Carthage College 2009 Softball Preview
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Name of school |
Carthage College |
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Location |
Kenosha, Wis. |
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Founded |
1847 |
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Enrollment |
2,234 |
|
Nickname |
Lady Reds |
|
School colors |
Red, white and black |
|
Home field |
Carthage Softball Field |
|
Capacity |
250 |
|
Affiliation |
NCAA Division III |
|
Conference |
CCIW |
|
President |
F. Gregory Campbell |
|
Athletics director |
Robert R. Bonn |
|
Assistant athletics director |
Steve Marovich |
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Senior woman administrator |
Leanne Ulmer |
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Athletics phone |
262-551-5942 |
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First year of softball |
1968 |
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Overall all-time record |
500-422-2 |
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Years in NCAA/last |
1/1998 |
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Last post-season opponent, year |
UW-Whitewater, 1998 |
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Result |
L, 6-5 |
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CCIW championships |
1998 |
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Sports information director |
Steve Marovich |
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SID e-mail |
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SID office phone |
262-551-5740 |
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SID home phone |
262-551-5547 |
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SID fax |
262-551-5926 or 815-371-2840 (Internet fax) |
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Athletics fax |
262-551-5995 |
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Hotline |
262-551-5388 |
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Athletics web site |
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SID mailing address |
2001 Alford Park Drive Kenosha, WI 53140 |
Kenosha News
Dave Marran, sports editor
715 58th St./Kenosha, WI 53141
262-656-6290; 262-657-4946 (FAX)
Racine Journal-Times
Susan Shemanske, sports editor
212 4th St./Racine, WI 53403
262-631-1750; 262-631-1780 (FAX)
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Head coach |
Amy Gillmore |
|
Alma mater, year |
Carthage, 1994 |
|
Record at school (years) |
227-166 (11) |
|
Career record (years) |
227-166 (11) |
|
Softball phone |
262-552-5511 |
|
Best time to reach |
10 a.m. – 2 p.m. |
|
|
agillmore@carthage.edu |
Part-time assistant coaches |
Liz Pumula, Dave Rivera, Rebecca Slye |
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Head athletics trainer |
Laurie Jensen |
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Total |
Home |
Away |
Neutral |
|
2008 overall record |
19-11 |
6-2 |
7-4 |
6-5 |
|
CCIW record |
9-5 |
4-2 |
5-4 |
---- |
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CCIW finish |
3rd |
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Final ranking last year |
N/A |
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|
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Poll |
NFCA |
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|
|
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Starters returning/lost |
8/1 |
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|
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Letterwinners returning/lost |
16/2 |
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Available in late-November 2008
R/L |
Name |
Yr. |
Pos. |
Avg. |
2B |
HR |
RBI |
Honors |
|
L |
Katie Los |
Grad. |
LF |
.315 |
10 |
0 |
13 |
|
|
L |
Tarah Ellington |
Grad. |
SS |
.286 |
1 |
2 |
11 |
|
|
R |
Jenny Burke |
Jr. |
C |
.269 |
3 |
0 |
9 |
2007 second-team All-CCIW |
|
R |
Jacquelyn Tassone |
Jr. |
1B |
.432 |
7 |
10 |
20 |
First-team all-regional |
|
R |
Meghan Roman |
Jr. |
2B |
.275 |
9 |
0 |
21 |
Second-team All-CCIW |
|
R |
Kari Peterson |
So. |
SS |
.352 |
5 |
0 |
7 |
Second-team All-CCIW |
|
R |
Stephanie Hueramo |
Jr. |
3B |
.216 |
3 |
2 |
13 |
|
|
R |
Stephanie Noel |
Jr. |
CF |
.348 |
7 |
1 |
19 |
Second-team All-CCIW |
|
R |
Nikki Soreng |
Sr. |
RF |
.253 |
3 |
2 |
11 |
|
R/L |
Name |
Yr. |
W-L |
ERA |
G-GS |
IP |
SO |
Honors |
|
R |
Kelsey Epping |
Jr. |
11-5 |
1.45 |
17-16 |
106.1 |
152 |
Third-team all-regional |
|
R |
Allie Benthusen |
Sr. |
8-6 |
3.44 |
15-14 |
81.1 |
66 |
2007 second-team All-CCIW |
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Name |
Pos. |
Yr. |
Hometown (High School) |
Honors |
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The Carthage College softball team struggled with an extended Wisconsin winter in 2008. Following a nine-game spring trip to “Florida Rebel Games” in Kissimmee, Fla., snow or freezing temperatures forced the cancelation or postponement of six of the next eight playing dates. The Lady Reds had four unsuccessful attempts at a home-opener before finally playing host to Trinity International University (Ill.) on April 14. Carthage managed a total of only four home dates in 2008. The good news was that the Lad y Reds went 19-11 (9-5, 3rd place College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin) and qualified for the CCIW Softball Tournament for the ninth time in coach Amy Gillmore’s 11-year career.
