Central Michigan University Athletics
Softball Wraps Up MAC Championship Season
5/26/2004 12:00:00 AM | Softball
May 26, 2004
Complete Release (Including statistics, MAC standings, and record listings) in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
MOUNT PLEASANT -- The Central Michigan University softball team (32-19, 21-3 Mid-American) wrapped up one of its most competitive seasons with a pair of close losses to nationally ranked teams last weekend at the NCAA Tournament.
The Chippewas won the Mid-American Conference regular season title and received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, the first in conference history.
CMU's season came to an end following a 4-2 loss to No. 15 Alabama and a 3-2, nine-inning setback to No. 18 Long Beach State in the UCLA Regional in Los Angeles, Calif.
"We had an excellent season overall," Jonker said. "We played extremely well on our first trip to the NFCA Leadoff Classic. We struggled in our second trip to Florida but we made the adjustments to have an outstanding conference season.
"We capped it off with an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament where we had a good performance and energy level, even though the wins didn't come our way. We represented our school and the Mid-American Conference well."
The Chippewas held a 2-1 lead over Alabama after two and a half innings but a two-run homer gave the Crimson Tide momentum to pull away for the win. In the game against Long Beach State, CMU erased a one-run deficit on two occasions late in the game forcing extra innings. The Chippewas had the bases loaded with only one out in the bottom of the ninth but couldn't get the key hit that time.
"During our final game, we played as well as we had all year," Jonker said. "The energy level and our performance typified how we want to play CMU softball. To represent ourselves the way we did was a plus. I've seen teams go to regionals and fall apart, but this team performed. That says a lot about the heart of the players on this year's team."
The Chippewas have a lot to look forward as CMU loses just two seniors from this squad, pitcher Amber Puchalski and first baseman Aimee Smith. In fact, six of the nine starters were freshmen or sophomores this season.
Jonker points to the leadership as the key to this season's success.
"The players came together and gelled to a tight unit which allowed a team with so much youth to have success," she said. "The leadership within the ranks worked on team chemistry which is key for any team's success.
"We have a great future when you look at our youth. The pitching staff will need to step up after Amber took most of the load this season. We have great potential with our returning pitching staff. We will have to make some adjustments offensively and defensively but with the nucleus coming back the future is both exciting and promising."
The big loss will be that of Puchalski, the MAC record holder for career victories (81) and strikeouts (970). She was named MAC "Pitcher of the Year" for the second time in her career and first team All-MAC for the third time.
"Amber had a great career," Jonker said. "Her records and statistics speak for themselves as she is a true strikeout pitcher. To be able to have a pitcher come up with a strikeout during a key situation is huge because it takes the pressure off the defense."
Tough Competition: CMU played one of its most difficult schedules in the 26-year history of CMU softball when you consider:
* The Chippewas played nine games against teams who were ranked in the USA Today/NFCA Top 25 Coaches poll at the time of the game -- #4 Washington, #5 Oklahoma (twice), #5 Florida State, #6 Georgia, #9 Michigan (twice), #15 Alabama and #18 Long Beach State.
* The Chippewas played four of the eight teams who advanced to the Women's College World Series (Florida State, Michigan, Oklahoma and Washington) and CMU beat two of them. The Chippewas tallied a 3-2 win over Oklahoma and a 1-0 victory over Washington.
* Two more of CMU's opponents made it to the regional finals and fell just short of a WCWS bid -- Georgia and Alabama.
* CMU played 17 games against teams that made the NCAA Tournament field of 64. The Chippewas' first eight games of the season were against teams that made the tournament.
* During the regular season, the Chippewas defeated three NCAA Tournament teams who won their respective conference tournament titles -- Big Ten Tournament champion Michigan State (3-0), Conference USA Tournament champion DePaul (1-0), and Patriot League Tournament winner Lehigh (2-0).
* Over the last four years, CMU played six of the eight World Series teams from this year. In addition to the four schools the Chippewas faced this year, CMU faced LSU last year in Las Vegas and Stanford in the 2001 NCAA Tournament.
MAC Champions: The Chippewas' won their 11th MAC regular season title this year. The 11 MAC softball titles are the most in conference history. Toledo is the next closest with three championships. CMU's MAC title this year continues CMU's "ring tradition" at least three more years. Every four-year player in the history of Central Michigan University softball has earned at least one MAC championship ring. Chippewa senior Amber Puchalski now has three championship rings.
At-Large Bid First For MAC: CMU was the first MAC team in conference history to receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. The tournament went to a 64-team field in 2002.
Team Stats: The Chippewas finished seventh in the MAC in hitting (.240), third in pitching (1.91) and tied for fourth in fielding (.960). In MAC games only, CMU was fourth in hitting (.252), second in pitching (1.32) and fifth in fielding (.964).
