Sandoval Named To All-Region Team

Lady Thunderbirds slugger hit .559 on season

Coach Jon Malgradi announced that his slugging center-fielder Sara Sandoval was named to the Division II All-Region Softball Team.

Sandoval was also named to the All-ACCAC 2nd-Team.

"We had so much improvement across the board as the year progressed and Sara was an integral part of everything we accomplished this year," says Malgradi.

The Lady Thunderbirds are in high gear towards next season as 13 letter-of-intents are locked up for the 2010 season. Many of those future T'Birds are in their repective state playoffs.

The ladies finished third in the ACCAC Division II standings and won 24 games this past season, which was Coach Malgradi's first.

Catcher and second baseman Laura Bradley also hit for a high average this season, notching a .492 average.

Pitcher and first baseman Dana Pechloff hit .345 on the season in addition to going 8-4 on the bump with a 1.90 ERA.

Pitcher and outfielder Heather Johnson hit .371 on the year. Additionally, second baseman and shortstop Ashly Eichenberger hit .362, and left fielder Amanda Wilson hit .376 in 2009.

"We are very excited about the future of Lady Thunderbird Softball and will be out all summer participating in workouts and camps," says Malgradi.

Coach Malgradi Announces Skills Camp

Camps scheduled five times throughout summer months

Coach Jon Malgradi and his staff will be conducting a series of skills camps this summer.

The first camp is slated for June 1-5 and the cost is $65. The camp will include a t-shirt and personalized CD with the players swings and instructions on it.

For additional camp dates and information on registering, please click flyer below.

June 1-5 Camp is Sold Out.

Please hurry and signup for a later camp date because spots are limited

Thank you.

2009 MCC Softball Skills Camp

Ladies Force Deciding Game, But Fall To Glendale

Malgradi's bunch up to the task but couldn't stop Gauchos

Coach Jon Malgradt, his staff and players are to be commended on a strong season. One that many thought would be a "rebuilding" year, saw Mesa make the Regional Playoffs once again.

However, the Lady Gauchos took two of three to move on against perennial power Phoenix College.

"The girls battled, we just didn't have the pitching down the stretch to stay in the ballgame," said Malgradi.

The Lady T'Birds lost 9-1 after winning 15-0 in game two. It was the 1-0 game one loss that hurt the ladies chances.

More to come...

Lady T'Birds Raise Money For Breast Cancer

Double-dip sweep over Gateway showcases team community service efforts

Adorned in pink t'shirts advocating awareness for breast cancer, the Mesa Lady Thunderbirds also made Gateway aware of their bats.

Mesa whipped up on Gateway by a combined score of 20-3 in two games Tuesday, April 7 at Mesa.

The first game saw Kayla Lawrence pitch a jewel, tossing a one-hitter in a 13-1 Mesa romp. (more)

Sara Sandoval was two for three with two runs scored and two RBIs. Dana Pechloff was two for two with three RBIs and Carrie Peters was two for two with two RBIs.

In the second game, strikeout queen Shannon Dukes notched nine more K's and threw a two-hitter in a 7-2 come from behind victory.

Dana Pechloff had her second straight strong game at the plate, going two for three with two doubles and four RBI's.

Player's moms sold breast cancer awareness t'shirts at the game and the event raised $300 for The Breast Cancer Foundation.

Lady T'Birds Holding Up Final Playoff Spot

4th among DII schools, team starting to gel

Ashley Eichenberger Amanda Wilson

Sara Sandoval Dana Pechloff

Laura Bradley

First- year Head Coach Jon Malgradi is beginning to see the benefits of a long season of hard work come to fruition.

The Mesa Lady T'Birds are approaching .500 and hold the final playoff spot in the tough ACCAC DII standings.

Freshman CF Sara Sandoval leads Mesa and is fifth in the league in batting with a gaudy .516 average. Sandoval also leads the team in runs with 33.

RIght behind her is sophomore 2B Laura Bradley. Bradley is sixth in the ACCAC in batting at .512.

Both Bradley and Sandoval lead the team with 13 doubles apiece. Bradley is tied with sophomore LF Amanda Wilson with three triples each. Wilson is also a perfect six for six in SB.

"It's nice to have a one-two punch like that in any lineup," says Malgradi.

That one-two punch also ranks one-two in slugging percentage with Sandoval hitting the basepaths at a .620 clip. Bradley is right behind her at .611.

Reigning Pitcher of the Week, freshman Shannon Dukes is sixth among pitchers in the ACCAC with 70 punchouts. Dukes leads Mesa in wins with seven.

Sophomore P Dana Pechloff leads the team in ERA with a 1.06. Pechloff has allowed only 22 hits in 33 innings of work.

Pechloff can also swing the stick. Her four homers are tied for the team lead with freshman SS Ashley Eichenberger. Additionally, Pechloff shows the most discipline at the plate for the Lady T'Birds, as she has ammassed 18 BB.

Ashly Eichenberger also leads the team in RBI with 36.

Dukes Named Pitcher Of The Week

Coach Malgradi announces freshman pitcher awarded

Mesa freshman softballer Shannon Dukes is among the league leaders in strikeouts this season.

Now, she can hang an ACCAC Player of the Week award on her shelf.

