April 12, 2006
Complete Release in PDF Format, which includes full bio updates for each Irish player
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Notre Dame vs. DePaul, Thursday, April 13, 4:00 p.m. (DH) (ESPNU)
Irish ready to renew rivalry with DePaul on ESPNU –
The University of Notre Dame softball team (24-12) will face a common opponent in an uncommon situation on Thursday, April 13. The Irish will take on DePaul (18-11 as of April 12), one of their most frequent opponents, as BIG EAST Conference members for the first time. Notre Dame also will be making its first appearance on ESPNU – as the cable television station will broadcast game one of the doubleheader live (check local listings for channel location).
Notre Dame and DePaul have met 44 times previous to Thursday’s doubleheader, but never a part of the same conference. The Blue Demons joined the BIG EAST Conference in 2005 and are competing in their first season of softball this spring.
Ivy Field audio coverage –
Notre Dame home softball game live audio coverage will return www.und.com on Thursday, April 13 (Fighting Irish All-Access subscription required). The DePaul doubleheader will be called by assistant sports information director Chris Masters can be heard live on www.und.com.
Irish ALERT continues on Thursday –
A joint effort between Centennial Wireless, Notre Dame Sports Properties and the Notre Dame Sports Information Office has made up-to-the-minute text messaging a reality this season. Notre Dame announced the Irish ALERT system, which will cover baseball, softball, men’s lacrosse and women’s lacrosse this spring for a free trial.
Simply sign up for the service at www.und.com and your mobile device will receive score updates from each of the four sports throughout the 2006 season. The service also will provide periodical updates providing team schedules and special alerts when content is uploaded on www.und.com.
For softball, updates are sent when the weekly release is posted on www.und.com, when a schedule change pops up (delayed games, added games) and in the first, third, fifth and seventh innings of each Irish game.
Ivy Field parking information –
Due to construction on Ivy Road, the access to Ivy Field is limited this season. For the remaining games this season, the Alumni Field parking lot will be open (just south of the varsity soccer field and past the outfield wall of Frank Eck Stadium) and fans will be allowed to walk through Alumni Field to reach Ivy Field.
The University of Notre Dame softball team appreciates your patience with the access issues and thanks you for your continued support of Fighting Irish softball.
Meagan Ruthrauff named BIG EAST Player of the Week –
Senior 3B Meagan Ruthrauff earned her fifth career BIG EAST Player of the Week award, and first of 2006, on Monday, April 9. The senior co-captain finished the week with a .545 batting average, five home runs and 11 RBI. In conference play she was even better, hitting .692 (nine for 13) with six runs scored, five HR and 10 RBI.
See many of the following notes for a closer look at Ruthrauff’s outstanding weekend.
Ball State recap –
Notre Dame won its 24th game of the season with a 6-0 victory over Ball State (9-17) on Tuesday evening. The game was broadcast live on Comcast Local – a cable network available in Michigan and Southern Indiana.
The Irish jumped ahead 3-0 in the game with a two-RBI triple by sophomore Katie Laing and an RBI double from freshman Linda Kohan. Notre Dame’s pitching staff combined to hold the Cardinals to two hits in the contest, while the Irish offense added on three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. Among those three runs was sophomore Brittany Glynn’s first career hit – a two-run home run down the leftfield line.
Weekend recap –
After losing two games in a row last week to end a nine-game winning streak, Notre Dame recovered to post a 3-1 record in conference play and moved their overall conference mark to 7-1 with a split at Syracuse and sweep at Pittsburgh.
The Syracuse doubleheader was a battle to the end. The Orange were able to win game one, 2-1, with an RBI single in the bottom of the second inning. The two pitchers in the contest, senior Heather Booth for Notre Dame and sophomore Erin Downey for Syracuse, would not give up a run over the final five innings of the contest.
