Susquehanna Earns Repeat Trip to MAC Softball Championship Tourney;
Double-Elimination Tourney Friday-Saturday at King's in Wilkes-Barre
SELINSGROVE, (Pa.) — The Susquehanna University softball team has clinched a spot in the Middle Atlantic Conference Championship Tournament for a second-straight year and will join teams from Messiah, Lycoming and Wilkes at the double-elimination event this Friday and Saturday, April 30 and May 1, at the King's College softball field in Wilkes-Barre.
Under fifth-year head coach Vince Anselmo, the Crusaders repeated their second-place finish in the MAC Comonwealth League for last year and are presently 19-11, with a home doubleheader vs. Western Maryland set for Wednesday. They will open MAC Tournament play on Friday at 11 a.m., against Freedom League champion Wilkes (27-4). Freedom League runner-up Lycoming (18-7) will take on three-time defending conference champ and Commonwealth League top-seed Messiah (28-5) in the 1 p.m. game Friday.
The two winners of Friday's opening games will play a game Friday at 3 p.m. The two opening-game losers will meet in an elimination game Saturday at 9 a.m. There will be another elimination game Saturday morning at 11 a.m., with the winner of that game meeting the lone undefeated team at 1 p.m. If the undefeated team would lose that game, there will be a 3 p.m. game Saturday to determine the conference champion.
This will be Susquehanna's second appearance in the tournament, going 2-2 last season while advancing to the championship elimination game before dropping a 3-0 decision to Messiah. Susquehanna also lost a 22-6 decision to Scranton in a MAC semifinal back in 1981. The Crusaders will be attempting to win their first MAC championship, while Lycoming and Wilkes will be seeking their second (Lycoming in 1995, Wilkes in 1982) and Messiah its fourth-straight and fifth overall (1994, 96, 97, 98).
Anselmo is the winningest coach in Susquehanna softball history at 96-65 (.596). Unfortunately, his team has lost both games to teams in this tournament, dropping a pair of 2-1 games to Messiah — and having scheduled doubleheaders at both Lycoming and Wilkes postponed.
A good performance by his team this weekend could earn it a berth in the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament. The 40-team field will be selected on Sunday, May 9, with play in the eight regionals taking place Friday through Sunday, May 14-16.
SCOUTING SUSQUEHANNA
Pitching (1.78 staff ERA) and defense (.956 team fielding percentage) continue to be the biggest keys to the Susquehanna success. The Crusaders were fifth in the MAC last week in team earned run average, and just out of national rankings in team defense.
Sophomore right-hander Kristen Hogan (Succasunna, N.J./Roxbury H.S.) is a returning first-team Commonwealth League All-Star who has been the "work horse" of the staff this year, compiling a 13-4 record and 1.43 ERA while breaking her own single-season school record with 112 strikeouts in 108 innings. Her 13 wins leaves her two shy of breaking that season record (Record: 14, Judy Sholtis, 1986). Hogan is tied for second in the MAC in wins, is fourth in strikeouts per game (now 7.26) and seventh in ERA. She is already second in school history in career strikeouts (211) and third in ERA (1.54), compiling the fourth-best winning percentage (.688, 22-10).
Junior right-hander Katy Alwine has been a league All-Star in each of her first two seasons, earning first-team honors last year, and presently leads the MAC in ERA, ranking third in D-III (0.36) while compiling a 5-2 record. Alwine has been bothered by a bad back this season, limiting her innings to 58 1/3. She still has given up just three earned runs on 29 hits with 42 strikeouts and 22 walks — ranking sixth in the MAC in Ks per game (now 5.04). For her career, Alwine is first at Susquehanna in winning percentage (.730, 27-10), second in ERA (1.37), and third in both strikeouts (176) and wins (27).
Offensively, she is the designated hitter and the team's top power hitter, driving in a team high 25 runs to rank sixth in the MAC (now 0.83 per game). Alwine has three doubles and the team's only two home runs this season while hitting .279 (24 of 86). She second all-time at Susquehanna in home runs (4) and third in RBIs (65).
