The 2008 season marked the 10th year of Emory softball as an
intercollegiate sport and the squad did not disappoint as the
Eagles battled to the program's ninth consecutive winning campaign.
For the record, Head Coach Penny Siqueiros saw her club finish with
an overall record of 29-12 that included the following
accomplishments:
** The program's third straight and seventh bid to the NCAA
Tournament.
** School seasonal records in on-base percentage (.419),
base-on-balls (132), stolen bases (90), and most opposing batters
struck out (337).
** Leading the UAA in a number of categories including batting
average (.346), ERA (1.49), fielding (.973), on-base percentage
(.419) and stolen bases (90).
** Ranking nationally in a number of statistical categories
including batting average (t-14th, .346), ERA (15th, 1.49),
fielding percentage (7th, .973), and stolen bases per game (12th,
2.20).
** A final national ranking of 27th by the NFCAA.
As was the case in 2007, this year's edition of the
Eagles used a strong second half of the regular season, capturing
16 of their last 20 games, en route to earning an at-large bid to
the NCAA Tournament. Seeded No. 5 in the Fayetteville Region,
Emory dropped its opening game by a 2-1 margin to LaGrange College,
a team that it had defeated four times earlier in the season.
Emory battled back the next day and remained alive in the
double-elimination format, topping Christopher Newport, 4-3 in
eight innings. However, the Eagles saw their run in the
postseason come to an end later on in the day when Ursinus notched
a 3-0 victory, the first time that Emory had been blanked all
season.
Junior pitcher Shanon Andersen emerged as a
dynamic performer in her first season with the program and
established herself as one of the top hurlers in the nation.
A transfer from Pima Community College (AZ), Andersen fashioned a
won-lost mark of 21-6 with her victory total an Emory seasonal
record. In addition, Andersen, who completed 16 of her 22
starts, established another school standard when she fanned 230
opposing batters, also leading all UAA players in that
category. Andersen whiffed 10 or more batters on 12 occasions
including a school-record 17 against Wesleyan College (Apr.
15). She finished 22nd among all D-III hurlers with a 9.0
strikeouts per game effort. A durable performer, she tossed
178 innings, the second-highest school seasonal mark, and fashioned
an ERA of 1.10 that paced all UAA pitchers and ranked 17th
nationally. She was recognized for her outstanding season by
earning a second-team berth to the NFCA All-Atlantic Region
Team.
After recording just 34 plate appearances and hitting .147 in
2007, junior first baseman Carey Smith-Marchi
exploded with a big-time year offensively, finishing with a classy
.396 average which placed her seventh among UAA players. A
starter in 38 of the 39 games she played in, Smith-Marchi tied for
the team lead with 10 doubles and her .632 slugging percentage
ranked second on the club and seventh on the league's ladder.
The Mill Valley, Calif., native registered 10 multi-hit games en
route to First Team All-UAA honors, and she was Emory's lone
representative on the NFCA First Team All-Atlantic Region
Team. Smith-Marchi proved to be a solid presence at her first
base post, handling all 145 of her chances without a miscue.
Junior Kim Bandy used a late-season surge at the
plate to end the year with an impressive average of .411, sixth
among UAA players and her second straight year of .400 or
better. One of three Eagles to land a spot on the All-UAA
First Team (her second straight nod to that team), Bandy drew
starting assignments in all 40 of the contests she saw action
in. The third baseman led the team and figured prominently
among conference performers in numerous categories including hits
with 51 (4th in UAA), a .677 slugging percentage (5h in UAA),
a .486 on-base percentage (6th in UAA) and with 39 runs scored (4th
in the UAA). Bandy knocked in 34 runs, second on the team,
and her four homers topped the squad and boosted her career total
to nine, good for a fifth-place tie on the school's all-time
ladder. She earned her third consecutive berth to the NFCA
All-Atlantic Region Team, landing a third-team berth.
After receiving a bevy of accolades as a freshman that included
UAA Rookie of the Year acclaim, centerfielder Cassie
Walsh showed no signs of a "sophomore jinx" with a fine
2008 season. Walsh was tabbed as a First Team All-UAA pick
for the second straight year while being selected to the second
team of the NFCA All-Atlantic Region Team. Walsh, the only
Eagle to start all 41 games, batted .333 and led the team and UAA
in runs scored (44) and stolen bases with a school seasonal record
of 26 thefts. Walsh posted 17 multi-hit games and her 50
safeties placed her second on the team and sixth on the UAA
list.
