February 27, 2003

MOUNT VERNON, IOWA . . . The 2003 Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) softball season begins this weekend and Central College is picked to repeat as the Conference champion, by the slimmest of margins in a poll conducted of the IIAC’s head softball coaches. Central and 2002 Conference runner-up Coe College both received three first place votes, but the Dutch (65 points) received three second place votes to Coe’s two and finished one point ahead of the Kohawks in the poll. Just 14 points separated the coaches top-four picks as Simpson (55 points) and Wartburg (51 points) were picked to finish third and fourth, respectively. Wartburg received one first place vote in the poll in which seven coaches participated.

The Iowa Conference expects to once again prove itself as one of the top Division III softball Conferences in the nation. Last year, two of the three at-large bids to the NCAA Tournament were awarded to IIAC schools (Coe and Wartburg). Four schools finished with 27 or more wins led by Coe with a 37-9 overall record. Conference Champion Central posted a 36-5 record while Wartburg (27-10) and Simpson (27-11) both won 27 games. With 19 of the 24 All-Conference players from 2002 back on their team’s rosters this year, the Conference should once again be very competitive.

IIAC schools open their seasons as early as March 1 (Loras in Tucson, Ariz.) and as late as March 14 (Coe at Westminster (Mo.) College). Dubuque (in Orlando, Fla.) and Wartburg (in Tucson, Ariz.) both start its seasons on March 2, while the other six schools begin the weekend of March 7-9. The Conference portion of the schedule begins Wednesday, April 2 and concludes on Friday, May 2.

The composite Conference schedule, results and statistics are available on the softball home page of the Conference web site at www.iowaconference.com. For the most up-to-date team rosters, visit the softball page of each schools’ athletic web site.

A complete team-by-team preview follows.

Buena Vista University Beavers
(17-20, 9-9 IIAC – 5th)

Starters Returning/Lost: 7/3
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 10/3

About the Team: Buena Vista will be a young team with the possibility of as many as four freshmen in the starting line-up. The Beavers are deep with several players that can play multiple positions. Along with a talented freshmen class, they have experience on the mound and behind the plate. Junior Kara Rea appeared in 30 games with 20 starts last season. She posted a 13-8 record with 17 complete games, four shutouts and a 2.10 ERA in 163 innings. Junior Gelene Bousum made five starts last season and struck out 21 batters in 25 innings.

Behind the plate, experienced catchers Lindsey Roberts and Katie Richardson are back. Roberts, a senior, hit .260 in 28 games last season. Defensively, she committed just two errors in 92 chances (.978 fielding pct.). Richardson, a junior, was third on the team in batting with a .306 average. She had a team-high three home runs and 19 RBI. Defensively, she committed just one error in 66 chances (.985 fielding pct.).

Bousum led the team in batting (.371) and stolen bases (6-6) last season from her shortstop position. Senior first baseman Sara Salton hit .256 in 18 games last season, including 11 starts. Sophomore second baseman Katie Onken hit .290 as a freshman (fourth on team) with eight extra base hits and was the only player to start as many as 35 games.

Sophomore Crystal Richardson, senior Monica Osheim and junior Holli Protexter bring experience to the outfield from left to right. Crystal Richardson made 10 starts and appeared in 25 games last season. Osheim played in 32 games with 30 starts and Protexter started all 31 of the games in which she played.

Junior utility player Abby Lance will join seven former All-State high school performers looking to contribute this season. Those freshmen include Brooke Bousum (first base, catcher), Krystal Cary (outfield), Sarah Dirkx (pitcher), Ashley Partlow (catcher, third base), Tricia Porter (shortstop, pitcher), Liz Scheuring (catcher) and Lindsay Siemonsma (pitcher).

About the Coach: Marge Willadsen, in her 22nd season at Buena Vista, enters the season with a 504-313-2 record (.617). She won her 500th career game on April 25, 2002 against Upper Iowa. She ranks third among active NCAA Division III coaches in victories and fifth all-time. She also ranks 35th in winning percentage among active coaches. Willadsen, a two-time IIAC Coach of the Year, led the Beavers to the 1984 National Championship and five top-five National finishes.

Coach Willadsen on her team: “Our team will be much improved over last year with the addition of some excellent freshmen recruits. I am excited for the season to begin and feel we could surprise many of the teams in the Conference.”

Coach Willadsen on the IIAC: “The Conference race may be the tightest it has ever been. Rather than three or four teams battling it out at the top, I feel there may be at least six battling for the Championship.”

