Arkansas reliever Stephen Richards is 6-1 with a 1.82 ERA in 34 innings this season.
Throughout his baseball career, Stephen Richards has felt he's had a little something extra to prove. He stood 5-10 and weighed 140 pounds coming out of Plano East High School. Now he's the top reliever for Arkansas, which plays Cal State Fullerton today in the College World Series. Links: NCAA site | Bracket Blogs: Colleges | High schools
Renee Bresson scores on a passed ball during Plano East's series-clinching win over Marcus.
When Alvin won the Class 5A state championship last season, it became the first UIL softball team to win a state title after being the No. 4 seed from its district. Plano East has a chance to be No. 2. Blog: High Schools Softball pairings, results
Plano East coach Karen Kalhoefer is doused with water by her team after it defeated Flower Mound Marcus to advance to the state tournament.
Taylor Jones threw a five-hitter as Plano East continued its improbable playoff run with a 5-0 win over Flower Mound Marcus in the decisive game of a best-of-3 Class 5A Region I final. Jones won for the second straight day as Plano East, the fourth seed from District 8-5A, earned its first trip to the state tournament since 1995. Blog: High Schools Softball playoff pairings
Alex Harris of Plano East dives safely back to first base as Jameson Holt tries to apply the tag.
Flower Mound Marcus needs only one more win after Friday's very complete performance by pitcher Michael Gill. Gill pitched a complete-game shutout and hit a home run as Marcus beat Plano East, 5-0, in Game 1 of the best-of-3 Class 5A Region I quarterfinals at Colleyville Heritage. Softball playoff pairings Baseball playoff pairings Blog: High schools
Softball playoffs: Plano East 2, Weatherford 0 (11) Taylor Jones pitched an 11-inning shutout, and Plano East scored twice in the top of the 11th to sweep the series.Softball payoffs: Plano East 5, Weatherford 3 Plano East starter Taylor Jones had seven strikeouts and went 2-for-3 at the plate05/19/2009Softball playoffs: Plano East 4, Keller 0 Taylor Jones scattered eight hits and pitched a shutout to help Plano East (21-14-1) eliminate Keller (33-4-1), the state's sixth-ranked 5A team, in a 5A Region I quarterfinal.Plano East ousts Grapevine in one-game playoff, 3-2 One-game, winner-take-all situations are dicey propositions. Just ask the area's No. 1-ranked team Coppell, which got eliminated by Grapevine in the first round of the Class 5A baseball playoffs.Softball: Plano East 3, Grapevine 0 Taylor Jones pitched a five-hit shutout as Plano East won Game 3 of a best-of-3 5A area-round series. Plano East (20-14-1) scored all of its runs in the first inning – on an RBI triple by Rachel Scott and a two-run home run by Holly Kern.05/17/2009Softball playoffs: Deciding games moved to Monday Game 3 of the Plano East vs. Grapevine 5A second-round series was moved from Saturday to Monday and will be played at 7:30 p.m. at Frisco Centennial.05/16/2009Softball playoffs: Plano East 1, Grapevine 0 Holly Kern led off the fourth inning with a double, and Meg Newman's single later in the inning scored the game's only run as Plano East evened its series at one win apiece.Baseball: Plano East 14, Irving 1 Alex Harris hit two home runs and had four RBIs, and Sam Arrieta pitched a three-hitter as Plano East swept Irving.05/15/2009Softball: Grapevine 3, Plano East 0 Grapevine's McKenna Russell pitched a six-hit shutout and struck out nine in a Game 1 victory in the Class 5A Region I area-round best-of-3 playoff series.05/10/2009Softball: Plano East 4, South Grand Prairie 1 Taylor Jones pitched a four-hitter and struck out nine, and Rachel Scott and Holly Kern homered as Plano East completed a two-game sweep of 7-5A champion SGP.05/09/2009Softball: Plano East 4, South Grand Prairie 1 Shelbee Young doubled and tripled as Plano East beat 7-5A champion SGP in Game 1 of a best-of-3 series.04/30/2009Boys, Girls All-Area Soccer Teams: Net rewards Plano East grad Mondy earns community service award Northeastern (Okla.) State senior defensive back Broderick Mondy received the school's Dr. Jack Dobbins Community Service Award.
