The Ripon softball team’s season came to an end on Friday, May 9 as the Red Hawks fell to Illinois Wesleyan 3-0 in the elimination round of the 2008 NCAA Tournament. The contest unfolded at Carson Park on the UW-Eau Claire campus in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

Ripon struggled out of the gate, as Illinois Wesleyan tacked on two runs in the first inning without a hit, taking advantage of two errors and a wild pitch. The Titans added one more run in the second, before Red Hawk pitcher Brittnee Peotter settled in. Peotter would limit Wesleyan to three hits and no runs the rest of the way, but the Ripon offense was unable to bridge the gap.

Ripon was limited to a pair of singles off the bats of Ashley Kirst and Jessica Goudreau in the first and seventh innings, respectively, in the contest. Ripon’s best threat came in the sixth, when Natalie Geenen drew a one-out walk and stole second, but the next two hitters were unable to plate the junior shortstop.

The Ripon softball team dropped its first-ever NCAA Tournament game on Thursday, May 8, as the team fell to St. Thomas 8-0 in six innings at Carson Park on the UW-Eau Claire campus in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

The Red Hawks were held hitless in the game, as Tommies pitcher Maria Bye threw five innings to improve to 20-0 on the season for the nation’s third-ranked team.

Ripon (20-13) starter Andrea Knorr was sharp early, as she allowed two hits through three scoreless innings to start the contest. St. Thomas (40-3) began to break through in the fourth with four hits, but were limited to a pair of runs thanks in part to Ripon centerfielder Mary Friend’s throw to the plate to get Alison Wright. The Tommies hit a three-run home run in the fourth en route to a four-run inning and a 6-0 lead, before a walkoff two-run homer in the bot tom of the sixth ended the game via the mercy rule.

Ripon had four baserunners in the game, as Ashley Kirst and Jackie Reichhart reached on an error and a fielders choice, respectively, in the fourth inning. Jessica Goudreau was hit by a pitch in the second and Knorr drew a walk in the fifth.

Ripon will face Illinois Wesleyan (29-10) at noon on Friday, May 9 in the Eau Claire Regional.

Lawrence senior softball player Catherine Marinac (right) has been named to the CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District V Third Team.

Marinac, a senior Biology and Chemistry major with 3.87 grade point average, is a three-time National Fastpitch Coaches Association Scholar All-American and a six-time academic all-conference choice between three league sports.

The 2006 MWC North Division Pitcher of the Year, the right-handed Marinac finished 2008 with a 4-9 record and 4.94 earned run average.

Seven Midwest Conference student-athletes were honored as the National Fastpitch Softball Association (NFCA) announced its All-Region selections for the 2008 season.

Lake Forest slugger Christy Condon (right) was the MWC’s lone first-team selection, as the senior outfielder/first basemen was selected as a utility player on the squad after a season in which she hit .358 with 11 home runs, 42 RBI, 27 runs scored and a .726 slugging percentage.

Grinnell junior outfielder Darcy Ward (left) was selected to the second team after hitting .488 with 27 RBI, 20 runs scored, two homers and a .683 slugging percentage.

The Third Team featured Knox’s senior catcher Katie Dura (.442, 16 RBI), Lake Forest’s sophomore catcher Jill Pfund (.344, 32 RBI, 7 HR), Ripon senior second basemen Krista Shafer (.412, 18 RBI, 25 R), St. Norbert sophomore shortstop Tracy Palmer (.295, 21 R) and St. Norbert sophomore outfielder Brieanna Oehlke (.247, 27 RBI).

NFCA All-Region Teams

The release of the 2008 Midwest Conference Softball All-Conference Teams and annual awards winners featured MWC champ Ripon sweeping the North Division. The Red Hawks, who won their first league title ever in 2008, saw junior shortstop Natalie Geenen (right) repeat as the North Player of the Year, while junior Andrea Knorr (left) became the third Ripon pitcher in as many years to be named Pitcher of the Year. Head coach Kelly Witte (right) completed the trifecta with her fourth Coach of the Year award in her 11th and final season coaching the Red Hawks.

