April 3, 2007
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Streak Hits 10:
Notre Dame’s softball team ran its winning streak to 10 games with wins over Toledo (4-1), Pittsburgh (4-0 & 4-0) and Syracuse (7-0 & 10-2) from March 29-April 1. Stephanie Brown was a hitting star with a .722 batting average and two three-hit games and a four-hit performance. Brittney Bargar had a 3-0 week with a 0.35 ERA. Kenya Fuemmeler also pitched well with a 2-0 record and a 1.17 ERA. The Irish bats were booming on the week with a team batting average of .427 and 29 runs scored. Bargar started the week with her first career hit, a dramatic three-run game-winning walk-off home run to defeat Toledo in the bottom of the seventh inning. The Irish swept Pittsburgh with Brown’s 5-for-7 afternoon with two RBI leading the way. Notre Dame then broke out the bats and took down Syracuse twice. Brown was again a player to be recognized with her 7-for-8 afternoon against the Orange. The Irish also set a new season best with 16 hits in the first game against Syracuse. In the Syracuse games, 11 different Irish team members recorded hits and seven different players drove in runs.
Brown Named BIG EAST Player Of The Week:
Senior Stephanie Brown was named the BIG EAST Player of the Week by the conference office for the first time in her career on April 2. The Irish centerfielder had an amazing week at the plate with a .722 batting average (13-for-18), two doubles, a triple, four runs batted in and five runs scored. The senior had four multi-hit games on week including two three-hit performances and a four hit game. Brittney Bargar was named to the honor roll for the third time this season, as she went 3-0 and had a 0.35 ERA in her three games.
A Few Early Trends:
• Notre Dame continues to fight to the last out and has won four games in bottom of the seventh/eighth inning.
• The Irish are 4-1 in one-run games this season.
• Notre Dame is 15-0 when it takes a lead through the fourth inning and 3-11 when it goes through the fourth inning trailing.
• The Irish are 10-1 when scoring in the first inning. Overall Notre Dame is 13-1 when it scores first in a game.
• The Irish have been outscored 21-19 in the fourth innings of games, but have outscored their opponents 15-5 in the seventh inning on.
• In neutral site games, Notre Dame has won seven of the ten games it has been designated as the home team on the scoreboard.
• The Irish are 1-9 when the teams scores two or less runs in a game.
• When Notre Dame makes one error in a game the team is 5-7, but when the team makes two errors it is 7-3.
• The Irish are 0-6 against ranked opponents this season.
Liking the Home Cooking:
Seven different Irish players are batting over .300 after the first ten games at the friendly confines of Ivy Field. The six in order goes as follows: Stephanie Brown (.528), Gessica Hufnagle (.458), Christine Lux (.417), Katie Laing (.414), Heather Johnson (.385), Stephanie Mola (.364), Beth Northway (.364), Beth Northway (.333). As a team Notre Dame is batting .380 in home games this year while limiting opponents to a .128 batting average.
A Key To The Streak:
A key to Notre Dame winning its last 10 games is increased patience at the plate and the ability to consistently put the ball in play, along with stingy pitching. In the last 10 games, Notre Dame has drawn 24 walks while only striking out a total of 18 times. The Irish also have totaled 93 hits (.380 batting average) including 21 doubles. The pitching staff has been fantastic in the streak with only six total runs allowed in 65 innings. The staff has also limited opponents to a batting average of .128 and has thrown five shutouts.
On Tap This Week:
Notre Dame wraps up its 11-game home stand with a game against Valparaiso (April 4 at 5 p.m.), before heading to Chicago for a midweek conference doubleheader with No. 18/16 DePaul (April 5 at 3 p.m. (CT)). Notre Dame will then have an off weekend for the Easter Holiday.
Either Way She’s Okay:
Senior Stephanie Brown is hitting .455 (5-for-11) against left-handed pitchers this season and is batting .480 (36-for-75) against righties.
That A Way To Lead Off:
Stephanie Brown has led off an inning 45 times this season and has reached base 23 of those times (.511).