Central College Dutch
(36-5, 16-2 IIAC – 1st)

Starters Returning/Lost: 6/3
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 11/5

About the Team: Led by the return of a two-time All-American, two All-Region players and a First Team All-Conference player, Central looks strong again. All-American Libby Hysell posted an 18-3 record with two saves and a 0.66 earned run average. She enters the season second on Central’s career strikeout list (434), fifth in career wins (54) and tied for first in career no-hitters (4). Hysell is joined on the mound by senior April Miller and sophomore Corrie Schmidt, both of whom won nine games last season. Miller went 9-1 with a 1.77 ERA and 57 strikeouts in 59.1 innings, and enters the year with 41 career wins (ninth all-time at Central). Schmidt was 9-0 with four saves and a 0.53 ERA as a freshman. She struck out 58 and walked just 18 (including seven intentionally) in 79.2 innings.

Junior catcher Stef Miller earned Third Team All-Midwest Region honors last season, hitting .316 and driving in 14 runs in 40 games. She also stole 13 bases. Freshman Katie Boyington will back-up Miller.

Returning around the infield is First Team All-Midwest Region first baseman Anne Legg who led the team in batting as a freshman with a .372 average in 41 games. She also drove in a team-high 29 runs to go along with nine doubles and two home runs. Freshman Kristin Wares will be called upon to replace All-American Molly Parrott at second base. The left side of the infield will feature juniors Beth Peterson at shortstop and Katy Lein at third base. Peterson hit .236, scored 18 runs, stole 12 bases and had 10 sacrifices last season. Lein hit .280 with one home run and 15 RBI while splitting time between third base and designated player.

Sophomore Bri Kuyper and senior Kris Hughes return to center and right field respectively. Kuyper, a First Team All-Conference selection last season, hit .301 with a .435 on-base percentage, a team-high 22 walks and scored 34 runs. Hughes is a four-year starter who hit .290 and drove in 13 runs last season. Junior Becky Hedges and sophomores Holly Edwards, Kara Hanson and Shauna Dyjak are vying for the left field position. Hedges and Edwards are both converted infielders. Dyjak and Hanson saw considerable action last season as pinch runners. Dyjak stole 15 bases and scored 11 runs while Hanson was successful on all nine steal attempts.

Junior Sara Tuttle and Boyington are the leading candidates for the designated player position.

About the Coach: George Wares enters his 19th season as head coach at Central. He has a career record of 616-204-2 (.751) and ranks second in Division III all-time in victories and winning percentage (minimum 10 years as a head coach). Among active coaches he is first in victories and fourth in winning percentage (minimum five years as a head coach). A four-time IIAC Coach of the Year, he leads all active Division III coaches in playoff appearances (17) and playoff victories (65). Wares has led the Dutch to three National Championships and 11 top-five National finishes.

Coach Wares on his team: “We will be solid defensively, led by our pitching staff. Injuries have taken away our depth, especially in the infield. On offense we will have to play situational softball and manufacture runs.”

Coach Wares on the IIAC: “The Iowa Conference will again be from top to bottom the best Conference in the country.”

Coe College Kohawks
(37-9, 14-4 IIAC – 2nd)

Starters Returning/Lost: 6/3
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 11/5

About the Team: Conference MVP Jamie Dalbey (second base) and First Team All-Conference first baseman Stacy Baumhover have graduated but Coe has six starters and four All-Conference players returning from last season’s team that finished second in the IIAC and advanced to the Regional Finals. Sophomore Amy Ernst, a Second Team All-Conference selection as a freshman and junior Lindsay Chase combined for 32 wins last year and both return to the mound this season. Ernst posted a 19-5 record with three saves and a 1.07 ERA in 30 games (22 starts). Chase went 13-4 with two saves and a 1.91 ERA in 24 games (18 starts).

Three returning First Team All-Conference players – junior catcher Abby Kite, junior shortstop Leah Fuhrman and senior outfielder Shalyn Swartout – all hit over .330 last season. Kite, who led the IIAC in hitting (.436 in Conference play), hit .388 overall with five home runs and 24 RBI. Defensively she made just two errors in 191 chances (.990 fielding pct.) and threw out 57.6 percent of would-be base stealers (14-of-19).

Fuhrman hit .331 with five home runs and 26 RBI last season and is joined on the left side of the infield by third baseman Angie Witte (.222, 2 home runs, 14 RBI). Sophomore Tracy Deutsch (.289 average in 41 games) and freshman Chris Engel are the leading candidates to take over at first base with senior Kristin Smith expected to take over at second base.

