Feb. 16, 2005
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2005 Campbell-Cartier Tournament (San Diego, Calif.)
Friday, Feb. 18
Notre Dame vs. Utah, 9 a.m., at SDSU Softball Field Notre Dame vs. #21/18 Fresno State, 4 p.m., at SDSU Softball Stadium
Saturday, Feb. 19
Notre Dame vs. #3/4 UCLA, 4 p.m., at SDSU Softball Stadium Notre Dame at San Diego State, 6 p.m., at SDSU Softball Stadium
Sunday, Feb. 20
Notre Dame vs. #22/24 Long Beach State, 9 a.m., at SDSU Softball Stadium
Notre Dame Softball Live Audio- Offered Free This Weekend
In cooperation between the University of Notre Dame Sports Information Department and Notre Dame’s official website, www.und.com, softball live audio will be presented free of charge this weekend when the Irish take part in the Campbell-Cartier Tournament in San Diego, Calif.
Notre Dame will face #3/4 UCLA, #21/18 Fresno State and #22/24 Long Beach State this weekend, along with traditional regional powers Utah and San Diego State (USA Today/NFCA Top 25 followed by ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25 rankings shown).
This free weekend is a one-time only event for live audio coverage on www.und.com. The games will be offered (weather permitting) with live play-by-play of every pitch as the Irish look to improve on their 3-2 record in 2005.
Free access to College Sports Online’s College Sports Pass will give Irish fans a chance to hear the quality of live audio presented on www.und.com. Subscribers to College Sports Pass receive access to all audio and video offerings (press conference, coaches’ shows, archived audio) on www.und.com, in addition to thousands of other live games and clips from other universities which offer College Sports Pass. Notre Dame currently offers live audio coverage of football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, women’s soccer, men’s soccer, volleyball, baseball and softball.
You can find more information on the College Sports Pass by visiting the audio/video link on the top of the main page of www.und.com. The cost of the College Sports Pass is $6.95 per month or $49.95 for the entire year.
Notre Dame softball live audio will continue this year, on a subscription basis, for all Irish home games plus the Ohio State Tournament on March 19 and 20.
Here is a complete list of the free games offered this weekend (note that all times are LOCAL in San Diego, add three hours for eastern time):
Notre Dame vs. Utah, Friday, Feb. 18, 9 a.m.
Notre Dame vs. #21/18 Fresno State, Friday, Feb. 18, 4 p.m.
Notre Dame vs. #3/4 UCLA, Saturday, Feb. 19, 4 p.m.
Notre Dame vs. San Diego State, Saturday, Feb. 19, 6 p.m.
Notre Dame vs. #22/24 Long Beach State, Sunday, Feb. 20, 9 a.m.
Challenging second weekend lies ahead for the Irish:
The University of Notre Dame softball team (3-2) continues the 2005 season this weekend at the challenging Campbell-Cartier Tournament in San Diego, Calif. Hosted by San Diego State, this weekend’s tournament will be the first event in the new San Diego State Softball Stadium, with a few other games played at the old San Diego State Softball Field. Notre Dame’s first and last game will be played at the softball field, while its middle three games will be in the new stadium.
Notre Dame will face top competition this weekend, with three ranked teams (UCLA, Fresno State, Long Beach State), one receiving votes (San Diego State) and a regional power (Utah). The Irish are coming off the tournament title at the GRU Classic in Gainesville, Fla., last weekend, as the team rallied to win its final three games and defeat the host team, Florida, 4-2 in the championship game. The #16/14 Gators have moved into the top 20 in both national polls this week.
Series history vs. opponents:
Here is a quick look at Notre Dame’s history against this weekend’s opponents:
Utah – The Irish are 2-0 against the Utes (also the alma mater of assistant coach Charmelle Green), with the last meeting coming in 2004, a 4-3 victory by the Irish at the Palm Springs Classic. Notre Dame held on for the victory after building a 4-1 lead – current senior Megan Ciolli had two hits in the game.
#21/18 Fresno State – A Kia Klassic rivalry, Notre Dame and Fresno State met for three consecutive seasons at the Fullerton, Calif., tournament from 2001-03. Notre Dame came out ahead 2-1 in the series, but each game went down to the final out. The Irish knocked off #7 Fresno State in 2001 4-2.
