Michigan State University Athletics
Softball NCAA Regional Notes
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Softball
May 18, 1999
East Lansing, Mich. - For the second time in three years, the Michigan State softball team has earned a bid to NCAA Regional play.
The Spartans received an at-large bid to the 48-team NCAA Championship and will open play against DePaul on Thursday, May 20 at 4 p.m., CDT in Chicago, Ill.
The Blue Demons are hosting the six-team regional at Flames Field on the campus of the University of Illinois-Chicago.
In addition to the fifth-seeded Spartans (39-21) and the No. 2 seed Blue Demons (48-12), the double-elimination regional includes No. 1 seed Texas (44-15), sixth-seeded Cornell (41-9), No. 3 Illinois-Chicago (64-15) and fourth-seeded Oregon (39-27).
The Records
No. 5 Michigan State - The Spartans enter regional play with a 39-21 overall record. MSU, which has lost three-straight games, finished fourth in the Big Ten with a 13-9 mark. The Spartans lost to Iowa, 5-3, in the play-in game of the Big Ten Tournament on May 14.
No. 2 DePaul - The Blue Demons earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament after winning the Mid-Continent Conference Tournament.
DePaul, the MCC regular season champion with a 22-0 mark, is 48-12 overall. The Blue Demons, who were ranked 18th in the May 12 USA Today/NFCA Coaches poll, have won four-straight and 12 of their last 13 games overall.
The Rest of the Field
No. 1 Texas - The Longhorns earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Championship after winning the Big 12 Tournament.
Texas is 44-15 overall and the winner of seven straight. The Longhorns, who were ranked 11th in the May 12 USA Today/NFCA Coaches poll, finished second in the Big 12 regular season standings with a 10-4 mark.
No. 3 Illinois-Chicago - The Flames won the Midwestern Collegiate Conference Tournament title to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Flames also won the regular season conference title with an 11-1 record.
UIC is 65-15 overall and will take a 10-game winning streak into this weekend's tournament. The Flames were ranked 10th in the May 12 USA Today/NFCA Coaches poll.
No. 4 Oregon - The Ducks, who are 39-27 overall, earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Oregon finished sixth in the Pac-10 with a 10-18 mark. The Ducks, who were ranked 19th in last week's USA Today/NFCA Coaches poll, have lost four-straight and are 3-7 in their last 10 games.
No. 6 Cornell - The Big Red, who are in just their sixth year as a varsity sport, are 41-9 overall.
Cornell earned an automatic bid to its first-ever NCAA Tournament after winning the Ivy League regular season title with an 11-1 record.
1999 NCAA Softball Championship
Regional 8 - Thursday-Sunday, May 20-23
Flames Field - Chicago, IL
Hosted by DePaul University
All times are Central Daylight Time
Thursday, May 20
Game 1: (1) Texas vs. (6) Cornell 11 a.m. Game 3: (3) Illinois-Chicago vs. (4) Oregon 1:30 p.m. Game 2: (2) DePaul vs. (5) Michigan State 4 p.m.
Friday, May 21
Game 4: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2 Noon Game 5: Winner Game 1 vs. Loser Game 3 2:30 p.m. Game 6: Winner Game 2 vs. Winner Game 3 5 p.m.
If four teams remain after Game 6
Saturday, May 22
Game 7: Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6 Noon Game 8: Winner Game 4 vs. Loser Game 6 2:30 p.m. Game 9: Winner Game 8 vs. Loser Game 7 5 p.m.
Sunday, May 23
Game 10: Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 9 1 p.m. Game 11: If necessary, same teams as in Game 10 35 min. following 1 p.m. game
If five teams remain after Game 6
Saturday, May 22
Game 7: Loser Game 5 vs. Loser Game 6 Noon Game 8: Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5 2:30 p.m. Game 9: Winner Game 6 vs. Winner Game 7 5 p.m.
If two teams remain after Game 9
Sunday, May 23
Game 10: Winner Game 8 vs. Winner Game 9 1 p.m. Game 11: If necessary, same teams as in Game 10 35 min. following 1 p.m. game
If three teams remain after Game 9
Sunday, May 23
Game 10: Winner Game 8 vs. Loser Game 9 1 p.m. Game 11: Winner Game 9 vs. Winner Game 10 35 min. following 1 p.m. game
In The Poll
Michigan State received 8 votes in last week's USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll.
Michigan was the only Big Ten team ranked among the top 25, standing fifth in the poll.
The Spartans were ranked 4th in the May 12 NCAA Mideast Region poll.