Two of the three South awards went to Monmouth, as junior Sarah Christensen received Pitcher of the Year accolades and John Goddard was named Coach of the Year in his first season leading the Scots. The Player of the Year was Knox’s Katie Dura, who became the first Player of the Year in Prairie Fire history and the first South recipient of the award from a team that did not qualify for the MWC tourney since 1998.

2008 Softball All-MWC/Award Winners

Ripon will stay in-state for its first-ever NCAA Softball Tournament games, as the Red Hawks followed their first MWC title in school history on Sunday (May 4) by finding out they will play in the UW-Eau Claire Regional in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

The Red Hawks are ranked eighth in the eight-team regional and will face top-seeded St. Thomas at UW-Eau Claire’s Carson Park at noon on Thursday, May 8. The winner and loser of the contest will matchup, respectively, against the winner and loser of the Illinois Wesleyan-Simpson game. The second round contests are slated for Friday, May 9 with the loser’s round at noon and the winner’s round at 4 p.m.

The Red Hawks posted a 2-1 record against NCAA Tournament qualifiers during the 2008 regular-season, playing all three games in Florida in March, as they split a pair of contests against Allegheny Mountain champion Penn State-Behrend and downed Liberty League champ University of Rochester 6-2. Penn State-Behrend and Rochester are the No. 3 and No. 7 seeds, respectively, in the Ithaca (NY) Regional.

St. Thomas enters the NCAA Tournament as an automatic qualifier as well, as the Tommies won the Minnesota Conference regular-season and tournament titles in 2008. St. Thomas, who is currently ranked No. 3 in the country, won back- to-back NCAA Division III National Championships in 2004 and 2005. The Red Hawks and Tommies did not face any common opponents in 2008, while St. Thomas defeated Knox 10-1 on March 17 in its lone contest against an MWC school.

Click here for UW-Eau Claire Regional bracket

Ripon head softball coach Kelly Witte’s (right) career on the diamond has been extended by at least another week, as Ripon defeated Lake Forest 7-1 on Sunday (May 5) at Lake Forest to claim the 2008 Midwest Conference Softball Championship. The team saved its best for last, as they qualified for the MWC tourney on the final day of the regular-season and then won three of four contests this weekend to claim the first conference softball title in both Witte’s and school history. Witte announced prior to the season that she will leave coaching for a full-time teaching job at UW-Whitewater next year. Ripon receives the conference’s automatic qualifier to the 2008 NCAA Tournament and will find out their regional seed and location on Monday morning (May 6).

The two constants present in the Red Hawks’ win over Carroll on April 26 to qualify for tourney and Sunday’s finals victory over the Foresters was freshman pitcher Brittnee Peotter (left). Peotter threw complete-game two-hitters in both contests, while the 12 Foresters she struck out on Sunday was two shy of the single-game school record she posted against Carroll in April.

Lake Forest 16, St. Norbert 0 - Lake Forest made a statement by scoring five runs in the first inning, three in the second and eight in the third to limit the contest to five innings and clinch a berth in the finals. Nine Foresters accounted for 13 total hits, including multiple RBI for Tracy Rainey (3-4), Christy Condon (1-2, HR, right), Mallory Norton (1-3), Jill Pfund (2-3) and Shelby Neill (1-2, HR). Jeannette Andresen was the complete-game winner for Lake Forest, limiting St. Norbert to one hit in the shortened contest.

Lake Forest 4, Ripon 0 - Lake Forest was determined to become the third team ever and first since Carroll in 2000 to win the MWC title after coming from the loser’s bracket, as the Foresters stretched the tourney to its limits by forcing a second and decisive championship game. Both starters held their opponent scoreless through four innings, before Shelby Neill’s solo homer in thee fifth frame gave the Foresters a 1-0 advantage and all the support starter Gretchen Galasek (right) would need. Galasek scattered five hits in the complete-game victory, as the Foresters offense broke through with three insurance runs in the sixth. Andrea Knorr took the loss for Ripon despite allowing just four hits and two earned runs.