#3/4 UCLA – One of the traditional powers of collegiate softball, UCLA and Notre Dame have met just twice previous to this season, both Bruin victories in 1994 and 1998.
San Diego State – The Irish and Aztecs have met four times, with Notre Dame posting victories in all four previous meetings (the most recent in 1995).
#22/24 Long Beach State – Notre Dame has faced “The Beach” five times, holding a 3-2 lead in the series. The last two meetings occurred at Long Beach State – 2-0 and 3-2 victories for the Irish.
Notre Dame quick hits:
What you need to know about the Irish for this weekend’s action:
• Notre Dame will be facing its fifth, sixth and seventh games against a ranked team this season. The Irish split a pair of games with #19 Florida and #21 South Florida last weekend.
• After a rough first day at the GRU Classic, Notre Dame’s pitchers rebounded to hold their opponents to just 10 hits in 21 innings en route to three consecutive victories.
•Although the Irish have made several appearances in Southern California, this weekend marks the team’s first tournament in San Diego, Calif.
San Diego tournament second of six consecutive weekends on the road:
Notre Dame is not the only school in the nation that travels for a large majority of its early-season schedule, but the Irish pride themselves in taking on some of the best teams in the nation during that stretch. This weekend’s tournament will mark the second of six consecutive weekends of travel for the team, which began in Gainesville, Fla. (Feb. 11-13), then San Diego, Calif. (Feb. 18-20), to Palm Springs, Calif. (Feb. 25-27), to the Los Angeles area (March 6-7), to Hawaii (March 9-12) and to Columbus, Ohio (March 19-20).
Ciolli becomes first Notre Dame NPF draft selection:
National Pro Fastpitch announced its 2005 Senior College Player Selections last week and current Irish senior Megan Ciolli was selected by the Chicago Bandits with the first selection of the second round (seventh overall).
Due to NCAA regulations, an active college player may not sign with her respective franchise until their 2005 college season is finished. Senior selections expire on July 15, 2005.
The NPF officially announced that it will enter the 2005 season with six teams – the Akron Racers, Arizona Heat, Chicago Bandits, New England Riptide, NY/NJ Juggernaut and the Texas Thunder. The California Sunbirds will remain part of the league but will suspend play in 2005 to restructure the franchise.
The Bandits will be competing in their first season in the NPF and have already signed Olympic Team standout Jennie Finch. The season will run through June 2 through August 28 and will consist of a 48-game regular season schedule for each team, an all-star game, playoffs and a Championship Series. NPF continues to be the Official Development Partner of Major League Baseball and has recently developed a new alliance with ASA/USA Softball and the International Softball Federation (ISF). This alliance will help promote international play by inviting teams from China, China Taipei, Japan, Canada, Puerto Rico, Australia and Venezuela to play against NPF teams. A finalized schedule will be released in March.
Irish pitchers closing in on strikeout milestones:
Notre Dame starting pitchers senior Steffany Stenglein and junior Heather Booth have an opportunity to reach two unique strikeout milestones this weekend. Stenglein enters the Campbell-Cartier Tournament with 497 career strikeouts, just three away from becoming the third Irish pitcher to strikeout 500 batters in her career (Terri Kobata, 907; Jennifer Sharron, 728). Booth has 396 strikeouts to her credit so far in just over two years and she is looking to become just the fourth Irish pitcher to reach the 400-strikeout plateau (Kobata, Sharron and Stenglein).
Hartmann closing in on 100 RBI:
Senior 3B Liz Hartmann enters the 2005 season with 97 RBI and needs three more to become the eighth Notre Dame player to drive in 100 or more RBI in their careers.
Hartmann is currently ninth on the all-time RBI list, one behind Elizabeth Perkins (1994-97) in eighth place and 28 behind Andria Bledsoe (2000-03) for seventh place.
Notre Dame claims first initial weekend tournament title since 2001:
Notre Dame’s three consecutive victories in the GRU Classic last weekend in Gainesville, Fla., pushed the Irish through to the tournament title. The first weekend tournament victory marks the first for Notre Dame since the 2001 season, when the Irish swept through the Holiday Inn Invitational at South Florida with a 5-0 record.
