SOFTBALL NOTEBOOK: MILNE'S PERSONAL DREAM COMES TRUE.

Byline: Ramona Shelburne Staff Writer

Stacy Milne always had a back-up plan. If a scholarship offer never came, she had applied and been accepted to UC Santa Barbara. She could go there and walk-on, she kept telling herself.

But back-up plans are back-up plans for a reason. Milne's ultimate dream was a scholarship to play softball at an NCAA Division I university.

In the fall, the Canoga Park High standout passed on offers from schools like Rhode Island and St. Peters. At the time she didn't think twice about it, but as the months passed and graduation day came, Milne began to wonder if she'd done the right thing by waiting.

``It was definitely nerve-racking,'' she said. ``I knew I could always go walk-on at UCSB, but I kept hoping an offer would come along.''

Finally, her patience has been rewarded.

Last week Milne signed a letter of intent to play for Cal State Northridge on a partial scholarship. Milne said she first got in contact with Northridge coach Barbara Jordan after she won the MVP award at the Daily News Bernie Milligan Senior All-Star game in June.

The game was played at Northridge but Jordan couldn't attend because of NCAA rules. She heard a lot about Milne's performance, though.

``Apparently, a lot of people called her after the Daily News game to tell her about me,'' Milne said. ``Then she came out to watch me play and ended up offering me a scholarship.''

Over the past few weeks, several other seniors found schools to play for in the fall. One of those was Granada Hills infielder Lindsay Alexander, who signed with Cal State Monterrey Bay, a Division II program.

``It's exciting,'' Alexander said. ``I was definitely a bit nervous not knowing until a few weeks ago where I was going to go to school. But I'm glad I waited because this was definitely the right choice for me.''

Saugus High pitcher Ashley Arnett also had a happy ending to her college search. Arnett, who pitched only one year of varsity softball but made the most of it by leading Saugus to a 22-5 record and the semifinals of the Southern Section Div. I playoffs, signed with Seton Hall.

``I was just waiting for the best package of academics and athletics and I really think I found what I was looking for,'' Arnett said. ``I knew all my hard work would pay off in the end.''

--Maricle has diverse options: Valencia High third baseman Danielle Maricle's choices for college couldn't be more different. The two schools that are recruiting her the hardest are Harvard and Hawaii.

``Yeah, it's pretty funny,'' said Maricle, who is playing for the 18-under Gold Orange County Batbusters. ``I want to take trips to a lot of places and then make up my mind. I think that will really help me decide.''

--Early exit: Birmingham pitcher Kourtney Hodgins decided to graduate early. According to Birmingham coach Jim Rose, Hodgins earned enough units to graduate after her junior year and decided she wanted to move on.

``It's a big loss for us,'' said Rose, who has led Birmingham to the City Section quarterfinals two consecutive years. ``She had a great year for us last year.''

--Montenegro coming home: Former Birmingham standout shortstop Valerie Montenegro is coming back to the area to play for Valley College after a successful season at Chipola Junior College in Marianna, Fla.

Montenegro was a two-time, second-team All-City pick at Birmingham. She hit .396 with 50 RBI at Chipola last season, earning First-Team All-Panhandle Conference.

Ramona Shelburne, [phone]

ramona.shelburne(at)dailynews.com