2008 UAA Softball Championship Tournament

2008 UAA SOFTBALL
CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT

Tuesday-Saturday, March 11-15
Seminole County Softball Complex • Altamonte Springs, FL

ALL OUT BATTLE EXPECTED DURING FIVE-DAY CHASE FOR UAA SOFTBALL CROWN

2007 NCAA qualifiers Emory, Rochester, and Washington early favorites to capture title

MMYou could have called it the power of eight.

MIn seven of the previous eight University Athletic Association Softball Championship tournaments held at the Seminole County Softball Complex, eight represented the number of games won by the championship team after five days of competition in Altamonte Springs, FL.

MMWith the exception of the 2001 tournament (won by Emory University with a 7-1 record), UAA softball champions achieved the target number during their title run.

MM• Washington University won their first Association championship in their inaugural varsity season in 2000 with an 8-2 mark and ran the table three times (from 2004-06) as part of a four-year hold on the Association title with a perfect 8-0 record.

MM• Emory also went undefeated in back-to-back seasons (2002-03), running off 16 consecutive victories as part of its three-year grasp on the championship.

MMLast year, however, the eight-win theory was thrown completely out the window. In one of the most highly competitive tournaments in quite some time, the University of Rochester and Washington finished with 6-2 records in sharing the title.

MMAnyone who witnessed the excitement a year ago may want to hold on to his or her seats in 2008, because this year’s tournament may be just as intense.

MMEmory, Rochester, and Washington, which each garnered NCAA Division III tournament berths last spring, all expect to make a run at the title. And if Brandeis University and Case Western Reserve University, two teams that played the role of spoiler a year ago, have a say in the matter, it may come down to the final day in order to produce a champion.

MMWashington lost four key players that were instrumental in its four-consecutive UAA title run and a runner-up finish in the NCAA Division III finals, among them record-setting pitcher and two-time All-America selection Laurel Sagartz. But the Bears bring back 11 players from a 35-7 squad, including first team All-UAA honorees Lindsay Cavarra and Ashton Hitchcock. Cavarra (.438 batting average, six runs batted in, .550 on-base percentage) and Hitchcock (.333 batting avg., three extra-base hits, three RBI, three stolen bases) were among the top 15 hitters in last year’s tournament, and joined second team All-UAA picks Karli Stander (.278 batting avg.) and Carter Malouf (.310 batting avg., .345 slugging percentage) in contributing to the Bears’ tournament-leading .300 batting average.

MMCo-champion Rochester boasts a mix of eight experienced veterans and five talented newcomers that look to improve upon a landmark season that included a school-record 28 victories, its first Association title, and an NCAA Division III tournament appearance. Junior Beth Ameno and seniors Alicia Citro and Jessica Sorrentino ranked among the Association statistical leaders for the Yellowjackets. Ameno, a two-time All-UAA honoree, went unbeaten on the mound with a 2-0 record and a 1.75 earned run average in 24 innings pitched, striking out 19 batters, while Citro (5-for-5 in stolen bases) and two-time All-UAA honoree Sorrentino (.320 batting average, double, two home runs, 4-for-5 stolen bases) accounted for three-quarters of the team’s stolen bases in tournament play.

MMEmory, which has played second fiddle to Washington from 2004-06 before finishing an uncharacteristic third a year ago with a 4-4 mark, may possess the most potent pitching lineup in the Association in its quest to return to the top of the hill in the UAA. Senior pitchers Kathy Gordon and Ashley Tobar, who have handled the majority of the pitching duties for the Eagles during the last two seasons, both finished with identical 2-2 records a year ago. Gordon was the second-leading pitcher in last year’s

tournament, sporting a 1.75 ERA with 33 strikeouts, while Tobar finished with a 1.98 ERA and 16 strikeouts en route to first team All-UAA accolades for the second consecutive year. Sophomore outfielder Cassandra Walsh, last year’s Association Rookie of the Year, compiled a .462 batting average and a .577 slugging percentage in garnering first team All-UAA honors, while junior infielder Kim Bandy claimed All-UAA honors for the second time (first team in 2007, second team in ’06), batting .370 with seven runs scored and four stolen bases.

tMMFour returning All-Association honorees highlight a group of 11 letterwinners for Brandeis, who sported a 23-21 record and finished third in the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) New England Championship in the debut season for head coach Jessica Johnson. The Judges return their top three hitters in seniors Danielle Mayer, Kaitlin Streilein, and Natalie Volpe. Volpe captured All-UAA first team honors for the second straight season, batting .348 with a tournament-best tying four doubles and a .533 slugging percentage, while Mayer (.400 batting average, two HR, six RBI) and Streilein (.455 batting avg. on 10-for-22 hitting, four RBI) each posted career-best tournament performances in garnering All-UAA second team accolades.

MMCase looks to take the next step forward in a continuing rebuilding process after posting its first winning season in five years with a 19-17 record. Senior Lauren Seeds is one of seven returning veterans for the Spartans, earning All-UAA accolades for the second straight year after compiling a .379 batting average (11 of 29) with five extra-base hits (three doubles, two HR) and four RBI in tournament play. Junior pitcher Ruth Sagartz accounted for one of Case’s two tournament wins (a 12-3 triumph over Brandeis), finishing the tournament with 14 strikeouts in 16 innings pitched.

FINAL STANDINGS
(Click on team name for tournament stats)