Central Michigan University Athletics
Softball Wraps Up 2003 Season
5/20/2003 12:00:00 AM | Softball
May 20, 2003
Complete Release with MAC Standings and CMU Statistics in PDF Format
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MOUNT PLEASANT -- A minute after Christin Sobeck made a dramatic game-saving catch to rob Miami of a home run in extra-innings of an elimination game in the Mid-American Conference tournament, the next batter hit a walk-off home run.
That was the story of Central Michigan University's up-and-down softball season of 2003.
CMU's campaign came to an end with a 1-2 record in the MAC tournament at Firestone Stadium in Akron, Ohio.
The Chippewas closed the year 26-18 overall. Their 14-7 MAC slate was good for the No. 3 seed in the tournament, but CMU's four-year reign as MAC tournament champs ended.
No. 6 seeded Miami defeated the Chippewas, 8-1, sending the Maroon and Gold to the loser's bracket where they shut out No. 5 Bowling Green 3-0. The Miami RedHawks eliminated CMU with a 3-2, eight-inning battle that began at 10:55 p.m., on Friday night and lasted until after 1:15 a.m.
"We were on top of our game against Bowling Green but we didn't hit with any regularity in the tournament," head coach Margo Jonker said. "Amber Puchalski pitched as well in those two games on Friday as she had all season. We just weren't able to put it all together."
CMU had won the last four MAC tournaments. The opening game loss to Miami snapped a 14-game MAC tournament winning streak. Western Michigan, the No. 2 seed, won the championship with an undefeated record and a 3-0 win over Miami in the championship game.
"I was impressed with some of the teams in the conference and how they stepped up their play since we last saw them," Jonker said. "WMU and Miami were extremely strong."
CMU's season opened with a 1-4 record at the UNLV Classic, but two of the losses were to a pair of top 10 ranked teams in Cal-Fullerton and Louisiana State. The Chippewas went 5-4 on their Florida junket before returning home to start conference play.
CMU opened MAC play on the road winning three of four. The Chippewas then rattled off 10 straight victories before a late snow in the Midwest cancelled many games, including the Chippewas' three-game home series against Ball State.
After that, CMU dropped five straight and never regained its form.
"We're disappointed we didn't reach a number of our goals," Jonker said. "It was encouraging the amount of playing time our newcomers had this season and how they matured as the year went along.
"Aimee Smith really elevated her game and she showed continual progress throughout the season. Karen Hohs and Brittany Decker played with the heart we like to see. Hopefully, in the future these sparks will be a catalyst for us so we can represent the Chippewas the way were are accustomed to."
Senior Michelle Brander had a standout season for the Chippewas. The MAC "Player of the Year" challenged the school's single season batting average record all year long and finished with a .394 mark, the third-best in school history.
"Brander hit well for us consistently throughout the season," Jonker said. "We had her catching and then playing shortstop to fill a hole there when Natalie de la Vega was injured. Brander had the best season of any of the returners. She's a talented athlete and we hope she enjoys her experience this summer of playing with the Dutch National Team."
In addition to Brander, the Chippewas lose three other seniors and a junior for next year. Seniors Sarah Hamilton, Jenni Rasmussen, and Kristen White exhausted their eligibility while junior Ari Ault has graduated and is pursuing her career interest.
Jonker already has some objectives in mind for the 2004 season.
"We are going to spend the offseason working on two things -- mental toughness and teamwork," she said. "We will have a lot of new players joining us next season so the team chemistry will be totally different."
MAC TOURNAMENT GAME RECAPS:
Miami 8, CMU 1
Miami scored five runs in the top of the first before CMU could even record an out. The RedHawks hit three homers in the game, including two by freshman catcher Becca Garcia. Jenni Rasmussen started and took the loss after going just one complete inning. Amber Puchalski came on in relief and struck out 10. The Chippewas scored their lone run in the second when Christin Sobeck led the inning off with a triple and Karly McCormack followed with an RBI double.
CMU 3, BGSU 0
Amber Puchalski held Bowling Green to just one hit en route to the shutout. CMU capitalized on three BGSU errors in the first inning to post two unearned runs. The Chippewas also added a run in the fourth thanks to three straight hits, including an RBI single by Sarah Hamilton. It marked CMU's 29th straight win overall against Bowling Green.