Swartout, who hit .386 with a team-high seven home runs and 33 RBI, is joined in the outfield by sophomore Beth Rohlena who hit .306 with one home run and 17 RBI in 42 games as a freshman. Deutsch, sophomore Holly Zimmerman (.200 average in 37 games last season) and freshman Jana Bradley are competing for playing time in the outfield.

About the Coach: Bob Timmons enters his sixth season as Coe’s head coach and 18th overall. The 1999 Iowa Conference Coach of the Year, Timmons won his 500th career game on March 29, 2002 against the University of the Ozarks. In five years at Coe, he has a 148-61 record. Prior to joining Coe, he spent 12 seasons at Mount Mercy (NAIA) where he posted a 376-162 record.

Cornell College Rams
(14-18, 5-13 IIAC – T-8th)

Starters Returning/Lost: 9/1
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 11/4

About the Team: Cornell returns three pitchers from last season led by eight-game winner Sarah Heller. In 20 games (17 starts), Heller pitched 123.2 innings, striking out 109 while walking just 27. She had a 2.89 ERA. Senior Jodie McCullough and junior Sarah Klingaman both won three games in 13 and nine outings, respectively. McCullough had a 1.80 ERA in 50.2 innings.

Klingaman and Heller are both expected to be in the line-up when not pitching. Klingaman will catch. She hit .337 in 32 games last season and had nine multi-hit contests. Heller hit .241 last season and will be the designated player.

All four infielders return from last season. Junior Lisa Henze is at first base, senior Lindsey Stoll at second base, sophomore Amy Pitlik at third base and senior Karla Scholz at shortstop. Stoll had a team-high 12 sacrifice hits last season and finished the year with 13 RBI (third on the team). Pitlik drove in 12 runs on the year and had four two-RBI games.

Senior Carolyn Lee and junior Laura Fuller return to left field and center field respectively. Fuller hit three of the team’s four home runs and finished the year with a .517 slugging percentage. Sophomore Alex Myers appeared in 27 games last season and started in all three outfield positions. She hit .284 with eight RBI in limited action.

Junior Sarah Wille, a Second Team All-Conference selection last season, saw time at first base and designated player last season. She hit .308, with one home run and led the team with 16 RBI.

Freshmen outfield Angie Gavrin and pitcher Becky Roberg are the team’s top newcomers.

About the Coach: Lori Moss enters her seventh season as head coach at Cornell. Under her direction, the Rams have posted a 60-137-1 record and improved from 3-23 the year prior to Moss’ arrival to 14-28 last season. During her collegiate playing days at Mount Mercy College, Moss was a three-time All-Conference selection, an honorable mention All-American and Conference Player of the Year (1995).

University of Dubuque Spartans
(6-32, 0-18 IIAC – 10th)

Starters Returning/Lost: 7/3
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 7/3

About the Team: Junior pitcher B.J. Duwa is Dubuque’s workhorse. She appeared in 32 games last season with 31 starts and 29 complete games. She posted a 5-24 record, but had a 3.65 ERA and struck out 109 batters in 195.2 innings. Offensively, Duwa led the team in batting average (.304), hits (34) and runs scored (16).

Junior middle infielder Nicole Essman hit .269 (second on team), scored 14 runs and drove in 10 last year hitting primarily from the lead-off or #2 spot in the line-up. Junior first baseman Maria Spittlemeis hit .221 in 29 games. Defensively, she had a .905 fielding percentage. Senior Teresa Dix (.209 average, 9 RBI) returns at third base.

Sophomore Jamie Rechenmacher returns behind the plate. She struggled offensively (.185 average), but was great in the field. She committed just 10 errors in 193 chances (.948 fielding pct.). Sophomore outfielder Marcy Krause (.919 fielding pct.) and sophomore utility player Stephanie Armbuster (.905 fielding pct.) also return.

Freshmen Erin Semke (shortstop), Trisha Weber (third base) and Laura Steinback (catcher) will look to make an immediate impact in the Spartans’ line-up.

About the Coach: Todd Huffman enters his first season as head coach at the University of Dubuque and his first season coaching at the collegiate level. Huffman served as the Spartans’ women’s basketball coach this winter, guiding the team to a 12-14 record.

