Thursday, March 27, 1997
Big Ten softball sports plethora of talent
By BRIAN COSTELLOand NICK ZULOVICH
Collegian Sports Writers
The part of the season that's fun in the sun is over for the Lady
Lion softball team. Tournaments in the South and West during February
and March have given way to the blow-on-your-hands cold of the
Big Ten season. The following is a rundown of who Penn State will
be gunning for in the conference (Illinois fields no softball
team.)
Despite losing All-American pitcher Gina Ugo, the Hoosiers still
feel they have a good shot at the Big Ten title. The team finished
fourth in the league last year and earned a bid to the NCAA tournament.
This year the goal is to win the conference and return to NCAAs.
"Our goals stay the same every year," Indiana coach
Diane Stephenson said. "We want to compete for the Big Ten
title. We want to advance to the NCAA tournament, and we want
to move past the regionals and into the Final Eight."
To do this, the team will look to its three seniors to provide
leadership and direction for the younger members of the team.
In the field, the Hoosiers are led by shortstop Monica Armendarez,
an All-Big Ten selection last season as a sophomore.
"We have so much diversity," Stephenson said, "so
many things we can do with our players."
After reaching the semifinals of the 1996 College World Series,
expectations are high. The No. 6 Hawkeyes lost four starters from
last year's 49-19 team that finished third in the Big Ten.
Senior infielders Kari Knopf (.373 average, 38 RBIs in 1996))
and Christy Hebert (.401, 505 RBIs) will be looked upon to provide
offense. Coach Gayle Blevin's club also returns the one of top
pitchers in the conference, Debbie Bilbao. The second-team All-Big
Ten performer was 23-10 with a 1.34 ERA and 145 strikeouts last
year.
Michigan
The Wolverines have won four of the last five Big Ten titles and
appeared in the last two Women's College World Series.
They return 12 letter winners from a 51-14 team in 1996. Michigan
is led by two All-Americans, three-time choice Kellyn Tate and
two-time pick Sara Griffin.
The two are complemented by last season's Big Ten Freshman of
the Year, Traci Conrad. The first baseman was named to the World
Series all-tournament team in her rookie campaign.
The Wolverines come into the season ranked No. 5, and coach Carol
Hutchins is hoping to end the season at that spot, if not better.
"The starters we have back will be key in setting the tone
for the season," she said. "They have to provide the
leadership on the field and establish confidence among the other
returners and the freshmen."
The Spartans finished 37-19 overall and fifth in the conference
last season. Coach Jacquie Joseph knew her club was ready to make
a serious run at national attention. And with a 28-8 record so
far this season, the No. 8 Spartans are getting noticed.
The biggest hole Michigan State had to fill was at third base,
where Patti Raduenz, the school's all-time leading hitter, graduated.
The Spartans have not missed Raduenz's offensive production because
six starters are hitting .300 or better, led by shortstop Keri
Lemasters' .361 average.
Pitching also has been solid. Senior Stacey Smith already has
15 wins and a sub-1.00 ERA.
The No. 10 Gophers have two All-Americans returning from a team
that finished 44-16 overall and 17-6 in the Big Ten in 1996. Plus,
Minnesota has a transfer who was a two-time Division II All-American.
Outfielder Rachel Nelson was a first-team All-American selection
last season. Amber Hegland, a second-team All-American, will move
from left field to second base. The Gophers also will have an
All-American at first base in Tracy Carey, who comes from Division
II Nebraska-Omaha.
Coach Lisa Bernstein-O'Brien said she knows this team has the
talent to make a run at the College World Series; it just has
to put all the pieces together.
"This team expects to win," Bernstein-O'Brien said.
"The younger players know nothing but winning and the older,
more experienced players know what it takes to win."
With only three seniors, inexperience has shown by Northwestern's
4-11 record.
Coach Sharon Drysdale will depend on freshman pitcher Jaclyn DeBoard
to carry the pitching load. DeBoard's Junior Olympic team finished
second in the nation last season. Fellow freshman Jenni Wielgus
and sophomore Jenni Beseres make up the rest of the staff.
The Wildcats' two captains are looked upon for both leadership
and offense. Outfielder Erin Robson is batting .289 with five
RBIs and eight stolen bases. Second baseman Katie Ballman is hitting
.298 and finished third in the Big Ten in stolen bases last year.
Dysdale said learning on the job will be important if the Wildcats
are to be successful. "This should be an exciting year for
us with our young squad," she said. "Our success depends
on how quickly they mature and come together as a team."
The Buckeyes are hoping to turn over a new leaf in 1997 with the
help of new coach Linda Kalafatis. She comes from Akron, where
she was 98-62-1 in three years. Before her stint at Akron, she
guided California of Pennsylvania to five straight division titles.
Ohio State went 19-43 overall and 6-18 in the Big Ten last season.
The team did have a few bright spots, including a 4-0 win over
eventual national champion Arizona.
Ohio State also hired a pitching coach, Belinda Cernava. She has
the task of improving what was the worst pitching staff in the
Big Ten last year.
Purdue
The Boilermakers return eight starters from last season's team,
which had a school-best 36-21 record.
Purdue also has brought in three freshman who figure to contribute.
The Boilers pitching staff is led by three juniors -- Sheryl Scheve,
Jenny Deno and Jamie Martino -- who all had sub-3.00 ERAs last
season. They will be joined by freshman Crystal Inman, Indiana's
Miss Softball last year. She won 59 games and had a .60 ERA in
high school.
The Boilermakers offense is led by senior Susan Denny, a four-year
starter with a career .357 batting average and eight home runs.
""We have built a team that is solid defensively in
the infield and outfield and one that become a good hitting club
as well," Purdue coach Carol Bruggeman said.
In just their second year of existence, the Badgers are making
strides toward respectability. Wisconsin finished fourth at last
week's Sacramento State Tournament and now is 11-7 on the season.
The Badgers did not get their 11th win last season until late
April.
Sophormore leadership is key for Wisconsin. Leading the young
team are sophomores Courtney Coleman (.371 this season) and Amada
Berg (.340 and 10 RBIs).