The Irish recovered to win game two in 10 innings, earning their fourth extra-inning victory of the year. Notre Dame rallied from an 3-0 deficit to take a brief 5-3 lead in the sixth inning. Syracuse rallied with a two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth and the score remained tied until junior Carrisa Jaquish hit her first home run of the season and second of her career in the top of the 10th inning, a two-run shot, to push the Irish to a 7-5 win.
Notre Dame wrapped up the weekend with dominating doubleheader at Pittsburgh. The Irish won game one 7-0, then took game two 14-4 behind a school-record tying 21 hits. Senior Meagan Ruthrauff crushed four home runs during the doubleheader, including a school-record three in game two. She also drove in a program-best seven runs in game two.
ND series history vs. DePaul –
Notre Dame and DePaul have met 44 times, with the Blue Demons holding a 26-17-1 edge in the series … the series has been close to even since 2001 … Notre Dame won four straight meetings over ranked DePaul teams from 2001-02, but the Blue Demons recovered with four consecutive wins of their own from 2003-04 … the teams split their doubleheader last season in Chicago, with the Irish winning game one 2-1 in eight innings and dropping game two 7-4 … DePaul is by far the most common opponent for the Irish.
DePaul preview –
The Blue Demons have been in and out of the top 25 this season and entered a doubleheader with Illinois on Wednesday with an 18-11 record … DePaul is 5-3 in its first season in the BIG EAST … DePaul is led on offense by Amber Patton (.403 avg.) and Marcy Wilus (.321, four HR, 17 RBI) … the Blue Demon pitching staff shares its innings between Tracie Adix (5-2, 1.88 ERA), Megan Huitink (6-4, 1.98 ERA) and Stephanie Blagaich (6-3, 2.66 ERA) … DePaul is 4-6 on its opponent’s home field this season.
Deanna Gumpf nabs 200th win in record-setting style –
Notre Dame head coach Deanna Gumpf won her 200th game with the Irish in game two at Pittsburgh on Sunday, April 9 – and the Irish made sure the win would be remembered with a record-setting performance. As a team, Notre Dame pounded out 21 hits – matching the school record set back in 1992 against Rhode Island.
Two Irish players posted personal-best hit totals in the contest, with junior Stephanie Brown and senior Meagan Ruthrauff going four for five at the plate. Ruthrauff’s big game drew much of the attention, however, as she set two school records in the contest by hitting three home runs and driving in seven runs.
Gumpf is now 201-81 (.713) in her career with the Irish and has led the team to five consecutive NCAA appearances and five consecutive BIG EAST regular-season titles during her tenure.
Irish pile up 21 hits in game two vs. Pittsburgh –
Notre Dame’s offense exploded for 21 hits in game two at Pittsburgh on Sunday, April 9, in a 14-4 victory over the Panthers. The performance matched the school record for hits in a single game. Notre Dame posted 21 hits against Rhode Island on March 14, 1992.
The Irish and Panthers also combined for a Notre Dame record 32 hits in game two – breaking the previous combined hits record of 29 (in the same game against Rhode Island, 1992 and vs. St. Joseph’s on April 17, 1990).
Ruthrauff breaks two long-standing Irish records in remarkable performance –
Senior 3B Megan Ruthrauff will see her name atop two single-game record categories after game two at Pittsburgh on Sunday, April 9.
Ruthrauff posted a personal-best four hits in game two – three of which left the park for home runs. She hit a solo shot to leftfield in the top of the first, had an RBI single in the fourth, added a solo shot in the sixth and put an exclamation mark on her day with a grand slam in the seventh inning.
Ruthrauff used all three fields for her home runs (one to left, one to center and one to right) and set the Notre Dame record for home runs in a single game (three) and RBI (seven).
The RBI record was first set in 2000 by `01 graduate Melanie Alkire. Alkire drove in six agianst San Diego State on March 12, 2000. The record was tied twice, once by `02 graduate Jarrah Myers at CS Northridge on March 11, 2001 and again by `05 graduate Liz Hartmann against Oakland on April 30, 2002.