Loras College Duhawks
(14-22, 8-10 IIAC – T-6th)

Starters Returning/Lost: 8/6
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 12/6

About the Team: Three seniors, three juniors and two sophomores return from last season’s team led by senior All-Conference outfielder Katie Rasmusson. In 32 games last season, she hit .418 with two home runs and 19 RBI. She will be joined in the outfield by junior Angie Williams, who committed just two errors in 53 chances (.962 fielding pct.). Sophomores Katie Welsh, who missed the 2002 season due to injury, and Mary Nosbisch, and freshmen Stephanie Bohlan and Amanda Reiss will compete for the third outfield position.

Senior Kim Sturm started 18 games last season, senior Laryn Lutz started 13 games and sophomore Sarah McKone started 16 games last season and will anchor the infield at shortstop, first base and third base respectively. Juniors Kelly Burns and Kari Cutler, sophomore Brittni Sturm, and freshmen Bri Erger, Cari Heffernen will compete for the second base position or serve as back-ups around the infield.

Sophomore Michele Kearney will take over behind the plate. She appeared in 6 games with four starts as a freshman. Junior Trixie Reed returns as the Duhawks’ top pitcher. Last season she went 7-7 and had 11 complete games and two shutouts in her 15 starts. Sophomore Jessica Nahorski (14 appearances in 2002), freshman Sara Neverman and Welsh will provide pitching depth.

About the Coach: Mary Jo Vrba enters her second season as head coach at Loras, having led the Duhawks to a 14-22 record in her first year. As a player, Vrba earned First Team All-Conference softball honors and Second Team All-Conference basketball honors during her senior year at Wartburg.

Coach Vrba on her team: “My expectations of any team are high, and for this team it is no different. I think we have a lot of potential and the work ethic of these athletes is wonderful to work with. I am looking forward to a fun and challenging season.”

Coach Vrba on the IIAC: “The IIAC is one of the toughest conferences in the Nation and I know all the coaches in the Conference take pride in that. Every game is a battle and every team has the chance to earn respect and challenge their opponent for the win.”

Luther College Norse
(19-17, 8-10 IIAC – T-6th)

Starters Returning/Lost: 7/1
Pitchers Returning/Lost: 2/3
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 10/9

About the Team: Senior Kim Soenksen is the only experienced pitcher on the Luther roster. Last season she appeared in 14 games, with six starts and posted a 1-2 record with 13 strikeouts in 33.1 innings. Four freshmen Michelle Osterhaus, Katelyn Kampfe, Jami Brandt and Trisha Stogdill should see action in their first collegiate season. The inexperienced pitching staff will have an experienced signal caller behind the plate in senior Megan Robinson, a 2002 Second Team All-Conference selection. Robinson hit .308 and drove in 16 runs in 35 games. Freshman Katie Hopp will serve as her back-up.

Seniors Keri Hatlevig (first base) and Nicole Vermett (third base) along with sophomore Katie Chambers (second base) return to the infield. Hatlevig finished second on the team with a .325 batting average and drove in 13 runs last season. Defensively, she committed just one error in 280 chances (.996 fielding pct.). Vermett, a two-time First Team All-Conference performer (2000, 2001) hit .282 last season. Chambers led the team with a .336 batting average and six stolen bases as a freshman. She also drove in 16 runs. The shortstop position is open as last year’s starter Jennifer Crawford works towards her nursing degree off-campus. Sophomores Jamie Coe and Teri Olson, freshman Brittany Reed and Hopp could see time around the infield.

Senior Leah Thomsen (right field) and sophomores Kim Distin (center field) and Jen Anderson (left field) return to the outfield. Thomsen hit .330 with 18 RBI in 32 contests last season. Distin hit .221 in 35 games and Anderson hit .227 in 26 games. Sophomore Danea Breeden hit .350 in 22 games as the designated player. She stole a team-high seven bases and had a .381 on-base percentage last season.

About the Coach: Renae Hartl enters her second year season as head coach at Luther, having led the Norse to a 19-17 record last year.

Coach Hartl on her team: “Our team will be led by our five seniors (Robinson, Vermett, Thomsen, Hatlevig and Soenksen) who will all contribute significantly on the field at their respective positions. Our pitching and middle infield will be very young so I expect us to grow and improve as the season rolls on. It will be exciting to see what this team can do over the next few months.”

Coach Hartl on the IIAC: “The Iowa Conference will be as strong as ever. It will be a very exciting year.”

