Softball Terriers Ready For Third NCAA Tournament Appearance
May 13, 2002 | Softball
2002 NCAA DIVISION I SOFTBALL REGION 2 CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE at Jane Sage Cowles Stadium, Minneapolis, MN Thursday, May 16 (All times local to site) Game 1- 1 Arizona vs. 6 B. U. - 12:00 p.m. Game 2 - 2 DePaul vs. 5 Penn State - 2:30 p.m. Game 3 - # 3 Minn vs. No. 4 Princeton - 5:00 p.m. Game 4 - Loser G1 vs. Loser G2 - 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 17 Game 5 - Winner G4 vs. Loser G3 - 2:30 p.m. Game 6 - Winner G2 vs. Winner G3 - 5:00 p.m. Game 7 - Winner G1 vs. Winner G5 - 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 18 Game 8 - “if” Loser G7 vs. Loser G6 - 2:30 p.m. Game 9 - Winner G7 vs. Winner G6 - 5:00 p.m. Game 10 - “if” Winner G8 vs. Loser G9 - 7:30 p.m. Sunday, May 19 Game 11 - Winner G9 vs. Winner G10 - 12 p.m. Game 12 “if” Winner G9 vs. Winner G10 - 2:30 p.m.
ARIZONA IS TERRIERS FIRST ROUND OPPONENT IN NCAA REGIONAL The University of Arizona Wildcats, the No. 2 team in the nation, will face B.U. in the opening game of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday, May 16. The Wildcats are the defending NCAA College World Series champions, and finished second in the Pac-10 with a 48-10 overall record.
HOW THE REGION 2 TEAMS RECEIVED BIDS TO NCAA TOURNAMENT Of the six teams represented in Region 2, three got there by way of the automatic bid, while the remaining three received at-large bids. No. 6 B. U. earned the America East’s automatic bid, as did No. 2 DePaul of Conference USA and No. 4 Princeton of the Ivy League. Top-seeded Arizona, of the Pac-10 Conference, No. 3 Minnesota and No. 5 Penn State of the Big Ten each received at-large bids to the Tournament.
B. U. CLAIMS FIRST AMERICA EAST TITLE IN FIVE SEASONS Top-ranked Boston University defeated No. 2 Hartford, 1-0, on Saturday, May 11, to win its first America East championship since 1997 and its fifth in the 11 years the conference has sponsored a championship. League Pitcher of the Year Robyn Horrick pitched a complete-game shutout, striking out 10 batters while giving up only three hits. Freshman Jamie Haas, the Player of the Year, tripled to open the bottom of the first, and scored on a wild pitch for the game’s only run.
FOUR TERRIERS NAMED TO THE AMERICA EAST ALL-CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM Junior pitcher Robyn Horrick, freshman shortstop Jamie Haas, freshman center fielder/pitcher Julie Henneke, and sophomore right fielder Abbey Pauley were each named to the America East All-Championship Team for their efforts during the Terriers’ run to the 2002 title. Horrick was named the championship’s Most Outstanding Player after going 2-0 with her first career no-hitter. She did not give up any runs in 17 innnings pitched, striking out 27 batters while walking only four. Haas, Pauley, and Henneke - the top of the Terriers’ batting order - went 14-for-27 in the championship, scoring six of the team’s seven runs.
TERRIERS WIN SECOND CONSECUTIVE AMERICA EAST REGULAR SEASON TITLE For the second straight year, the Terriers finished the regular season atop the America East standings, claiming the No. 1 seed in the conference championship. The Terriers’ raced to a 19-3 conference record this season, compared to last year’s 21-5 mark. It is the third regular-season title for B. U., which also finished first in 1993, when it won its second conference tournament championship.
HEAD COACH AMY HAYES Terrier head coach Amy Hayes (Evansville ’92) is in her second season at Boston University, and owns a 62-38 (.620) mark entering the NCAA regionals. In her two seasons, Hayes has led the Terriers to an America East championship, two regular season titles, a 40-8 (.833) conference record, and a 28-2 (.933) home record.
TERRIERS VS. 48-TEAM NCAA FIELD The Terriers are 1-6 against this season’s field: 2/15 vs Minnesota L 0-2 2/22 vs # 13 Fresno State L 3-5 2/22 vs Penn State W 3-2 2/23 vs # 6 Washington L 0-8 (6) 2/23 vs Illinois-Chicago L 0-3 3/08 vs # 10 Fresno State L 0-5 5/01 at Massachusetts L 1-4 1-6 7-27
B. U. VS. REGION 2 TEAMS The only teams in the regional that B. U. has faced this season are Penn State and Minnesota. The Terriers and Penn State met on Feb. 22 in the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Columbus, GA. B. U. was a 3-2 winner in that game, with junior Robyn Horrick (Irvine, CA) taking the win. The Terriers opened their season with an 0-2 loss to Minnesota on Feb. 15 in the UNC Triangle Classic.