Dukes threw 14 innings, allowing only three earned runs, tallying 19 strikeouts, and notching two wins. Her wins came over South Mountain and Merrimack (St. Louis).

Malgradi And Softballers Hanging In With Tough ACCAC

Team holds up fourth place in DII standings

Sandoval hitting .515, 2nd best in ACCAC

Dukes' 54 K's is 4th best in ACCAC

For a team in transition, the Mesa Lady T'Birds are holding their own with respect to the rest of the ACCAC.

At 9-16, Mesa is on the upswing after a two game sweep of Scottsdale on March 7.

Freshman centerfielder Sara Sandoval is on a torrid pace at the plate, hitting an eye-popping .515 with 10 doubles. Her 21 RBI and 20 runs scored lead the team. The next closest hitter is sophomore 2B Laura Bradley's .475 mark.

Freshman SS Ashley Eichenberger is also putting up some nice numbers at the dish, hitting .328, with six doubles.

Freshman P Shannon Dukes is among the league leaders with 54 punchouts. She ranks fourth in the ACCAC in that category and also posts a 2.64 ERA.

In a recent game against Scottsdale on March 7, P Shannon Dukes pitched a three-hit shutout for the win. Mesa tallied 14 total hits, capped off by a two-run homer from Dana Pechloff. Sara Sandoval, Laura Bradley, and Casey Virgil all had good days at the dish.

In the nightcap, P Dana Pechloff scattered five hits and one earned run for the win. Astrid Wortley hit the cover off the ball twice. She went 2-3 with two homers and three RBI, including the game-winning, walk-off two-run homer.

Next up for Mesa is a road game against Chandler-Gilbert, Tuesday March 12 then a home contest for Mesa on Wednesday, March 13 against Central Arizona. Both games start at 2:00 p.m.

Ladies Sweep At PVCC

Sharp pitching and offensive surge lead wins

Coach Jon Malgradi and the Mesa Softball Program got two big conference road wins on Tuesday, February 24 at Paradise Valley.

Freshman righty Shannon Dukes got the win in game one pitching a 2-hitter.

Sophomore 1B Dana Pechloff homered as did freshman 2B Ashly Eichenberger.

In game two, freshman righty Kendra Perez got the win for the ladies and Shannon Dukes notched a save as a close game turned into a Mesa rout, 16-8.

In the second game, Mesa hit four doubles, with freshman CF Sara Sandoval went 3 for 3 with a walk. Sophomore catcher Laura Bradley went 2 for 4, Dana Pechloff went 3 for 3, and freshman 3B Ashlyn Thompson went 2 for 2 with a walk.

"The girls just settled in and played to their abilities, and we got two big wins before going out on a stretch of eight straight tough games ahead," says Malgradi.

The remainder of this week has a trip to Yavapai on the docket on Thursday, February 26 at noon, and a home game against AZ Western on Saturday, February 28 at noon. Both matchups are double-dips.

Western Shootout Roundup

Malgradi's Bunch Knocks Off AZ Western and El Paso

Coach Malgradi put his girls to the test early on in his inaugural campaign of 2009. The Mesa Lady Thunderbirds took on five schools from Division I and beat two of them handily.

In thumping Arizona Western 10-3, pitcher Shannon Dukes got the win, and in a one-sided affair over El Paso, Dana Pechloff earned the victory in the 13-2 win.

The offense hit at a .341 clip for the five games. The three losses came from CSI, Eastern Arizona, and Pima. Mesa collected a nice assortment of extra-base hits as well, smashing eight doubles and three triples on the weekend.

Mesa could have easily won three of five after a remarkable comeback from a 6-0 deficit in the Pima game. The ladies rallied to take a 7-6 lead, but let things slip away, eventually losing 10-7.

"In all, we looked pretty good. Four of the five teams we played all went to Regionals last year, with one making the World Series. So, in that respect, we got to gauge where we are early on," says Coach Jon Malgradi.

Next up for the Lady Thunderbirds is the Eastern Arizona Round Robin in Thatcher on Saturday, February 7. First pitch times are to be announced.

2009 Mesa Thunderbirds Softball

Jon Malgradi Hired On As New Softball Skipper

Roster to be set December 12, 2008

Practice will start for the new Mesa Thunderbird Softball Skipper and team on January 10, 2009. The first day of practice will start at 8:00 a.m.

"We're going to go eight straight out of the gate," says Malgradi.

The first game will be in Yuma at the Western Shootout on January 30, 2009.

"We'll practice from 8:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m., take a break from 11-noon, then get back at it from noon until 3:30 p.m., break from 3:30 until 4:30, then hit it up again until 8:30 p.m.," says Malgradi.

Malgradi's enthusiasm for the new challenge was evident when speaking about some of his current players.

Freshman Pitcher Kayla Lawrence will be a solid piece of the Thunderbird puzzle, as will freshman Center-Fielder Sara Sandoval. Sandoval decided to come to Malgradi's Thunderbirds and hone her skills as a full-time player as opposed to competing for a final spot on a lock- tight Arizona State National Championship roster under Head Coach Clint Myers.

One thing's for certain, Coach Malgradi will solidify his roster and directly communicate with those major Division I coaches not only at Arizona State, but across the nation.

Please contact The Athletics Department for comments or corrections phone: 480-461-7542