Players

DIANE KALLIAM, outfield

An All-American in 1971, 1973, 1974 and 1975, Diane has long been regarded as one of softball’s all-time great players and is a sure bet for the women’s softball Hall of Fame.

In 1974 Kalliam won the national batting championship with a torrid mark of .444. In 1975 she broke a 25-year national tournament record by batting an incredible .624 against the top pitchers in America.

“Diane’s the greatest offensive player I’ve ever seen,” says manager Laura Malesh.

A brilliant bunter, Kalliam also can hit with power. Her lifetime batting average prior to this season was .425. In 1969 she stole 63 bases. A natural outfielder, last year she was pressed into service as a left-handed shortstop and responded by gaining All-American honors. She also serves as coach with the Sunbirds.

CHARLOTTE GRAHAM, pitcher

One of the nation’s great pitchers … In a four-year span with the Laurels Graham posted 143 victories, including career highs of 33 in 1971 and 31 in 1973. Twice she hurled four no-hitters in a single season with the Laurels, in 1968 and 1971.

Charlotte came back from serious knee surgery to be named the Most Valuable Player in the 1975 National Tournament.

Manager Laura Malesh says Graham throws as hard as any woman pitcher in the country, including Joan Joyce and Rosie Black.

ALLIE HENDERSON, first base/DH

San Jose depends upon Allie Henderson for much of its batting punch. Showing good power to all fields, Henderson established an all-time Laurel record in 1971 by lashing 11 triples, breaking her own mark of nine set in 1970. She knocked in 42 runs in 1970 and 33 more in 1971.

Allie also is regarded as a better-than-average fielder at first base.

Drafted sixth by the Sunbirds, Allie was born, raised, and still lives in Oakland, where she attended and graduated from Oakland Tech High School.

KAREN AMBLER, infield

Called “Rookie” by her teammates, Karen is the youngest member of the Sunbird team. She graduated from Santa Teresa High School this year and is a product of the San Jose PAL-GAL system.

Precocious Karen played for the Laurels when she was just 15 years old. At the nationals last year in Salt Lake City, she was tabbed a second-team All-American and was also name “Tournament Sweetheart.”

It was during this tourney that “Rookie: went two for three against the great Joan Joyce, the highlight of Ambler’s career to date.

CAROL SALSBURY, first base/DH

Carol always has been a long-ball hitter during her six-year career with the Laurels, belting more than 40 home runs during that time span. In 1974 she was named to the All-American team following a great performance in the Nationals at Orlando, Florida.

Born in Palo Alto, Salsbury was raised in Redwood City. She graduated from San Carlos High School and later was graduated from San Jose State, where she majored in PE and minored in English. Carol’s main hobbies include fishing, cooking, and photography.

MARY FLINT, infield

Mary is expected to develop into one of the very best infielders in the new league. Only 22 now, Flint began playing as a 12-year-old in Yakima, Washington. She was the Sunbird’s tenth draft pick in the WPS’ first annual draft in January.

Mary has great range and a strong arm. Primarily a line-drive hitter, she’ll occasionally hit the long ball. During the off-season Mary still makes her home in Yakima, where she works in a bakery owned by her parents, Stanley Phillip and Mary Ann Flint.

DIAN IVERSEN, infield/outfield

An excellent bunter and solid hitter, Iversen is one of the most versatile players on the Sunbird roster. She is a steady performer either at second or shortstop or in the outfield.

Not usually a high average hitter, Dian is a clutch hitter and drove in 44 runs in 1973. She also excels in golf and field hockey. She earned her Master’s degree at San Francisco State, where she taught PE for three years. Currently in her 10^th year of teaching, Iversen has been at Mr. Pleasant for four years.

BONNIE JOHNSON, pitcher

Bonnie outdueled the fabled Rosie Black in a memorable 20-inning duel earlier this year at Municipal Stadium, then to prove it was no fluke beat Rosie on the Gem diamond.

In two seasons with the Laurels, Bonnie posted a 55-15 record with a great 0.60 ERA. She was unbeaten in two years of competition at the Nationals, tossing two shutouts and allowing just two earned runs in 30 innings of work.