First back-to-back ranked wins since 2001:
Notre Dame’s victories over #21 South Florida (5-1) on Saturday, Feb. 12, and #19 Florida on Sunday, Feb. 13, marked the first time since the 2001 season the Irish have posted two consecutive wins over a ranked opponents.
During the 2001 season, the Irish swept a doubleheader from #10 DePaul on April 19. To find the last time the Irish defeated two consecutive different ranked teams, you will fall back to 2000, when Notre Dame defeated #16 La.-Lafayette and #6 Oklahoma on March 18 at the Kia Klassic.
Five steals vs. South Florida two off the school record:
The Irish were aggressive on the basepaths on Saturday, Feb. 12, in their 5-1 victory over #21 South Florida. The Irish swiped five bases in the contest, led by three from senior OF Megan Ciolli.
The school record for team stolen bases is seven, most recently set in 1996 against Connecticut. Ciolli was one off the individual record of four by Ruth Kmak against Loyola-Chicago in 1990.
Stenglein hits double-digit strikeout total for sixth time:
Senior RHP Steffany Stenglein struck out 10 batters in Notre Dame’s 5-1 victory vs. #21 South Florida on Saturday, Feb. 12, marking the sixth time in her career she has struck out 10 or more batters. Her career high came last season when she sat down 14 in a six-inning perfect-game performance at Valparaiso.
Stenglein’s final stat line vs. USF: 7.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 10 K.
Hartmann notches first triple of her career:
Senior 3B Liz Hartmann entered the 2005 season with 43 career extra base hits, but never posted a triple in her career until last weekend. In Notre Dame’s 5-1 victory over #21 South Florida, Hartmann tripled down the rightfield line for the first three-bagger of her career.
Hartmann now has 24 career home runs, 19 career doubles and one triple.
Ciolli looks to continue her climb up the career charts:
Along with classmate Liz Hartmann, 2004 third-team All-American and BIG EAST Player of the Year Megan Ciolli has been a three-year starter since stepping on campus in 2001-02. Batting at the top of the lineup for a majority of her career (second freshman season, first sophomore season, third junior season), Ciolli has established herself as one of the top offensive players to ever don an Irish uniform.
Her current career rankings include second in batting average (.367 entering the season), fourth in stolen bases (46), seventh in runs scored (120), ninth in hits (218), ninth in home runs (10) and 10th in triples (seven). She also is poised to break into the top 10 in games played and doubles this season. A complete list of current Notre Dame players threatening career records appear on page seven of this notes package.
Ciolli on USA Softball Player of the Year watchlist:
The Amateur Softball Association (ASA), the National Governing Body of Softball in the United States, has announced its initial watch list for the fourth-annual USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Award. Senior centerfielder Megan Ciolli (Terre Haute, Ind.) was among the 40 players named to the list, which will eventually be pared down to proclaim the collegiate player of the year in 2005.
Considered the Heisman Trophy of collegiate softball, past winners of the award include UCLA’s Stacey Nuveman, Texas pitcher Cat Osterman and Florida State’s Jessica Van der Linden.
Ciolli appears on the initial watch list for the second consecutive season in 2005. The catalyst for the Irish offense in 2004, Ciolli hit a team-high .397 with 81 hits, 23 RBI and 20 stolen bases. The ’04 BIG EAST Player of the Year, Ciolli compiled an outstanding offensive season, finishing third on the all-time single season list for hits and second for stolen bases. Her .367 career batting average currently ranks third all-time at Notre Dame.
Named team captain by a vote of her teammates earlier this semester, Ciolli will continue her climb up the career offensive charts in 2005. She currently ranks ninth all-time in career hits (212), ninth in home runs (10) and fourth in stolen bases (43).
A list of 25 candidates for the award will be released on April 5, with another list of 10 following on May 10. Three finalists will be announced on May 31 with the winner proclaimed at the 2005 NCAA Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City.
