No. 21 – Carissa Piper
THIS YEAR: Freshman Carissa Piper figures to use the 2008 season as a developmental year as she makes the adjustment from the high school ranks to college ball ... Will get her opportunities out of the bullpen ... Off-speed pitcher and should serve as a change-of-pace player.
HIGH SCHOOL: Played 4 seasons of varsity softball for her father, head coach Dave Piper, at Capital Christian High in Sacramento, Calif. ... Pitched the Cougars to 54 of their 59 victories during her 4-year career and was a 2-time team MVP ... Was a 4-time All Golden Empire League first team selection both athletically and academically ... As a 2008 senior was 15-10 with a 0.75 ERA, starting 26 of the Cougars' 29 games ... Named league MVP ... Earned all-metro honorable mention from the Sacramento Bee ... Struck out 177 in 140.2 innings of work ... Struck out 10 or more batter 8 times, including a season-high 15 in a shutout victory over CIF top-ranked Denair High ... Fired a pair of 5-inning no-hitters, first over Valley Christian High (Roseville, Calif.) and then against Highlands High (struck out 11) ... Produced 9 shutouts and threw 31 consecutive innings of shutout softball toward the end of the season ... As a 2007 junior fashioned a 15-10 record with a 0.75 ERA for the 16-10 Cougars ... Struck out 210 in 150 innings of work, including a career-high 16 in an 8-inning victory over Vinden High ... Had 10-or-more strikeouts in 9 games ... As a 2006 sophomore was 13-8 in the circle with a 0.93 ERA and was named team MVP ... Collected 183 strikeouts in 128.1 innings of work ... Best outing came in a victory over Lindhurst High in which she fired a 1-hitter while striking out a season-high 14 ... As a 2005 freshman was the Cougar ace of the staff, going 11-8 with a 1.04 ERA ... Struck out 174 in 108 innings ... Named team MVP ... Also played 2 seasons of varsity volleyball for Capital Christian.
PERSONAL: Born April 14, 1989, in Placerville, Calif. ... Parents are Dave (car salesman) and Rhonda (teacher) Piper ... Has an older sister (Michelle, played softball at Bethany University) ... Majoring in psychology ... Hopes to work with terminally ill children ... Enjoys painting, singing and writing