Miami 3, CMU 2 (8)
Miami erased a two-run deficit in the bottom of the seventh to send a game to extra-innings for the second time on Friday in a 3-2, eight-inning win over CMU. Miami did it earlier in the day to defeat Northern Illinois in nine innings. The Chippewas tallied two runs in the top of the sixth when leadoff batter Christin Sobeck struck out but advanced to first on a passed ball. Sarah Hamilton tallied an RBI single and Christan Dhondt an RBI double. A leadoff walk in the bottom of the seventh started a Miami rally before a double and a two-run single tied the game. After CMU went down one-two-three in the eighth, Miami's Angie Gerber hit a deep shot to left-center but she was robbed of a home run by Sobeck who made the catch just before crashing through the portable fence. However, the very next hitter, Chelsie McWhorter, blasted a solo homer to dead center on the first pitch. Amber Puchalski went the distance and suffered her first MAC tournament loss of her career. She fanned 11. The game started at 10:55 p.m., and didn't end until after 1:15 a.m.
ALL GOOD THINGS MUST END: CMU's first-game loss to Miami snapped a 14-game MAC tournament winning streak. The Chippewas won the previous four MAC tournaments with undefeated records. CMU was 4-0 in the tournament in 1999 and 2000, and 3-0 in 2001 and '02. The Maroon and Gold have won nine of the 12 MAC tournaments that have been completed. Western Michigan has won two and Ball State one.
ERA LEADERS, AGAIN: Central Michigan led the MAC in team ERA for the third straight year. CMU's pitchers posted a team mark of 1.75. The Chippewas held the opponents to a .220 batting average, the top mark in the conference as well.
FIELDING MARK DROPS: In 2000, '01, and '02, the Chippewas turned in the top three team fielding percentage marks in school history, including a school-record .973 in 2001. This year, CMU's usually strong fielding dropped to a .955 mark to rank 10th in the conference.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Michelle Brander earned MAC "Player of the Year" honors this season, becoming the sixth Chippewa selection. Pam Stanley earned the honor in 1991 and '92, Brenda Schrader in 1994, and Tina Kinney in 1998 and 2000. Brander was tied for second in the MAC at the end of the season with a .413 batting average. She played both catcher and shortstop this season. Brander finished the year ranked third in slugging percentage (.606), fifth in batting average (.394), tied for sixth in hits (54), and eighth in total bases (83).
ALL-MAC DUO: Two Chippewas were honored with All-MAC selections in 2003. Michelle Brander was a first team selection as utility player while junior Aimee Smith was a second team pick at third base. Brander earned first team honors for the first time in her career after picking up second team honors the previous two seasons. Smith batted .302 in her first season at CMU after transferring from Macomb Community College. Both players were also named second team All-Great Lakes Region.
LOFTY MARK: Senior Michelle Brander made a run at a .400 batting average for most of the season. The utility player finished with a .394 mark going 54-for-137. That average ranked third in the CMU record book behind Pam Stanley's .404 mark in 1991 and Kris Tipmore's .400 average in 1988.
K QUEEN: Junior Amber Puchalski now has 726 career strikeouts with one year of eligibility remaining. She ranks third in MAC history behind Toledo's Tami Johnston (842) and Marshall's Sara Gulla (727). Puchalski's 163 strikeouts in 2003 rank fourth on CMU's season chart. She holds the top two spots with 308 in 2002 and 255 in 2001. Linda Pagett is third with 236 in 1982.
SOBECK TIES THE MARK, TWICE: Sophomore Christin Sobeck tied a couple of school records this season. She blasted two home runs against UNLV in the UNLV Classic tournament on February 15. She also had two triples against Eastern Michigan on April 26, which also tied the CMU single game record.
HIT PARADE: The Chippewas tied a school record with 17 hits in a 9-0 win over Detroit on April 2. The 2003 squad became the sixth Chippewa team to tally 17 hits in a game.