Simpson College Storm
(27-11, 12-6 IIAC – 4th)

Starters Returning/Lost: 8/1
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 14/2

About the Team: Senior Amy Kulisky, an All-Conference and All-Region selection last season anchors the Simpson pitching staff. Last season she posted a 10-3 record with a 0.70 ERA and four saves in 99.1 innings. She also struck out 156 batters while walking just 23. Junior Lyndsy Owen appeared in 17 games with 13 starts. She posted an 8-4 record with a 0.98 ERA and 84 strikeouts in 78.2 innings. Sophomore Kate Brandt was 2-1 and held opponents to a .113 average in seven games.

Behind the plate, senior Amanda Pilcher threw out 52.1 percent of would-be base stealers last season and committed just one error in 343 chances (.997 fielding pct.). Junior Sara Kohler, a transfer from Arizona State University where she was honorable mention PAC-10 as a freshman, will add depth and should be a major contributor offensively. Sophomores Amanda Kost and Karla Holgrefe will also compete for playing time. Kost could also see time around the infield.

Junior Alexis Angier, a First Team All-Conference selection last season, returns at third base and is joined around the infield by senior shortstop Laura Halbrook and junior first baseman Michelle Montgomery making the infield one of Simpson’s strengths. Angier hit .336 last season (second on the team) and led the team with 40 hits, 19 walks and 22 runs scored. Halbrook hit a team-high four home runs and led the squad with 20 RBI while slugging .509. Montgomery had a .995 fielding percentage (1 error in 219 chances), and hit three home runs and drove in 12 runs while extending her consecutive starts streak to 68 games.

Second base remains a question mark as the Storm search for a replacement for Sarah Eggleston, a 2001 All-Conference performer. Junior Stacy Myers saw limited action in 10 games last season as Eggleston’s back-up. Sophomores Jeana Baker, Tuesdae Bailey, Rachel Koller along with, Kost or Jill Carson could also see time at second. Carson hit .266 in 30 games as the designated player last season.

All-Conference outfielder Rebecca Siler hit .339 with two home runs and 10 RBI as a freshman. She committed just one error in 35 chances (.971 fielding pct.) patrolling center field. Joining her in the outfield are juniors Krista Schuur in right and Megan Kelso in left. Schuur hit .302 with 12 RBI last season. Koller, Holgrefe, sophomore Courtney Steeve and freshman Erin Allsup will push for playing time in the outfield.

About the Coach: Henry Christowski enters his eighth season as head coach at Simpson, posting a 248-51-1 career record. His .820 winning percentage is the tops among active Division III head coaches. He also ranks 38th among active coaches in victories. Christowski, a two-time IIAC Coach of the Year, is the only coach in NCAA softball history (any division) to win at least 200 games in his first five seasons (201). He has led the Storm to five NCAA Tournaments, for NCAA Regional titles and two NCAA National Championships.

Coach Christowski on his team: “With the graduation of only one senior from last year’s team, I feel we will be able to compete favorably in the Conference and very well outside the Conference. Our sophomores last season are now juniors and appear to have benefited from the year of experience. Amy Kulisky and Lyndsy Owen should set the tone for our season with their performances on the mound. The addition of a couple of transfers and a good freshman class to challenge the returnees should make it an interesting season for us.”

Coach Christowski on the IIAC: “The Iowa Conference level of play continues to improve with each year. The quality of players and the coaches, and of course, the competition provided by its members makes it one of the premier softball Conferences in the nation. The accomplishment of our teams in the regional and national arena speaks for itself.”

Upper Iowa University Peacocks
(11-21-1, 5-13 IIAC – T-8th)

Starters Returning/Lost: 4/5
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 6/8

About the Team: Upper Iowa will have to overcome the loss of pitchers Michelle Boyum and Jeanette Pettlon along with catcher Mandy Luiken, first baseman Arielle Beck, second baseman Tara Heller and outfielder Jill Northrop. Among the returning players are the Peacocks top-two offensive performers from last season, All-Conference shortstop Chyanne Kleve and third baseman Keelee Conrad. Kleve hit .392 with 12 doubles, three triples and two home runs (.627 slugging pct.). She also finished with a .934 fielding percentage. Conrad hit .321 with eight doubles, a triple and two home runs.

Senior Erin Foster and junior Jenny Hayek return to the outfield. Foster was fifth on the team in hitting a year ago with a .247 average. Hayek struggled at the plate but defensively committed just one error in 30 chances (.967 fielding pct.). Junior Wendy Pfrang returns as the designated player.

