May 15, 2007
Complete Softball Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
NCAA Tournament Berth:
For the ninth consecutive season and 12th time overall Notre Dame’s softball will be heading to the NCAA Tournament. The Irish were one of 35 teams that earned an at-large bid and will start off play against No. 22/25 Illinois State, another team that received an at-large berth, on Friday, May 18 at noon (CT).
Familiar Surroundings:
For the second time in as many seasons the Irish are headed to Evanston for the NCAA Tournament. Notre Dame will be looking to reverse a recent trend of having its season ended by a team from the Big Ten. Notre Dame has fallen to Northwestern in each of the previous two years and have fallen to teams from the Big Ten a total of 12 times in NCAA Tournament play since 1994. The Irish also have continued the trend of playing on the road at strictly Big Ten regional sites since it began qualifying for NCAA Regional Play. Indiana (1994), Iowa (2001-02), Michigan (1995-96, 1999-2000, 2003-04) and Northwestern (2006-07) have hosted the Irish in regional competition.
BIG EAST Conference Has Three Selected:
For the second consecutive season, three BIG EAST softball teams earned bids to the NCAA Women’s Softball Championship, DePaul and Louisville will also each compete in the Regionals, May 18-20.
The three bids ties the conference record for representatives in the NCAA Championship. In 2001, Connecticut, Notre Dame and Seton Hall earned bids, while in 2006 Louisville, Notre Dame and South Florida were selected.
What A Run:
Notre Dame had a strong run through the BIG EAST Tournament, getting all the way to the championship as the fourth seed before falling to Louisville. The Irish started their run with a 6-0 victory over Connecticut (May 10). Senior Gessica Hufnagle had two hits and two runs-batted-in against the Huskies. No. 14/12 DePaul was the next opponent in the tournament for Notre Dame. The Irish played their best game of the season in knocking off the ranked opponent. A third inning two-run double from sophomore Linda Kohan and a three-run home run from freshman Christine Lux provided all the offense the Irish would need. Sophomore Brittney Bargar flirted with a perfect game until two outs in the sixth inning and only allowed two runs on three hits in the Notre Dame 8-2 win over the Blue Demons (May 11). The win advanced the Irish to the championship game of the BIG EAST Tournament where they battled familiar opponent Louisville (May 12). This was the second consecutive season that the two schools have meet in the championship game. Overall, this was Notre Dame’s ninth appearance in the championship game in 12 years. The Irish put up a fight and after being down early 2-0, tied the score in the sixth on freshman Heather Johnson’s run scoring double. Just as quickly though Louisville took the lead back in their half of the sixth. The Irish had the tying run on third in the seventh but just couldn’t plate her, falling 3-2 to Louisville in the championship game.
Brown Sets Runs Record:
Senior Stephanie Brown with her run scored against DePaul (May 11) set the career mark for runs at Notre Dame with 165. She has since added to her mark and it now stands at 166 career runs for Brown.
A Win Over A Ranked Opponent:
The win by Notre Dame over No. 14/12 DePaul (May 11) was Notre Dame’s first over a ranked opponent this season. During the Gumpf era the Irish have knocked off a total of 16 ranked opponents.
A Significant Victory:
The win over DePaul was also the 250th of head coach Deanna Gumpf’s career, all coming at Notre Dame.
Number 30:
Notre Dame’s win over Connecticut (May 10) was the 30th victory of the season, which is the 19th consecutive season the Irish have cracked the 30-win barrier.
Four Earn All-BIG EAST Honors:
Four Notre Dame softball players earned all-BIG EAST honors at the conference’s annual awards banquet on May 9.
Of the four players honored by the conference (from the votes of coaches), Stephanie Brown took home the highest accolades, as she was a first-team all-BIG EAST selection. This is the fourth time in as many years that Brown has been an all-BIG EAST selection. She was a second-team selection in 2005 and a first-team honoree in both 2004 and 2006.
Junior Katie Laing garnered all-BIG EAST honors for the third time in her career, as she was a second-team choice. Laing has been a second teamer in each of the last two seasons after a first team selection as a freshman.
Brittney Bargar earned the first league honor of her career in being chosen for the second team. Bargar has been the rock of the rotation and leads the team and conference in wins (22), innings pitched (234), strikeouts (224) and games started (37).
