USA Softball names Athletes of the Year
Oklahoma City---USA Softball announced today the selection of Jessica Mendoza (Camarillo, Calif.) as the 2006 USA Softball Female Athlete of the Year and Landy Rodriguez (West Haverstraw, NY) as the 2006 USA Softball Male Athlete of the Year. These two athletes have been submitted to the United States Olympic Committee to be considered for the USOC Female and Male Athletes of the Year.
Mendoza had one of the most prolific offensive seasons in the history of USA Softball to put the Red, White and Blue back on top of the world rankings. She led the USA Softball Women’s National Team to its first gold medal at the World Cup of Softball in July in Oklahoma City going 11-for-18 (.611) with a double, three home runs, 16 RBI and posted a 1.167 slugging percentage against three of the top four teams in the world.
At the ISF World Championships in Beijing, Mendoza was just as impressive going 16-for-32 (.500) with five home runs, 16 RBI and a slugging percentage of .969 to lead the U.S. to its sixth consecutive ISF World Championship and the top seed at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. During the playoffs she drove in the game winning RBI against Australia with a two run home run and the game winning RBI in the gold medal final against Japan.
She crushed the previous World Championship record for RBI with 16 in just 11 games. The previous record of 11 RBI in a single World Championship and was set in 1974 by three players including USA’s Kathy Elliott. Mendoza also took possession of the home run record in a World Championship with five.
Rodriguez began his first season with the USA Softball Men’s National Team in impressive fashion leading the Red, White and Blue to the gold medal at the 2006 AAU Men’s Fast Pitch National Championship in Orlando, Fla. During the championship, Rodriguez batted .529 with five home runs and seven RBI to lead the U.S. to its first international gold medal since 2003.
At the Pan American Championships in November, Rodriguez led the USA Softball Men’s National Team to a fourth place finish and a berth into the 2009 ISF Men’s World Championships. During the Pan American Championships he hit .308 with a double, two home runs and five RBI.
The 2006 USA Softball Women’s National Team has also been nominated in the Team of the Year category. USA Softball was named as the USOC Team of the Year following its performance at the 2004 Olympics in Athens.
In 2006 the USA Softball Women’s National Team re-established itself as the most dominant softball team in the world by winning the II World Cup of Softball, its sixth consecutive ISF Women’s World Championship and the Japan Cup.
The USA Softball Women’s National Team stormed through the competition at the II World Cup of Softball in Oklahoma City posting a perfect 6-0 record. During the World Cup, the Red, White and Blue outscored their opponents 59-3. The USA offense out-hit its opposition .453 to .148 and slammed a total of 11 home runs in six games.
At the ISF World Championship in Beijing, the USA was just as impressive winning its sixth consecutive World Championship with a 10-1 record to earn the top seed at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. During the World Championships the USA outscored its opponents 71-7. The USA offense out-hit its opposition .337 to .117 and slammed 11 home runs. It’s the third consecutive time the USA Softball Women’s National Team has secured the top seed at an Olympic Games.
The USA completed its golden season with a 4-0 run at the 2006 Japan Cup that included two wins over World silver medalist Japan.
The USA Softball Women’s National Team ended its 2006 season with a 20-1 record while outscoring its opponents 137-10 on its way to three gold medals and the No. 1 ranking in the world.
Past Winners from 1984-2006
1984 - Jim Quick, Sue Lewis
1985 - Jimmy Moore, Lisa Ishikawa
1986 - Jimmy Moore, Michele Granger
1987 - Graeme Robertson, Michele Granger
1988 - Peter Meredith, Michele Granger
1989 - Bill Boyer, Dot Richardson
1990 - Steve DeFazio, Michele Smith
1991 - Mike Parnow, Lisa Fernandez
1992 - Bill Boyer, Lisa Fernandez
1993 - Bill Boyer, Michele Smith
1994 - Richard Dohogne, Michele Smith
1995 - Steve Schott, Dot Richardson
1996 - Tod Stevenson, Dot Richardson, Women's Olympic Team
1997 - Robert Brush, Trinity Johnson, Women's National Team
1998 - No Male Nomination, Lisa Fernandez, Women's National Team
1999 - Shawn Rychcik, Lisa Fernandez, Women's National Team
2000 - Shawn Rychcik, Lisa Fernandez, Women's National Team
2001 - Daniel Helkowski, Lauren Bauer, USA Red
2002 - Michael White, Stacy Nuveman, Women's National Team
2003 - Mike Pryer, Natasha Watley, Women's National Team
2004 - Chad Boom, Lisa Fernandez, Women's Olympic Team
2005 - John Kelly, Jennie Ritter, Women's National Team
2006 – Landy Rodriguez, Jessica Mendoza, Women’s National Team
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