2007 Softball Season Review
AND
A FRESHMAN SHALL LEAD THEM: After a rocky start to her first year
of collegiate softball, pitcher Miranda McNealy proved to be one of the
most dominant pitchers in the Northwest Conference. Her efforts earned
the Aloha, Ore., native First Team All-Northwest Conference honors. She
was the only freshman selected to the team.
After taking two losses and allowing 15 runs in her first three outings, all in a season opening series against Whitworth, McNealy settled down to amass a 14-6 record and a 1.37 earned run average. After the losses to the Pirates, McNealy won her next 13 starts. The efforts included eight shutouts, a no hitter against George Fox on Apr. 10 and a combined five-inning perfect game with Andrea Bansen against Cal State East Bay on Mar. 23.
"Miranda overcame some early season jitters to become one of the best pitchers in the conference," Head Coach Tim Hill said. "Her biggest contributions were in the consistency of her performances, which always seemed to give us a chance to win, and in the competitiveness that she displayed when the situations were the toughest."
McNealy finished as not only one of the best pitchers in the conference, but one of the best in the nation. Her 1.37 ERA ranked 23rd among Division III hurlers and her 9.7 strikeouts per seven innings was eighth best in the nation. She led the conference with a .185 opponent's batting average and 178 strikeouts.
SIX OTHERS EARN ALL-NWC NODS: In addition to McNealy, six other Boxers' were selected to all-conference squads. Junior catcher Caitlin Mastenbroek, sophomore outfielder Kristen Croxford, freshman second baseman Kelly Nishitomi and freshman third baseman Brooke Fogwell were named to the All-NWC Second Team. Junior pitcher Andrea Bansen and freshman first baseman Kristin Larkins were honorable mention selections.
NO HOME? NO PROBLEM: Considering their lack of a home field during the 2007 season, it would have been easy for Pacific softball to fold the tent early on. The team's longtime home of Lincoln Park was closed to make way for a new softball stadium, which will open in Spring 2008. In addition, a very rainy spring made the team's temporary home, Hillsboro Stadium, unplayable. As a result, the Boxers played all 38 games on the road, but wrapped up the year with a 25-13 overall record and a third place Northwest Conference finish at 17-11, all the best for the team since 1998.
After losing four straight to Whitworth in a set of "home games" in Pasco, Wash., to open the season, things appeared as if they would be really tough on the young squad. Instead, Pacific came together to become one of the most potent teams in the NWC. The Boxers recovered to win their next nine games, including a perfect game against Cal State East Bay on Mar. 23 and a 6-2 victory over then-No. 22 ranked Williams.
After dropping single games to No. 6 Chapman and Cal Lutheran, Pacific came back to win another 14 straight games, all against NWC opponents. The run included series sweeps over George Fox, Puget Sound and Pacific Lutheran. In those 14 games, Pacific outscored their opponents 55-6, allowed just three earned runs and held opponents to a .115 batting average.
The travel finally caught up with the Boxers in the final two weeks of the year as the Boxers dropped four straight games to NCAA Championships qualifier Linfield and three of four to Willamette.
A WHOLE STAFF EFFORT: Much of Pacific's success relied upon what came together as one of the best pitching staffs in the nation. The trio of Miranda McNealy, Andrea Bansen and Heather Ritenour combined to amass a 2.09 earned run average, leading the Northwest Conference and ranking 48th in the nation at the Division III level. The three combined to strikeout 242 batters in 255 innings of work and limited opponents to a .222 batting average.
While McNealy was the class of the staff, Bansen turned in her best season in the circle. The junior finished with an 8-6 record and a 2.47 earned run average, which included seven straight victories between Apr. 1 and Apr. 19, five shutouts and a combined perfect game with McNealy against Cal State East Bay on Mar. 22. In 104.2 innings, Bansen fanned 54 and held opponents to a .241 average.
A BRUSH WITH PERFECTION: Pacific's trip to southern California for the SunWest Tournament opened with a softball rarity as Miranda McNealy and Andrea Bansen combined to throw a perfect game in a 13-0, five-inning victory over Cal State East Bay on Mar. 23. The Boxers' pitching tandem combined to strike out 10 of the 15 batters they faced. The Pioneers, in fact, did not even put a ball in play until a ground ball in the third inning and never saw a ball leave the infield.