A Clutch Performer:
Eight of sophomore Erin Glasco’s nine RBI totals this season have come with two outs.
Moving Them Along:
Freshman Heather Johnson has advanced runners a team-best 33 times this season.
And Driving Them In:
Christine Lux leads the team with a .533 batting average with two outs (8-for-15) and has eight two-out RBI.
The Kohan Factor:
Second baseman Linda Kohan has really dictated the outcome of the Irish season. In Notre Dame wins, Kohan is hitting .333 (16-for-48) with all 13 of her RBI, while in Irish losses the sophomore is only hitting .133 (4-for-30).
A Balanced Lineup:
On the season, 10 different Irish players have tallied multi-hit games and nine different players have multi-RBI games.
Conference Leaders (Overall):
After the sixth week of action, senior Stephanie Brown leads the conference in on-base percentage (.531), batting average (.477) and runs scored (24). She is also second in hits (41), tied for second in triples (2), tied for fourth in stolen bases (10), fifth in slugging percentage (.558) and eighth in total bases (48).
Heather Johnson leads the conference in doubles with 11 and runs batted in (23).
Katie Laing is tied for fourth in the league in doubles with seven. Fellow middle infielder Linda Kohan is sixth in the conference in walks with 14.
Brittney Bargar leads the conference in complete games (15), wins (12), innings pitched (126) and is tied for the lead in strikeouts (130). She is second in games started (19), seventh in appearances (21) and ninth in opponent’s batting average against (.225).
Conference Leaders (BIG EAST):
Stephanie Brown leads the conference in batting average (.552) and hits (16) in league games only. Brown is also tied for the league lead in triples (1), second in total bases (20), third in stolen bases (3) and runs scored (6) and eighth in slugging percentage (.690).
Gessica Hufnagle is leads everyone with her .571 on-base percentage and is fourth in the conference with her .471 batting average.
Katie Laing is fifth in the conference with her 10 hits and 10th with her .435 batting average. Laing is also third in doubles (4) and tied for third in runs scored (7) with Hufnagle and Brown.
Heather Johnson is tied for lead in doubles (5), third in runs driven in (9) and fourth in walks (4).
Brittney Bargar and Kenya Fuemmeler are tied for the conference lead with four wins.
Bargar also leads the conference in strikeouts (31), shutouts (2) and opponent batting average against (.071). She is fourth in innings pitched (26).
Fuemmeler is tied for the conference lead in complete games (4), third in strikeouts (19) and sixth in opponent’s batting average against (.176).
Scouting Valparaiso:
The Crusaders (14-8) lost two of three games over the weekend to Southern Utah. Junior Shannon Robinson has been the team’s best hitter with a .368 batting average. She is also tied for the team lead with senior Megan Carroll in hits (25). The Crusaders best home run and RBI threat is junior Courtney LaFerle, who leads the club in both categories three HR’s and 14 RBI. Karen Korb is the team’s speed threat with 11 stolen bases. Valpo uses three pitchers; the most effective has been junior Andrea Zappia. Zappia has won four games and has the team lead with 55 innings pitched, two saves and 57 strikeouts.
Series vs. Valparaiso:
The series between these two teams has been fairly one-sides toward the Irish. After falling twice to the Crusaders in 1989, Notre Dame has won the last 25 meeting and owns an overall record of 26-2 in the series. The Irish went to Valparaiso, Ind. last season and came away with a 6-2 victory. The 26 wins are the most by the Irish over an opponent that has never been in same conference as them. Notre Dame also has 26 wins over Butler, but they spent time in the MCC together.
