King's Softball Team Set to Compete in NCAA Regional Championships at Cortland, View LiveStats or Listen to Radio Broadcast over Internet

5/11/2011 8:45:00 AM

MAY 11, 2011

KING'S SOFTBALL SQUAD SET FOR NCAA DIVISION III NATIONAL TOURNAMENT, FACING HOST CORTLAND STATS IN FRIDAY OPENER

CORTLAND, NY — The King's College softball team will open up the 2011 NCAA Division III National Tournament Friday morning when the Lady Monarchs travel to Cortland, NY to face top-seeded host Cortland State University at 10:00 a.m. at Dragon Field.

Visit the Cortland State Tournament Home Page HERE

LiveStats for all games can be viewed at the following link:
http://www.cortland.edu/athletics/softball/live1/xlive.htm

The King's-Cortland game will be available via audio webcast at the following link:
http://www.cortlandreddragons.com/sports/2007/12/17/internetradio.aspx

Visit the NCAA Division III Softball Tournament Web Site HERE

Since 2000, King's has been the dominant program in the Freedom Conference, winning 10 league titles in the past 12 year, including the past three league crowns under the guidance of head coach Lisa Gigliello. In the process, the Lady Monarchs are making the program's 11th national appearance in the past 12 years, including three straight NCAA berths.

King's 2011 league crown may very well have been the least expected of all previous titles won due to the fact the Lady Monarchs are fielding their most inexperienced squad since the 1990's. King's lost five starters from last season, including two-time conference “Pitcher of the Year" Lindsey Hoerner, two-time all-league shortstop Meaghan Galvin, and all-league catcher Christie Parfitt.

However, a revamped line-up consisting of only one senior and one junior starter has been bolstered by the addition of five freshmen and one sophomore transfer who have cracked the starting line-up. In addition to its youth, King's has been forced to endure one of the worst spring weather patterns ever as rain and snow forced the team to cancel 11 games as lack of play and limited outdoor practices slowed the development of the squad.

When the Freedom Conference Tournament came around and King's appearing vulnerable as the third-seed, the Lady Monarchs once again found a way to capture yet another league title. And in the process, a trip to Cortland, NY.

King's and its 18-11 record will again take on the underdog role as the Lady Monarch are seeded sixth in a six-team regional with top-seeded Cortland State (36-3-1), the ninth-ranked team in the country, sitting in the opposite dugout. King's and Cortland have met once before in the NCAA Tournament. The Lady Monarchs won a 2-1 verdict in nine innings back in 2005 at the Ithaca Regional when King's came one victory away from reaching the Division III College World Series.

The last time the teams played was during the 2006 season as King's swept Cortland in a home doubleheader by scores of 11-7 and 4-3. Cortland defeated King's in 2005 by a 9-0 count in a single-game matchup. In 2004 the squads split a doubleheader at King's. Cortland won the first game 5-1 while the Lady Monarchs took the night cap 4-1.

King's enters the tournament with a .321 batting average, with five starters batting over the .300 plateau. Sophomore designated player Brittny Baynes, a transfer from Division II Adams State (CO) tops the squad with a .461 (35-76) batting average with five home runs, five triples, two doubles, 24 RBI and 23 runs scored. Freshman catcher Amanda Cardone follows at .442 (34-77) with seven home runs, five doubles, 32 RBI, and 23 runs scored. Freshman shortstop Jenn Harnischfeger contributes with a .402 (39-97) average with one home run, seven doubles, four triples, 16 RBI, 26 runs scored, and 10 steals.

Sophomore second-baseman Kayla Rutkoski stands at .317 (20-63) with two home runs, three doubles, and 10 RBI. Freshman first-baseman Rebecca Taylor chips in with a .310 (18-58) mark, including one home run, four doubles, eight RBI and 12 runs scored. The Lady Monarch pitching staff is headed by freshman Brittany Haight who is 11-4 with one save and a 1.39 ERA and 48 strikeouts in 86 innings. Sophomore Annie Erndl is 7-6 with a 3.96 ERA and 67 strikeouts in 97 innings.

Cortland's explosive offense has produced a .354 team batting average and features eight starters batting .326 or higher. The Red Dragon offense is led by senior Donnalyn Cross who tops the squad with a .453 (62-137) batting average, including nine home runs, 12 doubles, seven triples, 29 RBI, 47 runs scored, and owns a whopping .839 slugging percentage. Sophomore Lucia Meola follows with a .402 (47-117) mark with two home runs, 11 doubles, 27 RBI and has scored 31 runs. Senior Brooke Weidman adds a .400 (32-80) average with 12 RBI and 17 runs scored.