The Pacific offense, meanwhile, gave their two hurlers plenty of cushion to work with. The Boxers put the game out of reach in the second, scoring eight runs on three hits, one error, two walks and two hit batters. The Boxers added five more in the third, capitalizing on six hits and an error.
"It's a rare occurrence, and one I didn't realize our team had accomplished until the next day," Hill said. "Both pitchers were at the top of their game and that made it easy on our offense."
TOUGHEST
IN THE LEAGUE: Despite missing First Team All-NWC honors for the
first time in her career, catcher Caitlin Mastenbroek proved that she is
still the toughest catcher in the conference. Mastenbroek once again provided
the heartbeat for the Boxers behind the plate. In the process, she led
the league in runners picked off and finished third in runners caught stealing.
In the batter's box, Mastenbroek was a formidable threat with a .309 batting
average with six doubles, two home runs and 22 RBIs. The Scio, Ore., native
was named Second Team All-NWC after earning first team honors each of her
first two seasons.
"Caitlin had her best season yet," Hill said of his on-field leader. "In addition to being the best catcher in the conference, she hit over .300 and had many game-winning hits. Her biggest asset, however, was the intensity, drive, guidance and leadership she brought to a very young team."
THE
FUTURE IS NOW: The Boxers were understandably nervous with an
infield comprised entirely of freshmen. Those fears proved wrong as the
newbies proved to be one of the best fielding teams in the nation. The
Boxers turned in a .963 fielding percentage, tying them for 24th best in
Division III softball. In the conference, only Linfield (No. 2) and Whitworth
(No. 11) were better in the field. Pacific committed only 41 errors on
the year, the least in Hill's five years as Pacific coach, and only one
Pacific fielder had double digit miscues.
The defensive prowess helped earn three of those four freshmen All-NWC distinction. Second baseman Kelly Nishitomi and third baseman Brooke Fogwell earned second team nods, while first baseman Kristin Larkins was named an honorable mention. In all, the Boxers' roster featured just three upperclassmen. There were no seniors on the 2007 team and a total of nine freshmen.
POWER BROKERS: The Boxers have never been known as a slugging team, but in 2007 season the Boxers found the fences often. The team's 18 home runs is the most in Tim Hill's five seasons as coach and is more than the team hit in the last three seasons combined. Freshman Kristin Larkins led the way for the longball barrage. Her five home runs tied the single season record set by Kim Gainey during the 2000 season. Brooke Fogwell and Kristen Croxford lurked just behind with four home runs apiece while Caitlin Mastenbroek and Amy Walters each smashed two homers.
The Boxers came through often with runners on base with a team slugging percentage of .359. Croxford registered a league-leading .628 slugging percentage as the team's leadoff hitter, while Mastenbroek, Larkins and Fogwell all had slugging percentages over .400.
THE
CROX OF HITTING SUCCESS: For the second straight season, Kristen
Croxford set the pace for Pacific at the plate. The Klamath Falls, Ore.,
native led the team with a .372 batting average and carried as high as
a .415 average into the final week of the season. The team's leadoff hitter,
Croxford led the team with 42 hits and 11 doubles and finished with 19
RBIs, three triples, four home runs and tied for the team lead with 16
stolen bases. Her 26 walks not only led the NWC, but ranked 19th among
Division III hitters.
In addition, Croxford paid serious dividends as a solid situational hitter. The sophomore hit .370 with runners in scoring position and was .571 with a runner on third and less than two outs. Croxford reached base 45 percent of the time as the first batter of the inning. "Kristen has proved to be an outstanding leadoff hitter who is able to provide us with whatever offense needed at a particular time," Hill said.
BOXER SHORTS: Of Pacific's 25 victories, 15 came by way of shutout and the team allowed one run or less in 19 of those 25 wins...Pacific finished 2-2 in runs shortened by the eight-run rule and 1-1 in extra inning tilts...The team's .254 batting average was the lowest in Tim Hill's tenure as coach and ranked sixth in the NWC...Pacific's 78 steals was well down from their total of 110 in 2006. The team was successful in 87 percent of their steal attempts while opposing teams swiped only 33 bags...Pacific pitching allowed just 76 earned runs in 38 games, translating to just two earned runs per game.