ONE SHY: CMU finished the season with 21 homers, one shy of the team record set by the 1999 team. Michelle Brander led the way with six roundtrippers while Christin Sobeck tallied five. Brander's six tied for third on CMU's single season chart while Sobeck's five tied for fifth.
SOBE SHINES: Outfielder Christin Sobeck put up some big offensive numbers in her second season. The sophomore tied for the team lead with 23 RBI. She hit .301 on the year with four doubles, four triples, and five home runs. She tied for second in the MAC in triples (four), and ranked fourth in slugging percentage (.591). In MAC play only, Sobeck drove in a team-high 18 runs with 10 of her 22 hits going for extra bases.
RASS WRAPS UP HER CAREER: Senior Jenni Rasmussen finished her career with a 27-22 record and five saves. The five saves tie for fifth on CMU's career chart. The righty was 8-9 with a 1.85 ERA in 2003. She tallied a team-high four shutouts and struck out 62 batters in 102.0 innings.
RASS RANKS AMONG LEADERS: Pitcher Jenni Rasmussen finished her final season ranked eighth in the MAC in ERA at 1.85. Her four shutouts tied for seventh while her .226 opponent batting average ranked ninth. Rasmussen's ERA in MAC play dropped to 1.17, a mark that ranked fifth in the conference.
SMITH STEPS IN: Aimee Smith was a much-needed addition to the Chippewas this season. The junior JUCO transfer hit .302 for the third-best average on the team. She tallied two doubles and seven RBI. Smith played both first and third base for CMU this season.
DRIVING THEM IN: Junior Karly McCormack hit over .300 for the second straight season. She finished with a .303 mark and a team-high eight doubles. The corner infielder was the third-leading run producer with 18 RBI on the year.
REDSHIRT ROOKIE: Redshirt freshman Jessica Garvin had a solid season in her first campaign in the Maroon and Gold. Garvin was 5-3 with a 1.96 ERA. Two of her five wins were shutouts and she combined for another. The righty struck out 52 batters in 57.0 innings. She was 2-1 in MAC play. Garvin ranked 10th in the MAC in ERA.
PUCHALSKI POSTS BIG NUMBERS: Amber Puchalski ranked in the top four in ERA for the third straight season, coming in fourth this season in the MAC rankings at 1.59. The junior was 13-6 with three saves and 163 strikeouts in 136.2 innings. Her three saves tied for the MAC lead. She also ranked third in strikeouts but had the top mark per seven innings at 8.35. Puchalski tied for fifth in wins, ranked fourth in opponent batting average (.199), and tied for sixth in appearances (30).
SENIOR SARAH: Sarah Hamilton closed out her four-year career by hitting .218 with five doubles, two homers, and 12 RBI in 2003. The outfielder finished her tenure with a .230 career batting average and 91 career hits.
FRESHMEN PLAY BIG: A pair of freshman played big roles for the Chippewas this season in Brittany Decker and Karen Hohs. Each player started 41 of CMU's 44 games. Decker played catcher and in the outfield while Hohs played primarily second base but she also saw time in the outfield as well. Decker hit .216 with three homers and 11 RBI and Hohs hit .206 with two homers and nine RBI. Hohs and Decker were one-and-two in the batting order for a majority of the season.
AULT MOVES ON: Junior Ari Ault will not be back for another season. She was a senior academically this past year and graduated in May. She has a job already lined up in accounting. Ault was a utility player for CMU the past three years.
MAKING THE GRADE: Jenni Rasmussen and Ari Ault were both named to the Academic All-MAC team. Rasmussen sports a 3.81 grade point average with logistics management and marketing majors. Ault is a 3.90 student with an accounting major. Rasmussen was also a second team Verizon Academic All-District pick.
NEW RECRUITS: The Chippewas signed six players to national letters of intent back in the fall. Joining CMU next season will be utility player Jacque Benedict (Lowell/Lowell HS), catcher Lindsay Calme (Waterford/Lady of the Lakes HS), pitcher Jill DeRoche (Brighton/Brighton HS), corner infielder Shawn Fallon (Redford/Ladywood HS), outfielder Brittany Fulks (Brighton/Brighton HS), and pitcher Ashley Mohr (Saginaw/Swan Valley HS).