Scouting DePaul:
The No. 18/16 Blue Demons (24-7) have been ranked for most the season after defeating two ranked teams in the opening weekend. Overall, DePaul has defeated five ranked teams on the year and sit atop the BIG EAST leader board, along with Notre Dame, with a perfect 8-0 record. Senior pitcher Tracie Adix was named the BIG EAST Pitcher of the Week for the third time this season on April 2. Overall, five different DePaul players have earned a weekly award from the conference office in 2007. The Blue Demons are an evenly balanced team with seven players with 20+ hit on the year. Sophomore Amber Patton leads the squad with her .354 batting average. The team’s hit leader is senior Kate Sheaks with 31. Sandy Vojik has driven in a team-high 17 runs. All three of the DePaul primary pitchers have proven difficult to hit. Adix leads the team with 10 wins, a 0.62 ERA, 90.1 innings pitched, 84 strikeouts, eight complete games and five shutouts. Freshman Becca Heteniak has made a huge impact with a 9-3 record, a 1.14 ERA and 74 strikeouts in 67.1 innings pitched. The DePaul staff has also limited opponents to a .169 batting average with a team ERA of 1.50.
Series vs. DePaul:
These two schools have locked up 44 times before DePaul joined the BIG EAST Conference prior to the 2005-06 school year. DePaul at that point sported a record of 26-17-1 against Notre Dame but the Irish won both games in conference play last season and now the all-time series stands at 26-19-1 in favor of the Blue Demons.
Home At Last:
The Irish had a strong week as they returned home and played their first game at Ivy Field this season, March 22-25. The Irish went 5-0 including four wins in conference play. Brittney Bargar had a strong individual week with a 3-0 record and an ERA of 0.35. Bargar struck out 20 opponents in 20 innings pitched. Fellow right-handed pitcher Kenya Fuemmeler was also strong with a 2-0 record an ERA of 0.58. The Irish started the week with a 6-1 win over IUPUI (March 22). Freshman Heather Johnson had a perfect 3-for-3 afternoon with two doubles to lead the offensive charge. Senior Stephanie Brown also had a steady performance, as she was 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored. In the second game of the week, Notre Dame ran over conference rival St. John’s 8-0 (March 24). Four different Irish players drove in multiple runs lead by Katie Laing’s two hits and two RBI. The second game of the day and the third game of the week was a 3-0 win over St. John’s. Christine Lux continued her strong afternoon and drove in the game-winner for Notre Dame. On the day, Lux contributed two hits and three RBI. The Irish kept rolling with a pair of wins over Seton Hall (March 25). Bargar was the story of the first game as she won a pitchers duel with nine strikeouts in her 13th complete game of the season. Laing continued her strong week by scoring both runs against the Pirates. The second game over Seton Hall was the `Johnson Show’. Johnson had her second three-hit performance of the week, as she was 3-for-3 with three doubles and four RBI in a 9-1 win over Seton Hall. Johnson has now totaled three three-hit games this season. Fuemmeler continued her strong pitching with another complete game and four strikeouts in the run shortened game. Notre Dame is now on a season-high five game winning-streak.
Getting it Done In Pairs From The Circle:
After not throwing a shutout all season, Notre Dame’s two starting pitchers of Brittney Bargar and Kenya Fuemmeler each threw a shutout against St. John’s on March 24. The consecutive shutouts thrown by the Irish pitching staff (Bargar and Fuemmeler), was the first time since May 14, 2006 (against Pittsburgh and No. 18 Louisville) in the BIG EAST Championship that this has occurred for Notre Dame softball. The two shutouts against the same team on the same day, was a first time since May 7, 2006 that Notre Dame softball has accomplished the feat. Those two shutouts ironically enough were also against St. John’s.
A Record Tying Performance:
The three doubles by Heather Johnson in the second game against Seton Hall (March 25) puts her among the all-time greats at Notre Dame. The only other Irish player to ever tally three doubles in a game was Sara Hayes against Missouri-Kansas City in 1992.
The Norm:
The five consecutive home wins to start the season are the fourth year in a row and the eighth time in the last 10 years this has happened. The four consecutive conference wins to start the season is also the eighth time in the last 10 that Notre Dame has started conference season in such pristine fashion.
