Spring Hill, Florida)
• March 18: SS/OF Deja Westbrook (Arcadia, California)
• March 11: P Megan Faraimo (Cathedral Catholic, San Diego, California)

*****

Extra Inning Softball National Player of the Week (May 6, 2018)

Originally published May 7, 2018 on Extra Inning Softball