June 27, 2001

The 2001 Notre Dame softball coaching staff has been named the Speedline/NFCA Division I Mideast Region Coaching Staff of the Year by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association after leading the team to its most successful season in Irish softball history.

Head coach Liz Miller, along with associate head coach Deanna Gumpf and assistants Traci Conrad and John Gumpf, led the Irish to a #8 national ranking, a #1 seed in the 2001 NCAA Championship and a runner-up finish in the Iowa City Regional. The team compiled a team record 54 victories against just seven defeats and won the BIG EAST Conference regular season title.

Miller, who announced her retirement on June 12, claimed her 900th career victory during the season and Deanna Gumpf helped the pitching staff post a team record 0.89 earned run average, a mark that ranked seventh in the final NCAA statistical rankings. The Irish also finished first in doubles (1.61 per game, 98 total), fifth in team batting (.318 average), fifth in slugging percentage (.457), sixth in triples (0.44 per game, 27 total) and 13th in scoring (5.05 runs per game).

The Irish claimed tournament titles at the Holiday Inn Invitational (Tampa, Fla., Feb. 16-18) and Frost Tournament (Chattanooga, Tenn., March 2-4) as well as taking third place in the prestigious Kia Klassic (Fullerton, Calif., March 15-18) and posted a 10-4 record against ranked opponents for the season.

An unprecedented number of Irish softball players earned post season awards this season, including four All-Americans, two Academic All-Americans and three selections to the U.S. National Softball Team.