Series Records vs. NCAA Regional 8 Opponents
DePaul - MSU Leads, 3-2 - Last 5 Games vs. Blue Demons
3/26/92 DePaul 1, MSU 0 (8) Northridge, CA 3/21/90 MSU 4, DePaul 2 Orlando, FL 3/19/90 DePaul 4, MSU 2 Orlando, FL 3/21/88 MSU 3, DePaul 0 Orlando, FL 3/23/87 MSU 1, DePaul 0 Orlando, FL
Texas - Tied, 1-1 - Last 2 Games vs. Longhorns
3/6/99 MSU 4, Texas 3 Tampa, FL 3/5/98 Texas 5, MSU 0 Tampa, FL
Illinois-Chicago - UIC leads, 3-0 - Last 3 Games vs. Flames
3/22/91 UIC 1, MSU 0 Orlando, FL 3/19/90 UIC 3, MSU 1 Orlando, FL 3/25/88 UIC 3, MSU 2 Orlando, FL
Oregon - First Meeting
Cornell - First Meeting
Second Trip To The NCAA Tourney
MSU is making its second NCAA Tournament appearance in history and its first since 1997.
The Spartans earned an at-large bid in 1997 after finishing third in the Big Ten with a 14-9 mark.
MSU went 1-2 in regional play in Ann Arbor, losing twice to Central Michigan.
MSU In The NCAA Tournament
5/16/97 Cent. Mich. 1, MSU 0 Ann Arbor 5/17/97 MSU 6, Clev. St. 0 Ann Arbor 5/17/97 Cent. Mich. 6, MSU 4 Ann Arbor
The Coach
Jacquie Joseph is in her sixth year as the head coach at Michigan State. The Spartan mentor has posted a record of 200-149 (.573) at MSU and has a career mark of 336-282 (.544) in 11 years in the collegiate ranks.
Joseph spent five years as the head coach at Bowling Green prior to being named the fourth head coach in MSU history.
The Flint native has guided MSU to four-straight 30-win seasons and in 1997, led the Spartans to their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance.
Joseph completed a four-year term as president of the National Fastpitch Coaches Association in December of 1998 and currently serves on the Board as the past President.
Joseph Records 200th Victory
Head Coach Jacquie Joseph picked up her 200th win at Michigan State in the Spartans' 8-3 victory over Iowa on May 8. The Spartan mentor joins Gloria Becksford as the only two coaches in MSU history to win 200 games.
Joseph reached another significant milestone earlier this season when she recorded her 300th career victory in MSU's 4-3 win over Illinois State on Feb. 20, 1999.
Looking For 40
Michigan State defeated Ohio State in extra innings on April 18 for its 30th win of the year. The Spartans have posted four-straight 30-win seasons, a first in program history.
MSU has surpassed last season's win total and is one victory shy of becoming just the third MSU team to record 40 wins in a season.
Single-Season Win Chart
Year Wins 1. 1997 47 2. 1981 42 3. 1999 39 4. 1996 37 5. 1998 34
Working Overtime
MSU has played five extra inning games this season and is 4-1 in those contests.
The Spartans defeated Ohio State on April 18 in eight innings in their last extra inning game.
One Run Games
The Spartans are 13-4 in one-run games this season.
Lead Safe With Spartans
MSU is 31-2 this season when leading after the fifth inning of a game.
One of the Spartans' losses came against Iowa on May 8. In game two of the series, MSU held a 3-1 lead after the fifth, but the Hawkeyes scored one run in the sixth and three in the top of the seventh inning for a 5-3 victory.
The only other setback for MSU was its 5-4 loss to Purdue on April 10. The Boilermakers scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning for the victory.
Against Nationally Ranked Teams
Michigan State is 5-5 against nationally ranked teams this season.
The Spartans have posted wins against Iowa (No. 16), Masachusetts (No. 10), Florida (No. 25), Texas (No. 7) and South Florida (No. 14), while dropping two contests to sixth-ranked Michigan and No. 18 Arizona State, and a single contest to 11th-ranked Oklahoma.
Carpenter Named First-Team All-Big Ten; Four Others Honored
The 1999 All-Big Ten teams were announced at the conference tournament last Friday in Ann Arbor and Michigan State was well-represented.
Senior outfielder Carrie Carpenter was named First-Team All-Big Ten, while sophomore Shealee Dunavan and juniors Carrie Fry and Stacey Phillips were named to the second team. Senior Molly Hugan earned third-team all-conference honors.
Carpenter is just the eighth player in school history to earn First-Team All-Big Ten honors and the first since Keri Lemasters in 1996. This is the first year Carpenter has been recognized with any all-conference honor.
Fry and Phillips earned second team all-league honors for the second-straight season, while Dunavan and Hugan are first-time honorees.
Melton's Monster Day
Freshman Amanda Melton had the best offensive day of her brief collegiate career against Iowa on May 8.
The rookie third baseman broke the MSU single-game record with six RBI against the Hawkeyes. Four of her RBI came in the form of a grand slam in the fifth inning, the first homer of her career.
She was 2-for-3 at the plate with a two-RBI single in the third inning.
