Softball Weekly Release #3

March 6, 2007

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Player of the Week

Amy Hyerczyk, Butler
Junior * 1B * Palos Park, Ill.
Hyerczyk batted .647 with 11 hits in 17 trips to the plate on Butler's opening weekend of competition at the University of Kentucky. She was four-for-four with a double and a triple and two runs scored in Butler's 10-5 loss to Kentucky, and then she went three for four with a grand slam home run and two runs scored in Butler's 9-1 victory over IUPUI. Hyerczyk hit safely in all five games that Butler played at Kentucky and recorded a team-high six runs batted in for the five contests. She also led the Bulldogs with 40 putouts (2 assists and no errors) in the five games.

Pitcher of the Week

Sarah Clynes, UIC
Sophomore * RHP * St. Louis, Mo.
Clynes was 1-1 last weekend at the UTC Frost Classic. She posted a 1.08 ERA and recorded her first complete-game shutout of the season against host Tennessee Chattanooga. The sophomore allowed only two runs in 13.0 innings pitched. In UIC's 1-0 victory over UTC, Clynes fanned five batters in six innings of work.

Other Top Performances From the Week Ending March 4

Ashlee Ackerman, UIC
Junior * CF * Alta Loma, Calif.
Ackerman posted a .313 batting average at the UTC Frost Classic where the Flames went 2-3 on the weekend. She was five-of-16 from the plate and also picked up a stolen base.

Allison Cox, Wright State
Freshman * DP / P * Chillicothe, Ohio
Cox was named to the Buzz Classic All-Tournament Team. She smacked a two-run home run against Purdue and set up the game-winning run with a leadoff double then cracked a two-run home run versus San Jose State. Cox came back with a double, two RBI and a run scored against Gardner-Webb.

Jamie Perkins, Wright State
Freshman * RHP * Convoy, Ohio
Perkins combined with Allison Cox to shut out San Jose State, throwing 2.2 innings in the start with a strikeout. She then picked up her first collegiate win against Gardner-Webb, allowing three runs and seven hits over six innings with six strikeouts.

Ashley Mitchell, Loyola
Graduate * OF * Kennesaw, Ga.
Mitchell hit safely in all six of Loyola's games in California last week, batting .533 (eight-for-15) with a run and a stolen base. She went three-for-three in a 9-1 loss to UCLA on Sunday. The transfer from Marshall went one-for-three and scored a run in the Ramblers' season-opening 7-5 victory at UC Riverside on Friday.

Amy Solava, Loyola
Freshman * RHP * New Lenox, Ill.
Solava picked up the win by throwing 4.1 innings and allowing only one run while striking out six in Loyola's season-opening 7-5 victory at UC Riverside on Friday. The right-hander yielded only three earned runs in a complete-game effort in a 3-0 loss to No. 15 UCLA.

Kaleigh Rafter, Detroit
Junior * INF / C * Guelph, Ontario
Rafter hit .429 with a double, a homer and five RBIs in two games for UDM. Her homer in the season opener against Valpo moved her into fourth place all-time at Detroit with 13 career homers.

Horizon League News & Notes

Butler Bulldogs
- Butler opened the 2007 season with five games at Kentucky last weekend. The Bulldogs dropped a doubleheader to the host Wildcats on Friday, and then participated in the four-team Frostbite Classic hosted by Kentucky on Saturday and Sunday. Butler dropped games in the tournament to Kentucky (12-3) and Evansville (6-3), while defeating IUPUI (9-1).

- Junior Amy Hyerczyk looked to be in mid-season form on the season-opening weekend for the Bulldogs. The Butler first baseman had 11 hits in five games, including two doubles, a triple and a grand slam home run. She had s slugging percentage of 1.059 for the opening weekend.

- Freshman righthander Jennifer Chasteen picked up her first collegiate victory in Butler's win over IUPUI. Chasteen was given her first collegiate start in the game and pitched all six innings, allowing just one unearned run on three hits. She had one strikeout and one walk in the game.

- Butler had two grand slams in the five games down at Kentucky. Jenny Jacobs hit a grand slam in Butler's 10-5 loss to Kentucky on Friday, and then Amy Hyerczyk hit a grand slam in the Bulldogs' victory over IUPUI on Saturday.

Cleveland State Vikings
- Angie Nicholson's debut as Cleveland State's 10th head coach was a successful one, as the Vikings went 3-0 on Feb. 24 to claim the Longwood Spring Classic title. Originally scheduled for both Saturday and Sunday, the tournament was shortened to one day due to an approaching winter storm.

- Sophomore Amanda Houchin had a solid opening weekend, going 4-for-10 with a pair of home runs and three RBI. The performance was even more stunning considering she went 3-for-30 all of last season, driving in just three runs the entire year.

- Freshman Amanda Macenko made quite an impression in her collegiate debut in the circle. In her first appearance, she earned the win by pitching 2.2 hitless innings in relief against Canisius. She then came back a couple of hours later and one-hit Longwood, allowing just a fourth-inning infield single while fanning five.