Going Deep: CMU's 19 homers this season tied for third best in school history. The 1999 squad blasted 22 while last year's team knocked 21 out of the park. The 2004 Chippewas tied the 1986 squad which also hit 19.
Batting Mark Down: The Chippewas' .240 team batting average was CMU's lowest since 1983 (.223).
Pitching Still a Strength: Chippewa pitchers had a team ERA of 1.72 marking the sixth straight season that the staff had a combined ERA below 1.80.
Puchalski MAC Pitcher of the Year: Chippewa senior Amber Puchalski was named Mid-American Conference "Pitcher of the Year" for the second time in her career. She was also tabbed as a freshman. Puchalski went 15-1 in MAC regular season play with a 0.96 ERA and 144 strikeouts. In league play, she led the MAC in wins, strikeouts and opponent batting average (.131) while ranking second in ERA. Puchalski was 21-11 overall with a 1.72 ERA and 244 strikeouts. She ranked second in the MAC in wins, eighth in ERA, tops in strikeouts, tied for fourth in appearances (34), tied for third in shutouts (seven) and third in opponent batting average (.194).
More Notes and Numbers on Amber Puchalski:
* Puchalski finished her final season 21-11 but six of her losses were to teams ranked in the Top 25. She tossed a shutout against then No. 4 Washington (1-0), a team that went on to the Women's College World Series.
* Puchalski's 244 strikeouts ranks third on the CMU single season chart. She has four of the top five single season marks in school history.
* Puchalski's 33 career shutouts ties Linda Pagett for the CMU career record.
* Puchalski set the MAC career strikeout record this season against Toledo. The old record of 842 was formerly held by Toledo's Tami Johnston (1984-87).
* Puchalski set the MAC career victories record against Ball State. The old record of 77 was held by CMU's Tina Kinney (1997-2000) and Ball State's Bernie Coffman (1986-89).
* Puchalski threw a no-hitter in the opening weekend of MAC action at Akron. It was the eighth of her career. She tossed a CMU career record six as a freshman, one as a sophomore and now one as a senior.
* Puchalski has been named MAC West Division "Pitcher of the Week" five times this season and 18 times in her career.
All-MAC Honorees: Two Chippewas were named first team All-MAC in senior pitcher Amber Puchalski and junior outfielder Christin Sobeck. Sophomore designated player Christan Dhondt was named second team all-league. It marked the third time Puchalski was named to the first team squad while Sobeck and Dhondt received postseason honors for the first time each. Puchalski also received second team All-Great Lakes Region from the NFCA.
30-Win Plateau: CMU won at least 30 games for the eighth time in the last nine years and the 19th time overall. The Chippewas posted just 26 victories last season.
One Shy: Junior Christin Sobeck was CMU's top hitter with a .322 average, 12 doubles, seven homers and 23 RBI. She led CMU in all four of those categories. Her seven homers were one shy of tying the school's single season record of eight held by Eli Barnes (1999). In the final MAC rankings, Sobeck was 12th in hitting, tied for eighth in homers, tied for eighth in runs (28), tied for fifth in doubles (12), seventh in total bases (85) and seventh in slugging percentage (.570).
Diaper Dandy: Freshman Lindsey Calme had a great freshman year in the Maroon and Gold while catching and playing third base. She was CMU's second-leading hitting with a .289 batting average, eight doubles, two homers and 16 RBI. Calme committed just one fielding error all season long while playing two of the more demanding positions. She finished the year on a nine-game hitting streak which tied for the longest by a Chippewa player this season (Christin Sobeck). She hit .357 with two doubles and an RBI in CMU's four postseason games. In MAC games, Calme batted .325.
Finishing Strong: Christan Dhondt started and ended the season on fire at the plate. She hit .389 in the six games of the season-opening NFCA Classic Tournament and then batted a team-high .600 in the two NCAA Regional games going 3-for-5 with an RBI, a walk and a sacrifice. She hit .320 against Top 25-ranked teams this season with a hit in six of the nine games. Dhondt played designated player where she was a second team All-MAC pick but she could see action on the corners next season.
Speedy Sophomore: After two seasons, sophomore Karen Hohs is on pace to join the CMU record book for career stolen bases. She had a team-high 16 in 18 attempts this season to raise her career total to 25. If she matches that total over the next two years she will move into at least sixth on the Chippewa charts. Hohs hit .238 this season as the leadoff batter. Her four triples tied for second in the MAC and her 16 steals were fourth. Hohs scored a team-high 30 runs which ranked seventh in the MAC.
