USA Softball News Alabama’s Kelley Mon...

Alabama’s Kelley Montalvo named as the USA Softball Collegiate National Player of the Week

March 11, 2008, 11:29 a.m. (ET)

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – The Amateur Softball Association announced today the selection of Alabama’s Kelley Montalvo (Miami, Fla.) as the USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Week for the week of March 3-9. The junior third baseman led the Crimson Tide to a 3-1 week hitting .778 as Alabama captured two wins over a then No. 4 Tennessee.

Going 7-for-9, Montalvo scored nine runs over the weekend and recorded six RBI in four games. She also recorded a hit and scored a run in all four games, including two doubles and was 2-for-2 in stolen bases. She set a career high with three walks in the win against UAB and tied her career highs for hits (3) and runs scored (3) in the Tennessee 8-0 win on Saturday. On Sunday, she again had thee runs scored in the 13-2 five inning run rule over the Lady Vols.

“The three of us (coaches) firmly believe she (Montalvo) is the best third baseman in the country,” said UA head coach Patrick Murphy. “She has been on a tear this season. She is one of the most exciting players we have ever had and she is definitely a fan favorite.”

This is the first USA Softball Player of the Week honor for Montalvo.

About ASA 

The Amateur Softball Association, founded in 1933, is the National Governing Body of softball in the United States and a member of the United States Olympic Committee. The ASA has become one of the nation’s largest sports organizations and now sanctions competition in every state through a network of 83 local associations. The ASA has grown from a few hundred teams in the early days to over 240,000 teams today, representing a membership of more than three million. For more information on the ASA, visit www.asasoftball.com. 

About USA Softball 

USA Softball is the brand created, operated and owned by the ASA that links the USA Men’s, Women’s, Junior Boys’ and Junior Girls’ National Team programs together. USA Softball is responsible for training, equipping and promoting these four National Teams to compete in international and domestic competitions. The USA Softball Women’s National Team is one of the only two women’s sports involved in the Olympic movement to capture three consecutive gold medals at the Olympic Games since 1996. The U.S. women have also won eight World Championship titles including the last six consecutive as well as claimed two World Cup of Softball titles. For more information about USA Softball, please visit http://www.usasoftball.com/.