Bargar Named BIG EAST Pitcher of the Week:
Sophomore Brittney Bargar was named the BIG EAST Pitcher of the Week on March 27 for the first time this season and second time in her career. The Irish pitcher earns the award after she went 3-0 with three complete games, a shutout and 20 strikeouts in 20 innings from the circle in wins over IUPUI (6-1), St. John’s (8-0) and Seton Hall (2-1). Bargar was not the only Irish player to earn BIG EAST honors as teammate Heather Johnson was named to the league’s Honor Roll after hitting .538 (7-for-13) with five doubles and six RBI in Notre Dame’s five wins.
Home Opening Day:
Since the start of the program in 1989 and after this year’s game against IUPUI, the Irish are 22-11 on the home opening day of the season. In those 33 games, Notre Dame has outscored its opponents 123-59. The home opening day of March 22 was tied for the third earliest ever-opening date for Irish softball (behind 1992 and 2004).
The Places Notre Dame Softball Has Gone:
After five road trips, the Notre Dame softball team has already logged 10,612.5 miles on planes and buses this season to destinations.
A Tough Weekend:
The Irish had a difficult weekend against some of the toughest teams in collegiate softball at the annual Judi Garman Classic in Fullerton, Calif. from March 15-17. Notre Dame finished with a 1-4 record. The bright spot on the week was freshman Christine Lux, who picking up the first three hits of her collegiate career including her first RBI. Among her three hits two were doubles. Notre Dame started the week falling to No. 2/4 Arizona State 3-0. Sophomore Brittney Bargar pitched well for the Irish only allowing three runs (two earned) to one of the most potent offenses in collegiate softball. The next game for the Irish was against a red hot Fresno State club, Notre Dame used a steady offense led by senior Gessica Hufnagle’s two hits and two RBI’s to defeat FSU 4-2. The following game against No. 16 Louisiana-Lafayette was another battle in which Notre Dame came up on the short end, 4-2. Bargar pitched a great game setting a new career-high with 12 strikeouts against a team that had an overall team batting average of .290 with 36 home runs. The Irish took on another ranked team No. 8/8 Texas on the final day of the tournament (March 17). Once again the Irish hung with a tough opponent, but fell to the Longhorns 3-0. The Irish completed the tournament with a night game against Pacific (March 17). Notre Dame, playing its fourth game in a just over a day, were downed by the Tigers 8-0 in five innings. Sophomore Beth Northway and senior Carissa Jaquish picked up the two Irish hits in the loss.
The Long Beach Invitational:
The Irish split their two games in the Long Beach Invitational on March 11. Notre Dame started its day with a 10-2 victory over Eastern Kentucky. Stephanie Brown went three-for-five with two runs scored and two RBI. Beth Northway, Stephanie Mola and Sarah Smith all had two hit games against the Colonels. Kenya Fuemmeler had one of the better pitching performances of her career going the distance with one earned run allowed and eight strikeouts. In its second game of the tournament against No. 12 UCLA, Notre Dame lost 9-3. The Irish briefly held a 2-1 lead in the second inning, but just couldn’t overcome the ranked opponent. Mola had another hit and an RBI in the second game.
Glynn’s Breakthrough:
Junior outfielder Brittany Glynn, in her first chance to hit this season, drilled a run-scoring single against Eastern Kentucky, March 11.
A Few More Notables:
• The 10 runs the Irish scored against Eastern Kentucky, March 11, was the first time the team has broken into double digits this season.
• Stephanie Mola’s RBI against EKU was her first of the season.
• Stephanie Brown’s triple against Eastern Kentucky was the first by an Irish player this year.
