2012 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Softball Championship
Sweet
Home Carbondale Valley softball comes back to Southern Illinois for third time since 2003 BY PETE SPITLER The Southern
F
THE SOUTHERN FILE PHOTO
SIU’s Jayna Spivey bunts for an RBI single during a game with Creighton earlier this season at Charlotte West Stadium in Carbondale.
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or the fourth time in program history, and the third time since Charlotte West Stadium opened in 2003, SIU is hosting the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference tournament. In the years before Saluki Way, the school’s master plan to upgrade its athletic and academic facilities, a concentrated effort was made to bring SIU softball up to code with Title IX. Combined with the attention of former athletic director Paul Kowalczyk and a $1.7 million price tag, the 1,000-seat Charlotte West StadiumRochman Field was built. “It’s huge for us because even though that facility wasn’t part of Saluki Way, I think the goal of the athletic department was to bring in as many events as possible to the community,” said SIU Athletic Director Mario Moccia. “The people that designed and built the facility really did a great job and the other folks in the league obviously agreed with us.” Schools interested in hosting the tournament must submit bids and make a presentation to the conference’s voting body. The process is almost an adult version of a school science fair, with the most attractive presentations receiving strong consideration. “People take into consideration geography, are the coaches comfortable with the facility, the amount of hotel rooms available and travel distance among other things,” Moccia said. “There’s a natural rotation and you don’t want to give someone the tournament year after year.” SIU previously hosted the tournament in 1990, 2004 and 2008. The conference’s confidence in Carbondale as host speaks volumes because IU is the only school to host the tournament more than once since Charlotte West Stadium opened.
2012 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Softball Championship
THE SOUTHERN FILE PHOTO
SIU’s Haley Gorman jumps and throws to first against Indiana State earlier this season.
“Our groundskeeper, Scott Wright, does an incredible job,” said SIU coach Kerri Blaylock. “We’ve worked really hard to make sure that the grass has stayed nice, they painted the foul poles and some of the signage and made sure everything looks nice.” SIU has a Gateway Conference title in 1991, but no tournament titles since joining the MVC in 1993. The Salukis advanced to the championship game in the 2004 tournament, the first at Charlotte West Stadium, but fell to Creighton. “I give a lot of credit to our administration, because they have to put in a bid,” Blaylock said. “They have to want to do it during graduation weekend, which is really hard.” No. 1 seed Northern Iowa comes to town hoping to become just the third regular-season champion to win the tournament since 2000. The Panthers have a lengthy title drought of their own, having last taken home the trophy in 1990. Illinois State, the preseason MVC favorite, is gunning for its first title since 2001 and earned the No. 2 seed in the tournament’s single-elimination, double-bye format. For the seven visiting teams, and their fans, invading Carbondale this week, Moccia hopes they enjoy their stay in Southern Illinois. “I hope, from a fan’s standpoint, that they have a seamless time with getting to the game and getting tickets,” Moccia said. “We want not only the student-athletes, but also the fans to say that it was a very well-run conference tournament.” pete.spitler@thesouthern.com / 618-351-5073 On Twitter: @PeteTheSouthern
THE SOUTHERN FILE PHOTO
SIU’s Mallory Duran-Sellers eyes the ball moments before she hits a single against Illinois State.
The Southern Illinoisan Tuesday, May 8, 2012 Page 3
2012 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Softball Championship SIU’s Jayna Spivey connects with the ball during a game with Creighton earlier this season at Charlotte West Stadium in Carbondale.