Ripon 7, Lake Forest 1 - Ripon’s first conference softball title came on the heels of a spectacular pitching performance by freshman Brittnee Peotter (right), who limited Lake Forest’s conference-leading offense to a pair of hits and struck out 12 hitters en route to the complete-game victory. The Red Hawks gave Peotter an early cushion, as Jackie Reichhart and Jessica Goudreau produced RBI singles on back-to-back plate appearances to give Ripon a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Lake Forest had an opportunity to tie the game in the fourth inning when Mallory Norton’s RBI double plated Nicole Moser, but Tracy Rainey was thrown out at the plate on a relay from leftfielder Ashley Kirst to shortstop Natalie Geenen to Goudreau that left the score at 2-1. Ripon, the home team based on a coin toss, responded with three runs in the bottom of the inning to further distance themselves, as two singles, two errors, a sacrifice bunt and a sacrifice fly led to a 5-1 Red Hawk lead. Ripon tallied two more runs in the fifth to round out the contest’s scoring.

Ripon clinched a spot in Sunday’s (May 5) finals of the 2008 Midwest Conference Softball Championship Tournament at Lake Forest and will face the winner of the Foresters 10 a.m. matchup against St. Norbert.

St. Norbert 7, Monmouth 0 - The Green Knights avenged a 9-0 loss to Monmouth during the regular-season behind a four-hit complete-game pitching effort from freshman Kayla Krueger (8-6) and timely hitting from senior Lindsey Reynolds (2-3, 3 RBI). The contest started as a pitchers duel, as the two teams combined for one hit through the first three and a half innings. The Green Knights first hit of the game came off the bat of Reynolds, as her two-run home run to deep left-centerfield gave St. Norbert a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth. Reynolds’ RBI double down the leftfield line with two outs in the sixth lifted the Green Knight lead to 3-0 and sparked a five-run inning that knocked Monmouth starter Sarah Christensen (7-6) out of the game. Julie Hayes added a two-RBI double for St. Norbert, while Kristen Bickett had two hits for the Scots.

Ripon 6, Lake Forest 4 - A pair of back-to-back errors by Lake Forest in the top of the seventh inning sparked a three-run frame for Ripon, who went into the final half inning with a 6-2 advantage and held on for the win. Natalie Geenen started the seventh with a walk for Ripon and the pair of errors ensued on the next two at-bats, allowing Geenen to come around to score and setting the stage for a two-RBI single by Jackie Reichhart (right). Lake Forest countered with two runs in the bottom of the inning, but a ground out ended the game with the tying run at first base. Lake Forest took a 1-0 lead in the first off consecutive doubles and then tied the game at 2-2 on a sacrifice fly in the third after had Ripon plated two runs on a two-RBI single from Krista Shafer in the top half of that inning. Winning pitcher Andrea Knorr (12-7) gave the Red Hawks the lead for good with an RBI single in the sixth. Jill Pfund drove in two runs on three hits for the Foresters, while Jeannette Andresen (7-3) took the loss after throwing the final four innings in relief.

Lake Forest 11, Monmouth 6 - The Foresters broke the game open in the bottom of the first inning, scoring four runs before recording their first out and finishing the frame with a 6-0 lead. The game look destined for a five-inning mercy rule finish after Lake Forest tallied three more runs in the third, but the Foresters walked the bases loaded in the fourth and Monmouth’s Emily Willems capitalized with a grand slam to cut the lead to 9-4. Lake Forest plated two runs in the fifth for more breathing room, while the Scots added singles runs in the fifth and sixth to round out the scoring. Tracy Rainey (right) paced the Forester offense with three RBI, while Mallory Norton and Jill Pfund drove home two runs apiece to help starter Gretchen Galasek (5-4) earn the victory. Willems had three hits and two runs scored for Monmouth in addition to her four RBI.

