May 8, 2007
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The Fourth Seed:
Notre Dame’s softball team (29-21, 13-7 BIG EAST) finished with the league’s fourth best record in conference play and was designated as the fourth seed in the 2007 BIG EAST Championship. The Irish will battle against No. 5 seed UConn (22-20, 10-9 BIG EAST) on May 10 at 6:30 in the single elimination tournament. The Irish have been the tournament champions five times overall, including last year’s ride to the top with wins over Providence, Pittsburgh and then No. 18 Louisville. The Irish have also been chosen for each of the last eight NCAA Softball Tournaments.
A Great Finish To The Regular Season:
Notre Dame finished the conference regular season with sweeps of Rutgers (5-2 & 5-1) and Villanova (5-2 & 4-2). Brittney Bargar started and won three of the games. The Irish used a balance offensive attack to defeat Rutgers with six players getting multiple hits in the doubleheader. Sophomore Beth Northway was the team leader with her four hits against the Scarlet Knights. The Villanova series was another well balance offensive showing by the Irish. Senior Gessica Hufnagle had a team-high three runs-batted-in.
Much Respect:
Senior Stephanie Brown drew a pair of intentional walks against Villanova on May 6. The two intentional walks were the first and second of the season for the centerfielder. On the day, Brown set a career-high with three walks.
A No-Hitter For Bargar:
Brittney Bargar snapped Notre Dame’s seven-game losing streak in a big way, throwing a near perfect game against Loyola-Chicago on May 1. The only blemish against Bargar on the afternoon was a hit batter in the first inning. She struck out 10 in the victory. For Bargar, it was her second no-hitter of the season and the third of her career.
A Pair Honored By The BIG EAST Conference:
For the third time this season, Notre Dame’s softball team had a pair of players named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll. Sophomore Brittney Bargar made her fourth overall appearance this season, as she went 4-0 with 28 strikeouts in 26 innings from the circle. Senior Stephanie Brown was also a BIG EAST honoree with her .500 batting average to go along with three walks, three runs scored and three driven in.
A Few 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 4-2 in one-run games this season.
• Notre Dame is 23-1 when it takes a lead through the fourth inning and 3-18 when it goes through the fourth inning trailing.
• The Irish are 14-2 when scoring in the first inning. Overall Notre Dame is 21-2 when it scores first in a game.
• The Irish have outscored their opponents in all odd number innings (38-25 in the 1st, 32-22 in the 3rd, 41-29 in the 5th and 16-6 in the 7th).
• 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 1-18 when the team scores two or less runs in a game.
• When Notre Dame makes one error in a game the team is 6-12, but when the team makes zero or two errors it is 23-9.
• The Irish are 0-9 against ranked opponents this season.
The Best of the Best:
Senior Stephanie Brown, as of last week’s NCAA stats (May 1), was ranked 19th nationally in batting average (.438). Brown raised her average by seven points to .445 in the five games against Loyola, Rutgers and Villanova.
Brown Named A Finalist for Senior Class Award:
Senior Stephanie Brown was named one of the 10 finalists for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award, the committee announced April 26. The award winner will be announced prior to the opening ceremonies at the 2007 Women’s College World Series.
Liked the Home Cooking:
Five different Irish players batted over .300 in the 20 games at the friendly confines of Ivy Field. The five in order goes as follows: Stephanie Brown (.455), Katie Laing (.373), Heather Johnson (.340), Gessica Hufnagle (.333) and Beth Northway (.300). As a team, Notre Dame batted .326 in home games this year, while limiting opponents to a .194 batting average.
On Tap This Week:
The Irish are set to host the BIG EAST Softball Championships from May 10-12 at the Belleville Softball Complex. Notre Dame earned the fourth seed and will battle against the fifth-seeded Connecticut Huskies at 6:30 on May 10.
Either Way She’s Okay:
Senior Stephanie Brown is hitting .357 (5-for-14) against left-handed pitchers this season and is batting .455 (60-for-132) against righties.
That A Way To Lead Off:
Stephanie Brown has led off an inning 72 times this season and has reached base 39 of those times (.542).
Moving Them Along:
Senior Gessica Hufnagle has advanced runners a team-best 57 times this season, including 20 sacrifice bunts.
Pressure Players:
Stephanie Brown leads the team with a .406 batting average (13-for-32) with two outs. Heather Johnson has a team best 18 two-out RBI in those same situations.
