SU Athletics [Softball:world series notes]

SEA GULLS WIN SOFTBALL REGIONAL TO CLAIM WORLD SERIES BERTH

Salisbury Begins Play In Eau Claire, WI on Thursday

The Salisbury University softball team begins play in the NCAA Division III Softball Championship Finals in Eau Claire, Wisconsin on Thursday after winning the East Regional in Radnor, PA on Sunday. Salisbury is the #8 seed in the eight-team World Series and faces #1 seed Pacific Lutheran in the opening game at 11 am (CST). Salisbury is making its second appearance in the World Series. The Sea Gulls placed fifth in the nation in their previous appearance in 1998.

Salisbury (39-9 overall) claimed its second regional championship with a doubleheader sweep of Rowan on Sunday. Salisbury won the opening game 2-1 in 11 innings, then recorded a 5-1 victory in the decisive second game to earn its ticket to Eau Claire. Sunday’s sweep capped a five-game run for the Sea Gulls through the lower half of the bracket in the double-elimination regional. Salisbury lost to Western Maryland in Friday’s first game before working its way back to the championship. The game scores were:

            vs. Western Maryland         L 6-2
            vs. Moravian                     W 7-4
            vs. Western Maryland         W 2-1
            vs. Cabrini                          W 2-1
            vs. Rowan                          W 2-1 (11 inn)
            vs. Rowan                          W 5-1

With five wins in last week’s regional tournament, Salisbury has set a new school record for victories. The Sea Gulls, who have won 20 of their last 22 games, also venture to Eau Claire as champions of the Capital Athletic Conference for the sixth consecutive year.

Five Sea Gulls Named to Regional’s All-Tournament Team
Salisbury placed five players on the 14-player all-tournament team named at the conclusion of Sunday’s games in Radnor, PA. Selected to the squad were junior 3B Lisa Gentilella, junior SS Kate Garland, junior OF Kareem Falcon, senior DP Kellie Smigocki and senior P Katie Mullinix.

Salisbury’s Probable Starting Lineup
3B Lisa Gentilella               .428 BA, 68 hits, 30 SB                   Leads the team in hits, runs, and steals
2B Jacki Warrington         .313 BA, 47 hits, 37 runs                 SU’s career leader in sacrifice hits
P Katie Mullinix                 .367 BA, 43 RBI; 34-8, 0.92 ERA   Leads the nation in pitching victories
1B Rosie Aley                     .377 BA, 4 HR, 31 RBI                     Second on the team in RBIs
CF Leslie White                  .333 BA, 11 doubles, 28 RBI          Only freshman to start all 48 games
LF Kareem Falcon               394 BA, 4 HR, 30 RBI                     Hit grand slam in regional win vs Moravian
SS Kate Garland                 .341 BA, 46 hits, 16 SB                   Hit .437 in six-game regional
DP Kellie Smigocki             .267 BA, 23 hits, 17 RBI                  One of just two seniors on the team
C   Kim Rementer                .384 BA, 43 hits, 16 SB                    Had gwrbi in 11-inning regional win
RF Kristen Rementer          160 BA, 16 runs                               Only returning outfield starter this year

Three Named to All-Region First Team
Salisbury had three players named to the all-Atlantic region first team and one named to the third team, as announced last week by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA). First team selectees were junior P Katie Mullinix, junior 3B Lisa Gentilella, and senior 2B Jacki Warrington. Junior OF Kareem Falcon earned third team honors. Mullinix and Gentilella earn first-team all-region status for the second straight year. Salisbury’s three first team selectees are now eligible for the national all-America team, which will be announced on Wednesday.

Mullinix Approaching National Records
Junior RHP Katie Mullinix is moving closer to the top of the NCAA’s softball recordbook in several single-season pitching categories. With 43 games started this season, Mullinix is two short of the national record and currently tied for third. Her 34 pitching wins puts her in a tie for fourth place. The single-season record is 40 wins. Her 267.2 innings pitched is the seventh highest single-season total. Mullinix hurled six complete games in last week’s regional, working a total of 46 innings. She allowed just seven earned runs over her last 40 innings (1.22 era) and padded her lead as the national leader in victories.

Sea Gull Notes
With 39 wins this season, the Sea Gulls registered their sixth straight season with at least 30 victories, and broke the single-season record for the second straight year and third time in Knight’s six seasons. Salisbury has been ranked in the NFCA national poll throughout the season and entered the NCAA Tournament ranked #17 in the latest poll, released on May 1. The Gulls bring a .349 team batting average to Eau Claire, and are averaging 6.5 runs per game. SU has also established new team records for most stolen bases (120), most sacrifice hits (101), and most games played (48) this season.

Head Coach Margie Knight
Now in her sixth season at SU, Margie Knight brings a 210-67-1 career record into the 2002 NCAA Championship in Eau Claire, WI. 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 (1997, 2000, 2001). Knight has been the Capital Athletic Conference’s coach of the year three times (1997, 1998, 2000), and completed the 2002 regular 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     39-9      NCAA East Region Champs