MADISON, Wis. (Apr. 30, 2008) -- Edgewood College waited until the last minute to qualify for this year's Northern Athletics Conference Tournament, clinching a bid on the last Sunday of the season in a dramatic five-run seventh inning rally against Concordia Wisconsin to secure the final spot and eliminating the Falcons in the process. The double elimination tournament begins on Thursday at Jericho Park in Aurora with two opening round games.
Due to several postponements this season, the Eagles played 22 of their first 26 games on the road, including their first 18 games. The team started off the 2008 season in Fort Myers, Fla. where they compiled a 5-5 record against several schools from the Northeast, winning three of their final four games on the trip. Upon their return to Wisconsin, the team sat idle for 10 days as postponement after postponement kept the Eagles off the diamond. Edgewood College finally managed their first conference game on March 30, sweeping Rockford on the road.
After dropping four straight games against conference powers Aurora and Benedictine the Eagles rattled off 12 wins in their next 14 games, including six straight wins. During that span the Eagles offense scored nine or more runs in seven games after managing one such game in their first 18 contests. The season saw Marian College give the Eagles their first ever loss at Ceniti Park, snapping a 10 game home winning streak at Ceniti. The team struggled in their final four games of the regular season, picking up just one win, a come from behind victory to clinch a spot in the tournament.
It was a record year for senior shortstop Jennifer Stephens who set career records for hits, runs, stolen bases and at-bats. Stephens finished the regulars season with a .484 batting average and a school single season record 62 hits. Her batting average was second best in the conference and her 62 hits led the NAC. Junior Jamie Kurt blasted a league-high nine home runs this season and had two multiple home run games for the Eagles, driving in 27 RBIs. Sophomore Colleen Joyce heads into the tournament on a 12-game hitting streak , hitting a walk-off three run home run on Sunday to cap a off a five run Edgewood College rally over Concordia Wisconsin to qualify for the tournament. In the circle Jenna Ryan (13-7) is the team's ace, sporting a 2.46 ERA with 15 complete games. Ryan has struck out 78 batters on the year while walking just 29.
Against NAC tournament qualifiers the Eagles are just 2-8. The Eagles were swept by the top three teams, Aurora, Benedictine and Marian while picking up splits versus Lakeland and Wisconsin Lutheran. At last season's inaugural tournament, Edgewood College fell 3-2 to host Aurora in the championship game after stringing together three straight wins to get there. With J.P. Richards at the helm the Eagles are 14-7 in tournament games, winning the 2004 and 2005 Lake Michigan Conference tournaments.
Aurora (30-6, 23-1 NAC) hosts the tournament for the second straight season. Since the conference was formed in 2007, Aurora was compiled an amazing 44-2 record in conference games, winning the regular season title the past two years and winning last season's inaugural tournament. The Spartans come into the tournament on a 10-game winning streak; their last setback was an 8-1 loss at home on April 15 against second place Benedictine. The Spartans have a 9-1 record against the tournament field, sweeping Marian in their final conference doubleheader of the season. Aurora is anchored by their defense that leads the NAC with a .965 fielding percentage while Spartan pitchers lead the NAC with a 1.50 ERA. Dana Cebular leads the offense with a .521 batting average to lead the NAC, driving in 31 RBIs. Pitcher Anna Snyder (16-3) leads the conference with a 1.29 ERA with 165 strikeouts in 108 and two-thirds innings of work. The Spartans swept Edgewood College 8-0 and 5-2 at their home field on April 6.
Benedictine (24-12, 19-5 NAC) earned the second seed and was the only conference school to defeat Aurora. The Eagles opened conference play winning their first 12 games but struggled towards the end of the season, closing out their final 14 games with a 7-7 record. Benedictine compiled a 7-3 record against tournament opponents, sweeping or splitting all five teams. Benedictine leads the NAC in batting with a .352 team batting average with five players batting above .350. Benedictine faced Edgewood College on April 5, coming out victorious in both games by scores of 4-3 and 10-2.
Marian (25-13, 18-6 NAC) comes into the tournament as a three seed despite losing three of their final four games. Prior to that, the Sabres strung together a nine-game win streak that included two wins over the Eagles on April 23. Maria Archie leads the Sabres with a .419 batting average, hitting seven home runs and driving in 39 RBIs. Kristen Rose (11-6) is the team's ace in the circle, with a 1.81 ERA and 106 strikeouts. Rose pitched a one-hitter in the team's 2-0 win over Edgewood College. The Sabres hold a 6-4 mark against teams in the tournament sweeping both the Eagles and Wisconsin Lutheran.
Wisconsin Lutheran (19-15, 16-8 NAC) is just 3-7 against NAC tournament teams, splitting with Benedictine, Lakeland and Edgewood College while getting swept by both Marian and Aurora. Michelle Shambeau (17-9) leads the conference with 196 strikeouts, appearing in 28 of the team's 34 games. In their final 20 games the Warriors recorded eight shutouts, including a streak of three in a row. The Warriors and Eagles faced off on April 15 in Milwaukee with the teams splitting the series. Edgewood College took game one 2-0 while the Warriors salvaged a split with the 5-4 win in game two.
Lakeland (16-18, 15-9) is the fifth seed in the tournament and the only team with a losing record. The Muskies had a rough start to the season, opening up just 2-8 and had a rough finish, ending the season just 1-7. Like the Warriors, Lakeland has struggled against the top of the conference going just 3-7 against the tournament field. The Muskies were swept by both Aurora and Benedictine while splitting games with Wisconsin Lutheran, Marian and Edgewood College. The Muskies and Eagles faced each other on April 18 with Edgewood College winning game one 5-3, despite committing a season-high six errors, while the Muskies exacted revenge in game two, winning 16-6 in five innings.
Summary by Mark Albanese, Sports Information