Sophomore second baseman Caitlin Fitzgerald was
the model of consistency and was a Second Team All-Atlantic Region
Team pick. Fitzgerald, who started all 40 of the games she
played in, hit a hefty .358 and tied for the team high with 10
doubles. Her 35 RBIs topped the club and ranked fourth among
UAA players. Fitzgerald finished with 13 multi-hit games and
chalked up nine contests of two or more RBIs including a
five-ribbies effort against LaGrange College (Apr. 20) that tied as
the squad's high-water mark of the season. Caitlin was one of
Emory's more selective players at the plate, drawing a club-high 16
base-on-balls that placed her among the top 10 among league
performers.
Filling the void at shortstop following the graduation of Laren
Haag, freshman Nikki Perez firmly established
herself at the position. Perez played in all 41 games, 39 as
a starter, and hit at a .371 clip, good for ninth place on the UAA
list. Perez tied for third on team with 43 hits and was third
with 14 stolen bases. The rifle-armed infielder was
dependable in moving runners along and topped all Eagles with 14
sacrifice bunts. Nikki was one the team's top hitters down
the stretch with hits in 10 of the last 11 contests, hitting .410
with 16 hits in 39 trips to the plate.
Pitchers Ashley Tobar and Kathy
Gordon, along with outfielder Cassi
Witcher, made up the 2008 senior class. Tobar was
slowed by injuries but still managed to compile a
4-1 mark on the mound. She struck out 38 batters in 35 2/3
innings of action including a season high of 10 in a 4-2
complete-game win against Maryville College. Career-wise,
Ashley compiled a 37-9 won-lost ledger with her win total good for
fourth place on Emory's career ladder. Fourth on the school's
all-time list in innings pitched (340 1/3), other career statistics
for Tobar include fanning 321 opponents, finishing with a career
ERA of 1.38 and tossing 12 shutouts, all fourth on Emory's all-time
charts.
Gordon, a Second Team All-UAA pick in 2008, also finished with a
4-1 record with four complete games to her credit in seven
starts. Gordon fanned 43 foes in 36 1/3 innings and chalked
up a pair of shutouts. Kathy, the Eagles' all-time
leader in strikeouts with 430, wound up her career ranked
prominently in numerous Emory pitching categories including wins
(3rd, 54), ERA (2nd, 1.27), strikeouts per game (1st, 7.29),
games started (3rd, 64), shutouts (3rd, 19) and innings pitched
(413).
Witcher appeared in 33 games, 27 in a starting role in 2008, and
hit her first career homer against Case Western in the UAA
Tournament. In her four seasons with the program, she played
in 118 games, 80 as a starter.
Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division III All-Region (Atlantic
Region)
Carey
Smith-Marchi
First
Team
Mill Valley, CA
Shanon
Andersen
Second
Team
Sahuarita, AZ
Caitlin
Fitzgerald
Second
Team
Warren, NJ
Cassie
Walsh
Second
Team
Palm City, FL
Kim
Bandy
Third
Team
Duluth, GA
All-University Athletic Association
Kim
Bandy
First
Team
Duluth, GA
Carey
Smith-Marchi
First
Team
Mill Valley, CA
Cassie
Walsh
First
Team
Palm City, FL
Kathy
Gordon
Second
Team
Midland, GA
Amanda
Kerns
Second
Team
Knoxville, TN
All-Tournament - NCAA Fayetteville Regional
Caitlin
Fitzgerald
(one
team)
Warren, NJ
Alyson
Moler
(one team)
Purcellville, VA
UAA Player of the Week
Shanon
Andersen
(Feb. 19,
2008)
Sahuarita, AZ
Caitlin
Fitzgerald
(Mar. 3,
2008)
Warren, NJ
Caitlin
Fitzgerald
(Mar. 24,
2008)
Warren, NJ
Kim
Bandy
(Apr. 21,
2008)
Duluth, GA