Crispers/JU Invitational:
Notre Dame had a successful tournament in Jacksonville, Fla. despite battling the elements and changes in the schedule. The Irish showed early offense in scoring three run in the first inning in a 4-1 win over Virginia (March 2). Erin Glasco came up with the big hit as she hit a double off the top of the wall to drive-in the game-winning runs. The Irish continued the trend of early offense in the second game of the day, March 2, against host school Jacksonville. Notre Dame scored four runs in the first and three more runs in the second inning on their way to a 7-2 victory over the Dolphins. Senior Kenya Fuemmeler threw a no-hitter for the first four innings for the Irish. The next day, rain altered the schedule forcing Notre Dame into a single game against the Cavaliers. The Irish fell behind 3-0 before rallying for a six spot in the fifth inning. The big blow of the game would be Glasco’s game-winning three-run home run. Notre Dame would win by the final margin of 6-3. The final day of the tournament was a challenging one against No. 9 Michigan. The Irish hung with the Wolverines for most of the game, but just couldn’t get the offense going in taking a tough 1-0 defeat to Michigan and finishing the tournament a respectable 3-1.
SEC/ACC Not So Bad:
With two wins over Virginia in the Crispers/JU Invitational (March 2-4), Notre Dame improved its record to 4-1 against schools from the Southeastern and Atlantic Coast Conference’s this season.
Coming Through When It Counts:
Erin Glasco has proven her worth in clutch situations, as she has already tallied three game-winning RBI hits, of her 17 hits this season.
Kohan Excels:
Linda Kohan had a strong JU tournament, March 2-4, for Notre Dame. The sophomore went 5-for-12 (.417) with four RBI, two runs scored and four doubles.
Duo Honored By The BIG EAST:
For the second time this season, Notre Dame had a pair of players honored by the conference office on its weekly honor roll on March 6. Sophomore Brittney Bargar won two games in the Crispers/JU Invitational with an earned-run average of 0.75, while Linda Kohan tallied four doubles and four RBI and a .417 batting average in the four games.
The Palm Springs Tournament:
Notre Dame had a tough start to the Palm Springs Tournament, Feb. 23-25, taking on a pair of ranked opponents in the ultra competitive field. The Irish were competitive in both early games against No. 9 Oklahoma and No. 17 California but ultimately lost both games by the scores of 7-3 and 7-5, respectively. Notre Dame now on a four-game skid, rallied with two-outs in the seventh inning to tie their next game against UNLV on the two RBI single from sophomore Linda Kohan. Junior Katie Laing would make it a 4-3 Irish winner, as she punched a ball through the left side to drive in senior Carissa Jaquish in extra-innings. Despite a strong pitching performance from senior Kenya Fuemmeler, a complete game four-hitter, the Irish fell to Cal State Fullerton, 2-0, in their next game. Notre Dame would take its final game of the tournament, 3-1, over Ole Miss. Kohan would again provide the late-inning heroics with her two RBI single up the middle in the fifth.
Brown On The Right Track:
Senior Stephanie Brown had an outstanding tournament in Palm Springs, going 11-for-18 with five runs scored. Brown had multi-hit performances in four of the five games, while chipping in three stolen bases.
Speed Demon?
Gessica Hufnagle, who often splits time at catcher, showed off the wheels against Ole Miss (Feb. 25) as she stole a pair of bases in a game for the first time in her career.
Bargar Continues To Lead:
Sophomore right-handed pitcher Brittney Bargar picked up a pair of wins over the weekend of Feb. 23-25. Bargar won against UNLV and Ole Miss in Palm Springs Tournament.
A Recap of the Tiger Invitational:
Notre Dame opened its 2007 season at the Tiger Invitational hosted by Auburn from Feb. 16-18. Notre Dame started the tournament with a come-from-behind 3-2 victory over host school Auburn. Sophomore Erin Glasco came through with a single down the right-field line to drive in freshman Ashley Ellis from third for the winning run in the bottom of the seventh inning. The Irish then fell to UAB 8-0 in a five inning run-shortened game. Another memorable Irish victory would follow, as once again Notre Dame came from behind in the bottom of the seventh inning. Freshman Heather Johnson would be that game’s hero with a two-run home run that propelled Notre Dame to a 6-5 victory over Tennessee Tech. Notre Dame softball would complete its weekend by dropping its final two games to Tulsa (4-2) and Virginia Tech (2-0). Johnson for her great play would be awarded a spot on the Tiger Invitational All-Tournament team after hitting .500 (8-for-16) in the five games.
