Wheaton chases 11th league softball tournament crown in 16 years

April 27, 2007

NORTON, MA- The Wheaton College softball team continues the chase of its 11th league tournament title in 16 years when the Lyons travel to Springfield College for Saturday's elimination round games. The second seed in the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Tournament, the Blue and White will need to win five games out of the loser's bracket over the weekend to automatically clinch its eighth NCAA Tournament berth in 11 seasons. At 24-15 overall, Wheaton is seventh in the latest NCAA New England rankings.

Wheaton fell in the second round of the tournament on Wednesday, dropping an 11-8 decision to sixth-seeded Wellesley College. The Lyons next face number five Smith College at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday and need a victory at 4:00 p.m. to advance to Sunday's loser's bracket final. Wheaton swept a doubleheader at Smith, 14-0 in five innings and 7-0 on March 30. At 16-17, the Pioneers won 10 of their final 14 regular season games before losing to number four Clark University, 11-8 in Wednesday's second round.

Since beginning the year 2-6, which included an eighth-place showing among 24 teams at the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Leadoff Classic in Panama City Beach, Florida, the Lyons have gone 22-9, including an 11-5 mark in NEWMAC play. The hallmark of this year's team has been its high-powered offense, as the Blue and White tied a 10-year-old program mark with 38 home runs. Entering the week, Wheaton was 11th in Division III slugging percentage, 15th in homers per game, 19th in batting average and 27th in steals. The Lyons average 6.3 runs on 9.5 hits, having defeated opponents 11 times via the eight-run mercy rule.

Leading the prolific charge has been Wheaton's two seniors and co-captains, first baseman Jessica DePolito (Taunton, MA/Coyle and Cassidy) and shortstop Nicole Lachance (Rochester, NH/Spaulding). Entering this week, the Lyon duo had Wheaton as one of two Division III teams with multiple players with double-digit home run totals. DePolito is hitting .462 with 13 homers and 39 RBI, while Lachance has a .403 average, 10 longballs, 41 runs and 37 RBI. DePolito is third in program history with 23 career dingers, while Lachance is tied for sixth with 15.

Junior right fielder Audrey Poulton (Charlestown, RI/Chariho Regional) has hit .437 with 16 RBI, while sophomore designated player Stacey Kelleher (Brockton, MA/Brockton) is batting .417 with 20 RBI. Freshman third baseman Merry MacDonald (Braintree, MA/Braintree) is hitting .407 with 29 RBI and four homers, while sophomore center fielder Brady Benton (Concord, NH/Concord) has 24 RBI and four dingers. Benton and junior catcher Alix Brozman (Chappaqua, NY/Horace Greeley) are tied for the team lead with 12 steals, while junior left fielder Erika Marini (Pawtucket, RI/Saint Raphael Academy) has launched four home runs with 20 RBI.

Junior Jodi Moynagh (Worcester, MA/Holy Name Central Catholic) has shouldered the majority of the weight in the circle, going 10-4 with a 2.42 earned run average while striking out 119 batters in 121.1 innings. She has completed 12 of her 16 starts, made seven relief appearances, and held opposing hitters to a .234 average while tossing three shutouts. Poulton has two shutouts, including a blanking of then 22nd-ranked Coe College on March 9, while freshman Andrea Bagley (Foxboro, MA/Foxboro) is 10-5 with 11 complete games and three shutouts.

Head coach Gina Loudenburg's squad, which made the 18th-year coach the 15th in Division III history with 500 career victories on April 14, entered the week with the highest team batting average in the NEWMAC by nearly 30 points while also boasting its top fielding percentage. The Lyons were third in pitching strikeouts.

This page is maintained by Scott Dietz. Last updated on 4/27/07.
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