The single-game home run record was held by nine different players – who accomplished the feat a combined 14 times. The most recent was by Hartmann, who hit two home runs against Nebraska on Feb. 14, 2004.
Ruthrauff earned her fifth career BIG EAST Player of the Week award for her performance over the weekend. Over a four-game conference stretch against Syracuse and Pittsburgh, Ruthrauff was nine for 13 with six runs scored, five home runs and 10 RBI.
Irish pile up a record 46 hits in three games –
The Notre Dame offense hit a lull over a four-game stretch from April 2-8. The Irish finished 2-2 during the four-game run and combined for 19 hits as a team. Starting with game two at Syracuse, the Irish offense seems to be finding its stride again.
Over a three-game stretch last weekend, all victories, Notre Dame amassed 46 hits (12 vs. Syracuse, 13 vs. Pittsburgh, 21 vs. Pittsburgh) – a school record for hits over three consecutive games.
Notre Dame had previously notched 40 hits in three consecutive games three times:
• 1996 vs. Rutgers (19), Rutgers (12) and Rutgers (9) – from 3-30 to 3-31
•1998 vs. Loyola Chicago (13), vs. Loyola Chicago (14) and Rutgers (13) – from 3-26 to 3-28
• 2003 at Syracuse (11), Valparaiso (12) and Valparaiso (17) – from 4-19 to 4-23
The 2003 season also saw the Irish post the school record for consecutive games with 10 team hits – as Notre Dame won 10 games in a row from April 13 – April 23 and posted at least 10 hits in each game.
Notre Dame softball on the small screen –
The University of Notre Dame softball team will be featured four more times on cable television this season, with a possible sixth appearance in the BIG EAST Championship. Notre Dame’s first appearance will be the first game of a doubleheader vs. DePaul on April 13. ESPNU will cover the first game of the doubleheader (4:00 p.m.) between the long-time regional rivals and new conference opponents.
ESPNU also will cover Notre Dame’s first visit to USF as a conference opponent, picking up the first game of that doubleheader on Saturday, April 29 (11:00 a.m.).
Notre Dame’s road game at Louisville will also be televised in the Louisville, Ky., area with ABC affiliate WHAS picking up the broadcast.
The Irish are set to visit Northwestern on Tuesday, April 18, and that game will be picked up by CSTV and shown live. The coverage can also be seen on www.und.com for those signed up for Fighting Irish All-Access.
Finally, CSTV will broadcast the BIG EAST Championship final game from the Belleville Softball Complex in South Bend, Ind., on May 13 at 6 p.m. The winner of that contest will receive the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Championship.
One-run warriors –
Notre Dame has played 16 one-run games this year. The team has posted an even 8-8 record in those 16 games, meaning that eight of the team’s 12 losses this season have come by a single run.
Going back to March 3 (an extra-inning three-run loss to Nebraska), the Irish have lost just one game by more than one run (as 4-2 setback to Akron on April 5). During the team’s trip to Southern California for spring break, the Irish played six consecutive one-run games, going 3-3 during the stretch with a win over #10 Arizona State and losses to #4 Texas (6-5), #6 Alabama (4-3) and at CS Fullerton (3-2 in eight innings).
•Notre Dame’s one-run victories –
1-0 vs. Buffalo, 1-0 at Cal Poly SLO (G2), 3-2 vs. #10 Arizona State, 1-0 vs. Florida State, 2-1 at Western Michigan, 1-0 vs. Bowling Green, 1-0 vs. Eastern Michigan, 2-1 vs. Connecticut.
•Notre Dame’s one-run losses –
5-4 vs. Colorado State, 5-4 at Florida International, 2-1 at Tulsa, 2-1 vs. Stephen F. Austin (8), 3-2 at CS Fullerton (8), 6-5 vs. #4 Texas, 4-3 vs. #6 Alabama, 2-1 at Syracuse.