THE SOUTHERN FILE PHOTO
It’s the little moments that make a champion ero moments. The moments where you thrust your arms skyward in the knowledge that the difference between victory and defeat was PETE SPITLER through your effort alone. Players covet them, coaches want them and reporters love to write about them. At some point over the next few days, somebody is going to have at least one. One prize awaits eight teams this week at SIU’s Charlotte West Stadium, the third time the facility has hosted the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference tournament since it opened in 2003. Every player who takes the field wants to extend their season just a little longer. For the seniors, this is a chance to push the sun a little higher in the twilight of their careers, a chance to advance to the NCAA
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tournament and further their pursuit of greatness. What’s tough about sports is that people remember champions more than they remember runners-up. On Saturday, one team will leave town a champion, while the other will just leave town. The field itself looks better than it ever has in the four years I have been SIU softball’s beat writer. A mild winter and the lack of 2011’s flooding rains has turned Rochman Field into an emerald paradise more than worthy of hosting such a prestigious tournament. All that is needed is for Mother Nature to cooperate as well. For the eight teams competing, you may hear stories about luck and fate and destiny, but desire is the most under-appreciated element of them all. And it all starts with deciding how bad you want to win. Would you play through pain? Would you shorten your career to pick up the victory? Those are simple questions that are maddeningly complex. The difference between wanting to win and needing to win is the little things; the fundamental details that aren’t always tracked on stat sheets. Toughness is judged by sweat, paid for by victories and measured by the time it takes to get the job done. If knowing is half the battle, than effort is the other half. I have attended many media conferences where the losing coach mentions that the opposing team “wanted it more,” as if the nature of their disbelief can be explained by emotional involvement alone. But it’s more than that. It always is. Coaches hate to admit they got outplayed, players hate it even more. But there are still heroes, moments that make the unbelievable, believable and legends that never die. Maybe that champion, could be you. PETE SPITLER is a sports reporter for The Southern
Illinoisan. He can be contacted at 618-351-5073 or pete.spitler@thesouthern.com.
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2012 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Softball Championship REGULAR SEASON LEADERS
THE SOUTHERN FILE PHOTO
SIU’s Haley Gorman runs down Creighton’s Ellen Homan after Homan was caught off base.