Ripon 6, St. Norbert 5 (9 innings) - The decisive blow in a seesaw battle between the Red Hawks and Green Knights came on a St. Norbert error in the top of the ninth. Two singles and a walk had loaded the bags for Ripon when Andrea Knorr’s (right) liner to rightfield was snagged and the Green Knights attempted to double-up the runner at first. The ball sailed and allowed Krista Shafer to tag-up and score the go ahead run. Knorr (13-7), who pitched the final 3.1 innings for Ripon to earn her second victory of the afternoon, allowed a walk in the bottom half of the inning, but the St. Norbert runner did not advance past firstbase. Tracy Palmer and Sam Boushley each had three hits for St. Norbert, while Schafer and Jackie Reichart had three apiece for Ripon. Reichart’s two-RBI double in the sixth gave Ripon a 6-5 lead, but Kim Sawyer’s sacrifice fly in the bottom of the frame would eventually force extra innings.

Weather has forced a one day delay, but the 2008 Midwest Conference Softball Championship Tournament will return to Lake Forest, Illinois in what seems to have become a semi-annual right of spring in the MWC. The league tourney hosting duties rotate between the North and South champion each year and Lake Forest, the top seed from the South, has hosted the event in every even year since 2002. The 2008 version will now unfold on Saturday and Sunday, May 3-4 and for the first time in the league his tory will be carried live on the internet via MWCTV with full video and audio. JoAnn Krueger’s (right) St. Norbert team, the defending MWC champs and North top seed, are in the tourney field for the second straight year, while the North’s No. 2 team Ripon makes its third straight appearance. No. 2 South seed Monmouth will meet St. Norbert in one semifinal after qualifying for the field for the first time since 2004.

2008 MWC Championship Preview

The Midwest Conference has announced that the 2008 Midwest Conference Softball Championship Tournament will be webcast live on the internet via MWCTV (www.midwestconference.tv).

The 2008 tourney field features Lake Forest, Monmouth, Ripon and defending champion St. Norbert, with the Foresters hosting the contests on their campus in Lake Forest, Illinois.

Every 2008 MWC Softball Championship Tournament game will be available live with full video and audio on MWCTV. Interested viewers can visit www.midwestconference.tv for more information or to order the pay-per-view contests to watch on their computer. Games can be purchased for $4.95 per contest. A high-speed internet connection is recommended for all viewers.

Click here for more information

Please note that Knox will not be participating in Monday's non-conference softball games at Dawson Park in Janesville, Wisconsin. The schedule has been altered slightly and is available by clicking the link below or checking the MWC Softball page.

For the first time in its eight-year history, the Midwest Conference Softball Classic was cancelled, but contests between MWC North and South Division schools will still be played at Dawson Park in Janesville, Wisconsin on Monday, April 14.

The Classic was originally scheduled for Saturday and Sunday before a decision to tentatively push back the event to Sunday and Monday, April 13-14 was reached on Friday. Conference athletic directors and officials chose to cancel the event Saturday after Dawson Park officials expressed concerns about having the fields in game condition by Sunday morning.

Monday’s games are reflected in the non-conference portion of the MWC Composite Schedule and on the left side of website.

Click here to view the schedule

Former Ripon pitcher and current assistant coach Jen Mueller (right) has been named the next head coach of the Ripon softball team, effective at the end of the 2008 season. Mueller will replace Kelly Witte, who has coached the Red Hawks to 176 wins in her 11 seasons at the school. Witte is stepping down to take a teaching position at UW-Whitewater.