New BIG EAST Conference unveiled in 2006 –
The BIG EAST Conference expansion, which officially took place this fall, has garnered most of its attention in men’s basketball. The conference has quickly transformed into the top men’s basketball league in the country, but the effect that expansion will have on softball cannot be overlooked. The BIG EAST welcomes three traditional softball powers into the conference this season with the addition of DePaul, Louisville and South Florida. All three of the new teams will compete to end Notre Dame’s regular-season conference title streak which stands at 10 years entering the `06 campaign.
Combined with an already solid conference lineup, the BIG EAST is now arguably the top softball league east of the Mississippi River. With a new league alignment, the BIG EAST Championship – scheduled to be played in South Bend, Ind., beginning May 11 – will feature a new schedule. The top eight teams from the league standings will take part in a single-elimination, three-day tournament to determine the league’s automatic berth in the NCAA Championship. The final game of that tournament will be shown live on CSTV.
Irish captains –
Notre Dame will feature four captains this season for just the second time in the program’s history. The senior class of Heather Booth, Mallorie Lenn, Meagan Ruthrauff and Sara Schoonaert will provide leadership both on and off the field for the team in 2006. The only other team to feature four captains was Notre Dame’s most successful team ever – the 2001 squad. Current Irish assistant coach Lizzy Lemire shared the captaincy that season with Melanie Alkire, Danielle Klayman and Jennifer Sharron. The Irish finished 54-7 in `01 and earned a number-one seed in the NCAA Championship.
Season schedule has been/will be a challenge –
The 2006 season will prove a challenge for the Irish, as the team will face several teams ranked in the top 25, or just out of the national rankings.
According to the latest rankings, the Irish will face (NFCA rankings first, followed by USA Softball) ORV DePaul #17/17 Northwestern and #18/20 Louisville. Notre Dame has already faced #10/10 Arizona State (3-2 victory), #4/4 Texas (6-5 loss), #6/7 Alabama (4-3 loss), #14/12 Oregon State (5-0 loss) BYU (8-3 victory), who has been in and out of the national polls this season and #17/17 Nebraska (5-3, eight-inning loss).
Notre Dame knocked off four ranked teams durng the 2005 season. The Irish defeated #21 South Florida and #19 Florida on their first weekend of action (Feb. 12-13), then knocked off #5/6 Tennessee in its last game at the Palm Springs Classic. Notre Dame also defeated #15 Northwestern with a four-run rally in the bottom of the seventh on Tuesday, April 26, 2005.
Under head coach Deanna Gumpf, the Irish have knocked off at least three ranked teams in three of four seasons (#25 South Florida, #4 Nebraska, #15 Oregon State in `02; #8 Nebraska, #14 Nebraska, #18 Nebraska in `04). The Irish have defeated a total of 14 ranked teams during Gumpf’s tenure. The most ranked wins for the Irish came in 2001, when the team defeated eight teams ranked in the national top 25.
New coaching staff, new Gumpf Family addition –
Notre Dame unveiled its new coaching staff in a unique way this season. Lizzy Lemire, a 2001 Notre Dame graduate, has joined the staff and Kris Ganeff (Notre Dame `99) moves up into the first assistant role. The change came about with the decision of former Irish assistant coach Charmelle Green to take a job in Notre Dame’s Student-Athlete Development Program.
The unusual twist to the story is that Irish head coach Deanna Gumpf missed Lemire’s official debut with the team. Gumpf and her husband John welcomed their second child, Tatum Elizabeth, on Wednesday, Feb. 22. Deanna has rejoined the team full time on the road for its Spring Break trip to Southern California.
To aid in the pitching staff’s development during Gumpf’s pregnancy, former Irish assistant coach and 1993 Penn State graduate Dawn Austin returned to the team as a volunteer assistant coach this season.