TOURNEY FACTS MVC FINAL STANDINGS Home field advantage: Before 2009, no host school had won the tournament in its 26-year history. Since then, host schools have won the title twice. Title droughts: Indiana State has the longest tournament title drought (1986), followed by Wichita State (1989), Northern Iowa (1990) and SIU (1991). All four teams have yet to win the championship as a member of the MVC. First Follies: Since 2000, the regular-season champion has gone on to win the tournament just twice (2001 and 2007). Trophy Count: Creighton and Missouri State are tied with the most tournament championships with six, while Illinois State has five. Good Company: The MVC has sent two representatives to the NCAA tournament in eight of the last nine seasons, with 2009 tournament champion Bradley as the lone exception.
Team 1. Northern Iowa 2. Illinois State 3. Drake 4. SIU 5. Creighton 6. Missouri State 7. Bradley 8. Evansville 9. Wichita State 10. Indiana State
W 21 18 17 16 15 12 11 8 7 6
L 4 8 10 10 11 14 15 19 20 20
Overall 38-15 33-21 28-27 34-19 27-24-1 24-25 21-29 18-36 15-40 19-34
Note: Only the top eight teams advance to the conference tournament
Team Batting Name 1. Creighton 2. SIU 3. Northern Iowa 4. Illinois State 5. Drake
GP 52 53 53 54 55
Avg .294 .292 .281 .258 .251
Individual Pitching Name 1. J. Fisher (UNI) 2. J. Birch (ILS) 3. N. Rose (MSU) 4. L. Beisser (INS) 5. B. Changstrom (CU)
Team Pitching Name 1. Northern Iowa 2. Missouri State 3. Illinois State 4. Drake 5. Indiana State
GP 53 49 54 55 53
ERA 1.98 2.67 2.71 2.83 2.91
Runs Batted In Name 1. A. VadeBoncouer (SIU) 2. A. Cantu (CU) 3. A. Baker (CU) 4. H. Nybo (DU) 5. B. Lingl (CU)
RBIs 48 46 46 42 40
Individual Batting Name 1. M. Daigh (UNI) 2. E. Homan (CU) 3. M. Duran-Sellers (SIU) 4. K. Fortner (UE) 5. A. Baker (CU)
AB 182 173 162 151 141
Avg .385 .376 .370 .364 .348
Hits Name 1. M. Daigh (UNI) 2. E. Homan (CU) 3. M. Duran-Sellers (SIU) 4. A. Mathewson (CU) 5. H. Gorman (SIU)
Total 70 65 60 58 57
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W-L 20-3 21-12 16-15 12-21 16-13
ERA 1.34 1.56 1.86 2.07 2.28
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2012 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Softball Championship Northern Iowa Panthers Coach: Ryan Jacobs (fourth season) Record: 38-15, 21-4 MVC (first place) Leading batters: Mackenzie Daigh (.385 BA), Whitney Plein (.331 BA), Laura Turner (.314 BA) Leading pitchers: Jamie Fisher (20-3, 1.34 ERA), Jaye Hutcheson (15-10, 2.58 ERA), Jessica Severinsen (3-2, 3.03 ERA) Tournament history: 28-39, champions in 1990 NCAA tournament appearance: 1990 No. 1 2 3 4 6 8 10 11 12 13 14 15 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26
Name Layne Grgurich Mackenzie Daigh Allison Galvin Olivia Aten Hannah Borschel Jamie Fisher Julia Hunter Courtney Dunker Jaye Hutcheson Aly Zembruski Katelyn McDonald Samantha Reimer Jessica Severinsen Haley Kriener Laura Turner Gina Brown Melissa Walls Emma Plese Leah Embrey McKena Carlson Whitney Plein
Pos. INF INF OF C/UTL OF P UTL C/1B P/1B INF 2B C P/1B INF C UTL UTL UTL C/3B OF 3B
B/T R/R L/R R/R R/R L/R R/R R/R R/R R/R R/R R/R R/R R/R R/R R/R R/R R/R L/R R/R R/R R/R
Yr FR SR SR SO SO SO FR SR SR FR FR JR SO JR SO SO JR SO SR JR SR
Illinois State Redbirds Coach: Melinda Fisher (27th season) Record: 33-21, 18-8 MVC (second place) Leading batters: Liz Andrews (.331 BA), Laura Canopy (.310 BA), Jhavon Hamilton (.310 BA) Leading pitchers: Jordan Birch (21-12, 1.56 ERA), Sophia Perez (3-0, 2.94 ERA), Megan Warner (9-8, 4.02 ERA) Tournament history: 52-44, champions in 1985, 1988, 1995, 2000, 2001 NCAA tournament appearances: 1988, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2006, 2007, 2010 No. 00 1 3 4 6 7
