Division III Illinois Wesleyan enjoyed quite the weekend, earning a quartet of wins on Friday and Saturday while also seeing their coach earn a milestone win and senior outfielder Jillian Runyon etch her name atop one of the program’s career records. In earning a doubleheader sweep over North Park University on Friday, Titans head coach Tiffany Prager recorded the 100th victory of her career. Prager is in just her third season as the Titans’ head coach, having collected a 100-35-1 record through the milestone game. In 2018, she led the program to a second-place finish in the Division III Championships.…
Author: jmcleod
Detroit Mercy head coach John Conway is in his final year as the Titans’ head coach and will retire following the 2019 season. A university spokesperson confirmed on Friday that the 2019 season will be Conway’s last at the helm of the Titans, saying simply “This is Coach Conway’s final season. He is retiring at the end of the season.” Conway is in his fifth year as the program’s head coach, having amassed a 59-143 record entering the 2019 season. Prior to this season, the Titans posted a winning record in conference play just once, with a 12-10 showing in…
Al Dirschberger, formerly the head coach at Niagara, has been sentenced to five years in prison following his criminal conviction on multiple felony counts. Dirschberger was found guilty in March of charges that included third-degree rape. The charges stemmed from an incident in 2017 during Dirschberger’s time as Erie County Social Services Commissioner. His sentence also includes ten years of post-release supervision following the prison sentence. A week-long trial in March ended when a jury found Dirschberger guilty of rape, criminal sexual assault, and criminal sexual acts. The charges came about following allegations that Dirschberger engaged in non-consensual sexual conduct…
In December of 2016, the University of North Alabama announced intentions to leave the Division II ranks to move to the Division I level and the Atlantic Sun conference. The announcement came just months after the UNA softball program had reached the pinnacle of Division II softball by winning the national championship in May. Lions head coach Ashley Cozart, now in her sixth season at the program’s helm and who led the team to the 2016 national title, never doubted her team’s ability to play at a new level. “We were definitely excited [about the move to Division I],” Cozart…
Keep an eye on these seven players who could be primed and ready for a standout performance in week eleven. Kelsey Bennett, Virginia Tech >>> Fresh off of breaking the program’s freshman home run record on Wednesday night, Bennett will look to lead her team in a tougher-than-advertised weekend series against North Carolina. Bennett has been a breakout bright spot in the Hokies’ offense, and will be a valuable bat for her team in a series against a Tar Heels team that has pulled off some quality wins this season, including winning the series against Florida State last weekend. Bennett…
Former Herdster great one of two softballers to be enshrined in September Marshall legend Rachel Folden has been selected for enshrinement in the program’s Athletics Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2019. Joining Folden in induction is fellow Herd softball alum Nichole Corrigan. Folden played from 2005-08 in Huntington, earning a quartet of all-American awards during her career with the Herd. On the program roster during the transition from the Mid-American Conference to Conference USA, Folden left her mark on a pair of conferences during her collegiate career. The MAC Freshman of the Year in 2005, Folden…
With plenty of quality softball to go around this week, softball fans had a number of options to catch their favorite sport on television, while a plethora of important conference games took place off the small screen coast-to-coast. Here, we look at some of the performances from the weekend that you don’t want to overlook. Steffi Best, Cal Poly Prior to a 5-0 loss on Sunday, Best had been a bright spot amidst a dismal 2019 season for Poly, riding a 23-inning streak without allowing an earned run. During the streak, which dated back into March, Best struck out twelve…
Some of the weekend’s best softball takes place in the mid-majors ranks, with top-level matchups between Cal State Fullerton and Long Beach State in the Big West and Colorado State and UNLV in the Mountain West. The SEC also boasts some quality competition, while other highlighted matchups include a series with major implications on the Big Ten championship race and a Big 12 matchup that’s worth watching. Auburn Tigers After a series win over Tennessee in Knoxville last weekend, the Tigers will look to keep their winning ways going in a three-game set against South Carolina at Jane B. Moore…
It was a great week of softball from coast to coast, with big offensive showings; record-setting performances; stellar pitching; and winning streaks that continued. Here are our picks for the happenings and performances that you don’t want to miss from week nine of the regular season. South Carolina Gamecocks After finishing on the losing end of a lopsided 9-1 result in the series opener, the Gamecocks rebounded with a 5-1 win on national television Saturday night before finishing off the series win with a 2-0 shutout win in the series finale. It was the first series win in SEC play…
Week Nine of the regular season is upon us, and brings with it some excellent matchups and some opportunities for a plethora of teams to pull off upset victories. Let’s take a look at some teams that you might want to keep an eye on this weekend. Western Kentucky Hilltoppers Despite dropping a midweek game to Louisville on Wednesday night, the Hilltoppers have had a particularly impressive 2019 campaign to this point, with the loss to the Cardinals just their sixth on the year. The Toppers hosted their largest crowd of the season in that game, indicative of a fanbase…