At the CCIW tournament, Carthage lost to North Central College, 2-1 in eight innings, in the first round before eliminating conference-champion, top-seeded and No. 23 Illinois Wesleyan University by a 5-0 margin. The Lady Reds were eliminated from the tournament with a 5-3 semifinal loss to Augustana College (Ill.). North Central won the first-round game in the bottom of the eighth on a one-out, solo home run by Samantha Bloomfield.
In Carthage’s win over Illinois Wesleyan, the Lady Reds took a 4-0 lead in the first inning. Meghan Roman singled to open the game. Katie Los and Stephanie Noel both reached base on infield errors on bunt attempts, with Roman scoring from second on the second error. Jacquelyn Tassone made Illinois Wesleyan pay for the misplays with a three-run homer, her 10th of the year. Tassone finished the season one home run shy of tying Gina Buchmiller’s 2006 season record of 11 homers. The Lady Reds added a run in the third on an RBI-double by Tassone, who went two-for-three for four RBI.
In the loss to Augustana (Ill.)in the semifinals, the Vikings took a 1-0 lead in the third inning. Carthage tied the game in fifth, but Augustana (Ill.) broke the game open with a four-run sixth inning. The Lady Reds made things interesting in the seventh. Carthage put its first three batters on base. Hueramo and Meghan Roman both drove in runs with infield grounders to cut the lead to 5-3. Katie Los walked to re-load the bases before Stephanie Noel grounded to short for the final out. “Kelsey Epping made one mistake in the North Central game,” said Gillmore, “and they took advantage of it. It was nice to knock off top-seeded Illinois Wesleyan. We had unbelievable pitching on the first day. Both Kelsey and Allie Benthusen were at the top of their games over the final few weeks of the season . We can’t ask for any more.”
Two Carthage players were named National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-Great Lakes Regional. First baseman Jacquelyn Tassone (Jr., Downers Grove, Ill./South, .432, seven doubles, one triple, 10 home runs, 29 RBI, a Carthage-record 914 slugging percentage, five stolen bases) was named first-team all-regional. Pitcher Kelsey Epping (Jr., Bloomington, Ill./Downs-Tri Valley, 11-5, 1.45 earned run average, 10.01 strikeouts per seven innings, .194 opponent batting average) earned third-team all-regional honors.
Six players were named 2008 All-CCIW. Tassone earned first-team All-CCIW honors, while Epping, catcher Jenny Burke (Sr. , Lemont, Ill., .269), second baseman Meghan Roman (Jr., Crestwood, Ill./Chicago-Marist, .275, 21 RBI, 11-of-11 stolen bases), outfielder Stephanie Noel (Jr., Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport Township, .348, four triples, 19 RBI) and shortstop Kari Peterson (So., Blooming Prairie, Minn., .352) earned second-team all-conference honors.
Tassone was second in both CCIW batting (.432) and home runs (10). Peterson was 14th in batting (.352). Noel was 15th in batting (.333) and tied for first in triples (4). Epping was second in earned run average (1.45) and first in strikeouts (152), and pitcher Allie Benthusen (Sr., Elgin, Ill../Larkin) was 11th in earned run average (3.44). As a team, Carthage was fifth in batting average (.294) and third in earned run average (2.31).
2009 Season Outlook
Carthage head coach Amy Gillmore (218-155, 10 years) returns 16-of-18 letterwinners and eight-of-nine starting position players from last year’s 19-11 team. Lost to graduation are leftfielder Katie Los (Elmhurst, Ill./York, .315, 10 doubles, 13 RBI, five stolen bases) and shortstop Tarah Ellington (Aurora, Ill./Rosary, .286).
Returnees include National Fastpitch Coaches Association first-team All-Great Lakes Regional first baseman Jacquelyn Tassone (Jr., Downers Grove, Ill./South, .432, seven doubles, 10 home runs, 29 RBI, a Carthage-record .914 slugging percentage, five stolen bases), second-team All-CCIW catcher Jenny Burke (Sr., Lemont, Ill., .269), second-team All-CCIW second baseman Meghan Roman (Jr., Crestwood, Ill./Chicago-Marist, .275, nine doubles, 21 RBI and 11 stolen bases in 11 attempts), second-team All-CCIW shortstop Kari Peterson (So., Blooming Prairie, Minn., .352, five doubles), third baseman Stephanie Hueramo (Jr., Villa Park, Ill./Willowbrook, .216), second-team all-conference centerfielder Stephanie Noel (Jr., Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport Township, ..348, seven doubles, four triples, 19 RBI), rightfielder Nikki Soreng (Sr., Chicago, Ill./Elmwood Park, .253), third-team all-regional pitcher Kelsey Epping (Jr., Bloomington, Ill./Downs-Tri Valley, 11-5, 1.45 earned run average, 10.01 strikeouts per seven innings, .194 opponent batting average) and 2007 second-team All-CCIW pitcher Allie Benthusen (Sr., Elgin, Ill./Larkin, 8-6, 3.44 earned run average).