Fellow sophomore Beth Northway represented the Irish on the third team. This was the first league honor of Northway’s career.
Brown an Academic All-District Honoree:
Outfielder Stephanie Brown was selected to the 2007 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District V University First Team, the College of Sports Information Directors (CoSIDA) announced May 10.
Brown, who has a 3.42 grade-point average in marketing, was a second-team Academic All-American in 2006. During the 2007 regular season, Brown led the conference in overall batting average (.445) and on-base percentage (.503), while placing second in runs scored (38) and third in hits (65). She was also tied for third in triples (6) and sixth in stolen bases (13). For the third time in her career she was an all-BIG-EAST. Brown, a member of Notre Dame’s Academic Honors Program for Student-Athletes, is set to earn her marketing degree with a minor in peace studies from the Mendoza College of Business in May.
The ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American program is part of ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American program. The academic team is made up of student-athletes from Division I schools in the Midwest. To be nominated, student-athletes must be a starter or an important reserve with a minimum grade-point average of 3.20. Team members are selected by a vote of members of College Sports Information Directors of American within the district. Brown, by virtue of her first team selection, will now move onto to national ballot in search of being an Academic All-American for the second consecutive season.
Teams in the NCAA Tournament:
Notre Dame’s softball team put together quite an impressive schedule this season as 15 teams that made the 2007 NCAA Division I Women’s Softball Championship also played the Irish this season (Arizona State, California, Cal State Fullerton, DePaul, Eastern Michigan, Fresno State, Louisiana-Lafayette, Louisville, Michigan, Northwestern, Pacific, Tennessee Tech, Texas, UCLA and Virginia Tech). Notre Dame played a combined 19 games against these opponents.
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 4-3 in one-run games this season.
• Notre Dame is 25-1 when it takes a lead through the fourth inning and 3-19 when it goes through the fourth inning trailing.
• The Irish are 14-2 when scoring in the first inning. Overall Notre Dame is 23-2 when it scores first in a game.
• The Irish have outscored their opponents in all odd number innings (38-27 in the 1st, 40-22 in the 3rd, 41-29 in the 5th and 17-6 in the 7th) and also in the 4th inning (30-26).
• In neutral site games, Notre Dame has won eight of the 11 games it has been designated as the home team on the scoreboard.
•The Irish are 1-19 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 25-10.
•The Irish are 1-9 against ranked opponents this season.
The Best of the Best:
Stephanie Brown, as of last week’s NCAA stats (May 6), was ranked 16th nationally in batting average (.445). Catcher Gessica Hufnagle entered last week ninth nationally in sacrifices per game (0.41) and Brittney Bargar was 40th in victories (20).
Brown Named A Finalist for Senior Class Award:
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 heading to the NCAA Women’s Softball Championship for the ninth consecutive season. Notre Dame is in the Evanston Regional and will square off against Illinois State (42-15) at noon (CT) on Friday, May 19. The other two teams at this site are Wright State (25-33) and No. 6/7 Northwestern (45-11). The tournament is double elimination and will continue on Saturday morning or evening depending on Friday’s results.
Either Way She’s Okay:
Stephanie Brown is hitting .357 (5-for-14) against left-handed pitchers this season and is batting .440 (62-for-141) against righties.
That A Way To Leadoff:
Stephanie Brown has led off an inning 75 times this season and has reached base 41 of those times (.547).
Moving Them Along:
Gessica Hufnagle has advanced runners a team best 63 times this season, including 22 sacrifice bunts.
Pressure Players:
Stephanie Brown and Gessica Hufnagle are tied for the team lead with a .382 batting average (13-for-34) with two outs. Heather Johnson has a team best 19 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 .329 (26-for-79) with all 20 of her RBI, while in Irish losses the sophomore is only hitting .125 (7-for-56).
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):
After the BIG EAST Conference Tournament, Stephanie Brown leads the conference in on-base percentage (.491), batting average (.432) and runs scored (40). She is also second in hits (67), tied for third in triples (2), and seventh in stolen bases (13).
Heather Johnson is tied for the lead in doubles with 13 and seventh in runs-batted-in (35).
Gessica Hufnagle leads the league in sacrifice bunts with 22.