Sophomore Alison Nesteby saw limited action in 18 contests last season and she will join nine newcomers vying for playing time. Nesteby, senior Bobbi Jo Sanchez, junior Haley Schuman, sophomore Amber Brown and freshmen Marcy Esparza and Sara Pudelek will compete for playing time around the infield. Juniors Brenda Brighton and Kristie Calvert will compete catching duties while Sanchez, Esparza and freshman Angie Weber compete for pitching duties. Calvert and junior Kelli McCallister will see time in the outfield.

About the Coach: Brent Kuker enters his second season as head coach at Upper Iowa after serving as assistant coach for four seasons. In six years as a collegiate head coach, which includes five years at Iowa Lakes Community College, Kuker has a career coaching record of 72-129-1.

Coach Kuker on his team: “We are a very young team, with only four starters returning from last season. Of the 15 players on the roster, nine are new to Upper Iowa softball. We have a hard working group, but with so little experience, it’s hard to predict how the season will unfold.”

Coach Kuker on the IIAC: “I believe this is the best Conference in the country. Central is the team to beat. Simpson, Coe and Wartburg will battle for the second slot in the Conference in hopes of gaining an at-large bid (to the NCAA Tournament).”

Wartburg College Knights
(27-10, 13-5 IIAC – 3rd)

Starters Returning/Lost: 8/1
Pitchers Returning/Lost: 3/1
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 13/2

About the Team: Senior pitcher Stephanie Rasmussen enters the season one win shy of becoming the school’s all-time leader in that category. She already holds the school record for career strikeouts (270) and strikeouts in a season (114). She is coming off a season where she went 13-6 with a 0.89 ERA (3rd best in school history). Joining Rasmussen on the mound are junior Kelly Watkins, who went 6-4 with a 1.30 ERA and a 4:1 strikeout to walk ratio last season in 17 games. Sophomore Courtney Kowalke went 2-0 and surrendered just two earned runs in 18.2 innings. Freshmen Emily Johnson, Paige Reynolds and Aimee Biggs will provide added depth to the pitching staff.

Behind the plate is two-time All-Region catcher Amy Kueker who hit .306 with 24 RBI and 14 stolen bases last season as a sophomore. Defensively, she committed just three errors in 194 chances (.985 fielding pct.). She will be backed-up by junior Heather Winter, an All-Conference designated player in 2002 (.359 average, 5 doubles, 4 home runs) and freshman Renae Vomacka.

The infield quartet of senior first baseman Kathy Voss, junior second baseman Betsy Girsch, junior shortstop Julie Medhus and senior third baseman Emily Mangin committed just 27 errors in 606 chances (.955 fielding pct.) last season. Over the past two years, they have a combined .960 fielding percentage. Offensively, Voss, a Second Team All-Conference and All-Midwest Region selection, led the IIAC in RBI (17), ranked second in total bases (33) and sixth in slugging percentage (.559). Girsch, also a Second Team All-Conference and All-Midwest Region selection, tied for the Conference lead in home runs (3), was second in batting average (.400) and second in slugging percentage (.640). Mangin, a Second Team All-Conference selection, enters the season sixth on Wartburg’s all-time hits list (109), tied for fourth in doubles (22) and third in RBI (72).

The outfield will have to fill the void left by Natalie Curran, the school’s all-time leader in stolen bases, at-bats, runs scored and triples. Senior Karla Flynn, juniors Alicia Cox and Carrie Clement and sophomore Britany Peterson all saw considerable playing time in the outfield and will be challenged by freshmen Debra Schindler, Shannon Lillibridge, Ashley Pfalzgraf, Molly Richards and Melanie Ingwersen for playing time.

About the Coach: Randy Schneider enters his fourth season as head coach at Wartburg, posting a 90-33-1 record in his first three seasons. He led the Knights to their first Conference title in 2001 when the team won a school record 36 games and earned Schneider IIAC Coach of the Year honors.

Coach Schneider on his team: “We have experienced some growing pains the past three seasons, but this year we feel we have a group of kids that are committed, hungry and willing to do what it takes to compete at a high level. We are very excited."

Coach Schneider on the IIAC: “We are excited about the challenges the Iowa Conference presents in 2003. I don’t see a lot of change in the top four teams from 2002. Although I believe each of those teams will be stronger. The biggest change in 2003 will be the middle of the pack teams from 2002. BV, Luther, Loras, Cornell, Upper Iowa and Dubuque should all be much improved with large rosters returning and good recruiting years. April will be a dog fight and the team to come out on top come May will be a team to reckon with!”

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