The 2013 edition of the Emory softball team employed the combination of solid veteran play along with timely contributions from a number of newcomers in registering another outstanding season. 

The Eagles of head coach Penny Siqueiros posted the program’s 14^th consecutive winning campaign, finishing with an overall record of 42-5.  The team’s win total represented the second-highest mark in school history, second only to the 2002 squad’s 43 triumphs. In addition, the team’s final ledger represented the fourth time in the last five years that it surpassed the 30-victory plateau and the 11^th time overall.   

Some of the noteworthy achievements from 2013 included:

** The program’s seventh bid in the past eight seasons and 11th overall to the NCAA Tournament.

** Holding down the No. 14 national ranking in the final NFCA Coaches’ Top 25 Poll.

** Bringing home its fourth straight and seventh overall University Athletic Association Championship, registering a 8-0 record and outscoring the opposition by a 56-20 margin.  It was the second time in three years and fourth time that the Eagles went through the league portion of the schedule undefeated.

** Socking 29 home runs, the second-highest seasonal mark in school annals. The team stood 62^nd nationally in homers per game (0.62).

** Chalking up 81 doubles, good for the No. 3 slot on the program’s seasonal ladder.  Emory stood 30^th among D-III programs in doubles per game (1.72 dpg).

** Ranking 49th nationally with a hitting average of .326.

** Topping league and standing 29^th nationally with a .484 slugging percentage with that performance good for the No. 4 position on Emory’s seasonal ladder.

** Crafting a conference-best 1.63 ERA, the 15^th -best mark in Division III during the campaign.

** Holding down the No. 1 position in the league and standing No. 39 in the D-III ranks with an average of 6.4 runs per game. 

** Stealing 73 bases, the second-highest seasonal effort by an Emory team.

Head Coach Penny Siqueiros and her squad got out of the blocks quickly, starting the year out with a 19-0 record with all those contests played at Emory.  It represented just the second time in school history that an Eagle team had posted wins in their opening 19 contests, and was highlighted by decisive 9-1 and 8-1 decisions over then No. 4-ranked and eventual NCAA participant Roanoke College.   Emory also captured two games each against Bridgewater College and St. John Fisher in that stretch with both of those teams earning NCAA bids later in the season.

After suffering its first setback of the year, a 4-1 verdict at the hands of Pacific Lutheran in the first contest of the Leadoff Classic in Columbus, Ga., the Eagles rattled off another 19-game winning streak.  Emory notched wins over NCAA Tourney bound squads Kean University and Piedmont College at the Classic before rolling through the UAA Tournament with an 8-0 record that included a pair of wins over nationally ranked Washington University, another Emory foe who would also advance to the national tournament.  Freshman Hannah Sendel was named the Co-MVP of the UAA Tournament with the Eagles placing five members on the all-tourney team.

Following its conference title, Emory closed out the regular season by claiming seven of its final nine regular-season contests, all of which were played on the road or at neutral sites.  A highlight that took place over that stretch came on March 31 when junior Megan Light socked a two-run homer in a 7-4 win over Rhodes that allowed her to become the school’s all-time leader in that category.

Junior Megan Light was the lynchpin of the Emory offense, battering opposing pitching to the tune of a team-high hitting mark of .408.  Light captured a bevy of honors including NFCA First Team All-America acclaim as well as UAA Player of the Year recognition.  One of two Eagles to have started all 47 games, she socked a school season record 12 homers and recorded a league-high 59 RBIs with that total the second-highest seasonal effort in school history.  Light chalked up 16 multi-hit affairs and drove in two or more runs on 17 occasions, both of which were team highs.  She ranked 11^th nationally in RBIs per game (1.26) and topped the conference while holding down the No. 34 position in D-III with a .800 slugging percentage, tying for the program’s No. 1 seasonal effort.

Junior Amanda Kardys emerged as the mainstay of the pitching staff, earning NFCA Third All All-America honors after compiling a won-lost record of 25-5 with her victory total establishing a school season record.  A First Team All-UAA honoree, Kardys tossed 179 2/3 innings, good for the No. 2 spot on the Emory seasonal chart, and recorded a league-leading ERA of 1.60.   Kardys opened the season by not allowing an earned run in her first 59 innings of action, and wound up the campaign throwing 18 complete games in 25 starts.

Junior Ally Kersthold was one of the squad’s unsung heroes, starting 43 of 46 contests and winding up with a solid mark of .336 at the plate.  A Second Team All-Atlantic Region and First Team All-UAA pick, Kersthold finished third on the team with 32 RBIs, 44 hits and 13 doubles. She compiled 11 multi-hit contests and drove in two or more runs on nine occasions.  Kersthold also registered a team-best 12-game hitting streak during the year.

Sophomore Micah Scharff came through with numerous contributions both offensively and behind the plate where she made 39 of her 43 starts.  Scharff garnered Second Team All-UAA recognition after posting a .333 effort (45-of-135) at the plate with her 45 hits placing second on the squad.  She socked a league-high 16 doubles with that total tying for the No. 4 position on the school’s seasonal list.  The owner of nine multi-hit contests, Scharff landed a spot on the Salem, VA, NCAA Region All-Tournament Team after hitting .438 with seven hits in 16 trips to the plate.

Alyssa Pollard and Hannah Sendel were two members of the freshman class who played major roles in the team’s success.  Pollard saw action in 38 games and made 32 of her 34 starts in left field, winding up the season with a batting average of .385 (40-of-104) that ranked second among the squad’s regulars.  A Second Team All-UAA choice, Pollard was second on the club with a dozen multi-hit games and fourth in hits.  Sendel, a starter in 29 of 34 games, gave the Emory offense some pop with her eight round trippers ranking second on the team and fifth among UAA Players.  Sendel finished second on the Eagles’ scoresheet with 34 RBIs and knocked in two or more runs on nine occasions.  She was named the UAA Tournament’s Co-MVP after helping Emory to an 8-0 record, hitting .471 and driving in a tourney-high 15 runs.