Headed North After Spending Sophomore Season Leading Lady Thunderbirds

Mesa softball player Jamie Pollak is on her way back to playing Division I softball.  The Mesa sophomore recently signed on to play for the University of Northern Colorado in 2012. 

The Corona del Sol High School graduate and Chandler native returns to NCAA Division I softball after spending her freshmen season, 2010, at Fordham University, a Division I member of the Atlantic 10 Conference located in New York City.  She starred for the T-Birds in 2011, complementing fellow sophomore Tiffanee Frampton on the mound, at the plate, and at third base.  She is excited for the next step of her career and knows what she wants to accomplish.

“I want to have two successful seasons and continue playing well,” Pollak said.  “I want to end my career on a good note, have fun, and get my degree.”

Pollak started 14 games for Fordham in 2010 and hit .226 in 53 at-bats.  In 2011 she returned to the valley of the sun and took the reins as a sophomore leader for the Lady Thunderbirds.  In 2011 Mesa went 26-22 in conference and 32-24 overall.  Their season ended in a 9-8 loss to Phoenix College in the Region I Division II Semifinals on Saturday, May 7.  Pollak posted big numbers this season and was soon back on the radar of the Division I institutions, including the Northern Colorado Bears of Greeley, CO.  Pollak played for Northern Colorado pitching coach Mike Forsythe at Fordham, and became comfortable with the rest of the UNC coaching staff almost immediately.

“I flew in for a visit on April 30th and spent two days there,” Pollak said.  “I liked how the coaches ran their practice.  The overall structure of the program appealed to me.  It was all very familiar to me.  Those were all big selling points, especially the familiarity.  After seeing a couple other schools I knew I wanted to go to Greeley.”

The Lady Bears just completed their third season within the Pacific Coast Softball Conference.  They went (13-7) (17-35) and finished second in the Mountain Division of the PCSC.  Head coach Mark Montgomery just wrapped up his first season at UNC.  He came in with 20 years of softball coaching experience, most recently at Centenary College, a Division I member of the Summit League located in Shreveport, Louisiana.  Montgomery is the all-time leader in wins at Centenary and has collected over 300 victories in his Division I career.  He expects Pollak to compete for a position right away.

"We're bringing her in to compete for pitching time," Montgomery said. "She's got more experience at the (NCAA) Division I level than any of our freshmen coming in, and she will have an added comfort level with our program after already having worked with Mike. That can't be understated.”

In 2011 Pollak batted .396 and had an ERA of 1.73, good for the second-best ERA in the conference.  The right-hander went 8-9 on the year.  She struck out 65 batters, and threw 109 innings, both second on the team.  At the plate she had 55 hits and 12 doubles, both were second on the squad.  Pollak had one triple and five home runs.  Her home run total was second best on the team.  She drove in 34 RBI’s in 139 at-bats, which was second for the T-Birds.  Jamie drew 15 walks and had a .459 on-base percentage, which was fifth on the squad.  At third base she had 72 put outs, 98 assists, and a .983 fielding percentage.  Pollak scored 32 runs, second on the team, and was three-for-three when stealing bases.  Pollak expects the coaching she received at Mesa to pay off for her at UNC.

“The coaches at Mesa really paid attention to all the details and little things,” Pollak said.  “Division I schools may assume you already know all the little nuances.  At Mesa they put an emphasis on the details.  Coaches here helped me improve in all the little ways.”

UNC wants Pollak to continue to be the two-way player she was at Mesa.

"We expect her to come in and compete right away for a key spot in our pitching rotation," Montgomery said. "But we'd like to see her force our hand a little bit with a lineup spot, too. I always tell the girls that it would be real hard for me to sit a .400 hitter. If you hit, I'm going to find a place for you to play and help us.”

At Northern Colorado Pollak plans on studying nutrition and dietetics.  In the near future she will work out and stay in shape in Arizona.  She plans on visiting her brother Mike, who is an offensive guard for the Indianapolis Colts, as he recently had a baby.  Jamie said she plans on arriving in Greeley during the second week in August, get situated, and start playing softball.  Northern Colorado knows Pollak is a terrific recruit after spending a year under coach Jon Malgradi’s tutelage at MCC.

"Jamie is such a good kid with an outstanding work ethic,” Montgomery said.  “That was actually the key plug. Everybody told us that she would run through a wall for (us) if we asked her to.”

*Coach Montgomery quotes from Northern Colorado Press Release