Name Nichelle Harrison Jordan Birch Liz Andrews Kelsey Turczyn Lauren Kellar Taylor Baxter
Pos. OF P OF UTL OF P
B/T L/R L/R L/R R/R L/R R/R
Yr SO SR SR FR JR SO
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8 9 10 11 12 14 15 17 19 20 21 22 23
Caiti Kopp Sara Bradley Laura Canopy Sophia Perez Stephanie Gallant Elizabeth Kay Megan Warner Kolby Hoffman Lindsey Greene Kara Repp Kelsey McCarthy Shelby Music Jhavon Hamilton
C/UTL INF INF P C C/UTL P UTL INF INF 1B OF OF
R/R R/R L/R R/R L/R R/R R/R R/R R/R L/R R/R L/R L/R
SO SO SO FR FR JR SR SO FR FR SO JR JR
Drake Bulldogs Coach: Rich Calvert (ninth season) Record: 28-27, 17-10 MVC (third place) Leading batters: Hayley Nybo (.333 BA), Amy Pierce (.286 BA), Jaimie Duffek (.278 BA) Leading pitchers: Jordan Gronewold (19-19, 2.79 ERA), Rebekah Schmidt (9-8, 2.89 ERA) Tournament history: 27-35, champions in 1993, 1994, 2008 NCAA tournament appearances: 1994, 2008 No. 1 2 3 5 6 7 10 15 16 18 19 22 28 44 52
Name Macie Silliman Sarah Ryan Laura Brewer Liz Buck Amy Pierce Jaimie Duffek Torey Craddock Nicole Randel Zeah Peterson Hayley Nybo Sam West Lindsey Vande Wall Rebekah Schmidt Jordan Gronewold Rose Magaddino
Pos. OF OF INF INF INF OF INF UTL C UTL OF OF P P C
B/T R/R R/R R/R L/L R/R L/R R/R L/R R/R R/R L/R R/R R/R R/R R/R
Yr JR FR FR SO SO SR SR SO FR FR JR JR FR SO SR
SIU Salukis Coach: Kerri Blaylock (13th season) Record: 34-19, 16-10 MVC (fourth place) Leading batters: Mallory Duran-Sellers (.370 BA), Haley Gorman (.329 BA), Allie VadeBoncouer (.327 BA) Leading pitchers: Alyssa Wunderlich (12-2, 2.85 ERA), Brittney Lang (10-6, 3.81 ERA), Katie Bertelsen (12-11, 3.99 ERA) Tournament history: 40-45, champions in 1991 NCAA tournament appearances: 1991, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007
THE SOUTHERN FILE PHOTO
SIU’s Mallory Duran-Sellers catches a line drive in center field at Charlotte West Stadium.
No. 1 2 3 4 6 7 9 11 12 17 20 24 27 33 40
Name Morgan Barchan Allie VadeBoncouer Jayna Spivey Kelsea Ashton Brittney Lang Alicia Junker M. Duran-Sellers Katie Bertelsen Kalyn Harker Kara Kimball Taylor Orsburn Alyssa Wunderlich Haley Gorman Meredith Wilson Michelle Bradley
Pos. OF C INF INF P INF OF P OF INF INF P SS OF OF
B/T L/R R/R R/R R/R R/R L/R L/L L/R R/L R/R L/R R/R L/R L/R R/R
Yr JR SO SO SO JR SR SR FR FR FR SO FR SR FR JR
2012 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Softball Championship Creighton Bluejays Coach: Brent Vigness (19th season) Record: 27-24-1, 15-11 MVC (fifth place) Leading batters: Ellen Homan (.376 BA), Amy Baker (.348 BA), Alexis Cantu (.347 BA) Leading pitchers: Becca Changstrom (16-13, 2.28 ERA), Alexis Cantu (8-5, 5.20 ERA), Sammy Snygg (3-5, 5.28 ERA) Tournament history: 37-21, champions in 1999, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2010 NCAA tournament appearances: 1982, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1999, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2010 No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 9 11 12 13 17 18 19 20 21 22 27
Name Allie Mathewson Emily Perry Alexis Cantu Bri Lingl Becca Changstrom McKenna Setlik Ashley Frutos Blair Lowe Taylor Flodman Ellen Homan Kylie Hovinga Liz Dike Christa Ruf Sammy Snygg MaKenzie Michael Amy Baker Brittnie Kreiser Brittany Telecky
Pos. UTL OF P/1B C P 1B INF OF INF OF P INF OF P/1B INF C/1B INF P
