SEA GULLS RETURN TO NCAA SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT
Number Four Seed Salisbury Begins Play on Friday in Radnor, PA Regional 

The Salisbury University softball team returns to the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament for the sixth straight season, with the number four seed for the five-team regional that begins in Radnor, PA on Friday, May 10. The double-elimination regional continues through Sunday, with the winner advancing to next week’s College World Series in Eau Claire, WI.

Salisbury, 34-8 overall and champion of the Capital Athletic Conference for the sixth consecutive year, plays #5 seed Western Maryland (29-6) in its first game, Friday at 10 a.m. 

The schedule for the five-team regional, with seedings and records noted --
Friday, May 10 
Game 1     10 am         #4 Salisbury (34-8) vs. #5 Western Maryland (29-6)
Game 2     12 noon      #2 Moravian (34-6) vs. #3 Rowan (31-14)
Game 3     2 pm          #1 Cabrini  (36-6) vs. Winner of Game 1
Game 4     4 pm          Loser of game 1 vs. Loser of game 2

Saturday, May 11   
Game 5    10 am           Winner of game 2 vs. Winner of game 3
Game 6     12 noon        Winner of game 4 vs. Loser of game 3
Game 7     2 pm            Loser of game 5 vs. Winner of game 6

Sunday, May 12
Game 8    10 am.          Winner of game 5 vs. Winner of game 7
Game 9     12 noon        If necessary, based on outcome of game 8  

Salisbury’s NCAA Tournament History
Salisbury is making its eighth overall and sixth straight NCAA Tournament appearance. The Gulls received bids in 1984 and 1987 and were eliminated by Trenton State, now The College of New Jersey, in the first round both times. The Sea Gulls have returned to the tournament in 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002. SU was the regional champion in 1998 and advanced to the College World Series as the Atlantic Region’s representative.  In 1997, SU won its first two games in the regional before losing twice to Montclair. In 1999, the Gulls beat Roanoke 5-3 in the opening game, but were eliminated with losses to Rowan and Montclair. In 2000 and 2001, SU advanced to the regional final before losing to Ithaca and Roanoke, respectively. Salisbury is 10-14 all-time in NCAA Tournament play.  

Sea Gulls Probable Starting Lineup
3B  Lisa Gentilella        .445 BA, 61 hits, 49 runs
2B  Jacki Warrington   .356 BA, 47 hits, 37 runs
RF Katie Mullinix         .369 BA, 13 doubles, 39 RBI
1B Rosie Aley              .387 BA, 3 HR, 30 RBI
CF Leslie White           .355 BA, 10 doubles, 27 RBI
LF Kareem Falcon       .409 BA, 2 HR, 25 RBI
SS  Kate Garland         .328 BA, 39 hits, 16 SB
DP Kellie Smigocki      .300 BA, 21 hits, 17 RBI
C   Kim Rementer         .394 BA, 37 hits, 15 SB
RF Kristen Rementer   160 BA, 14 runs

The Pitchers
Katie Mullinix               29-7, 0.79 ERA, 94 K, 53 BB
Kara Shunk                    5-1, 1.74 ERA, 24 K, 18 BB  

Mullinix Headlines All-Conference Team
Salisbury University, which won both the regular season and tournament title in the Capital Athletic Conference for the sixth straight season, also dominated the 2002 all-conference team. The Sea Gulls placed six players on the all-CAC team, with junior P Katie Mullinix named the CAC Player of the Year. Her selection marks the sixth straight season that a Sea Gull has won the award.  Joining Mullinix on the all-CAC squad were 1B Rosie Aley, 2B Jacki Warrington, 3B Lisa Gentilella, SS Kate Garland, and OF Kareem Falcon. In addition, freshman C Kim Rementer was named CAC Rookie of the Year.  

Gulls Tie School Record With 14-Game Win Streak
Salisbury tied its team record with a 14-game winning streak between April 6 and April 21. The previous mark had been set during the 1999 season. The Sea Gulls enter the NCAA Tournament having won 15 of their last 16 games and 20 of their last 22, dating back to March 25.  In addition to its 14-game streak, SU also had winning streaks of six, five and five games during the 2002 campaign.  

Sea Gull Notes
With 34 wins this season, the Sea Gulls registered their sixth straight season with at least 30 victories, and their second straight 34-victory regular season. Salisbury has been ranked in the NFCA national poll throughout the season and enters the NCAA Tournament ranked #17 in the latest poll, released on May 1.  The Gulls enter the NCAA Tournament with a .361 team batting average, and are averaging 6.9 runs per game. SU has also established a new team record with 115 stolen bases in 2002.

The NCAA Tournament
The championship has a field of 43 teams. Five teams are competing at five regional sites and six teams are competing at three regional sites. All regionals are double-elimination format. Regional winners advance to an eight-team, double-elimination final, May 16-20 at Carson Park in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

Checking the Salisbury Recordbook
Junior RHP Katie Mullinix (Westminster, MD/North Carroll HS) has produced a record-setting season in the pitching circle. In her first full season as a pitcher, Mullinix has set a new record for victories with a 29-7 record, as well as new marks for innings pitched (221.2) and complete games (30). Additionally, she needs six more strikeouts to become just the third Sea Gull hurler to register 100 or more Ks in a season. Junior all-America 3B Lisa Gentilella (Hamilton, NJ/Steinert HS) has climbed  to fourth on Salisbury’s career hits list. She enters the NCAA Tournament with 175 base hits. She also ranks second in career runs scored with 140.  Senior 2B Jacki Warrington (Lewes, DE/Cape Henlopen HS) broke the SU career record for sacrifice hits in 2002. She has 42. She also became the 11th player in team history to score at least 100 career runs.

Head Coach Margie Knight
Now in her sixth season at SU, Margie Knight brings a 205-65-1 career record into the 2002 NCAA Tournament.  The winningest coach in SU softball history, she captured her 200th career win on April 18 with an 8-0 victory over Washington (Md). Knight, who joined the SU staff in 1996, led the Gulls to a 36-10 record and first-ever appearance in the College World Series in 1998. She has also piloted the Sea Gulls to the regional finals three other times, including each of the past two seasons. Knight has been the Capital Athletic Conference’s coach of the year three times (1997, 1998, 2000), and completed the 2002 season with a 58-3 career record in CAC games.  A 1979 graduate of the University and a member of the SU Athletics Hall of Fame, Knight also coaches the SU volleyball team, where she has won two conference championships in the last four seasons.

Knight’s Record at Salisbury University
1997    33-14   NCAA Atlantic Region runnerup
1998    36-10   NCAA Atlantic Region Champs
1999    33-14   NCAA Atlantic Regional
2000    32-10-1  NCAA Northeast Regional runnerup
2001    34-7     NCAA Atlantic Regional runnerup
2002    34-8     CAC Champions, 6th straight year

                                Softball Home Page  /  Salisbury Roster  /  Salisbury Stats