Ruthrauff reaches career walks record –
Senior 1B Meagan Ruthrauff, Notre Dame’s cleanup hitter the last three seasons, is not only a potent RBI producer (128 in three-plus years, tied for seventh on the all-time Notre Dame list), but she also has outstanding plate discipline.
Ruthrauff has drawn 101 walks during her career, surpassing matching Andrea Loman’s (2000-03) previous Notre Dame career record of 87.
Ruthrauff has already drawn 20 free passes this season and ranks one-two on the single-season walk list at Notre Dame. In 2004, she drew a record 36 base on balls and followed up with 31 walks in 2005.
Booth now Notre Dame’s most prolific pitcher –
While leading her team to a 7-0 victory over Pittsburgh in game one on Sunday, April 9, senior Heather Booth became Notre Dame’s all-time leader in innings pitched with 773.1 – surpassing Jen Sharron’s previous school mark of 772.1. Booth has been a front-line starter for the Irish since she arrived on campus four years ago and ranks in the top five for all of Notre Dame’s significant pitching records.
Currently, Booth is first all-time in innings pitched (777.1), second in appearances (141), third in games started (116), second in wins (82), second in complete games (74), fourth in shutouts (26) and third in strikeouts (734). See page eight of this notes package for a complete listing of Booth on the all-time statistical charts.
Notre Dame takes some of the nation’s top teams to the brink –
Just a quick glance at the nation’s top 25 teams (as of April 12) will provide the true nature of Notre Dame’s 2006 schedule. The Irish have faced five teams ranked in the nation’s top 17 (according to the NFCA top 25) and will have two ranked games remaining – at #17 Northwestern on Tuesday, April 18 (CSTV) and a BIG EAST Conference doubleheader at #18 Louisville on Sunday, April 30.
While the Irish have just one win against its five ranked teams faced in 2006 – they have competed head-to-head with the nation’s top teams and represented themselves well. Current NFCA ranking listed –
•#10 Arizona State – (W, 3-2) Notre Dame earned its biggest victory of the year and ended a 10-game winning streak for the Sun Devils … the Irish took a 1-0 lead on a solo home run by Meagan Ruthrauff in the bottom of the second inning … ASU answered with a home run of its own, a two-run shot by Mindy Cowles in the third inning … ASU kept its one run lead until the bottom of the seventh when freshman Stephanie Mola reached on an error and scored on a walk-off two-run home run by Stephanie Brown.
•#2 Texas – (L, 6-5) Notre Dame led the Longhorns 5-1 entering the bottom of the fifth inning … the Irish built their lead on two-run home runs from Mallorie Lenn (in the top of the first) and Katie Laing (in the top of the fifth) … after allowing just one run over the first four innings, freshman Brittney Bargar allowed four runs in the bottom of the fifth inning … the Longhorns won the game on a solo home run by pinch hitter Rachel Cook in the bottom of the sixth inning.
•#3 Alabama – (L, 4-3) In the next game on the Irish schedule after the near miss vs. Texas, Notre Dame led Alabama 2-0 in the top of the fourth inning … Mallorie Lenn provided the big hit again with a two-run homer … Alabama answered with three unearned runs in the bottom of the fourth inning off Heather Booth … Bama’s Jordan Praytor then provided the big hit with a solo home run in the bottom of the sixth … that run proved to be the game-winner, as the Irish posted two runs in the top of the seventh on a home run from freshman Linda Kohan.
•#16 Nebraska – (L, 5-2 in eight) Taking on the Cornhuskers in Tulsa, Notre Dame rallied from a 1-0 deficit to take a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the fifth inning on and RBI double by Stephanie Brown and RBI single from Mallorie Lenn … Nebraska answered with a sacrifice fly in the top of the seventh inning to extend the game … the Cornhuskers eventually won the game in the bottom of the seventh, utilizing the international tiebreaker rule to score three unearned runs with two outs.