2007 Softball Review

After setting a goal to make back-to-back Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference playoff tournament appearances the College of Saint Benedict softball team wound up finishing just short of qualifying for post-season play in 2007.
 
Saint Benedict ended the season with an 18-16 overall record and a 13-9 MIAC mark. CSB placed fifth in the MIAC, which added to the team’s number of consecutive top-five finishes in the MIAC now standing at 20 in a row.
 
The Blazers entered the season with several unknowns.
 
One of the biggest concerns CSB had when it took the field in Tucson, Ariz. was team hitting. Saint Benedict batted .246 in 2006, a statistic the team addressed in spring practices prior to the season.
 
Another setback the Blazers had to deal with as they approached a season-opening stretch of 12 games in seven days was having only two healthy pitchers available. Senior All-MIAC pitcher Christina Gardner suffered an injury during spring practices and first-year left-handed pitcher Molly Plog battled an early season illness, which left the bulk of the innings for senior All-MIAC pitcher Monica Eiden and sophomore Andrea Fahey.
 
CSB compiled a 5-7 record in Arizona and batted .303 as a team, which was a dramatic improvement from the 2006 season.
 
It would be another three weeks before Saint Benedict would begin its MIAC competition. The Blazers used the time to work on hitting and recover from an exhausting spring training.
 
The Blazers split their opening series with Hamline, but would not play for another week due to weather cancellations.

The cancellations made for an interesting next two weeks for Saint Benedict.
 
After getting swept against Saint Mary’s, CSB would be confronted with a busy stretch of 11 games in eight days. With a conference record of 1-3 at the time, Saint Benedict needed to come away from the stretch with wins if they were to climb the conference standings.
 
Sweeps of Bethel and Carleton had the Blazers optimistic heading into their season series with No. 1 nationally ranked St. Thomas.
 
The Tommies took the first game of the series, but the Blazers pushed the perennial softball powerhouse to the limit in the second game.

Eiden pitched brilliantly throughout the game to keep it tied 1-1. But senior Carrie Embree spoiled CSB’s chances for the split with a solo home run in the top of the seventh inning to allow the Tommies to escape with the hard-fought 2-1 win.
 
Eiden pulled out all the stops in the series against Concordia College. She struck out a combined 19 Cobbers, picking up both wins in the series including a complete-game, one-hit shutout in the second game.
 
The Blazers would go 6-4 in their final 10 games of the year missing fourth place and qualifying for the playoffs by a half-game.
 
Eiden and senior second base player Brittney Johnson were named to the All-MIAC softball team. Senior Nikki Zappa and sophomore Genna Strauss were awarded All-MIAC honorable mentions.
 
Saint Benedict graduates five senior starters, but will return its corner outfielders and most of their starting infielders giving the team optimism in preparation for the 2008 season.

Athletic Department
College of Saint Benedict
37 South College Avenue
St. Joseph, MN 56374
320-363-5301
Fax 320-363-6098