2009 Season Review
The 2009 Carthage College softball team (25-12, 7-7 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin) made its 12th appearance in the CCIW Softball Tournament, and coach Amy Gillmore (262-178, 12 years) made her ninth appearance in 10 years.
The fourth-seeded Lady Reds lost a first-round game to top-seeded and conference-champion Illinois Wesleyan University, 1-0, before bouncing back to eliminate third-seeded Augustana College (Ill.) by a 2-0 margin. Second-seeded North Central College defeated third-seeded Augustana (Ill.), 6-2, in the other first-round contest, and the Cardinals outlasted Illinois Wesleyan, 8-6 in 13innings, in a winner's bracket contest. Carthage was eliminated with a 7-0 loss to Illinois Wesleyan, and the Titans went on to win the tournament by defeating North Central twice, 1-0 in 10 innings and 5-3.
Carthage pitcher Kelsey Epping (Sr., Bloomington, Ill./Downs-Tri Valley, 14-6, 0.83 earned run average, .137 opponent batting average) was named National Fastpitch Coaches Association second-team All-Great Lakes Region. Five Carthage players were named All-CCIW. Pitcher Kelsey Epping, shortstop Kari Peterson (Jr., Blooming Prairie, Minn., .364, seven home runs, 24 RBI) and designated hitter Alyssa Schrader (So., Plainfield, Ill./South, .273, five home runs, 19 RBI) were named first-team All-CCIW, while first baseman Jacquelyn Tassone (Sr., Downers Grove, Ill./South, .275, eight doubles, 12 RBI) and outfielder Stephanie Noel (Sr., Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport Township, .333, eight doubles, four home runs, 23 RBI) earned second-team all-conference honors.
Shortstop Kari Peterson was ranked 13th among 2009 CCIW batting leaders (.364) and second in home runs (7). Pitcher Kelsey Epping led the league in earned run average (0.83) and was second in strikeouts (186), while Allie Benthusen (graduated-senior, Elgin, Ill./Larkin) was ranked ninth in earned run average (2.47). As a team, Carthage was ranked seventh in batting (.273) and second in earned run average (1.46). Epping finished the year ranked ninth among NCAA Division III earned run average leaders (0.83) and 10th in strikeouts per seven innings (9.7).
En route to the CCIW tournament, Carthage completed a successful, 7-3 spring trip to the “Florida Rebel Games” in Kissimmee, Fla. Back up north, the Lady Reds won all six of their non-conference doubleheaders for an overall non-league mark of 17-3.
2010 Season Outlook
Coach Gillmore returns 11-of-18 letterwinners and seven-of-nine starting position players from last year's 25-12 team. Lost to graduation was rightfielder Nikki Soreng (Chicago, Ill./Elmwood Park, .240, nine doubles, two homes runs), while starting catcher Jess Fijolek (Wheaton, Ill., Glen Ellyn-Glenbard South, .269) did not return to the team.
Returnees include second-team all-regional pitcher Kelsey Epping (14-6, 0.83 earned run average, .137 opponent batting average), first-team All-CCIW shortstop Kari Peterson (.364, seven home runs, 24 RBI), first-team All-CCIW designated hitter Alyssa Schrader (.273, five home runs, 19 RBI), second-team all-conference first baseman Jacquelyn Tassone (.275, eight doubles, 12 RBI), second-team All-CCIW outfielder Stephanie Noel, 2007 and 2008 second-team All-CCIW catcher Jenny Burke (Sr., Lemont, Ill., .308, eight doubles, six homes runs and 29 RBI in 2007) and 2008 second-team all-conference second baseman Meghan Roman (Sr., Crestwood, Ill./Chicago-Marist, .294, 10 stolen bases).
Leading newcomers include outfielder Caris Alan (Fr., Elgin, Ill., honorable mention All-Upstate Eight Conference, Daily Herald all-area and Elgin Courier-News all-area), pitcher Krystina Leazer (Fr., Des Plaines, Ill./Elk Grove), third baseman Katie Paulmeyer (Fr., Alsip, Ill./Chicago-Marist), outfielder Jen Precht (Fr., Antioch, Ill./Community, honorable mention All-North Suburban Conference), third baseman-outfielder Stephanie Schafer (So., Burlington, Wis./Edgewood College, .300 in 100 at bats at Edgewood in 2009), outfielder Melissa Vitale (Fr., Norridge, Ill./Ridgewood, All-Suburban Prairie Conference and Pioneer Press all-area) and catcher-outfielder Ariel Yeager (Fr., Hudson, Ill./Community West).
“I'm excited about this team,” says coach Amy Gillmore. “This group of seniors have been the building blocks, and we have a pretty talented freshmen class. The upperclassmen have been great in working with the freshmen. We have depth at most positions, and we have a nice mixture of bats and speed. Having pitcher Kelsey Epping back for another year is big, and I like the pitchers we have lined up behind her.”
The Lady Reds open the season with their annual trip to the Florida “Rebel Games” in Kissimmee, Fla., taking on Benedictine University (Ill.), Aurora University, Waldorf College, Misericordia University, Bluffton University, the Catholic University of America, Marietta College, Simpson College and Wittenberg University. Following the spring trip, Carthage takes part in the March 20-21 Webster University Classic, facing national-runner-up Coe College twice, along with Central Baptist College and the host-Gorloks. Other non-conference opponents include Lake Forest College, Hope College, Carroll University, the University of Chicago, Ripon College and Judson University.
