2007 Season In Review

After the 2006 season in which Wittenberg finished fourth in the conference and snuck into the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) tournament, the 2007 Tigers would have nothing to do just getting by.

The team finished the season with a 27-13 record, the most wins for the program since 2000. The Tigers overall record included an 11-3 mark in NCAC games, earning them second place in the conference. For the second straight year, however, Wittenberg made the trip to host Denison University for the tournament and lost their first two games, to Allegheny College and Hiram College.

Despite the back-to-back losses in the conference tournament, the Tigers again showed improvement. The 27 victories was a six-win improvement from 2006 and a whopping 16-win improvement from 2005. With the Tigers only losing three seniors from this team, things look bright for the 2008 season.

Senior Stephanie Zorn (Grapevine, Texas/Colleyville) capped off her final season in the Red and White with yet another first-team all-NCAC selection. It was the third consecutive year Zorn was placed on the first team. She started all 40 games for the Tigers and led the team with 30 runs batted in. She also finished second on the team in batting average at .415, hits with 51, doubles with 13, and total bases with 67. For her fine play, she not only earned first-team all-NCAC, but was also a third team National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-Central Region selection. It was the first such award in Zorn's career.

Zorn was not the only player to receive postseason honors, however. Three other Tigers joined her on the first-team all-NCAC squad. Freshman outfielder Cameron Catalfu (Loveland, Ohio/Loveland) was named first-team all-NCAC and was also named Newcomer of the Year. Catalfu finished the year first on the team in walks with 25 and runs with 39. She also racked up 39 hits including nine doubles and two home runs.

Junior Amy Myser (Columbus, Ohio/Upper Arlington) also was named to the first team as she had a .296 batting average and a team-leading 15 sacrifice bunts. She also collected 29 hits and 17 runs batted in. It was the first NCAC award for Myser. Finally, freshman Brooke Boswell (Hamilton, Ohio/Fairfield) was named to the first-team as a utility player. She recorded six wins from the pitching circle and also knocked in 12 runs for the Tiger offense.

The Tigers also had two players earn second-team all-NCAC. Junior Sarah Fetters (Maumee, Ohio/Maumee) was named to the second team for the third consecutive year. Fetters led the team in batting average at .448, hits with 65, doubles with 22, home runs with 3, and total bases with 98. From a defensive perspective, she also led the team in assists with 102. Fetters was also recognized by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) and was named second-team All-Central Region. Rounding out the post-season award winners was sophomore pitcher Rachael Hatcher (West Carrollton, Ohio/West Carrollton) who earned her second straight second-team all-NCAC selection. Hatcher led the way for the Tigers from the pitching circle as she totaled 15 wins and 114 strike outs, compared to only 28 walks.

Three seniors played their final games for the Red and White during the 2007 campaign and each leaves behind big shoes to fill. Zorn will go down as one of the most decorated players in Tiger softball history. She earned all-NCAC recognition all four year, including first-team the past three season, and was named the NCAC Player of the Year in 2005. She finished as the career leader in walks and base hits. She also ranks among the top 10 in several other categories, including batting averages, runs batted in, runs scored and home runs.

Senior Grace Wigton's (Columbus, Ohio/Worthington Christian) career also came to a fine ending. She collected her first career shutout in the 2007 season and recorded six wins in 14 appearances, her most wins in a season in her career. She also came in at the end of the Tigers game against Ohio Wesleyan and recorded her first career save as she closed out the victory.

Finally, senior infielder Lucy Huelsman (Wellington, Ohio/Wellington) finished off her Wittenberg career by batting .339 with 26 runs batted in and 27 runs scored. It was her best offensive season of her career. Huelsman also finished the year with only six errors while playing the very difficult second base position.

As the Tigers graduated only those three players from the 2007 team, the immediate future is looks bright for this young group of Tigers. Six starters are slated to return to the lineup, and each of the seven freshman saw time on the field. Catalfu and Boswell clearly led the way for the freshman, but Emily Rudman (West Lafayette, Ind./West Lafayette) also enjoyed a nice first year. She started 18 games, primarily at catcher, and allowed only eight passed balls. Freshmen Jade Chivington (Bellefontaine, Ohio/Bellefontaine), Liz Roby (London, Ohio/London) and Haley Gerken (Logan, Ohio/Logan) all played well throughout the season and will be counted on in 2008.

The sophomores also got into the act as Hatcher and Julie Ziegler (Sandusky, Ohio/Perkins) played large roles for the team. Ziegler settled into her role as the everyday first baseman and finished fourth on the team in batting average at .344, including 31 hits and a team leading two triples.

The three juniors on the team will be counted on the have successful senior campaigns and lead the Tigers in 2008. Beyond the already chronicled productive seasons turned in by Fetters and Myser, Nicole Ottavi (Columbus, Ohio/Whetstone) also played a key role for the Tigers. Ottavi was generally the team designated hitter and recorded 24 hits and 11 runs batted in on the year. She also scored four runs and struck out only seven times on the year.

As the Tigers look toward the 2008 season, the future looks bright as talent returns and they recorded their most successful season in two years.

Becky Hall (Urbana '97) took over the Wittenberg softball program in 1999. Since then, she has earned two NCAC Coach of the Year awards and has led the Tigers to two NCAC regular season titles, one NCAC tournament crown and two NCAA Division III Tournament appearances. Hall finished the 2007 season with a career record of 189-161-1 as the Tigers' head coach.

Grace Wigton