All Releases Written by: Ryan Maurer
Director of Sports Information
E-Mail: rmaurer@wittenberg.edu

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Forty-Three Wittenberg Student-Athletes Earn Spring Sport Postseason Awards
SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - Another banner spring sports season has reaped rich rewards for 43 Wittenberg University athletes who were selected to All-North Coast Athletic Conference teams over the last two weeks.Read More..

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2004 All-NCAC Selections: Carmen Montgomery Named Player of the Year!
CLEVELAND -- Allegheny sophomore Giannina Coccaro (Miami. FL/Palmetto) has been named Pitcher
of the Year and Wittenberg senior Carmen Montgomery (Springfield, OH/Southeastern) was named
Player of the Year to highlight the 2004 All-North Coast Athletic Conference softball selections.Read More..

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Norah Gillam

The Wittenberg softball team concluded its season on a down note, losing two of three games last weekend at the North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament, which was hosted by Allegheny. Still, the relatively young Tigers enjoyed a great deal of success in 2004 and have much to look forward to in the future.

On Friday, the Tigers were beaten 1-0 in an extra-inning thriller of a first-round game by Ohio Wesleyan, the regular season co-champion with Allegheny. Juniors Norah Gillam (Canfield, Ohio/Canfield) was nothing short of spectacular in the pitchers' circle, tossing seven hitless innings before errors cost the Tigers dearly in the eighth inning. For the game, Gillam allowed just one unearned run and one hit in 7 1/3 innings.

Gillam shut out Kenyon in the first round consolation game on Friday for four innings and gained her 11th win of the season. In hopes of saving her for Saturday's games, Gillam was replaced for the final two innings of what turned out to be an 11-3 victory. Senior Carmen Montgomery (South Charleston, Ohio/Southeastern) collected two hits and four runs scored from her lead-off position to spearhead the offensive outburst. Junior Jen Fleming (Dayton, Ohio/Chaminade-Julienne) and freshman Stephanie Zorn (Grapevine, Texas/Colleyville) each drove in two runs.

On Saturday, the roof fell in on the Tigers as they dropped a 13-1 decision to Ohio Wesleyan. Gillam couldn't keep the magic going, nor could any of the other three Tigers pitchers who attempted to stem the tide. Wittenberg's lone run was scored by sophomore Kelly Sasavicz (Massillon, Ohio/Massillon) on an RBI hit by senior Katie Gildow (Bellefontaine, Ohio/Bellefontaine).

Sophomore Katelyn Beddow (Lexington, Ohio/Ashland), who was 4-for-9 at the plate and didn't make an error in three games at third base, Montgomery and Zorn were named to the All-Tournament Team. The Tigers concluded their season with a 20-15 overall record, the fourth time in the last six years that Wittenberg won 20 games in a season, and an NCAC mark of 10-4, the third time in the last five years that the Tigers have reached double digits in conference wins.

Next: Season Complete

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Carmen Montgomery

The Wittenberg softball team knows exactly what to accomplish and how to accomplish it. Now comes the hard part, reaching that goal - which means winning a second straight North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament championship on the regular season champions' home field.

The third-seeded Tigers will start that quest at 10 a.m. on Friday against regular season co-champion and No. 2 seed Ohio Wesleyan. The two teams split a doubleheader in Springfield on April 17. The tournament is a double-elimination affair, and the Tigers could play a maximum of four games in two days, as they did a year ago in upsetting top-seeded host Denison.

The Tigers' games will be broadcast on WUSO 89.1-FM this weekend, and they can also be heard on the Internet.

In the last week, the Tigers have ridden the rollercoaster. Perfectly positioned to capture their first NCAC regular season crown since 2000, the Tigers tripped over the weekend, splitting two games with Kenyon on Friday and then losing a pair at home to Allegheny. Those results allowed the Gators and Ohio Wesleyan to slip past the Tigers and share first place in the standings.

Then came a nonconference sweep of visiting Transylvania on Tuesday. In both games, Wittenberg rallied from two runs down to win against a team that came in with a 22-10-1 overall record. On Wednesday, the Tigers closed the regular season with a pair of losses at Capital, although Wittenberg was playing without three starters due to class conflicts.

The games against Transylvania were played on Senior Day at Betty Dillahunt Field. It was the final home appearance in the Red & White for Carmen Montgomery (South Charleston, Ohio/Southeastern), Kristen Hillebrand (Cincinnati, Ohio/McAuley) and Katie Gildow (Bellefontaine, Ohio/Bellefontaine).

Juniors Norah Gillam (Canfield, Ohio/Canfield) and Jen Fleming (Dayton, Ohio/Chaminade-Julienne) have carried the pitching load for the Tigers. Gillam has made 15 appearances, including 13 starts, and she leads the team with 10 pitching wins and an earned run average of 2.05. Fleming has a 7-5 record in 14 appearances, including 12 starts, and a 2.29 ERA.

