YEAR IN REVIEW

Winning record on horizon
Wolverines look to build on 
2014 for exciting season ahead

Though all the stats from last season that are published below have been posted here before, it seems appropriate to review them one more time before 2014 comes to a close.

It should be an exceptional team that the Wesley Wolverines will field in 2015.  

Go Wolverines!

■ WOLVERINE SOFTBALL 2014

The Wesley Wolverines' ended the 2014 season with a 17-17 record, which is the team's most victories since the 2005 and the first .500 season since 2001.

Wesley, second smallest college in the Capitol Athletic Conference (CAC) – e.g., most school's are 2-1/2 to 5 times its size in undergraduate population – still found themselves under Head Coach Juli Greep among the leaders in many statistics.

■ TEAM STATS

Though the Wolverines played just 34 games (#5 among the conference's 8 teams), Wesley ► led the league with 18 triples (which also was #12 NCAA national D3 rank), finished ► #3 with 205 runs scored in the CAC (which also was #84 NCAA national D3 rank), again ► #3 with 297 hits, yet again ► #3 with a .331 batting average, and still again ► #3 with a .403 on-base percentage. 

junior #2 OF Sarah Saunders
(Wayne, NJ)

Wesley was 1 run short among conference teams for ► #3 in the RBI category, as well. The team ► slugged .449 for a CAC #4 place (which also was #92 NCAA national D3 rank).

■ INDIVIDUAL STATS
 
Among about 120 conference players or more, Wolverines stood out as individual leaders in stats, too.

Junior #8 OF Steph Caracozza's (Melbourne Beach, Fla.) impressive ► .427 batting average ranked #6 in the conference. Junior #2 P/OF Sarah Saunders (Wayne, NJ) finished #15 in batting among CAC leaders.

Steph's speed ensured ► 37 runs scored for a #7 CAC place (which also was ► #44 NCAA national D3 rank).

The team last year was no stranger to triples. Sophomore #18 catcher Nina Marcano's (Townsend, DE) amazing ► 5 triples ranked #2 in the conference (which also was ► #31 NCAA national D3 rank).

Junior #22 C/UT Morgan Seymour (Smyrna, DE)

Steph held the CAC's #3 position in three base hits with four and Sarah, right behind her, finished #4 with three. Senior OF Brook Creighton (Rock Hall, MD) slugged another two triples for a #7 placement.

Nina's always thrilling ► 5 home runs ranked #11 in the conference, while her ► 10 stolen bases ranked #5 in the league. Steph and junior MI Breanna Hartman (Red Bank, NJ) raced into a #13 CAC tie.

Junior #25 1B Samantha Mahoski's (Schenectady, NY) splendid ► .981 fielding percentage at first base should be recognized as a conference leader amidst stats difficult to rank.

The pitching duo of freshman #12 P/MI Lindsay Siok (Milford, DE) and freshman #9 P/OF Lily Engel (Dover, DE), accounted for all 17 Wolverine wins, ► ranked #7 and #9 in the CAC for individual games won.

Lindsay's superb ► .315 ERA awarded her the CAC's #7 ranking. Lily pitched to a CAC earned run #12 slot. 

Sliding, junior #32 C/3B Kayla Fromal (Middletown, DE)

Lindsay's tireless arm threw ► 106.2 innings for #6 in the league. Lily finished #10.

Lindsay also ranked #5 in the CAC with ► 17 games started and ► 12 games completed. Lily pitched to ranks of #9 and #8 respectively in these categories.

Lily, catching the plate's corners with pitches, gave up just ► 10 walks issued, which captured the CAC's #1 post for the least BB allowed (among CAC pitchers throwing 40+ innings.) This also was the ► #23 NCAA national D3 rank for least walks per seven innings. 

■ NINA MARCANO NAMED WOLVERINE MVP 2014

 Sophomore #18 C/3B Nina Marcano (Middletown, DE) was named the softball MVP as a freshman for her prodigious production in the 2014 season. 

 Sophomore #18 C/3B Nina Marcano 
(Middletown, DE) accepting MVP Award 
from Head Coach Juli Greep.

Nina ranked on team:  

● #1 with 8 doubles 
(12th in conference),  
● #1 with 5 triples 
(2nd in conference), 
● #1 with 5 home runs 
(11th in conference),
 ● #1 with 25 RBI 
(15th in conference),  
● #1 with 10 SBs
 (5th in conference),  
● #1 with .683 
slugging percentage  
(6th in conference)... 

● #2 with 101 at bats 
(25th in conference),   
● #2 with 29 runs scored (15th in conference),  ● #2 with .440 on base percentage (11th in conference), ● #2 with .971 fielding percentage (27th in conference)...

 ● #3 with 36 hits (20th in conference), ● #3 with .356 batting average (16th in conference).


Looking back at D3 title battles
Sea Gulls, Captains duel 
over championship titles

It was a topsy turvey free-for-all atop the Capital Athletic Conference (CAC) this past year where the Wesley Wolverines compete against the best in the nation. 

__________

Photos below from Wesley versus Salisbury 2014 games.

____________

The Salisbury Sea Gulls ranked #1 among the nation's D3 schools for most of the season, according to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA).  

Wolverine sophomore #18 C/3B Nina Marcano (Middletown, 
DE) smashes a line drive against Salisbury. In the 
Christopher Newport game, Nina slammed a two-run home 
run in her first at bat. Wolverines play Salisbury away in 2015 
on Wednesday, March 25, and take on the Captains at home 
on Wednesday, April 8.

CAPTAINS ARE CAC CHAMPS

Despite the rankings, Salisbury lost the CAC division crown to the Christopher Newport Captains who ultimately defeated the Sea Gulls three times on the season's schedule, including a pinch hit single in an extra innings game that delivered the CAC championship to the Captains and ended Salisbury's 17 consecutive year record of conference titles. The Sea Gulls had only three losses on the season and all were at the hands of the Captains.

SEA GULLS PLAY FOR NATIONAL TITLE

Wolverine sophomore #21 C/3B  
Whitney Dibb (La Mesa, CA) 
was a perfect 2-for-2 at the plate 
when Wesley played Salisbury.

Salisbury's loss to Christopher Newport also meant the Sea Gulls had to accept an at-large bid in the NCAA playoffs that would determine the D3 national champion. 

However, the Salisbury made the most of it, striking back to beat the Captains twice in the super regionals on their way to 11 straight victories that placed them in a three-game series against the Tufts Jumbos with the winner earning the USA's #1 title. There, Salisbury would win game one, but lose game two (in 14 innings!!), and settle for national runner-up (for the third time in their history) in the end. 
_________________
CLICK HERE for a video summary of the national championship series (2:24 minutes). CLICK HERE to watch the entire final game (1 hour, 55:47 minutes.) CLICK HERE for the current national D3 rankings. 

Photos from the Wolverines vs Sea Gulls games...

WBSC Facebook post
Japan repeats as
world champions

Brief and photos below posted at WBSC page...  

CLICK HERE for the Facebook album and slideshow with 42  photos from Woman's Softball World Championship.

Puerto Rico, Russia, New Zealand, photos cropped, flags added, more at WBSC Facebook page

China, Great Britain, Japan, photos cropped, flags added, more at WBSC Facebook page

Italy, Czech Republic, New Zealand, photos cropped, flags added, more at WBSC Facebook page