HAAS, HORRICK, HENNEKE AMONG NATIONAL NCAA LEADERS Three Terriers are among the leaders nationally as of games played May 5.
Jamie Haas 45th batting .396 Jamie Haas 8th triples 0.13/game Robyn Horrick 14th ERA 0.88 Julie Henneke 21st ERA 0.96
HAAS, HORRICK, HENNEKE SWEEP AMERICA EAST HONORS FOR FIRST TIME For the first time in B. U.’s 15-year softball history, and the first time since America East selected all three award winners (since 1996), the Terriers swept the America East’s yearly awards. Freshman Jamie Haas capped a tremendous rookie season by becoming the first freshman to earn America East softball Player of the Year honors. She is joined by junior Robyn Horrick, who was voted the league’s Pitcher of the Year, and freshman Julie Henneke, who was selected as the Rookie of the Year. Haas rolled in league play, batting .500 and leading the team in nearly every offensive category. Horrick led the league in ERA at 0.88, and was third in strikeouts with 143. Henneke is as balanced a player as there is in the league. She batted .324 and along with Haas was ranked in the top 10 in virtually every league statistic.
B. U. TAKES PITCHER AND ROOKIE HONORS FOR THIRD STRAIGHT YEAR For the third straight season, a Terrier has been named the America East’s Pitcher or Rookie of the Year. Robyn King ‘01 earned the pitching honor in 2000 and 2001. Rookie honors were garnered by Robyn Horrick in 2000 and Nichole Kurker in 2001. Haas’ Player of the Year honor was the first for a Terrier since the 1997 season, when Beth Iwamoto won the award.
FIVE TERRIERS NAMED TO AMERICA EAST ALL-CONFERENCE TEAMS Joining Haas, Henneke, and Horrick on the America East All-Conference lists are junior Tiffany Finateri and freshman DeKenya Williams. Finateri earned a spot on the All-Conference Second Team with her 1.45 ERA, which dropped to 1.10 against America East competition. Williams came into her own in the Terriers conference games, batting .318 with 12 RBI and nine runs. She slugged .472 and had a .355 on-base percentage. As a pitcher, she had a 1.40 ERA and opposing batters hit just .071 against her.
B. U. WINS 400th GAME IN PROGRAM’S 15-YEAR HISTORY With their 3-0 win over Albany in game 1 of the America East Championship on May 9, the Terriers picked up the 400th win in the program’s 15-year history. Entering this week’s NCAA Regional, B. U. has a 402-241-1 (.625) record, and is making its third trip to the NCAA Tournament. The Terriers are 128-47 (.731) in America East regular season games, and 168-52 (.764) in games at home.
HAAS HIGH ON SEASON LISTS AT B. U. Jamie Haas has had one of the most impressive freshman seasons in B. U. history. She is currently third all-time in season batting average at .406, and set a single-season hits record with 63 hits. Kerry Herr, who graduated last year, set the record with 60 in HER freshman season of 1998. Haas is also tied for second on the single-season list for triples with seven, and tied for third on the single-season stolen bases list with 15.
TERRIERS GOOD TO GO WHEN SCORING THREE-OR-MORE RUNS This season, the Terriers have a 18-4 record when they score three or more runs, and conversely, a 10-17 mark when scoring two or less. Against conference teams, they are 13-2 when getting three-plus runs.
HAAS, HENNEKE COMBINE TO MAKE AMERICA EAST HISTORY Freshmen Jamie Haas and Julie Henneke earned America East Player of the Week honors four consecutive weeks from Apr. 8 through Apr. 29. It is the first time in the 11 years that the conference has sponsored softball that a player/players have won the award four straight weeks. It’s more amazing when it is considered that both Haas and Henneke are freshmen. Haas shared the Player of the Week award with Hartford’s Liz Nadeau on Apr. 22.
HAAS EARNS THREE STRAIGHT PLAYER OF THE WEEK AWARDS Jamie Haas became the first freshman in America East history to earn the conference’s Player of the Week award three straight times. She was also named the Rookie of the Week on Apr. 2.
HORRICK EARNS PITCHER OF THE WEEK NOD Junior Robyn Horrick earned B. U.’s first Pitcher of the Week award this season on Apr. 15. Horrick pitched the Terriers to two conference wins at Albany. She logged 12.0 innings pitched in the two games, allowing only three hits while striking out 15 and walking only two. She did not give up an earned run. She had 11 strikeouts in a two-hit, complete-game win over the Great Danes. The right-hander combined with freshman DeKenya Williams to one-hit Albany on the way to a 2-0 win.