Brittney Bargar is the conference leader in wins (22), innings pitched (234.0), strikeouts (224), games started (37) and complete games (26). She is second in appearances (41), fifth in opponent’s batting average (.215) and tied for seventh in ERA (2.12)
Kenya Fuemmeler is 10th in opponent’s batting average against at .248.
Conference Leaders (BIG EAST):
Stephanie Brown finished fifth in the conference in batting average (.418) and third in hits (28). She was also tied for seventh in on-base percentage (.466)
Gessica Hufnagle placed second in sacrifice bunts (10) and tied for seventh in on-base percentage (.466).
Beth Northway was fifth in the league in hit by pitches with three.
Brittney Bargar led the conference in strikeouts (71). She was third in innings pitched (80) and wins (8). The sophomore finished fourth in batting average allowed (.200) and fifth in ERA (1.92).
Kenya Fuemmeler was tied for seventh in wins (5) and opponents-batting average (.239). Fuemmeler also placed 10th in ERA (2.40)
Scouting Illinois State:
The No. 22/25 Redbirds (42-15-1) are making their sixth appearance in the tournament. This is the second of two back-to-back NCAA appearances by Illinois State, as the team went to the Iowa City Regional last season. The Redbirds lost in the semifinals of the Missouri Valley Conference to Southern Illinois on Friday, May 11 and received an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament. The ISU attack is led by freshman Kara Nelson. Nelson leads the team in batting average (.409), runs (57), hits (83) and triples (4). Illinois State also has tremendous power and has three players that have hit more than 15 home runs this season. Sophomore Jessie Buker leads the team with her 16 home runs. Fellow sophomore Amber Smith has 15 home runs and 40 runs drive in. Senior Kelsey Warning has 15 home runs and a team best 53 RBI. The teams 82 home runs and .303 team batting average are also impressive. The pitching staff uses a pair of aces in seniors Shannon Nicholson and Stacy Birk. Nicholson leads the team in wins (20) and ERA (1.51). Birk, while winning 19 games, has team-highs of 45 appearances, 29 starts, 18 complete games, 190.2 innings pitched and 151 strikeouts.
Series vs. Illinois State:
This will be the sixth time these two teams meet and the second time in an NCAA Regional. The Irish and Redbirds locked up in the 2001 Iowa City Regional with Notre Dame winning 2-1. The last time Notre Dame and Illinois State met was during the 2003 NFCA Leadoff Classic. The Irish have won the last three meetings over ISU and holds a 4-1 edge in the all-time series.
Scouting Wright State:
The Raiders (25-33) are making their second all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament with the other one coming in 2003. Wright State is one of just two teams in the 64-team field with a record below .500, with Furman (21-34-1) being the other one. The Raiders reached this point by winning the Horizon League Tournament with a perfect 4-0 record last weekend, May 10-12. The weekend was capped off with a 7-3 victory over Cleveland State in eight innings in the championship game. Junior Jherica Williams is the team’s best hitter with a .349 batting average, 44 runs, 60 hits, 15 doubles, 5 triples and 26 stolen bases. Williams was a Louisville Slugger All-American last season at Chipola Junior College. Freshman Kristen Bradshaw has been the team’s best RBI threat with 34 runs-batted-in. The Raiders are blessed with good team speed and have 78 stolen bases. The pitching staff uses a pair of freshman hurlers in Jamie Perkins and Allison Cox. Perkins leads the team in complete games (15), innings pitched (191.1) and strikeouts (120). In her first year, Cox has 15 wins, 30 games started, 178.2 innings pitched and 13 complete games.
Series vs. Wright State:
The Irish have played against the Raiders four times all-time and have yet to drop a game. The last time these two teams met was 1995 when both teams were still in the Midwestern Collegiate Conference. Notre Dame escaped with a 7-6 victory in 1995 in the second game of the doubleheader.