Offensively, Montgomery has been the unquestioned leader all season. She ranks among the NCAC leaders in batting average (.418) and she also paces the Tigers in at-bats (122), hits (51), doubles (11), total bases (71) and slugging percentage (.582). Montgomery, already an All-NCAC selection several times in her career, is a bona fide Player of the Year candidate.

Sophomore Katelyn Beddow (Lexington, Ohio/Ashland) ranks second on the team with a .389 batting average, freshman Stephanie Zorn (Grapevine, Texas/Colleyville) is hitting .340 and shares the team lead with 19 runs and junior Katie Carver (Enon, Ohio/Greenon) checks in with a team-best 19 runs batted in.

Next: 4/30 vs. Ohio Wesleyan, 10 a.m. NCAC Tournament at Allegheny

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Norah Gillam

The Wittenberg softball team has a two-game lead in the North Coast Athletic Conference with four games remaining. But those four games are no sure thing, despite the fact that the Tigers are playing on their home Betty Dillahunt Field.

Wittenberg brings a 16-8 overall record and 9-1 mark in the NCAC into this week's action after winning five of six games in four days last week. The Tigers swept a pair of traditional NCAC powerhouse Denison on Thursday by scores of 5-1 and 8-0, then split with Ohio Wesleyan at home on Saturday, losing the opener 6-3 and then hanging on for a 2-1 win in the nightcap, and then swept two games at Oberlin on Sunday, 14-2 and 8-1.

The key win among that group was the second game of the Ohio Wesleyan doubleheader. After dropping the opener, the Tigers were in danger of falling into a first-place tie with the Battling Bishops. Junior Norah Gillam (Canfield, Ohio/Canfield) tossed six shutout innings to put the Tigers in position to get the split. In the seventh, Gillam ran into trouble and with two OWU runners on and two outs, the soft line drive was lifted into right-center field.

Junior Jen Meyer (Solon, Ohio/Hathaway Brown) made the play of the season for the Tigers, coming from her spot in centerfield to snare the ball just as it was about to hit the outfield grass. That diving play ended the game and preserved a 2-1 victory.

Gillam got the win in that game, her third of the week and eighth of the season. Named to the NCAC 20th Anniversary All-Decade Team earlier this month, Gillam has a 2.01 earned run average in 12 appearances, including 10 starts. She has nine complete games and two shutouts.

The key to Wittenberg's success this season has been a potent offense. Eight players with at least 15 appearances this season are hitting .300 or better. Leading the way after the Tigers bashed Oberlin for more than 25 hits on Sunday is sophomore Katelyn Beddow (Lexington, Ohio/Ashland), who is hitting .403 in 22 starts this season. Also of note, senior Carmen Montgomery (South Charleston, Ohio/Southeastern) is batting .376 with team-bests of 93 plate appearances, 35 hits, 51 total bases and seven doubles, and freshman Stephanie Zorn (Grapevine, Texas/Colleyville) checks in with a .351 batting average with a team-leading 18 runs scored. Montgomery has not made an error this season and Zorn has just five miscues in 24 starts at shortstop.

The weather has continued to wreak havoc on the Tigers' schedule. Wednesday's game against Kenyon has been moved to Thursday, putting the twice-rescheduled game against Otterbein in jeopardy. Mother Nature has forced numerous postponements, with at least three scheduled dates unlikely to be made up. If the Tigers win at least two games this week, they will clinch a share of the NCAC regular season title and earn the right to host the conference tournament on April 30 and May 1.

Next: 4/22 vs. Kenyon, 3 p.m.
4/24 vs. Allegheny, 1 p.m.
4/25 at Heidelberg, 2 p.m.

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NCAC 20th Anniversary All-Decade Team
CLEVELAND -- Wittenberg junior Norah Gillam (Canfield, OH/Canfield) and Denison’s Courtney Zollars head an impressive
list of stellar athletes named to the North Coast Athletic Conference’s 20th Anniversary softball team. Gillam and Zollars
together earned a combined five of the 12 yearly individual honors won by members of the 16-person squad. Read More..

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Katelyn Beddow

The Wittenberg softball team has had an up and down start to the 2004 season, hence the 7-7 record on the ledger thus far. With four doubleheaders scheduled for the next five days, including two against North Coast Athletic Conference rivals, the Tigers are hoping they are now prepared to defend their conference crown earned in 2003.

Last week, the Tigers lost twice at home to nationally ranked perennial powerhouse Muskingum on Wednesday, 8-1 and 7-0, but then rebounded for home wins over Wilmington on Thursday, 7-1 and 5-4 in eight innings.

