April 25, 2001
The University of Notre Dame softball team (41-3), enjoying one the most successful seasons in the program’s history, added another first to its list of accomplishments this year. The Irish moved up into a tie for ninth place with Arizona State (whom Notre Dame defeated 5-1 on March 17th) in the latest edition of the USA Today/National Fastpitch Coaches Association Top 25 poll released on Wednesday, April 25. It is the first time in school history that the Irish have cracked the top 10 in a national poll and gives head coach Liz Miller’s team, which is also 12-0 in BIG EAST Conference competition, its highest-ever ranking.
Notre Dame boasts an 8-2 record against ranked teams this season, knocking off #4 Washington, #18 South Carolina, #24 Cal State Northridge twice, #7 Fresno State, #10 Arizona State and #10 DePaul twice. The Irish have compiled a school-record 23-game win streak, currently the second best in the nation, and have swept 12 consecutive doubleheaders entering tonight’s twin bill against Toledo (4 p.m., Ivy Field).
The NCAA also has released its statistical rankings (as of April 22) and the Irish appear prominently on many of the lists. Freshman pitcher Kristin Schmidt (Houston, Texas) was sixth in the country with a 0.51 ERA entering this week’s competition and lowered that mark to 0.49 with four shutout innings in Notre Dame’s 8-0 victory at Illinois-Chicago on Tuesday, April 24. Schmidt combines with senior All-American Jen Sharron (Agoura Hills, Calif.) to give the Irish a 0.92 team ERA, currently the ninth-best mark in the country.
Junior rightfielder Jenny Kriech (Indianapolis, Ind.), who has raised her season batting average to .403, was ranked 45th in the country in hitting with a .393 average entering the week. She also is 14th in the country in triples with six in 43 games.
As a team, Notre Dame is sixth in the country in hitting (.322 average), 18th in scoring (5.16 runs per game) and lead the nation in winning percentage (41-3, .930).
Notre Dame softball fans will get a chance to see the ninth-ranked team in the country in action three times this week (as always, Notre Dame softball games are free admission for everyone).
The Irish face Toledo (18-26) in a doubleheader tonight at 4 p.m.. Notre Dame will return to BIG EAST competition this weekend with doubleheaders against Boston College on Saturday at 11 a.m. and Providence on Sunday at 11 a.m.. Frisbee Dogs will be performing between the two games against Boston College on Saturday and the first 150 kids (16 and under) will receive a free Notre Dame Frisbee.
On Sunday, the Irish are sponsoring a “Jimmy Buffett Bash” while encouraging fans to wear tropical clothes and enjoy the warm weather during Notre Dame’s last weekend of home competition. The first 200 fans will receive a free Notre Dame t-shirt and one lucky fan will get a chance to win round-trip airline tickets.