The Kohan Factor:
Second baseman Linda Kohan has really dictated the outcome of the Irish season. In Notre Dame wins, Kohan is hitting .324 (24-for-74) with all 18 of her RBI, while in Irish losses the sophomore is only hitting .132 (7-for-53).
A Balanced Lineup:
On the season, 11 different Irish players have tallied multi-hit games and 10 different players have multi-RBI games.
Conference Leaders (Overall):
At the conclusion of the regular season, Stephanie Brown leads the conference in on-base percentage (.503), batting average (.445) and is second in runs scored (37). She is also third in hits (65), tied for third in triples (2), and sixth in stolen bases (13).
Heather Johnson is tied for fifth in doubles with 12 and 10th in runs-batted-in (31).
Gessica Hufnagle is second in the league in sacrifice bunts with 20.
Brittney Bargar leads the conference in wins (20), innings pitched (214.0), strikeouts (205), games started (34) and complete games (23). She is also tied for third in appearances (38) and seventh in ERA (2.16)
Kenya Fuemmeler is 10th in opponent’s batting average against at .248.
Conference Leaders (BIG EAST):
Stephanie Brown is sixth in the conference in batting average (.418) and fourth in hits (28). She is also tied for eighth in on-base percentage (.466)
Gessica Hufnagle is second in sacrifice bunts (10) and tied for eighth in on-base percentage (.466).
Beth Northway is sixth in the league in hit by pitches with three.
Brittney Bargar leads the conference in strikeouts (71). She is third in innings pitched (80) and wins (8). The sophomore is fourth in batting average allowed (.200) and sixth in ERA (1.98).
Senior Kenya Fuemmeler is seventh in wins (5), eighth in opponents-batting average (.239) and 10th in ERA (2.40)
Scouting Connecticut:
The Huskies (22-20, 10-9) finished the 2007 BIG EAST regular season in fifth place and will square off with Notre Dame in the first round of the BIG EAST Tournament. The last time, Connecticut made the tournament was in 2001 when they won the championship over Seton Hall. This is the 12th all-time appearance by UConn at the BIG EAST Softball Championships. The Huskies lead the BIG EAST with seven career titles. The Irish are lifetime 4-4 against UConn in BIG EAST Tournament play. The Huskies haven’t stepped on the field since falling twice to South Florida on April 29. Sophomore Jillan Ortega is the team-leader with a .360 batting average and 50 hits to go along with six home runs and 32 RBI. UConn has six players with four or more home runs this season led by sophomore Micah Truax’s 11 long balls. Senior Holly Calcagno is the third part of a powerful hitting trio. She has seven home runs, a .347 batting average and 24 runs-batted-in. The Huskies use four pitchers, but the most effective starter has been senior Krista Michalczyk. Michalalcyzk is the team-leader in wins (11), complete games (10) and innings pitched (116.2). Freshman Tricia Sullivan leads the squad with 54 strikeouts.
Series vs. Connecticut:
Notre Dame owns an overall record of 24-7 against UConn. In BIG EAST Tournament play, Notre Dame is only 4-4 but has still won 14 of the last 15 overall meeting between the schools. Last season, the Irish swept the series with a 9-0 win in five innings and a 2-1 win in eight innings. The eight inning performance was the first ever no-hitter from sophomore Brittney Bargar.
Notre Dame Falls Three Times To The Ranked:
The Irish had a tough week of action in falling three times to ranked opponents from April 24-29. Notre Dame started the week with a 12-0 loss to No. 8/10 Northwestern (April 24). The Irish then had their game rained out against UIC (April 25) before dropping a pair of weekend games to No. 15/11 DePaul (April 29) by the scores of 3-1 and 4-0. The loss extended the season-low seven games in a row. Stephanie Brown continued her hitting streak to three with hits in all the games of the week.
Breaking Ground On A New Field:
It was an exciting day for Notre Dame’s softball team on April 28 as the Irish broke ground on the new softball stadium, Melissa Cook Stadium. The stadium is named for former Irish softball player, Melissa Cook, who was killed tragically when scaffolding from the John Hancock fell on her vehicle. The Demo family, mother and step-father for Cook, were on hand to break ground on the new stadium and ring in a new era for the Notre Dame softball program.