Closing Her Career: Senior Aimee Smith hit .274 this season with 11 doubles. Ten of her 11 doubles came in MAC play. The two-year Chippewa hit the only home run of her CMU career this season at Eastern Michigan and it was a grand slam. Smith drove in 21 RBI this season, tied for second most on the team. Smith walked a team-high 20 times on the year.
Garvin's Great Improvement: Jessica Garvin had a solid sophomore season in the circle. She was 9-6 with a 2.18 ERA and 85 strikeouts. She went 6-2 in MAC play with four of the six wins shutouts. The four shutouts in MAC play tied for second in the MAC. Garvin's marquee win this season was against No. 5 Oklahoma at the NFCA Leadoff Classic. She was 5-3 as a redshirt freshman last season.
Bright Future: Despite battling a back injury for much of the season, freshman pitcher Jill DeRoche showed promise. She went 2-2 with a pair of saves and a 2.13 ERA. One of her saves was against No. 5 Oklahoma at the NFCA Leadoff Classic. She pitched just 52.2 innings in 19 appearances while making three starts.
Slick Fielding Shortstop: Sophomore newcomer Stephanie Crews started all but one game this season at shortstop and made some great defensive plays. She batted .220 and drove in 20 runs despite just 29 hits. She tallied four doubles and blasted two homers, both in MAC play.
Decker Drives 'Em In: Brittany Decker tied for second on the team with 21 RBI this season. She did a lot of the little things as well, like walking 18 times and leading the team with 11 sacrifices while batting in the No. 2 hole. She had five multiple-RBI games which tied for a team high. Decker notched seven doubles, one triple and two homers.
Benedict's Big RBI Game: Freshman outfielder Jacque Benedict started all but one MAC game this season. She hit .205 with seven doubles, two triples, one homer and 14 RBI. She set a CMU single game record with six RBI in CMU's 8-1 win at Eastern Michigan. Benedict hit a three-run double and a three-run homer to account for her record-setting RBI total. She was second on the team with 10 stolen bases in 12 attempts. Eleven of her 14 RBI came in MAC games and she batted .258 during the MAC season.
Finishing Strong: Outfielder Brittany Fulks had her best game in CMU's season finale against Long Beach State. The freshman made an incredible catch on the run in left field in a key situation and she was 2-for-3 at the plate picking up key hits that helped tie the game in the sixth and seventh innings before it went to extra frames. She was intentionally walked in the bottom of the ninth with runners at second and third. Fulks saw action in 35 games and she hit .186 on the year with two doubles, two triples and four RBI.
Hit and Run:
* CMU was 26-3 when scoring at least three runs in a game and 18-0 when scoring four or more.
* The Chippewas went 15-2 when posting eight or more hits in a game.
* CMU had 13 triples this season to its opponents two.
* Thirteen of CMU's 19 home runs were in MAC regular season play.
* CMU's season-ending 3-2, nine-inning loss to Long Beach State was the Chippewas' lone extra-innings loss (4-1).
* CMU was 10-1 at home with the lone loss coming against rival Western Michigan.
NCAA Tournament Game Recaps:
#2 seed Alabama 4, #7 seed Central Michigan 2
Amber Puchalski walked three of the first four Alabama batters but the Chippewas managed to give up just one run in the inning. CMU scored an unearned run in the second thanks to an RBI single by Stephanie Crews and it took a 2-1 lead in the top of the third when Christan Dhondt had an RBI single to right-center. However, Alabama took the lead for good in the bottom of the inning when pitcher Stephanie VanBrakle hit a full-count pitch out of the park for a two-run homer. The Crimson Tide added an insurance run in the fifth thanks to a pair of hits and a stolen base. The Chippewas had five hits while Puchalski held Alabama to just four. However, she walked six, including the leadoff batter in three of the first four innings. Lindsey Calme had a pair of hits for CMU, including a double.
#3 seed Long Beach State 3, #7 seed Central Michigan 2 (9-innings)
Another leadoff walk to start the game and three straight hits off Chippewa starter Jessica Garvin gave the 49ers an early 1-0 lead. CMU tied it in the bottom of the sixth with an RBI single by Lindsey Calme and the Chippewas needed another run again in the bottom of the seventh after LBSU scored one in the top of the inning. Karen Hohs picked up the game-tying RBI single that sent the contest to extra innings. Long Beach posted three hits in the ninth to push across one run. CMU had the bases loaded with only one out but couldn't capitalize in the end. Amber Puchalski took the loss after coming on in relief in the first inning. Brittany Fulks tallied a pair of hits and she was intentionally walked in the bottom of the ninth. Christan Dhondt also posted a pair of hits. CMU had just one hit in the first five innings, a bunt single by Christin Sobeck, before tallying three hits to post its first run in the bottom of the sixth.