Johnson describes herself as a “junk” pitcher. “I can’t blow it by the batters. My job is to get them to hit grounders or pop-ups. The team has to work hard when I pitch.” Johnson’s best pitch is her curveball.

MARILYNN BURNETT, pitcher/outfielder

Marilyn is one of the lesser-known players on the Sunbird roster, primarily because she never had the opportunity to play in the amateur Nationals. Her anonymity should fade rather quickly when the rest of the league gets to see first-hand how well she pitches. A hard-throwing southpaw, Burnett gives the Sunbird staff even greater depth and versatility.

Born and raised in Bakersfield, Marilynn moved to northern California at age 14 and attended Leigh high School in San Jose. She and her husband Tim now live in San Jose, where she works as a dental assistant.

BRENDA GAMBLIN, third base

One of the great defensive third-base operators in women’s softball. Gamblin also ranks as an outstanding hitter. In 1975 she batted .362 and drove home 46 runs for the Laurels.

An excellent clutch hitter, Brenda was name to the second team All-American squad in 1973. She was born and raised in Pittsburg, Calif., and currently lives in Concord. She graduated from Pittsburgh High School and attended Diablo Valley College for a year.

MARY LOU PENNINGTON, catcher

“One of the smartest catchers in the league,” is the way manager and former catcher herself Laura Malesh describes Pennington.

The most experienced of the Sunbird catching corps, Mary Lou played in Sacramento for seven years before migrating to the Santa Clara Laurels for another pair of seasons. She is a solid clutch hitter and an excellent base runner, and her strong throwing arm makes baserunners think twice before attempting to steal.

Mary Lou works in accounting, and still lives in Sacramento during the off season.

MERRIBETH CARLSON, catcher/outfield

Born in Pennsylvania but now a resident of Sacramento, Merribeth might be called a protégé of another Sunbird catcher, Mary Lou Pennington. The two have been teammates since 1970, and it was Mary Lou who first got Merribeth interested in women’s softball in 1970.

The pair played for the Sacramento Sonics for three years before joining the Laurels in 1975. Last season Merribeth let the team in sacrifice bunts with 27, 15 more than the next highest total on the Santa Clara squad. She also drew 24 walks, hit two homers, and rove in 20 runs. Carlson also is considered a splendid outfielder and further demonstrates the versatility on the ’76 Sunbirds.

DIANE WEINER, outfield

Diane gained All-American honors with the Laurels in 1975, and is considered to have one of the strongest arms in women’s softball. Her hitting has improved each year, and last year reached the .278 mark. Weiner also has good power, and banged out eight doubles, five triples, and three homers in 1973. In 1976 she rapped seven doubles and seven triples.

Diane lives in Monte Vista and teaches PE at Sequoia High School in Redwood City.

JANICE AUBUCHON, catcher

Janice comes to the Sunbirds from St. Louis, where she made the national All-Star team for two years running. Only 22 years old, Aubuchon already works with pitchers very well. She’s very aggressive behind the plate, and adds long-ball power to the Sunbird hitting attack.

She lives in Sacramento with her husband, a member of the armed forces.

CHERYL STEWART, pitcher

Stewart helps give the Sunbirds one of the deepest pitching staffs among the new league’s teams. She pitched for the Sunnyvale Bandits last year, was the Sunbird’s fourth draft pick. While pitching for the Laurels in ’72, Cheryl pitched a perfect game against the Phoenix Road Runners. She keeps batters off balance with a riseball, a drop, and a good change-up.

Cheryl, who lives in San Jose, works as a computer operator in San Carlos when she’s not pitching for the Sunbirds.

CYNDI LILLOCK, outfield

Lillock has always been regarded as an outstanding defensive player, but swings the bat well, too. In her first season with the Laurels in 1970, Cyndi batted a cool .352, and the following year was tabbed a first team All-American.

Possessor of one of the league’s strongest and most accurate throwing arms, Cyndi began her playing career at Clayton Valley High School in Concord. She joined Santa Clara in 1970 and played with the Laurels for five years.