B/T L/L R/R L/R R/R R/R R/R R/R L/R R/R L/L L/L R/R R/R R/R R/R R/R R/R R/R
Yr FR JR SO FR SO SO JR SO FR SO SO FR SR JR SO JR SO SO
Missouri State Bears Coach: Holly Hesse (24th season) Record: 24-25, 12-14 MVC (sixth place) Leading batters: Ashley Brentz (.310 BA), Heather Duckworth (.267 BA), Staci Boeckstiegel (.243 BA) Leading pitchers: Natalie Rose (16-15, 1.86 ERA), Chelsea Jones (7-9, 4.01 ERA) Tournament history: 67-40, champions in 1983, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2006, 2011 NCAA tournament appearances: 1983, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2006, 2011 No. 1 2 3 5 6 7 8 10
Name Caitlin Chapin Alissa Trickey Lauren Eisenreich Amber Dreher Raeven Replogle Savannah Wiggins Kerri Cunningham Stevie Pierce
Pos. OF UTL OF UTL OF P OF 1B/OF
B/T R/R L/R R/R L/R R/R R/R L/R R/R
Yr JR FR JR FR SR SO SO JR
11 12 13 14 16 18 20 22 24
Heather Duckworth Chelsea Jones Natalie Rose Rebecca McPherson Ciara Flau Stacia Boeckstiegel Erin Duewel Kirstin Cutter Ashley Brentz
3B P/OF P C/UTL INF C C/INF SS INF
R/R R/R R/R R/R R/R R/R R/R S/R L/R
SO FR SR FR SO SO FR JR SO
Bradley Braves Coach: Amy Hayes (fourth season) Record: 21-29, 11-15 MVC (seventh place) Leading batters: Madeline Lynch-Crumrine (.300 BA), Julie Sherman (.292 BA), Jackie Roth (.271) Leading pitchers: Madeline Lynch-Crumrine (11-17, 2.68 ERA), Mackenzie Camp (8-10, 3.25 ERA) Tournament history: 29-36, champion in 2009 NCAA tournament appearance: 2009 No. 1 2 5 6 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 17 19 20
Name KayCee Miller Mariah Cole Lindsay Hufeld Brianne Joseph Alison Kresl Lexi Cremeens Shannon King Heather Terry M. Lynch-Crumrine Bailiegh Basham Julie Sherman M. DeMeulenaere Jackie Roth M. Groenewegen Brittany Burgess
Pos. UTL/C OF P INF OF UTL INF/UTL INF P/OF UTL INF RHP INF/C INF INF
B/T R/R L/R R/R L/R R/R R/R R/R L/R R/R R/R L/R R/R R/R R/R R/R
Yr SO SO SR SO SR FR FR JR SO SO SR FR SR JR FR
21 22 23 24
Mackenzie Camp Verita Richardson Alex Chandler Alyson Clemente
P INF SS/UTL UTL
R/R R/R R/R R/R
JR FR SO FR
Evansville Purple Aces Coach: Mark Redburn (second season) Record: 18-36, 8-19 MVC (eighth place) Leading batters: Kayla Fortner (.364 BA), Katie Sears (.301 BA), Victoria Dellorto (.272 BA) Leading pitchers: Sarah Patterson (9-19, 2.92 ERA), Taylor Perry (6-8, 3.67 ERA), Kendall Kautz (1-6, 4.95 ERA) Tournament history: 16-19, champion in 2002 NCAA tournament appearance: 2002 No. 3 5 6 7 8 10 11 13 14 15 17 19 20 22 23 25 27 28 34 55
Name Tamara Robey Lauren Lum Halie Malone Nikki Rahming Mariah Ferguson Alicia Betancur Maggie Little Ashleigh Rahming Emily Morris Victoria Dellorto Brianna Villanueva Alli Nolan Sarah Patterson Kendall Kautz Allison Aguilera Taylor Perry Kayla Fortner Amy Gaertner Katie Sears Kacey Rogers
Pos. OF C C INF INF/OF INF OF/P INF/OF P OF INF C P P INF P OF INF OF INF/OF
B/T L/L R/R R/R R/R R/R R/R R/R R/R R/R L/R R/R R/R R/R R/R R/R R/R R/R R/R L/L R/R
Yr JR FR JR SO FR JR SR SR SO FR JR FR JR JR SR SO FR SR SO SO
THE SOUTHERN FILE PHOTO
SIU’s Mallory Duran-Sellers (left) is unable to come up with the ball after making a dive for a flyball as teammate Morgan Barchan picks up the ball against Indiana State earlier this season at Charlotte West Stadium.
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