Softball Titans Aim for CCIW, Regional Success

10 March 2005

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — The Illinois Wesleyan University softball team looks to win a fourth straight conference championship and obtain a sixth straight 30-win season, but mostly looks for a return to the NCAA Division III tournament this spring.

IWU, coached by Beth Williams, opens the season in Orlando, Fla., against Farleigh Dickinson-Florham at 8:50 a.m. Sun., March 13 as the first of 10 games in the Rebel Spring Games.

The Titans, 31-10 last year, failed to qualify for the 2004 Division III tourney, which ended a string of four straight national appearances, including a third place national finish in 2003.

Leading the returning players are seniors Brynn Hasse, a two-time All-American centerfielder, and third baseman Colleen Schuster.

Hasse (Chillicothe, IVC HS), a second team 2004 Division III All-American, broke her own school record with a .475 average and led IWU in hits (58), runs (33), triples (4), total bases (72), stolen bases (16), slugging percentage (.590) and on-base percentage (.533).

Hasse has 167 career hits, just 15 short of eclipsing the school record of 181, set by Jenny Schertz from 1994-97. Her 99 runs scored are also closing in on the record of 119 held by Jackie Kloiber (1997-00).

Hasse has 15 career triples, behind the school mark of 21, and her .422 career average is the best at IWU of any player with 200 or more at bats, easily topping the .386 mark of Jenny Miller (1992-95).

Schuster (Joliet HS), the team’s “MVP” as a freshman, slumped to a .256 batting mark in 2004 but still ranks No. 11 all-time at IWU in hits (135) and is No. 7 in both doubles (25) and runs batted in (83).

Flanking Hasse in the outfield will be sophomore Laura Johnson (Morton HS) in left and junior Natalie Hackett (New Lenox, Lincoln-Way Central HS) in right.

Johnson hit .444 playing limited amounts last spring while Hackett batted .307 with 20 runs batted in as a starter in 35 games.

Freshmen challenging for outfield playing time are Kayla Kindred (Bloomington, Normal Community HS) and Jenny Hjelmberg (Sycamore HS).

Incumbent shortstop Molly Coers (Manito, Midwest Central HS), last season’s "Most Improved Player", batted .402 as a freshman with 37 hits, all singles. She scored 21 bases and had 10 steals.

Junior Katie Frawley (Oswego, N.Y., HS) returns at first base and junior Jenny Freeman (Tremont HS) and freshman Ashley Deck (Bolingbrook HS) are contending for the second base job vacated by the graduated Jamie Palmer. Frawley batted .337 last season with 14 RBI while Freeman collected one hit in nine at bats and played in eight games.

Junior Michelle Bradley (Oak Brook, Downers Grove North HS) looks to have the opening nod at catcher while freshmen Kelly Nelson (Palos Heights, Stagg HS) and Katie Dobry (Elmhurst, Willowbrook HS) are other catcher candidates.

Freshman Kendahl McIntyre (Dallas, Texas, Bishop Lynch HS), a high school all-stater in Texas, is a designated hitter and can back up Coers at short, while sophomore third baseman Erin Cruz (Des Plaines, Maine West HS) and sophomore designated hitter Stephanie Gockley (Lisle HS) provide needed depth.

On the mound, Williams must replace the graduated Kelly Murray, who holds school records for wins, innings, and earned run average. Sophomore Lauren Hyland (Evergreen Park HS), senior Ashley Patten (Dwight HS), and Frawley combined for a 13-4 record last season.

Patten was 8-2 with a 1.79 earned run average while Frawley was 5-1 with a 2.31 ERA

IWU faces rugged regional competition on their 2005 schedule — Augustana, with whom IWU shared the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin regular season title last year, is ranked No. 8 in the national preseason poll, while Washington U. is No. 9 and the University of Chicago is No. 15.

CONTACT: Stew Salowitz, 309-556-3206