Irish boast a veteran group in 2005:
In just one season, Notre Dame has moved from a somewhat inexperienced team (an entirely new infield took the field in `04) to a veteran group that boasts 761 games started in the senior and junior classes. In those two classes, Liz Hartmann (178 GP, 176 GS), Megan Ciolli (181 GP, 180 GS), Mallorie Lenn (120 GP, 120 GS) and Meagan Ruthrauff (123 GP, 122 GS) have been every-day starters since they joined the team, while Sara Schoonaert (117 GP, 71 GS), Kellie Middleton (55 GP, 32 GS) and Nicole Wicks (67 GP, 60 GS) have all seen a significant amount of starts. Add in the 164 games started by senior pitchers Steffany Stenglein and Carrie Wisen, along with the 66 career starts by junior Heather Booth, and the Irish junior and senior classes have a whopping 991 combined career games started.
Snapshot of the Irish:
After just five games this season, it is difficult to get a complete look of the Irish softball team this season. Starting pitchers senior Steffany Stenglein (1-1, 2.70 ERA) and junior Heather Booth (2-1, 0.86 ERA) have been dominate at times – including 10 strikeouts thrown by Stenglein against #21 South Florida.
The Irish offense did not wake up until the end of the GRU Classic last weekend, but All-American senior OF Megan Ciolli brought her usual dependable game, going 6-17 last weekend with three RBI and three stolen bases.
Junior OF Kellie Middleton was steady in her first action after coming back from an injury last season, going 5-16 at the plate with the team’s only home run of the weekend. Freshman SS Katie Laing was also impressive at the plate, banging out three doubles in five games.
Sophomore Gessica Hufnagle stepped in at catcher last weekend and was excellent defensively, throwing out two base runners and knocking down every pitch that hit the dirt.
Position changes will be a key for the 2005 team: Two big position switches will be developed by the Irish during the early-season tournament schedule. Junior Sara Schoonaert has switched to second base, with freshman Katie Laing taking over at shortstop.
Schoonaert’s shift to second will push sophomore Stephanie Brown to rightfield, giving the Irish another great athlete in the outfield to pair with the speedy Megan Ciolli (center) and Kellie Middleton (left).
In addition, junior Mallorie Lenn’s knee problems have ended her career at catcher, but sophomore Gessica Hufnagle has impressed the Irish coaches with her improvement during the offseason. Hufnagle won the starting catchers job in the preseason and performed well during Notre Dame’s first weekend of play.
South Bend plays host to the 2005 BIG EAST Championship:
For the third time in the last four years, the BIG EAST Softball Championship will be held in a neutral/off-campus site in 2005.
After Salem, Va., served as the tournament’s site in 2002 and 2003, the City of South Bend, Ind., will welcome the 2005 BIG EAST Softball Championship to the Belleville Complex on the far west side of town.
The Belleville Complex is one of the best softball-only facilities in Indiana and served as host to over 3,000 fans when the U.S. Olympic Team played an exhibition doubleheader in July of 2005.
Irish picked to finish first in the BIG EAST:
The University of Notre Dame softball team has been picked to win its 10th consecutive BIG EAST Conference regular-season crown by the league’s coaches, as announced by the conference on office on Tuesday, Jan. 11. The conference’s 10 head coaches rank every team except their own, with Notre Dame garnering all nine possible first place votes.
The Irish will return a veteran team in 2005, led by ’04 All-American senior CF Megan Ciolli and two of the top pitchers in the nation – senior Steffany Stenglein and junior Heather Booth. Ciolli was named the ’04 BIG EAST Player of the Year while Stenglein earned the league’s pitcher of the year award last season.
Head coach Deanna Gumpf’s team graduated just one player last season, first-team all-BIG EAST pick OF Nicole deFau. The Irish are expected to be back at full strength, however, with senior 3B Liz Hartmann, junior C Mallorie Lenn and junior OF Kellie Middleton all back to full strength after dealing with an assortment of injuries over the past offseason.
Seton Hall, who bested the Irish in four games late last season, was picked to finish second in the league, followed by Villanova, Boston College and Syracuse.
The league falls to 10 teams in 2005 with the movement of Virginia Tech to the ACC. The conference will bounce back in 2006, however, as it welcomes DePaul, Louisville and South Florida into the league – three of the top programs in the nation.
California girls:
While three trips to the west coast gives the Irish an opportunity to face several of the top teams in the country this season, Notre Dame’s appearances in San Diego (Feb. 18-20), Palm Springs (Feb. 25-27) and the Los Angeles area (March 6-7) also will provide the seven California natives on the team will a chance to play in their home state.
