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May 10th
FOR THE SOFTBALL TEAM, IT’S ON TO THE WORLD SERIES
MVP REISER’S GAME-WINNING SINGLE BRINGS HOME REGIONAL
CROWN; COUGARS HEAD TO FLORIDA, WILL FACE WESTERN NEW MEXICO ON MAY 13
There will come a time on the campus of Caldwell College when the week
of May 10-16, 2004 will be recalled in terms such as legendary and epic.
But if you’re a fan of Caldwell athletics in the present, then you
should sit back and enjoy what’s about to happen.
The Cougar softball team won the NCAA, Northeast Regional championship
on May 8, defeating Merrimack 3-2 in a 9-inning thriller thanks to a
2-out, RBI single off the bat of senior Corinne Reiser (West Milford, NJ).
Caldwell (44-5) will advance to the NCAA, Division II College World
Series in Altamonte Springs, FLA. It faces Western New Mexico, the West
Regional champ, in a first round game on Thursday, May 13.
So, starting this week, both our softball and baseball teams will be in
the NCAA tournament, vying for respective national championships. A week
ago, the softball team made history when it became the first program in
the history of Caldwell College athletics to advance to an NCAA-sanctioned
post-season tournament. And now, Caldwell will have two teams in the
prestigious tournament.
“It’s just incredible,” Caldwell softball coach Dean Johnson said. “The
baseball team deserves a great deal of credit and I’m so happy to see they
are in the NCAAs. What a week, for both programs.”
Johnson’s Cougars, the top seed in the Northeast regional last weekend
at Bryant College, lived up to its lofty status. Caldwell went 3-0 at the
region, downing Merrimack in the first round 8-2, defeating the second
seed and 2-time defending regional champ LeMoyne, 2-1 in the semifinals,
then stopping Merrimack again in the final, 3-2.
“This team is just incredible,” Johnson said after the regional title
was secured. “Seriously, I can’t even begin to describe the feeling right
now. In two weekends, we’ve won the conference tournament, then the
regional championship, and now we’re among the Elite 8 in the NCAA,
playing for a national championship in Florida. This is a great day for
our kids, for Caldwell College and all its fans, and for all the players
who have worn Caldwell red all these years and helped to contribute to the
success of this program.”
There were plenty of stars who helped Caldwell to the 3-game regional
sweep. Katie Jackson (Pennsville, NJ), who won the CACC title with a
2-out, solo homer in the 12th inning on May 2, hit a homer in her first
at-bat in the first game of the regionals. Jackie Velardi (Belleville, NJ)
followed with a round tripper. A day later, with her team trailing 1-0 in
the semifinals to powerful LeMoyne, Amy Coker (Pennsville, NJ) stepped to
the plate in the sixth inning with two on and two out and calmly slapped
an opposite field triple which scored the game-winning runs.
And last Saturday, the championship was clinched when Reiser, known for
her pitching prowess, displayed her offensive game in prime time by
hitting the game-winning single that scored pinch runner Sara Neely
(Middlesex, NJ). Neely was running for Danielle Guerra (Walnut, CA), who
led off the ninth inning with a double.
Reiser was the winning pitcher in all three games at the regional and
improved to 26-2 on the season. She was later named the MVP of the
Northeast region, a week after earning similar honors at the CACC tourney.
Jackson and Coker were also named to the All-Region team.
The magical 2004 Caldwell softball season will reach a conclusion this
weekend in Florida. And, win or lose, there’s no question that it’s been a
tremendous ride. Good luck to Coaches Johnson and Barbara Zafiris and the
team as it looks to add the final touch to an incredible year.
NOTES: Caldwell enters the World Series having won 36 of its last 38
games. Of Caldwell’s five losses this season, all were by one run. Guerra
leads the team in hitting (.356) and slugging percentage (.548). Coker and
Reiser are tied for the team lead in RBIs with 31 each while Anna Dahl
(Lindenwold, NJ) has 30 and leads the team in homers, with 7. After a slow
start, Velardi has raised her batting average to .340 and is second on the
team in slugging (544). Candice Collins leads Caldwell in hits, with 55.
Reiser’s pitching numbers are staggering. She’s 26-2 with a 0.49 ERA.
In 200.2 innings pitched, she’s struck out 303 batters. Opposing hitters
are batting .116 against her. Not to be forgotten, Dahl is 10-1 with a
0.40 ERA and Jessica Saunders (Glen Burnie, MD) is 8-2 with a 0.56 ERA.
SOFTBALL TEAM'S 3.12 GPA RANKED 25TH NATIONALLY
Collins, Saunders, Neely, Jackson and Godfrey named
Academic All-Americans
The National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) has
ranked the Caldwell College softball program 25th, nationally, for its
academic performance.
The team GPA for the 2002-2003
school year was 3.12. Members of the current team who earned NFCA Academic
All-American honors include Candice Collins (Clementon, NJ), Sara Neely
(Middlesex, NJ), Jessica Saunders (Glen Burnie, MD), Katie Jackson (Pennsville,
NJ) and Kristi Godfrey (West Babylon, NY).
Former Cougars Michelle Goldych,
Colleen Gray and Erin Leonard were also recognized for their outstanding work in
the classroom.
“As a coach, you love to receive
news like this,” Caldwell coach Dean Johnson, who is also the school’s Associate
Athletic Director and NCAA Compliance officer, said. “And as an administrator,
it’s great to see student-athletes who are committed to both the classroom and
the field.”
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BRODO, de la CAMPA, BODROG AND FLASPHALER WILL PLAY AT CALDWELL IN FALL '04
Stephanie Brodo, Kristen de la Campa, Nicole Bodrog and
Carrie Flasphaler have signed National Letters of Intent to play softball at
Caldwell, according to Caldwell coach Dean Johnson. The four are currently
seniors in high school.
Brodo (Belleville, NJ), a second baseman, was tabbed a
third team All-State player by the Star-Ledger (N.J.) last spring. She currently
attends St. Mary’s High School in Rutherford, NJ.
Brodo is the third member of the 2003 Star-Ledger All-State
team to either sign, or is currently attending Caldwell. First team selection
Jackie Velardi (Belleville, NJ) and Anna Dahl (Lindenwold, NJ), who was named to
the All State team in 2002 and 2003, are freshmen at Caldwell.
Brodo’s older sister, Danielle, was a standout catcher at
Caldwell from 1996 through 2000.
de la Campa is an outstanding pitcher at Whitman Hanson
High in Whitman, Massachusetts.
"She's a tough competitor," Johnson said of de la Campa.
"She's been clocked at 63 MPH and has great movement on her pitches. I think
she'll be a key member of next year's staff."
Bodrog attends Lenape High School (NJ) and is a standout
shortstop.
"She's an excellent athlete," Johnson said of Bodrog. "She
played in a summer league for Marcia's (Chapin, a former Cougar standout) dad. I
really liked the way she plays. She has an excellent bat."
Flasphaler, from Horseheads, N.Y., attends Horseheads High
and is a solid outfielder.
"Good speed," Johnson said of Flasphaler. "She can cover a
lot of ground out there. I'm really excited about her potential on the
collegiate level."
Overall, Johnson is very pleased with the new recruiting
class.
"We're very happy that Stephanie, Kristen, Nicole and Carrie have agreed to
attend Caldwell next year," Johnson said. "They are all excellent athletes, but
more importantly, quality young people who should do well in the classroom. At
Caldwell, the term student-athlete is very important, and I'm confident these
young women will do a tremendous job here."
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