Home Run Trot A Little Rusty
Forgive junior Carrie Fry if her home run trot looked more like a sprint against Iowa on May 8.
It took 176 games and 493 at-bats, but the Spartan lefty recorded the first home run of her collegiate career with a solo shot against the Hawkeyes.
More On The Long Ball
Michigan State has hit 18 home runs in 1999, double its output from a year ago.
The Spartans' 18 homers rank third on the MSU single-season chart for team home runs. The 1997 Spartan squad hit a record 22 round trippers, while the 1996 team turned out 21 homers.
Dunavan Continues Climb On Single-Season Hits Chart
Sophomore Shealee Dunavan reached the 70-hit mark against Iowa on May 14, becoming just the second player in MSU history to record 70 hits in a season.
Dunavan's 70 hits rank third on the MSU single-season chart behind Keri Lemasters, who topped the mark twice.
Single-Season Hit Leaders
1. Keri Lemasters 80 1996 2. Keri Lemasters 78 1997 3. Shealee Dunavan 70 1999 4. Patti Raduenz 65 1996 5. Patti Raduenz 63 1995 6. Margaret Hollis 61 1997 Stefanie Noffsinger 61 1997 8. Stacey Phillips 60 1998
Runs, Runs & More Runs
Michigan State scored 27 runs against Northwestern, April 24-25, the most runs ever scored in a Big Ten series by the Spartans. The next closest mark was the 24 MSU scored against the Wildcats in 1997.
The Spartans scored a run in 14 of 18 innings against Northwestern.
MSU averaged 4.3 runs per game in Big Ten play this season and is scoring 4.1 per game overall.
The Spartan Offense
The Spartans finished the Big Ten regular season ranked second in the league with a .300 average in conference play.
Overall, MSU is third with a .284 batting average.
Nothing Positive About This Note
Since going six games without an error from March 21-31, the Spartans have committed at least one miscue in 23-of-26 contests, including a stretch of 18 straight from April 2-28.
MSU equaled its season-high with five errors in a critical 5-3 loss to Iowa on May 8. The Spartans also had five errors against Penn State on April 19.
The Spartans have gone without an error in 17 games this season and has a record of 15-2 in those contests.
MSU finished ninth in the Big Ten in fielding with a .939 average in conference play. Overall, the Spartans are fifth in the Big Ten with a .954 fielding percentage.
Hitting Streaks
Junior Carrie Fry and sophomore Shealee Dunavan take modest hitting streaks into this weekend's NCAA Tournament.
Fry has hit safely in five-straight games, while Dunavan has a hit each of the last four games.
Dunavan had a season-best 12-game hitting streak earlier this year, while Fry previously put together an eight-game streak.
Longest Hitting Streaks
1. Margaret Hollis 17 1997 Keri Lemasters 17 1996 3. Keri Lemasters 16 1996 Keri Lemasters 16 1995 Rachel Dexter 16 1987 6. Keri Lemasters 15 1997 7. Shealee Dunavan 12 1999
Phillips Nearing 100 RBI
Junior Stacey Phillips is one RBI shy of becoming just the third player in MSU history to drive in 100 runs in a career.
Phillips has 99 RBI, good for third on the all-time chart behind Keri Lemasters (108) and Patti Raduenz (104).
Carp Running Away
Senior Carrie Carpenter has increased her lead in the race for the all-time stolen base record at Michigan State.
Carpenter tops the list with 59 steals, while fellow senior Tiffany Yager is second with 53.
While Carpenter holds the all-time record, Yager is the single-season record holder. Earlier this season, she broke her own mark of 19 set last season. She currently has stolen 25-of-28 bases in 1999, while Carpenter is 22-of-26.
Carpenter has stolen nine straight bases without being thrown out, while Yager has been successful in her last seven attempts.
Shea Having Banner Year
Sophomore Shealee Dunavan leads the team and is fourth in the Big Ten with a .385 batting average and 70 hits. The Spartan lefty has a slugging percentage of .582.
The Yorba Linda, Calif., native has successfully made the switch to first base this season after starting 54 games in right field as a rookie.
The Second-Team All-Big Ten honoree has had at least one hit in 47-of-59 games this year and has produced 18 multiple-hit contests.
She's More Than Just Great "D"
MSU coach Jacquie Joseph calls senior Carrie Carpenter the best defensive centerfielder in the Big Ten.
Carpenter has earned her coach's praise with her stellar play in the outfield this season. The four-year starter has run down numerous balls in the outfield and has made just one error in 92 chances.
While Carpenter has been great in the field, she has also picked up her game on the offensive end.
A career .264 hitter coming into the season, Carpenter is second on the team with a .352 average and a .421 on-base percentage.
She led the team and was seventh in the Big Ten with a .380 average in conference play.
Quiet Contributor
Junior Carrie Fry has quietly contributed to the Spartans success this season.
