Sorensen to Leave Softball Program
May 27, 2011
Corvallis, Ore. – Oregon State assistant softball coach Dana Sorensen will not return for the 2012 season, announced Friday by head softball coach Kirk Walker.
Sorensen, a native of San Diego and 2004 Stanford graduate, is leaving Oregon State to work at Power Line Consulting, an independently owned softball training facility in San Diego, owned by former college softball coach Sara Hayes. Sorensen’s last day at Oregon State will be June 30.
“Dana Sorensen has been a tremendous addition to our Beaver softball family,” Walker said. “We are sad to be losing her from our immediate family, but we are all excited for her to explore these new opportunities. I have had the great fortune to know her as a friend, coach her as an athlete, compete against her on the field and now coach alongside her. She will always be a very valued part of our program and history. Her impact has been tremendous and will be far reaching into the future years here at OSU.
There is great interest in the open position, and we are excited to find someone that will be a great fit to our program as we continue on our quest to develop successful student-athletes that have a passion on the field and in the classroom.”
In her two seasons with the Beavers, Sorensen mainly worked with the pitching staff. Under her direction this season, the three pitchers threw a perfect game and tallied nine complete game and four combined shutouts over 310.2 innings pitched with 272 strikeouts. In 2010, four Beaver pitchers combined for seven total shutouts over 352.1 innings, earning 266 strikeouts and forcing 21 double plays. Two of her pitchers earned All-Pac-10 nods.
"I am very thankful for my time here at Oregon State,” Sorensen said. “I have nothing but the utmost respect for the university, athletics department, coaching staff and team. In my two years here, I have come to really cherish the relationships I have developed with our staff and players.
Coach Walker is a truly remarkable individual and coach, and he has taught me so much about the game and life. I feel very fortunate for the opportunity to have coached with him. It was not an easy decision to leave Oregon State, but the opportunity to live closer to my family and continue to help young pitchers was too great to pass up. I will always be a proud fan of Beaver Athletics."
Sorensen is one of the best pitchers in Stanford history, playing from 2000-04. She racked up five no-hitters and two perfect games, amassing three NFCA All-America honors (first team selection in 2004 and 2004, second team in 2000) and four All-Pacific Region accolades. She posted a 105-36 career record with a 1.05 ERA, including a 34-win campaign as a senior. Her solid work in the circle helped lead the Cardinal to a pair of Women’s College World Series trips, and until the 2008 season, she held every single pitching record.
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