Mueller is no stranger to the Red Hawk softball program. A 2007 graduate of Ripon, Mueller holds the school record for strikeouts with 226 and ranks second in the record book for innings pitched (447.2), victories (40), earned run average (1.78) and complete games (50). She is a three-time All-MWC selection and was the MWC North Pitcher of the Year in 2006 and 2007.

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Lake Forest sophomore catcher Jill Pfund (right) opened conference play with a bang, as the sophomore catcher became the first player in school history to hit three home runs in a game during lake Forest’s 12-2 at Illinois College on April 5. Pfund started her record-setting day with a solo homer in the fourth inning and added two-run shots in the fifth and seventh innings, respectively.

Lake Forest freshman pitcher Gretchen Galasek’s (right) collegiate debut on the mound proved to be bittersweet on March 29, as the righty tossed the 11th no-hitter in school history, but still suffered a 2-1 defeat at Wheaton (IL).

Wheaton ’s first batter of the game walked, the second reached on an error and both came around to score without the aid of a base hit. A two-out walk in the second inning turned out to be the final baserunner of the game for the Thunder, who entered the contest with a team batting average of .336 and collected 14 base hits in game one of the doubleheader. Galasek struck out one hitter in the game.

After 11 seasons and 365 combined victories as Ripon head coach in volleyball and softball, Kelly Witte (right) has decided to resign, effective at the end of the 2008 softball season. Witte has accepted a full-time faculty position at UW-Whitewater as the coordinator of coaching minor in the department of health, physical education, recreation and coaching.

In her time at Ripon, Witte has been named Midwest Conference Coach of the Year four times, three for softball, and once for volleyball. She has led the Red Hawks to two MWC North Division titles in softball and one MWC North Division title in volleyball.

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St. Norbert and Lake Forest topped the North and South Divisions, respectively, in the 2008 Midwest Conference Softball Preseason Coaches poll after the two teams met for the league title in the conference tourney finals a year ago.

The Green Knights return six regulars from an offense that scored 33 runs in three league tournament games in 2007 and will also have All-MWC pitcher Mara Resch (right), a 12-game winner, back.

The Foresters are in similar shape, as 2007 MWC South Pitcher of the Year Kendra Grant (left) will be surrounded by a potent lineup that features four returnees who drove in at least 20 runs last season.

Click here for 2008 Preseason Coaches Poll

Former Monmouth head softball coach Kari Shimmin has stepped down following her appointment as chair of the college’s physical education department and assistant John Goddard (right) has been named as Shimmin’s replacement. The move will take effect immediately.

Goddard, who will retain Hank Shimmin and Holly English as assistant coaches, brings a wealth of coaching experience to the table. He has held numerous coaching positions at the high school and ASA levels. Goddard was an assistant on the local ASA 18U girls’ team that qualified for the ASA Northern Nationals last summer.

Shimmin accepted her appointment as department chair last fall, calling it a “great opportunity” to assume the duties as department chair from Dr. Terry Glasgow who will retire at the end of the academic year. She had served as head softball coach since 2005 and will continue to serve as head volleyball coach, a position she has held since 1998.

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Kim Zarling (right), a 14-year veteran of the coaching ranks and a Wisconsin native, has been named the Head Softball Coach at Beloit.

Zarling comes to Beloit after spending 12 seasons as the Head Softball Coach at the University of South Dakota. In those 12 seasons, she became the program’s all-time leader in victories with 325 while guiding her teams to 20-win seasons in ten of the 12 years. In 1998, she guided the team to a school-record 40-win season and earned North Central Conference and NFCA Division II North Central Region Coach of the Year honors.

Prior to taking the Head Coach position at South Dakota in 1995, she was an Assistant Softball Coach at Minnesota State-Mankato for two seasons.

A native of Omro, Wisconsin, and a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, Zarling was a four-year letterwinner for the Falcons. During her senior season, as team captain, she helped lead the squad to a #7-ranking in NCAA Division III while hitting .325 with a team-high 27 RBI. She earned team MVP and All-WIAC honors at the end of the season.

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