The 2015 Emory softball team came through with a memorable season, and in the process continued its status as one of the premier programs in the Division III ranks.

The Eagles of head coach Penny Siqueiros posted their 16^th consecutive winning campaign, finishing with an overall record of 34-9. The team’s final ledger represented the sixth time in the last seven years that it surpassed the 30-victory plateau and the 13^th time in its 17-year history.    
Some other noteworthy achievements from 2015 included:

** The program’s ninth bid in the past 10 seasons and 13th overall to the NCAA Tournament. For the second straight year of D-III’s revised postseason format, Emory advanced to the Super Regional Round.

** Serving as the host site for NCAA Regional action.

** Holding down a No. 17 national ranking in the final NFCA Coaches’ Top 25 Poll.

** Bringing home its sixth straight and ninth overall University Athletic Association Championship, sharing the crown with Washington University with an 8-2 won-lost record. The Eagles enjoyed an 89-33 scoring advantage over the 10 games and socked 15 home runs to the opposition’s six.

** Winding up the season hitting 40 home runs, the second-highest total in program history.  The team’s final total trailed only the 2014 squad’s standard of 47.  The Eagles’ 40 round trippers tied for the No. 2 spot in the UAA, and the team’s mark of 0.93 home runs per game average ranked 18th nationally.

** Chalking up 86 doubles, second among UAA programs and No. 3 on the school’s seasonal list.  Emory averaged 2.00 two-baggers per contest with that mark 17^th in the D-III ranks.

** Holding down the No. 2 spot in the UAA, 16^th nationally and third on the program’s seasonal chart with a .518 slugging percentage. 

** Seeing three of its players garner NFCA All-Atlantic Region recognition, junior Hannah Sendel with a first-team berth while senior Micah Scharff and sophomore Tara Fallahee landed third-team acclaim.

** Having three players bring home First Team All-UAA honors -- junior Sydney Carpenter, along with Sendel and Scharff, with junior Alyssa Pollard and freshman Ashley Powers second-team selections.

** Playing a total of 10 regular-season games against six teams that advanced to the NCAA Tournament – Berry  (1-1),  Fontbonne (2-0),  Rochester (2-0), Washington Univ., (1-1), DePauw (1-0) and Thomas More (1-0),  fashioning an 8-2 won-lost slate in those contests.

Emory opened the 2015 season in impressive fashion, winning its first 10 games that included three one-run decisions.  Among the 10 victories were decisions over DePauw and Thomas More, both of whom advanced to the postseason.

After opening the University Athletic Association Tournament with a win over first-year program New York University, raising its record to 11-0, Emory endured a speed bump, losing back-to-back contests to Case Western Reserve and Washington University.   The Eagles then regrouped to rattle off seven consecutive wins, scoring in double figures in five of those decisions, to claim a co-championship with an 8-2 record.  Emory had five representatives chosen to the All-Tournament Team, highlighted by Hannah Sendel’s selection as the MVP. 

Emory continued its winning ways after the UAA Tournament, capturing its next six outings, raising its win streak to 13 games and overall record to 24-2.  Included in that run was a home doubleheader sweep of eventual NCAA participant Fontbonne University, both by 3-0 scores.   The Eagles then put together a 4-2 mark over their next six contests before stepping out of D-III play where they met up with NAIA power Georgia Gwinnett and NCAA D-II member Shorter University.  Emory then closed out the regular season with a sweep of a twin bill at Maryville College.

For the second straight season, Emory was selected to host the NCAA Atlanta Regional where it chalked up a 3-0 record, defeating LaGrange (2-0) and Averett University (1-0) before sealing the title with an eight-inning 4-2 decision over Berry College.  Sophomore pitcher Brittany File tossed back-to-back two-hit shutouts in the team’s first two games of the Atlanta Regional while senior Micah Scharff was named the Most Outstanding Player.  The three wins propelled the Eagles into the NCAA Super Regional where they matched up with No. 2-ranked UT-Tyler.  The Patriots ended Emory’s season in the Super Regional, winning the best-of-three series, 2-0.

Junior Hannah Sendel provided the squad with plenty of power en route to capturing NFCA First Team All-Atlantic Region acclaim.  One of two Eagles to start all 43 contests, Sendel ranked eighth nationally with 14 home runs, tying the second-highest seasonal mark in school history that she established in 2014, while ranking third in the UAA, 27^th nationally and fifth on the school’s seasonal ladder with 48 RBIs.   In addition, she held down the No. 3 slot among UAA players with a .835 slugging percentage, with that mark good for 22^nd nationally and No. 2 on the program’s seasonal list.  Sendel was a First Team All-UAA honoree and was selected as the MVP of the league’s all-tournament team.

Senior Micah Scharff closed out a solid four-year stint as an Eagle, earning Third Team All-Atlantic Region kudos after leading the team and standing 12^th among UAA performers in hitting with a .388 mark.  Named the Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Atlanta Regional, Scharff, who logged time at the catching and shortstop positions, pounded out a team-high 14 doubles, fifth on the UAA chart, and finished the campaign second on the team with 14 multi-hit outings.  A First Team All-UAA selection, Scharff also landed a berth on the UAA All-Tournament Team.  Career-wise, she ranked prominently in a number of program categories including fifth in doubles (48), seventh in putouts (643), ninth in runs scored (131) and 11^th in hits (171).

Sophomore Tara Fallahee turned in a big season, hitting at a .371 clip (49-of-132) en route to Third Team All-Atlantic Region recognition.  Fallahee’s 49 safeties led the squad and tied for 12^th in the conference, while her 35 RBIs placed third on the team’s score sheet and 11^th on the UAA ladder.  Fallahee, who also garnered a spot on the UAA All-Tournament Team, produced a team-leading 15 multi-hit performances and drove in two or more runs on eight occasions.

Sophomore pitcher Brittany File posted a won-lost ledger of 17-6 with her victory total second in the conference and 11^th on the school’s seasonal chart.  File tossed 135 1/3 innings, compiling an ERA of 2.84 with her 156 strikeouts fifth-most in program history.  Her average of 8.1 strikeouts over seven innings was second in the UAA and 32^nd in the Division III ranks.  After two seasons as an Eagle, File is ninth all-time at Emory in wins (27) and seventh in strikeouts (317).

In addition to Scharff, senior Brianna Berceau saw the curtain come down on her collegiate career.  Berceau, who bounced back in 2015 after missing the 2014 season with an injury, played in a total of 65 games in an Emory uniform.

Honors and Awards