The second baseman is fourth on the team with a .302 batting average and a career-high 58 hits. Fry finished second on the team with a .361 average in league play.
Gray Matter
Head coach Jacquie Joseph has been pleased with the progress of freshman pitcher Becky Gray of Burr Oak.
The Spartan rookie has a 12-6 record with a team-best 1.93 ERA.
Gray, who has thrown 130.1 innings, has won four of the last five games in which she got the decision.
Gray is tied for fourth in the Big Ten with six shutouts this season, good for a fifth place tie on the MSU single-season chart.
Elite Company
Junior Erica Strutz threw a one-hitter against Eastern Michigan on April 14 to become just the third pitcher in school history to record 20 wins in a season. She joins Stacey Smith (29-1997, 22-1996) and Sue Sims (20-1981) in the elite victory club.
Her 26 victories rank second on the Spartan single-season chart.
Strutz Among National Leaders
Junior pitcher Erica Strutz is tied for 10th nationally with 26 wins on the mound. Strutz is 26-13 on the season with a 2.00 earned run average.
The Howell native has appeared in 44 of MSU's 60 games this season and has thrown over half of the innings (227.1), while the Spartans' other three pitchers have combined to pitch 180.0 innings.
Strutz, who is MSU's only returning pitcher from last season, has 152 strikeouts and just 53 walks in 1999.
Going Out With A Bang
Senior Molly Hugan is closing out her career in fine fashion. The Spartan catcher, who had a career batting average of .243 prior to this season, is third on team with a career-high .323 batting average and leads the squad with a career-high 34 RBI.
Hugan has also shown tremendous versatility at the plate this year. The Holly native has a .439 slugging percentage, while leading the team with 16 sacrifices.
Among The Big Ten Leaders
Sophomore Shealee Dunavan is fourth in the Big Ten with a .385 batting average. She also ranks among the conference leaders in hits (70/5th), doubles (15/3rd) and total bases (106/5th).
Senior Carrie Carpenter is 10th in the Big Ten with a .352 batting average, while senior Tiffany Yager is seventh in the league with 25 steals.
Senior Molly Hugan ranks seventh with 34 RBI, while junior Stacey Phillips is seventh in doubles per game (.22) and 10th in RBI (32). Junior Carrie Fry stands 10th in the Big Ten with a .63 runs per game average.
Junior pitcher Erica Strutz tops the league in wins (26) and innings pitched (227.1), while ranking second in strikeouts per game (4.68). She is also tied for sixth in the league with five shutouts.
Rookie Becky Gray is tied for fourth with six shutouts.
Academic Success
Four Michigan State players have been named to the GTE Academic All-District IV Softball Team. Senior Carrie Carpenter and juniors Margaret Hollis and Erica Strutz have been named to the first team, while sophomore Shealee Dunavan has been named to the second team.
Carpenter, Hollis and Strutz will appear on the national ballot for the opportunity to earn Academic All-America honors.
Carpenter, who is a first-time honoree, carries a 3.64 grade-point average in family community services.
Hollis, who was a Second-Team Academic All-American in 1998, shared top GPA honors on the district squad with a 3.95 average in microbiology.
Strutz, who was a first-team all-district honoree last year as well, has a 3.54 GPA in history. Dunavan carries a 3.21 GPA.
GTE academic teams are voted on by College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). To be considered for academic all-district and academic all-america honors, a student-athlete must be a starter or important reserve and carry a cumulative grade-point average of 3.20 or better.
Shea and TT To Represent USA
Sophomore Shealee Dunavan recently received an invitation from the Amateur Softball Association/USA Softball to play in the 1999 Coca-Cola USA Softball Women's National Team Festival.
The Festival, which runs from June 10-13 in Fresno, Calif., features a who's who of women's fastpitch softball, including members of the 1999 USA Softball National Team.
The ASA and USA will select five of the almost 50 players to round out the Pan American team that will attempt to win its fourth consecutive title in Winnipeg, Canada, July 23-August 6. Last fall, freshman Tiffany Thomas was named to the 1999 USA Junior Girls World team that will compete in the ISF World Championship in Taipei, Tawain, June 17-26. The Junior Girls Team will also play exhibition games during the Coca-Cola Classic in Fresno.
No-No For Gray
Freshman Becky Gray threw the first no-hitter of her collegiate career in MSU's 12-0 win over Western Michigan on April 6.
Gray is the first Spartan rookie to throw a no-hitter since Diane Kennett in 1982.
After going 13 years without a no-hitter, MSU has had one no-no in each of the last three years.
Former Spartan Stefanie Noffsinger blanked Southern Illinois last season, while Stacey Smith threw a no-hitter against Wisconsin in 1997.
Spartan pitchers have thrown 12 no-hitters in program history, with Gloria Becksford holding the individual record with three during her career.
