July 12, 2006

Dana Sorensen has been named an assistant coach on the UC Davis softball staff, announced head coach Karen Matteson-Yoder. Sorensen's impressive credentials include experience as a professional player, being a member of the USA Softball Elite Team as well as putting together an All-American career at Stanford.

"Dana will be an instrumental piece to our staff and program," said Matteson-Yoder. "Her personal experiences and knowledge will help take our program to the next level."

Sorensen played two seasons in the National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) league, the nation's only women's professional fastpitch softball league. In 2005 she played for the Arizona Heat after playing the 2004 season with the New England Riptide. Sorensen also was a member of the USA Softball Elite Team in 2005, and she attended the USA Softball National Team Camp five times.

Sorensen's stellar collegiate career featured a 104-36 record in the circle and a 1.09 ERA, including a 34-win campaign as a senior. She was named NFCA First Team All-America in both 2001 and 2004 while receiving Second-Team All-America honors in 2000. In addition, she was a three-time First Team All-Pac-10 selection and was twice named to an NCAA Regional All-Tournament Team. Throughout her Cardinal career, she helped lead Stanford to a pair of trips to the NCAA Women's College World Series. She holds every major Stanford season pitching record, and her 1,154 career strikeouts ranked 21st all-time in NCAA Division I history entering the 2006 season.

Sorensen earned a bachelor's degree in both sociology and communications from Stanford in 2004. She received a master's in exercise and sport science from North Carolina in 2006.