In the circle, Cortland's pitchers combine for a 1.33 ERA, having allowed just 50 earned runs in 263 innings. The unit is paced by junior Lyndsay Rowell who is 20-1 with a 0.65 ERA and has registered 105 strikeouts in 139 innings of work. Sophomore Morgan Kuhn is 8-1 with a 1.98 ERA and 62 strikeouts in 67 innings.

The remainder of the regional tournament field will pit second-seeded Moravian (35-7) against fifth-seeded Staten Island (26-11) at 12:00 noon. The final first-round pairing at 2:00 p.m. will match up third-seeded Montclair State (27-10) against fourth-seeded Piedmont (27-13), which will travel to Cortland from Georgia. Game-four of the regional will pit the losers of King's-Cortland and Moravian-Staten Island against one another at 4:00 p.m. The event will continue Saturday and Sunday.

Moravian hits .328 as a team and is paced by sophomore Shannen Mohr who bats .472 (42-89) with two home runs, 10 doubles, 27 RBI and has scored 29 runs. Freshman Cassie Ernst follows at .444 (32-72) with six doubles, 18 RBI, and has scored 27 runs. In the circle, senior Elizabeth Python has a 14-0 record with a 0.65 ERA and 85 strikeouts in 86 innings. Junior Jenna Carmon is 12-4 with a 1.42 ERA and 74 strikeouts in 113 innings.

Montclair State bats .312 as a team and is led by senior Leslie Gonzalez with a .388 (52-134) average including three triples, two doubles, 19 RBI and cored 35 runs. Freshman Dana Amato follows with a .375 (36-96) mark with nine home runs, eight doubles, 38 RBI and 27 runs scored. Sophomore Heather Bergman is hitting .344 (31-90) with eight doubles, 18 RBI and scored 17 runs. Leading the pitching staff is freshman Alex Hill who is 17-5 with a 0.80 ERA and 171 strikeouts in 149 innings. Sophomore Jamie Miler is 10-5 with a 2.20 ERA and 37 strikeouts in 89 innings.

Piedmont will be traveling the farthest as the Lions will be flying in from Demorest, Georgia. Offensively, the team sports a .318 batting average, headed by sophomore Megan McClain with a .472 (60-127) mark with seven triples, four doubles, 25 RBI, and 39 runs scored. Junior Emily Cheek owns a .398 (33-83) average with six home runs, two doubles, 29 RBI and 11 runs cored. Senior B.J. Cofer hits .326 (28-86) with 14 RBI. Leading the pitching staff is freshman Brittney Head is 13-5 with a 2.21 ERA and 112 strikeouts in 120 innings. Cofer also doubles as a pitcher and is 12-8 mark and a 2.18 ERA and 80 strikeouts in 128 innings.

The College of Staten Island enters the tournament with a .344 team batting average. The Dolphins are guided by the bat of Kaitlyn Flynn who owns a .484 (60-124) mark with four home runs, 10 doubles, five triples, 28 RBI and scored 49 runs. Joanna Tepedino follows with a .403 average with 16 doubles, four triples, 38 RBI, and scored 32 runs. Raechel Strobel stands at .388 (38-98) with five doubles, one home run, 21 RBI, and scored 28 runs. In the circle, the Staten Island staff is headed by Danielle Ponsiglione with a 13-6 record and a 3.17 ERA and 102 strikeouts in 133 innings.

NCAA Division III Regional Championships at SUNY-Cortland, Cortland, NY

Friday, May 13
Game 1: #1 Cortland (36-3-1) vs. #6 King's, 10 AM
Game 2: #2 Moravian (35-7) vs. #5 Staten Island (26-11), 12 PM
Game 3: #3 Montclair St. (27-10) vs. #4 Piedmont (27-13), 2 PM
Game 4: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 4 PM

Saturday, May 14
Game 5: Winner Game 1 vs. Loser Game 3, 10 AM
Game 6: Winner Game 2 vs. Winner Game 3, 12 PM
Game 7:   Matchup TBD on outcome of first six games, 2 PM
Game 8: Matchup TBD on outcome of first six games, 4 PM

Sunday, May 15
Game 9: Teams to be determined
Game 10: Teams to be determined

Monday, May 16
Game 11: Teams to be determined, if necessary
(this game could be played on May 15 as long as a team is not playing its third game of the day)

Print Friendly Version

King's College Athletics

King's Softball Team Set to Compete in NCAA Regional Championships at Cortland, View LiveStats or Listen to Radio Broadcast over Internet

Sticky bar