Heather Booth (Riverside), Liz Hartmann (Novato), Carissa Jaquish (Highland), Mallorie Lenn (Garden Grove), Meagan Ruthrauff (La Mirada), Steffany Stenglein (Huntington Beach) and Carrie Wisen (Fullerton) are the seven California natives on the `05 Irish roster.
Incoming freshman class of 2006:
University of Notre Dame head softball coach Deanna Gumpf has announced the signing of seven student-athletes to national letters of intent last week, landing one of the top recruiting classes in the nation.
Brittney Bargar (Corona, Calif.), Christine Farrell (La Habra, Calif.), Erin Glasco (Johnston City, Ill.), Linda Kohan (Westminster, Calif.), Alexandra Kotcheff (Beverly Hills, Calif.), Stephanie Mola (Naples, Fla.) and Beth Northway (Kentwood, Mich.) will make up the class of 2009.
“This is one of the best recruiting classes I have seen in my career and I feel it is the best in the country,” Gumpf says of the group.
“The quality and diversity of this class is second to none. The entire staff is excited to have this group of players join the Notre Dame family.”
The class hails from across the country with four California natives, plus players from Michigan, Illinois and Florida. The group also is made up of two pitchers (Bargar, Farrell), a catcher (Glasco), an infielder (Kohan), two outfielders (Kotcheff, Mola) and an infielder/outfielder (Northway) – giving the class excellent balance at all positions.
BIG EAST loses one team before gaining three in 2006:
With the shift of Virginia Tech to the ACC for the `05 season, the BIG EAST drops down to 10 teams this season before expanding to 13 teams next year when DePaul, South Florida and Louisville join the league (Marquette and Cincinnati to do not compete in softball).
With the addition of three traditional powers, the BIG EAST Conference will quickly become one of the best softball conferences east of the Mississippi.
High school teammates:
Sophomore Stephanie Brown and freshman Katie Laing are just the third combination of high school teammates to play for the Irish since the program began. Both Brown and Laing played for Corona del Sol in the Chandler, Ariz., area during their prep careers. Debbie Boulac and Stephanie Pinter, both from South Bend, Ind., and St. Joseph High School, played together from 1990-93. Jennifer Sharron and Jessica Sharron, the first second set of sisters to play for the Irish, were on the Notre Dame roster together in 2000 and 2001.
Sisters Debbie and Diane Boulac both played for the Irish, but were not on the same team together.
Schedule adjustment:
The Notre Dame – Loyola-Chicago game, scheduled for March 31, has been previously released as a home game for the Irish. The game will be played in Chicago on Loyola’s campus.
Schedule adjustment II:
There has been another shift in the Irish schedule. The previously scheduled home game vs. Illinois-Chicago on April 14 has been shifted to an away contest at UIC for 7 p.m. The road game at UIC on April 27 has been cancelled.
Notre Dame Nabs Top Spot In Directors’ Cup Standings:
Notre Dame stands first in the final set of fall sports standings released in the 2004-05 United States Sports Academy Division I Directors’ Cup all-sports competition sponsored by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (formerly known as Sears Directors’ Cup). This marks the first time in the 12-year history of the all-sports program that Notre Dame has ranked number one, surpassing a second ranking in the 2004-05 second set of fall standings.
Fall NCAA competition earned the Irish 337 points based on their NCAA title in women’s soccer (100 points), their fourth-place finish in women’s cross country (80), 11th-place finish in men’s cross country (57) and second-round NCAA appearances in men’s soccer and volleyball (50 each).
Michigan (333 points) stands second, followed by Stanford (332), Duke (327) and UCLA (297).
The current standings include results from NCAA fall competition in volleyball, field hockey, men’s water polo, men’s and women’s cross country, and men’s and women’s soccer and football. In previous years in which the Directors’ Cup competition has been held, Notre Dame has finished 11th in ’93-’94, 30th in ’94-’95, 11th in ’95-’96, 14th in ’96-’97, 31st in ’97-’98, 25th in ’98-99, 21st in ’99-’00, 11th in ’00-’01, 13th in ’01-02 and ’02-’03 and 19th in ’03-’04.