Graham Hays Archive

Graham Hays | email

espnW.com

Graham Hays covers college sports for espnW, including softball and soccer. Hays began with ESPN in 1999.

Hays: Sooners continue to rule power rankings
Oklahoma continues to top the power rankings after winning four games by a combined score of 56-2 last week and running its total of run-rule victories on the season to 19.
Apr 30 12:34 PM ET | By Graham Hays
Hays: Wisconsin's Massei finds motivation in softball
Mary Massei was looking forward to her freshman season at Wisconsin when she got a life-changing diagnosis: cancer. Now a junior, she's thriving playing the game that motivated her through treatment.
Apr 25 2:39 PM ET | By Graham Hays
Hays: Oklahoma, Oregon hold steady in power rankings
Familiar names are still holding strong atop our softball power rankings, while a surprising Sun Belt team steps into the top 10.
Apr 23 2:05 PM ET | By Graham Hays
Hays: Scars linger from 2011 Alabama tornado
Tuscaloosa will never forget the devastating tornado of two years ago, which had Alabama softball players and fans scrambling for their lives.
Apr 24 1:33 PM ET | By Graham Hays
Softball legend Osterman to retire from game
Cat Osterman has decided to retire after years of college, Olympic and professional softball dominance.
Apr 16 6:51 PM ET | By Graham Hays
Hays: Oregon makes big leap in weekly power rankings
Oregon has been on the upswing and last week's sweep of perennial power Arizona is proof the Ducks are a force to be reckoned with in the Pac-12 and beyond.
Apr 16 3:21 PM ET | By Graham Hays
Hays: Jordan Patterson extends family's legacy at Alabama
Jordan Patterson isn't among the stat leaders for the defending champion Alabama softball team, but her presence doesn't go unnoticed -- by her teammates or her family, whose name is synonymous with Crimson Tide success.
Apr 11 4:27 PM ET | By Graham Hays
Hays: Tough early schedule paying off for Tennessee
Tennessee got the bulk of its tough conference schedule out of the way early and is now seemingly on cruise control winning 11 straight games.
Apr 10 10:49 AM ET | By Graham Hays
Hays: Louisville's run still great, even without a national title
Louisville didn't complete its Cinderella run with a national title, but Tuesday's loss to UConn will not diminish what the Cardinals accomplished over the past few weeks.
Apr 9 | By Graham Hays
Hays: Cardinals guard Shoni Schimmel embraces leadership role
What does Louisville have that can help it beat UConn? Shoni Schimmel, a player who has the talent to single-handedly take over any game, even one as big as this. And a player who no longer believes she has to do so for her team to win.
Apr 8 | By Graham Hays
Halftime analysis: Cal 37, Louisville 27
A quick look at what happened in the first half between Cal and Louisville.
Apr 7 | By Graham Hays
Hays: Louisville still the life of the party
With its star player struggling, Louisville's whole roster put things together at just the right time to rally to beat Cal and continue to be the life of the NCAA tournament.
Apr 7 | By Graham Hays
Analysis: Louisville 64, Cal 57
A quick look at how Louisville rallied to top Cal and reach its second NCAA title game in five seasons.
Apr 7 | By Graham Hays
Hays: Walz keeps the Cardinals believing
He's a bellicose, sarcastic sideline ranter. But no one draws up game plans -- or makes his players believe in them -- like Louisville coach Jeff Walz.
Apr 6 | By Graham Hays
Hays: Reid's heart makes up for bad knee
Monique Reid, who grew up in Louisville and has been a lifelong Cardinals fan, missed most of last season with a knee injury. She re-injured the knee in January and will require surgery when the season ends. Until then, she plans to leave it all on the court.
Apr 6 | By Graham Hays
Hays: Notre Dame in good hands with McBride
Sometimes it seems like there's no shot Kayla McBride can't hit. Notre Dame's junior and second-leading scorer is as strong with the ball in her hands as any player in New Orleans.
Apr 5 | By Graham Hays
Hays: Cal in for fight to maintain spot in rankings
Cal dives into matchups against conference heavyweights this week. It'll have to play solidly to maintain its spot in the Pac-12 race and the weekly power rankings.
Apr 2 3:30 PM ET | By Graham Hays
Hays: Sky's the limit for Notre Dame
Since losing in the Sweet 16 her freshman year, Skylar Diggins has helped build a culture at Notre Dame that anything less than a Final Four is not acceptable. Tuesday, the senior led the Irish to their third straight Final Four. Now, she hopes to finally secure a championship.
Apr 2 | By Graham Hays
Instant Analysis: Notre Dame 87, Duke 76
Notre Dame beat Duke to reach its third straight Final Four, where the Irish will meet UConn for a fourth time this season.
Apr 2 | By Graham Hays
More Sports
Hays: Racers get ace in LSU's Fico
Opening Day for baseball coincided with the unofficial start of the 2013 National Pro Fastpitch season. The professional softball league's four teams won't play their first games until June 5, but the college draft starts to bring the rosters into focus.
Apr 2 11:02 AM ET | By Graham Hays
Instant Analysis: Notre Dame 93, Kansas 63
Skylar Diggins scored 27 points to take over the Notre Dame career scoring mark and lead the Irish to the Elite Eight.
Apr 1 | By Graham Hays
Hays: Duke rides defense into date with Irish
A defense that remains a complete headache for opponents might be Duke's key to upsetting Notre Dame. Just don't expect it to be pretty.
Apr 1 | By Graham Hays
Hays: Griner's five most memorable moments
Upsets are good for the game. But so is Brittney Griner, who changed how we thought about the limits of athleticism.
Mar 31 | By Graham Hays
Hays: Skylar Diggins' hoops mastery on display in record-setting game
Sure, Notre Dame will likely see another player break the scoring record Skylar Diggins set Sunday en route to another regional final berth. Will they do it with the point guard's same mastery? Likely not.
Mar 31 | By Graham Hays
Instant Analysis: Duke 53, Nebraska 45
Duke advanced to the Elite Eight after beating Nebraska.
Mar 31 | By Graham Hays

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