Nice Start by the Rookie:
Heather Johnson made an immediate impact in her first week in the Irish lineup. Not only did the Los Alamitos, Calif. native start all five games at third base, she also had the most hits of any player in the Tiger Invitational Tournament, with eight, on her way to hitting .500 with a home run and four RBI. Johnson tallied multi-hit performances in three of the five games.
A Solid First Week:
Brittney Bargar also had a solid first week for Notre Dame in the circle. She won both of Notre Dame’s games while pitching three complete games. For week, Bargar was 2-1 with 24 strikeouts in 20.1 innings pitched. The sophomore also showed impeccable control with only two walks (one intentional) on the week.
A Pair Honored on BIG EAST Honor Roll:
Notre Dame had a pair of players on honored on the BIG EAST honor roll following the first two weekends of action around the conference, Feb. 19 in sophomore pitcher Brittney Bargar and freshman third baseman Heather Johnson.
Keeping up with the Irish:
Notre Dame’s softball family and friends can keep up with the Irish one of six ways this season. First, the Notre Dame hotline (1-574-631-3000) will be updated as soon as possible following each game. Two, a game recap will be posted on Notre Dame website (www.und.com) following each contest. Three, a text alert will be send out to those fans that wish to sign-up for the Irish text alerts on the Notre Dame website. Four, live audio broadcasts will be available for Irish home games. Fifth, Notre Dame will run GameTracker for selected road games (depending on the host institution) and all homes games at Ivy Field through its athletic website. And sixth, Notre Dame softball will have a weekly notes package that will be put out by Wednesdays of most weeks.
Notre Dame in early season tournaments:
Notre Dame began what is now the collegiate softball tradition of early-season tournament action in 1990 when it took part in a Chicago, Ill. tournament. Since that trip, Notre Dame has visited 32 different areas of the country and participated in several elite tournaments. Notre Dame’s all-time record in early-season tournament action is 190-141 (.574) and its most frequent sites visited have been South Florida (seven times), Columbus, Ga. (six times) and Cal State Fullerton (five times). This season, Notre Dame will visit Auburn, Ala. (first time), Palm Springs, Calif. (third time), Jacksonville, Fla. (first time), Long Beach, Calif. (first time) and Cal State Fullerton once again.
Preseason Choice for Third in the BIG EAST:
The Irish were selected to finish third in the BIG EAST Conference for the 2007 season, in a vote by the leagues coaches. The Irish received a first-place vote and totaled 104 points to finish behind front-runner Louisville and South Florida. Notre Dame along with Louisville and USF were all selected for the 2006 NCAA Softball Championships.
Irish Captains:
Notre Dame will feature three captains this season for only the third time. The Irish captains will be seniors Stephanie Brown and Kenya Fuemmeler and junior Katie Laing. The only other Notre Dame teams to have a trio of captains are the 2003 squad (Alexis Madrid, Andria Bledsoe and Andrea Loman) and the 2002 team (Kas Hoag, Jenny Kriech and Jarrah Myers).
Coaches Return:
Notre Dame will bring back its entire coaching staff from the 2006 season in head coach Deanna Gumpf, assistant coaches Kris Ganeff and Lizzy Lemire and volunteer assistant coach Dawn Austin.
Gumpf In Her Sixth Season:
Notre Dame head coach Deanna Gumpf is in her sixth season at the helm of the Notre Dame softball program. The Irish coach is 238-102 in her coaching career and has taken the Irish to five consecutive NCAA postseason berths.
Gumpf won her 200th career game in Notre Dame’s 14-4 victory over Pittsburgh on April 9 of the 2006 season.
At the start of the season, Gumpf career’s record of 219-90 (.708) was a single percentage better than former Irish head coach Liz Miller 377-156 (.707). She is also ahead of the first ever softball coach at Notre Dame, Brian Boulac 135-90-2 (.597).
