For Immediate Release- May 7, 2001 Contact - Scott Dietz 508-286-3768

Sports Information Director

Softball Earns Second Seed at NCAA Division III Tournament

NORTON, MA- The 2001 Wheaton College softball team captured its second New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Tournament title the last weekend in April and in return the Lyons earned their fourth appearance to the NCAA Division III Championship in the last five years. Receiving the second seed, Wheaton will play the winner of third-seeded Tufts University and sixth-seeded Pine Manor College on Friday, May 11 at Bridgewater State College’s Alumni Park at 4:00 p.m. The Jumbos and Gators face each other in the day’s second game, beginning at 12:00 p.m.

The other first round contest will involve the fourth-seeded Western Connecticut State University Colonials taking on the fifth-seeded Roger Williams University Hawks in Bridgewater, Mass. at 10:00 a.m., with the winner to meet the host Bridgewater State College Bears at 2:00 p.m.

The Lyons finished the regular season as conference champions for the third consecutive year, advancing to the title game of the tournament for the third straight time. Wheaton shut out MIT and Coast Guard, 8-0 and downed Clark, 10-3, before knocking off Springfield, 1-0 in the finals. Over the three years of NEWMAC competition, head coach Gina Loudenburg has led her team to a 43-5 regular season conference record (54-7 including tournament games). According to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA), the Lyons are currently ranked 15th in the country.

Possessing a 36-6 overall standing and 15-1 conference mark, Wheaton opened up the season winning 12 of its first 13 games in Ft. Myers, Florida, before dropping a pair of non-conference contests to UMass-Dartmouth and Bridgewater. The Lyons then stormed back to win 19 of their next 21 outings and 24 of their final 27 games. Against regional tournament teams, Wheaton lost twice to Bridgewater and split with Tufts.

Wheaton’s offensive attack features NEWMAC All-Conference team selections in sophomores Maren Schrader (Canby, OR/Canby H.S.) and Rachael Powers (Quincy, MA/N. Quincy H.S.), freshman Brianna Shawah (Pompton Plains, NJ/Pequannock Township H.S.) and junior Lucy Campbell (Anson, ME/Carrabec Regional H.S.).

Schrader, who was the NEWMAC Rookie of the Year last season, broke the school’s single-season stolen base record this year with 53 total, as she is currently third in the country with a 1.26 average. She also is tops in the conference for batting average at .477, while leading the team in hits (74) and runs (50) through 42 games as a starter in center field. Playing third base for the Lyons, Powers is first on the squad in RBI’s (28), second in hits (54) and runs scored (38) and third in batting average (.406).

At shortstop, Shawah has added a consistent bat to the lineup, averaging .424 on the year, a mark good enough for second on the squad, while recording solid offensive numbers through 36 games. A two-time All-NEWMAC selection, Campbell is one of three players to start in all 42 games, as she has been a force at the first base position. Campbell is among the team leaders in RBI’s (27), runs scored (24), hits (49), total bases (62) and batting average (.371).

Attributing to Wheaton’s solid year on the mound has been the one-two punch of freshmen Jackie Demling (Norwood, MA/Norwood H.S.) and Christie Hineline (Penfield, NY/Penfield H.S.). Appearing in 27 games with an outstanding mark of 21-3, Demling ranks among the nation’s best for most victories and strikeouts per seven innings (6.50), while posting an ERA of 1.58. Following the same success path, Hineline is currently 15-3 overall with an ERA of 1.32. As a team, the Lyons finished in the first or second slots in every major statistical category in the league, including first in total offense (.359) and second in fielding percentage (.953), pitching (1.48 ERA) and scoring (6.02).