Detroit Titans
- The 7 runs the Titans posted in the opening day of the season is better than their entire total from the 2006 spring trip in Hawaii. The Titans collected just three runs on the Big Island last year.

- Kaleigh Rafter hit her 13th career homer against future League foe Valpo. The longball moved Rafter into fourth place all-time at Detroit and she is now just six homers away from holding the career mark.

- Freshman Jill Perry, who appeared in both of Sunday's contests, was impressive in her debut, striking out five against just one walk while giving up a pair of earned runs.

UIC Flames
- The Flames went 2-3 at the Frost Classic hosted by UT-Chattanooga last weekend. UIC picked up victories and shut out UT-Martin (1-0) and UT-Chattanooga (1-0) to move its overall record to 4-11.

- Junior Ashlee Ackerman led the Flames at the plate last weekend with a .313 batting average (5-for-16). Ackerman was 2-for-3 against UT-Martin and 3-for-4 versus UT-Chattanooga. Sophomore Sarah Clynes was 2-for-9 with an RBI against UTC for the 1-0 win. Senior Liz Jacoby was 3-for-14 on the weekend with one run scored and one double. Junior Nicole Robinson notched two runs scored and two RBI in five games.

- Clynes was 1-1 in the circle for the Flames with a 1.08 ERA. Clynes recorded a shutout against UTC and fanned seven batters in 13.0 innings. Freshman Chelsea Fuemmeler posted a 1-2 record on the weekend with a 2.06 ERA. Fuemmeler notched her first collegiate win in the circle and shut out against UT-Martin (1-0). The freshman totaled 13 strikeouts in 17.0 innings.

Loyola Ramblers
- Loyola won its season opener for only the second time in the last nine years and the first time since 2003, when it dealt UC Riverside a 7-5 setback on March 2 in California.

- Graduate student Ashley Mitchell, a transfer from Marshall, has hit safely in each of the Ramblers' first six games of the spring and batted .533(eight-for-15) last week.

- Loyola's seven-run output in the season opener at UC Riverside was its best showing since scoring eight runs in the 1995 opener versus Maine.

UW-Green Bay Phoenix
- Freshman Katie Cooney picked up her first collegiate win in her first career start, a 5-3 UW-Green Bay victory over Bradley Feb. 18. Cooney tossed a complete game and helped her own cause with two hits and two RBI. Among her three pitching strikeouts was one of her sister, Christine, a senior on Bradley's team.

- The Phoenix pounded out 10 hits in its 5-3 victory over Bradley on Feb. 18, but managed just eight combined hits in its other three contests.

- Junior outfielder Dana Brockman led UW-Green Bay with a .444 batting average at the Schutt Invitational. She tied classmate Jenna Woepse with a team-high four hits at the tournament including two doubles and a run batted in.

Wright State Raiders
- After scoring nine runs in six games at the Louisville Slugger Desert Classic, last weekend's Buzz Classic was more favorable for the Raiders with 22 runs in the six games as WSU picked up its first three wins of the season over Purdue, San Jose State and Gardner-Webb in the bronze bracket.

- For the second straight tournament, freshman Allison Cox hit two home runs as she connected for one each against Purdue and San Jose State. She also added two double and drove in six as she hit .357 for the weekend. As a result, Cox was named to the All-Tournament Team.

- After having just one at bat at the Louisville Slugger Desert Classic, freshman Malerie Klingler went five-for-10 at the Buzz Classic with two RBI and three runs scored. Five Raiders in all hit .333 or better for the weekend.

Youngstown State Penguins
- The Penguins captured their first Horizon League Championship and reached NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history last spring. Graduated shortstop Tiffany Patteson provided the heroics for the squad with a walk-off, solo home run in the seventh inning of the championship game, while McKenzie Bedra earned tournament most Valuable Player honors after hitting five round-trippers. Karlie Burnell posted all four of the Penguins' victory at the League summit.

- Head Coach Christy Cameron needs just 14 more wins to collect her 150th win at Youngstown State University.

- Sophomore Kristen McDonnell became the third Youngstown State player in four seasons to earn Great Lakes All-Region honors in 2006. McDonnell also tied the Penguins' single-season home run record with 10 in 2006.

Valparaiso Crusaders (join HL July 1, 2007)
- Valparaiso kicked off the season with an 8-2 victory over Detroit, but lost 1-0 to Tennessee State in its second game at the Rebel Spring Games on Sunday.

- Junior Chris Halstead earned the complete-game victory for Valpo, scattering seven hits and allowing just two runs in her seven innings of work.

- Junior Courtney LaFerle led Valpo at the plate in the opener with a 2-for-3 effort, including a two-run homer and a career-high three RBI. Juniors Alicia Ashburn and Shannon Robinson had two hits apiece for the Crusaders as well.

- In the team's second game, sophomore Stephanie Kelly surrendered just an unearned run in the first inning, holding Tennessee State to four hits while striking out six batters in a complete-game effort. However, she ended up on the wrong end of a pitchers' duel, as TSU's Amanda Vaught surrendered just two hits and struck out 10 Crusader batters for the complete-game victory.