Against Muskingum, a College World Series participant a year ago as champion of the Great Lakes Region, the Tigers were simply overmatched. In the two games, the Muskies outhit the Tigers 26-4 and allowed Wittenberg just one run in the first game on a walk and a double by senior Carmen Montgomery (South Charleston, Ohio/Southeastern).

Against Wilmington, however, the Tigers may have proven something to themselves. Coming off those two losses, junior Norah Gillam (Canfield, Ohio/Canfield) made a six-run first inning stand up by tossing a complete-game four-hitter in the first game.

In the nightcap, the Tigers rallied from behind three different times and won the game in extra innings in a most improbable fashion. With two outs and the bases empty, junior Katie Carver (Enon, Ohio/Greenon) started things with a single and junior Jen Fleming (Dayton, Ohio/Chaminade-Julienne) coaxed a walk. Then freshman Erin Collingsworth (Springfield, Ohio/Catholic Central) hit a grounder to third base that took a crazy hop for an RBI single that tied the game. After junior Ashley Lands (Dover, Ohio/Dover) singled to load the bases, sophomore Katelyn Beddow (Lexington, Ohio/Ashland) drove home the winning run with a line drive single to left field.

Monday's games against Otterbein were postponed due to rain, meaning that the thrilling doubleheader victories against Wilmington will now serve as a springboard into Saturday's doubleheader against Oberlin. Three games this week have been postponed due to the rain, cold and field conditions.

Next: 4/3 at Oberlin, 1 p.m.
4/4 at Heidelberg, 1 p.m.

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Wittenberg Baseball and Softball To Be Heard On 89.1 WUSO-FM Radio and on World Wide Web
SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - Selected Wittenberg University baseball and softball games can be heard this spring on WUSO-FM, the student-run campus radio station that can be found at the 89.1 frequency in the Springfield area. The first games will be carried on the station's airwaves this weekend as the Tiger baseball team travels to Wabash College for an important North Coast Athletic Conference West Division series. Read More..

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Stephanie Zorn

The Wittenberg softball team posted mixed results during the Spring Break trip to Fort Myers, Fla., finishing with a mark of 5-5 after a 3-0 start. The Tigers were postponed twice last week and will open the "northern" portion of their schedule today against perennial national powerhouse Muskingum.

The difference in the wins and losses was pitching. In Wittenberg's five Spring Break victories, the Tigers allowed just nine runs. In their five losses, the Tiger pitching staff was pounded for 38 runs.

While the pitching highlights were relatively few, junior Norah Gillam (Canfield, Ohio/Canfield) did pick up a pair of victories in the Florida sun. A two-time All-North Coast Athletic Conference selection, Gillam posted a respectable earned run average of 2.66 in three starts.

Offensively, the Tigers had a number of athletes who shined. Seven players who appeared in at least seven of the 10 games finished with batting averages above .300. Junior Ashley Lands (Dover, Ohio/Dover) batted .500 in 16 at-bats, freshman shortstop Stephanie Zorn (Grapevine, Texas/Colleyville) collected 13 hits and 15 total bases to rank among the team and conference leaders with a .419 batting average, sophomore Kelly Sasavicz (Massillon, Ohio/Massillon) posted a .406 batting average with 13 hits and a team-best eight RBI and senior Carmen Montgomery (South Charleston, Ohio/Southeastern) led the team with 14 hits, including two triples.

The Tigers, the defending NCAC Tournament champion, is the preseason favorite in the conference poll. Balloting was done by the conference's coaches.

Next: 3/24 vs. Muskingum, 2:30 p.m.
3/25 vs. Wilmington, 3 p.m.

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2004 NCAC Preseason Poll: Tigers Named Favorite
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- 2003 Tournament champion Wittenberg emerged as the preseason favorite in balloting by North Coast Athletic Conference softball coaches in their annual preseason poll. The Tigers, who last season finished the regular season in second place with a 10-4 league record and who swept through the NCAC Tournament without a loss, earned five of eight first-place votes from league coaches for 57 points.Read More..

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Carmen Montgomery

The Wittenberg softball team opens the 2004 season this week at the Gene Cusic Tournament in Fort Myers, Fla. The Tigers are coming off a 25-21 campaign in 2003, one in which they finished second in the North Coast Athletic Conference regular season standings and then won the tournament title to advance to the program's second-ever NCAA Division III Tournament.

Wittenberg is led in 2004 by three seniors - outfielder/pitcher Carmen Montgomery (South Charleston, Ohio/Southeastern), catcher Kristen Hillebrand (Cincinnati, Ohio/McAuley) and pitcher/infielder Katie Gildow (Bellefontaine, Ohio/Bellefontaine). They headline a large group of returning letterwinners shooting for even bigger and better things in 2004.

A full preview and results from the Spring Break trip will be included in next week's all-sports release.

Next: 3/7 vs. SUNY Geneseo, 11 a.m. in Ft. Myers, Fla.