Senior center fielder/catcher Tennille Shenk (Mechanicsburg/Cumberland Valley H.S.) has the school record for career hits with 147, at-bats with 410, putouts with 382, and ranks first presently in career fielding percentage at .971. This season, she leads the team in batting at .347 (33 of 95) with a team best six doubles. She is second on the team in runs with 22 and has a triple and 15 RBIs. Defensively, she's been splitting her time between the outfield and catcher and fielding at a .979 clip with just two errors in 94 defensive chances. Shenk started her first two seasons in left field before becoming the team's catcher and earning second-team All-Star honors last season.
The team's other three .300 hitters are all freshmen in catcher/first baseman Trisha Moore (Wysox/Towanda H.S.), left fielder Chrissy Falcone (Mt. Bethel/Bangor H.S.) and third baseman Shelly Zimmerman (Denver/Garden Spot H.S.).
Moore bats clean-up and is hitting .314 (27 for 86), now with four doubles and two triples to rank second on the team in slugging percentage at .407. She is also tied for second in RBIs with 15. Defensively, she now has a .960 fielding percentage while combining with Shenk to throw out six runners in 26 stolen base attempts this season.
Falcone is batting .309 (21 of 68) with a pair of doubles. She also has good speed and has stolen four of five bases this year. Anselmo is also trying to develop a third starting pitcher for the tournament and gave Falcone her first collegiate start Saturday. She gave up just three unearned runs in three innings while three Ks and a walk.
Zimmerman bats second and is hitting .301 (22 of 73) with three doubles and 17 runs scored. She leads the team with eight stolen bases and has yet to be caught. Defensively, she's been reliable at third with a respectable .905 clip.
Senior first baseman Karrah Henry (Lewistown/Lewistown H.S.) and junior lead-off hitter and shortstop Lisa Stack (Swoyersville/Wyoming Valley West H.S.) have also been big bats in the Crusader lineup, with each starting throughout their collegiate careers. Henry is batting .299 (26 for 87) with two doubles and a triple, while Stack is at .278 (25 of 90) and has a team-leading 12 walks and 26 runs scored. Henry is third all-time at Susquehanna in career hits with 115. She is fourth and Stack fifth all-time in runs with 71 and 70 respectively.
SCOUTING THE REST OF THE FIELD
Messiah is probably the favorite to win its fourth-straight title as it continues to be the top-ranked team in Division III's East Region. Now 28-5 for second-year coach Amy Weaver, the Falcons have the fourth best defense (.963) and sixth-lowest staff ERA in the nation (1.06) — led by three-time Commonwealth League All-Star and senior right-hander Jess Regan, who is 14-2 with a 1.09 ERA. Junior right-hander Jessica Chambers has better numbers this season at 12-3 with a 1.02 ERA which includes a MAC best 153 strikeouts. She is fourth nationally in K's per game (now 10.43) and 21st in ERA. She's also the team's leading hitter at .413 with eight doubles and 17 RBIs.
Wilkes appears primed to also make a run with a school record 27-4 record which includes the program's first Freedom League championship. Fifth-year head coach Kevin Vrabel is the winningest coach in program history, now at 100-52 (.658). The Lady Colonels bring the MAC's best offense to the tournament with a gaudy .348 team batting average, but also are sixth nationally in fielding (.960). Sophomore shortstop Robyn Mendygral is batting .496 (46 of 93) with a MAC-leading six home runs — ranking 19th nationally (0.24). Sophomore Alice Fink (15-3, 1.77 ERA) and freshman Lisa Hartman (12-1, 1.33 ERA) are both formidable pitchers.
Lycoming is in the MAC tourney for the sixth-straight year under seventh-year coach Christen Ditzler (119-46, .721). Junior shortstop Jeanine Evans tops the Lyco bats with a .458 average (38 of 83) which includes five doubles, a triple, four homers and 21 RBIs. She is third in MAC in HRs per game, fourth in batting and fifth in RBI per game. Junior right-hander Natalie Cherry has been to the tourney before and is 6-2 with a 1.53 ERA.
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