A Generous Donation:
Notre Dame softball’s bid for a new facility took a huge step forward this offseason thanks to the generous donation by Linda and Paul Demo. The Demo’s pledged three million dollars for the building of the Melissa Cook Stadium. Cook, a former Irish softball player, was one of four people that were killed in March 2002 when a massive section of scaffolding fell from the John Hancock Center onto her car in downtown Chicago. The families of those who died and were injured reached a settlement in early 2006 with the skyscrapers owners and other companies named in the lawsuit. The Demo’s, the mother and stepfather of Melissa Cook, devoted much of their portion of the settlement to Notre Dame for the upcoming $4.8 million facility. The stadium will be built on the southeast corner of the Notre Dame campus near Eck Baseball Stadium and will hold 1,500 Irish softball fans.
On the Small Screen:
Notre Dame will make one scheduled appearance on the small screen this season as its first game of a the doubleheader against South Florida, April 22 at noon, will be shown by CSTV.
Incoming Class:
Notre Dame’s softball team, over the winter announced the signing of six players to national letters of intent to enroll at the University and play softball for head coach Deanna Gumpf in 2007-08.
Katie Fleury (San Jose, Calif./Archbishop Mitty) is a power hitting shortstop that will provide excellent speed and versatility to the Notre Dame lineup. During her prep career, she has led Archbishop Mitty to Western Catholic League (WCAL) championships every season with a combined record of 73-19.
Shannon Kelly (Pembroke Pines, Fla./Hollywood Christian) is expected to be a power hitter and lethal producer in the class. As a junior, Kelly had a tremendous spring as she hit .647 with seven home runs, 40 runs scored and 78 runs batted in at the plate.
Brianna Jorgensborg (Thousand Oaks, Calif./La Reina), an outfielder, set three school records last season at La Reina with a batting average of .571, 49 RBIs and a sizzling on-base percentage of .652. She also had a slugging percentage of 1.114 to go along with 30 runs scored, eight home runs, and eight doubles.
Erin Marrone (Alexandria, Va./Bishop O’Connell) comes from a long lineage of former Notre Dame students as both her grandfathers (Paul Marrone and Frank Tighe) as well as her parents (Nicolas Marrone and Stephanie [Tighe] Marrone), along with five aunts and uncles graduated from the university. The Virginia native is a middle infielder who hit .469 with 46 hits in 98 at bats as a junior.
Sadie Pitzenberger (Tomball, Texas/Tomball) also is a very versatile player that was voted best catcher in 2004 and best shortstop in ’05 by her teammates. She has helped lead her Tomball High School team to three consecutive conference, regional and national rankings (11th-`04, 6th-`05, and 9th-’06). As a senior, the three-time team MVP has been voted the team captain. Pitzenberger has seen her batting average rise in each of her first three years with a high mark of .462 last season.
Jody Valdivia (Anaheim, Calif./Canyon) is an accomplished pitcher that played club softball with current Irish freshman Heather Johnson on the California Cruisers. The hurler pitched the Cruisers to a third-place national finish in 2006. The future freshman was named the Century League Pitcher of the Year as she led the entire Orange County area in strikeouts last season with 302. She has also been voted team MVP for Canyon High School in each of her last two campaigns.
Milestones on the Horizon:
• Senior Stephanie Brown, after the seventh week of the 2007 season, is fifth (150) in runs scored at Notre Dame. Brown is also tied for fifth on the all-time hits list with 251, only three behind Meghan Murray (1994-97) for fourth. Further, Brown is eighth on the all-time home runs list (18) only three behind Mallorie Lenn for seventh. Brown is also among the all-time leaders in walks (65-sixth) and stolen bases (52-fifth).
• Junior Katie Laing is eighth with her 40 career doubles only three behind Lizzy Lemire (1998-01) for seventh.
• Senior Gessica Hufnagle is tied for fourth in fielding percentage .981.
Next Week:
The Irish welcome in Eastern Michigan for a doubleheader starting at 4 p.m. on April 10 before heading on the road for a pair of conference doubleheaders against Providence (April 14) and Connecticut (April 15). Both road doubleheaders are set to start at noon.