A Fast Start, but a Slow Finish:
Notre Dame softball team started the busy midweek well by defeating Western Michigan twice (April 17), Ball State (April 18) once and Valparaiso (April 19) once, but then a slow weekend and doubleheader conference sweeps by Louisville (April 21) and South Florida (April 22) slowed the momentum and gave the Irish a 4-4 record on the week.
A Combined No-Hitter:
Sophomore Brittney Bargar and senior Kenya Fuemmeler made history on April 18 against Ball State with a combined no-hitter. The no-hitter was the 33rd ever for Notre Dame and the seventh-ever combined no-no. The no-hitter was also the second for both Bargar and Fuemmeler. Bargar also threw a no-hitter in April 2006 against Connecticut, while Fuemmeler threw hers in a combined effort against Western Michigan in March 2006.
Irish TV Appearance:
The Irish made their only scheduled television appearance of the season in the 3-1 loss to South Florida on Sunday, April 22. The game was shown by CSTV.
Memorable Class:
Before the second game of the South Florida series, the Irish honored the five senior members of the 2007 team with a small ceremony. The five seniors are Stephanie Brown, Kenya Fuemmeler, Gessica Hufnagle, Carissa Jaquish and student manager Jessica Prina.
Rain, Rain, Go Away:
Notre Dame’s softball team had four conference games postponed by the rain/cold from April 9-15. There was no makeup date scheduled for the Connecticut doubleheader.
Winning Streak Snapped:
The Irish saw their 10-game winning streak snapped with the 2-1 loss to Eastern Michigan (April 10). Stephanie Brown hit her first home run of the season to account for the lone Irish run. Brittney Bargar threw the first four innings for Notre Dame and only surrendered a hit.
A Split With Providence:
Notre Dame split its conference doubleheader against Providence, winning the first game 10-1 before dropping the second game 9-0 (April 14). Brittney Bargar picked up the game one win for Notre Dame on April 14.
Career Performance:
In the first game against Providence, senior Gessica Hufnagle had a career performance with her five RBI. The five runs-batted in is not only a career-high performance for the catcher, but is a season best performance by any Irish player this year.
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.
A Look At The History of Streaks:
The 10-game winning streak was only the 12th time in the history of the program that Notre Dame has had a winning streak of 10 or more games. The longest winning streak was 33 games from March 28, 2001-May 5, 2001.
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.
Brown Honored As Louisville Slugger/NFCA Player of The Week:
Senior Stephanie Brown captured her second award of the week and the first weekly national honor of her career, as she was named the Louisville Slugger/NFCA Player of the Week on April 4. Brown hit an amazing .722 (13-for-18) with five runs scored, two doubles, a triple and four RBI in Notre Dame’s five wins.
A Leader Both On And Off The Field:
Senior Stephanie Brown was one of 20 women nationally named as a candidate for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award by the company on April 5.
The word “CLASS” is an acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School; the award was launched during the 2001-02 season in response to the trend of college basketball players leaving school early to pursue professional careers. Veteran sportscaster Dick Enberg, who still serves as the Honorary Chairman, conceived the award.
Candidates are selected based on qualities that define a complete student-athlete. While the on-the-field performances during the student-athletes collegiate softball careers are a factor in choosing candidates and the eventual winner, the personal character and off-the-field achievements in the classroom and community are also a major areas of focus.
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 led 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 RBIs 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.
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.
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 eight road trips, the Notre Dame softball team has already logged 14,294.7 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. (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 runs-batted-in to defeat Fresno State, 4-2. The following game against No. 17/16 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 3-for-5 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.
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 runs 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. 13/9 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.
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. 9/10 Oklahoma and No. 16/17 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.
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.
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).
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 248-111 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.
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 11th week of the 2007 season, has tied the runs record at Notre Dame. She is tied with Andrea Loman (2000-03) with 164 runs each. Brown is also second on the all-time hits list with 275. Further, Brown is eighth on the all-time home runs list (19) only two behind Mallorie Lenn for seventh. Brown is also among the all-time leaders in walks (71-fourth), stolen bases (55-fifth) and at bats (759-fourth).
• Junior Katie Laing is tied for seventh with Lizzy Lemire (1998-01) with 43 career doubles.
• Senior Gessica Hufnagle is tied for fourth in fielding percentage .985.
Next Week:
If the Irish can win the BIG EAST Conference tournament for the sixth time, they will make their ninth consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament.