Tommie Sports - Softball
Tommie Softball 44-Game Notes -- May 8
May 08, 2012--UP NEXT: St. Thomas (37-7 overall, 21-1 MIAC) will play Coe College (34-11) on Friday at 2 p.m. in the first round of the six team, double-elimination Pella, Iowa, NCAA regional tournament.
Click here to see Pella bracket and schedule:
--PLAYOFF LOG: The Tommies won the MIAC playoffs for the ninth time in the nine-year history of the event. They improved their all-time record in the playoffs to 27-1. UST’s all-time postseason record (NCAA playoffs and MIAC playoffs) is 79-36.
--MORE POSTSEASON: The Tommies have reached the NCAA playoffs for the 14th time in the last 15 seasons and 19th time overall, with NCAA crowns in 2004 and 2005 and a runner-up finish in 2006. St. Thomas is the lone MIAC qualifier as conference runner-up Gustavus did not get one of the 20 at-large bids nationally despite a 33-10 record.
--TITLE TALK: UST captured the conference softball crown for the 11th time in 13 seasons. It closed out a 21-1 MIAC regular season.
--POLL: St. Thomas is now ranked 14th nationally in the NFCA poll, up two spots this week, and has won 31 of its last 34 games.
--HOT HASSEL: In MIAC 22-game stats, junior Kimmy Hassel led conference hitters in batting average (.513), hits (39) and RBI (23) and had no errors at second base in 92 chances. In all 44 games, Hassel has only one error in 164 chances and has raised her season average to .497. She has 74 hits and 41 RBI in 44 games after collecting just seven hits and five RBI in 28 games in 2011. Her .497 clip is second best among all 61 teams in the D-III playoffs.
--SLUGGER: Sophomore catcher Emily Gregory now has 18 career home runs, including nine this season. Gregory has a team-best 21 walks and has 43 hits in 43 games. Her career slugging percentage is .686 with 45 singles, 22 doubles, one triple and 18 HRs.
--STREAK: Sophomore OF Tisa Phinney has a 21-game hitting streak and an average of .398. She has a career .688 slugging percentage with 21 singles, 11 doubles, one triple and five homers.
--SPECIAL K: Freshman RHP Kendra Bowe is 22-1 with a 1.20 ERA and 158 strikeouts in 146.1 innings. Opponents are batting just .175 against her.
--MVP: Bowe was also named the MVP of the 2012 MIAC Playoffs after leading the Tommies to the championship by recording 14 K’s in 22 innings and finishing the weekend 3-1. Joining her on the all-tournament team was Hassel and Gregory, along with sophomores Jenna Hoffman, Erin Mussett, and Mary Rentz.
--TRADITION: The Tommies have reached the eight-team College World Series four times since 2002. They placed first in 2004 and 2005 and second in 2006. They have posted 13 consecutive 30-win seasons and are attempting to reach 40 wins for the ninth year in a row.
--OFFENSE: UST has a .521 slugging percentage, and 11 different players have homered. Its .371 batting average is third best in Division III.
--TOMMIE, JOHN: In 12 seasons under Coach John Tschida, the Tommies are 281-12 vs. conference opponents. In Tschida’ 18 seasons –- six at St. Mary’s and the last 12 at UST –- he’s compiled a 692-119 record and an .853 winning percentage. In 12 seasons at St. Thomas, Tschida’s teams have swept 122 conference twinbills, split nine, and have been swept just once.
--YOUNG GUNS: UST has only two seniors, both part-time players: RHP Christy Gries and 1B Kristen Feisel. A third senior, Kayla Boward, the 2011 MIAC Player of the Year, was unable to play in 2012 due to a broken bone in her back... The Toms' 10 starters this postseason include only three who started in the 2011 postseason.
