After a one-year hiatus, the Emory softball team returned to the postseason, hosting the Atlanta D-III NCAA Regional.   The Eagles played host to Berry College, Lynchburg College and Maryville College in the opening weekend of the national tourney. Emory dropped its opening game of the double-elimination format, 1-0, to Maryville College, but came away with a 4-2 triumph over Lynchburg College the following day in an elimination game. However, the Eagles came out on the short end of a 5-2 outcome to Maryville in another elimination test, closing out their NCAA run. 

Emory opened the season with eight straight home games, registering a 6-2 mark over that stretch which saw the Eagles' pitching corps hurl five shutouts, including a pair of complete-game whitewashes by freshman Jacqueline Spizizen in a doubleheader sweep of then No. 19-ranked Berry College. A 10-game road swing, started off with a rainout out at Peace College in North Carolina, and then was followed by a formidable six games in three days against nationally ranked foes. The Eagles suffered a pair of eight-innings defeats to No. 13 Randolph-Macon before salvaging a split at No. 6 Christopher Newport.  The final two games of the Virginia gauntlet came at No. 1 and eventual D-III national champ Virginia Wesleyan, with the Marlins winning both contests. 

Perhaps a bit bruised, the Eagles stood 7-7 after their opening 14 games, but regrouped in strong fashion to win 22 of their next 27 outings to finish with an overall ledger of 29-12, the program's 19th consecutive winning season. Emory rolled to the University Athletic Association title with a 15-1 won-lost mark, outscoring their league foes by a combined 83-23 margin.  Emory registered four-game home sweeps of Case Western Reserve and New York University while coming through with a sweep on the road against Washington University.   The Eagles finished the regular season with the highest strength-of-schedule rating among all D-III programs.

Other key team accomplishments included:

** Leading the UAA and ranking 13th among all D-III programs in earned run average (1.84).

** Playing solid defense throughout the year, pacing the league and ranking 20th nationally in field percentage (.969).

** Chalking up a conference-high 10 shutouts, good for the No. 31 slot in the D-III ranks. 

** Finishing with a home record of 17-4. 

** Collecting 10 or more hits in 10 contests. 

** Stealing 61 bases, the seventh-highest seasonal total in program history. 

Emory had three players selected as First Team All-UAA, highlighted by freshman Jacqueline Spizizen who was named the both the league Rookie and Pitcher of the Year, chalking up a won-lost slate of 17-6 with her victory total ranking second in the conference.  Named the UAA Pitcher of the Week on five occasions, she compiled an ERA of 1.42 over 138 frames and paced the league with an average of 7.9 strikeouts per seven innings. In addition, she accounted for four saves, tops among UAA pitchers and ninth in D-III. 

Joining Spizizen on the All-UAA First Team were juniors Jenna Wilson and Cassie Baca.  An outfield starter in 36 of 41 games, Wilson notched a team-leading .451 mark at the plate, good for the No. 2 spot in the league and 12th on the Emory seasonal ladder, delivering a club-high 51 hits in 113 at-bats.  She led Emory with 17 multi-hit contests and stole 22 bases, third in the conference, in as many attempts.   Both Spizizen and Wilson garnered spots on the NFCA All-Region Team.  A lynchpin of the infield at her shortstop position, Baca hit .290 while producing a team-high 23 RBIs.  Baca totaled eight games with two or more safeties and tied for the No. 1 spot on the club with five multi-RBI performances. 

Playing in her final season, outfielder Sarah Flanders, along with the sophomore tandem of Jessy McLean and Greta Wilker were Second Team All-UAA. A starter in 28 of the 29 games she appeared in, Flanders hit . 296 (24-of-81) and tied for third on the team with 17 runs scored.  Tabbed as the UAA Hitter of the Week on two occasions during the course of the season, she went 7-for-7 in the stolen base department and handled all 25 of her chances in the outfield flawlessly. McLean ended the season No. 2 on the club and 10th among UAA players in batting with a .351 mark, coming through with 40 hits (second on the team) in 114 trips to the plate. McLean was first on the Emory score sheet with 21 runs scored, 10 doubles and a .518 slugging percentage.  In her second year in the program, Wilker drew 34 starts in 37 assignments and went .271 (26-of-96) in the batter's box with six doubles, two homers and 19 RBIs. 

In addition to Flanders, seniors Ashley Powers, Janelle Turnquest and Audrey Weller closed the curtain on their respective runs with the program. Powers stoked a total of 14 round trippers, tying for sixth on the school's all-time chart over the course of 150 games, while Turnquest's 21 home runs represented the school's fourth-highest total.  In the circle, Weller compiled a won-lost mark of 13-3 over her four years, tossing over 132 innings. 

 Honors and Awards