Scouting Northwestern:
The No. 6/6 Wildcats (45-11) are one of the premier collegiate softball programs in the country and earned the overall second seed in the 2007 NCAA tournament. The Northwestern offense is led by the trio of sophomore Tammy Williams and seniors Katie Logan and Garland Cooper. Williams leads the team with a .419 batting average, 65 runs, 78 hits, 14 doubles, 14 stolen bases and 133 total bases. Williams also has hit 13 home runs and driven in 42. Logan is hitting .389 with 52 runs scored, 75 hits and three triples. Cooper is one of the more feared sluggers in the nation with a .383 batting average, 21 home runs, 67 RBI and 36 walks. Besides outstanding hitters the Wildcats also possess a strong pitching duo. Freshman Lauren Delaney sports an impressive 18-2 record with 16 complete games, 150 innings pitched and 184 strikeouts. Senior righty Eileen Canney is one of the best hurlers in the nation. Canney is 27-9 with 27 complete games, 220 innings pitched and 303 strikeouts on the year. The Wildcats are looking to make a run at their second consecutive trip to the Women’s College World Series this weekend in Evanston. Northwestern earned an at-large bid after finishing as the runner-up at the Big Ten Tournament. Overall, this is the Wildcats 10th appearance in the NCAA tournament including a berth in each of the last five seasons.
Series vs. Northwestern:
The two teams have played each other 16 previous times with Northwestern holding a 10-6 advantage. Northwestern beat Notre Dame earlier this season 12-0 at Ivy Field. The two previous times the teams locked up was in Evanston at the 2006 NCAA Regional. The Wildcats have ended the Irish season in each of the last two years at the NCAA Tournament.
The Things We Share:
All three teams in the Evanston Regional have played teams that Notre Dame has played and our familiar with.
Illinois State is 5-4 against like opponents. Notre Dame is 3-9 against those same teams (Louisville, Oklahoma, Arizona State, Virginia Tech, UCLA, IUPUI and DePaul).
Northwestern is 9-4 against like opponents as the Irish. Notre Dame is 3-10 against those same teams (Fresno State, Cal State Fullerton, California, UNLV, Arizona State, UCLA, Louisville, Michigan and DePaul).
Wright State has played four (UCLA, IUPUI, Loyola and Ball State) of the same teams as Notre Dame and have a 1-5 record. The Irish are an impressive 3-1 against those same four teams.
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 those games. The Irish used a balanced offensive attack to defeat Rutgers with six players getting multiple hits in the doubleheader. Beth Northway was the team leader with her four hits against the Scarlet Knights. The Villanova series was another well-balanced offensive showing by the Irish. Gessica Hufnagle had a team-high three runs-batted-in.
Much Respect:
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 on May 7. Brittney Bargar made her fourth overall appearance this season, as she went 4-0 with 28 strikeouts in 26 innings from the circle. 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.
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 Building 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 tough 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:
Brittney Bargar and 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 Appearances:
The Irish made the first of their television appearances in the 3-1 loss to South Florida on Sunday, April 22. The game was shown by CSTV. The second television appearance was in the championship game of the BIG EAST Tournament on May 12 against Louisville. The Irish lost a 3-2 heartbreaking to the Cardinals.
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, 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 during 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 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:
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:
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:
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 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. She also struck out 20 opponents in 20 innings pitched. Fellow right-handed pitcher Kenya Fuemmeler was also strong with a 2-0 record and an ERA of 0.58. The Irish started the week with a 6-1 win over IUPUI (March 22). Heather Johnson had a perfect 3-for-3 afternoon with two doubles to lead the offensive charge. 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 RBI in a 9-1 win over Seton Hall. 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:
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 Christine Lux, who picking up the first three hits of her collegiate career including her first RBI. Among her three hits were two doubles. Notre Dame started the week falling to No. 2/4 Arizona State 3-0. 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 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 just over a day, were downed by the Tigers 8-0 in five innings. Beth Northway and 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.
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. 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 Linda Kohan. Katie Laing would make it a 4-3 Irish winner, as she punched a ball through the left side to drive in Carissa Jaquish in extra-innings. Despite a strong pitching performance from 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:
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). For her great play, Johnson 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 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 pitcher Brittney Bargar and 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 250-112 in her coaching career and has taken the Irish to six consecutive NCAA postseason berths.
She picked up milestone victory 250 with an 8-2 win over DePaul in the semifinals of the BIG EAST Tournament on May 12, 2007.
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 12th week of the 2007 season, has broken the runs record at Notre Dame. She is passed Andrea Loman (2000-03) with now 166 runs scored. 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 Evanston Regional they will advance to the Super Regional to take on the winner of the Columbia Regional on May 25-26. The teams in that regional are North Carolina State (41-19), South Carolina (34-23), Penn State (26-23) and Oregon (42-17).