HENNEKE HAS CAREER-TYPE WEEK TO EARN PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONOR Julie Henneke had the best game of her young career in a 3-2, eight-inning win at Stony Brook on Apr. 6, going 3-for-4 with two home runs, the second of which was a game-winning shot in the top of the eighth. She came on in relief of starting pitcher Tiffany Finateri to begin the sixth inning. She pitched a perfect three innings, striking out the side in the bottom of the eighth for the win. In addition to her two homers, she also had two runs batted in and scored three runs.
HAAS IMPRESSIVE IN CONFERENCE GAMES As impressive as Jamie Haas’ numbers are overall, they pale in comparision to her conference averages. Haas is batting .500 (35-for-70), slugging .657, and her on-base percentage stands at .532. She is 9-for-11 in stolen bases, and has a high .973 fielding percentage at short.
HENNEKE LOW ERA, HIGH WIN TOTAL IN LEAGUE GAMES Julie Henneke was a tough pitcher in conference games, in this, her freshman season. She had a team-best 0.31 earned run average, while racing to a 7-0 record. Conference opponents hit just .124 against her, and struck out 57 times, compared to only 10 walks.
SENIORS FINISH CAREERS WITH 60-3 HOME RECORD After struggling in a number of neutral site and away games this season, the Terriers were happy to get back to the B. U. Softball Field, where they have fared quite well over the past few seasons. After going a perfect 15-0 in 2001, the team finished this season at 13-1, with its only defeat coming against Harvard on Apr. 4. In 1999, this year’s seniors helped the Terriers go 15-3. Two years ago, the Terriers had an impressive 17-1 home mark. Overall, this year’s senior class is 60-3 at home over the past four seasons.
AFTER SLOW START, TERRIERS END SEASON ON 25 OF 30 RUN The Terriers’s season got off to a rough start in February, as the team posted a 3-16 record in three tournaments against some of the toughest competition in the country. Since then, though, they have gone 25-5 heading into this week’s NCAA Regional.
TERRIERS ALL-TIME VS. REGIONAL FIELD Minnesota Series Record: B. U. trails 0-1 2/15/02 N6 L 0-2 Penn State Series Record: B. U. trails 1-3 3/8/91 N1 W 19-1 3/12/97 N2 L 2-4 3/5/01 N3 L 0-7 3/9/01 N4 L 3-5 2/22/02 Princeton Series Record: B. U. trails 0-2 5/17/96 N5 L 0-1 5/19/96 N5 L 1-3 N1 - game played at Gainesville, FL N2 - game played at Orlando, FL N3 - game played at Tampa, FL N4 -Speedline Tournament, at Tampa, FL N5 - NCAA Tournament, at Amherst, MA N6 - UNC Triangle Classic, Walnut Creek, NC
THIS SEASON VS. MINNESOTA Minnesota’s Piper Marten allowed only one hit - to senior Aryn Rangel - and struck out 15 Terrier batters in a 2-0 Gopher win. Marten’s counterpart, Robyn Horrick struck out six and allowed one earned run on five hits. Minnesota’s Jordanne Nygren hit a fourth-inning home run that gave the Gophers their 2-0 margin.
THIS SEASON VS. PENN STATE In a game that went scoreless through seven innings, the two teams combined for five runs in the eighth. The Terriers’ Jennifer Shields hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth which scored Julie Henneke and gave B. U. its second win of the season. Robyn Horrick went the distance for B. U., giving up eight hits and one earned run while striking out six. She gave up two runs in the top of the eighth to make the score 2-0, setting the stage for Shields’ blast in the bottom of the inning. The freshmen were instrumental in the win, as they had five of the teams’ seven hits, including the game-winner.
TERRIERS DOMINATE THIRD INNING The Terriers have outscored their opponents, 23-4, in the third inning of games this season. The numbers show a trend of slow starts for the Terriers, as they have been outscored, 43-32, in the first two innings. After the second, though, the Terriers hold a 97-59 edge, including a 14-10 advantage in extra innings.
RANGEL MOVING UP HOMERS LIST Aryn Rangel is just three home runs short of setting a team record for career homers. She hit her 13th career home run, a two-run game-winning shot against Maine on Apr. 17.
B. U. CAREER HOME RUNS 1. Cathleen Crowley 1991-94 15 2. Aryn Rangel 1999-02 13 Michelle White 1992-95 13
TERRIERS PICKED FIRST IN PRESEASON POLL OF COACHES The defending regular-season champion Terriers were the unanimous choice to win the conference title according to a vote by the league’s coaches. Maine, Stony Brook, and Hartford were the next teams on the list. # TEAM (1st) PTS 1. Boston University (7) 49 2. Maine 38 3. Stony Brook 29 4. Hartford 28 5. Vermont 20 6. Albany 17 7. Binghamton 15
TERRIERS ON THE INTERNET You can find information on the Boston University softball team, along with the Terriers’ other 22 sports, on B. U.’s official athletic website at www.bu.edu/athletics. Game stories, statistics, and player bios, updated daily, can be found on the site.
