2012 Softball Season Review

 

Overall Record: 48-4 (29-1 TranSouth, 1^st of 9 teams) TranSouth Tournament: Def. Mid-Continent, Def. Cumberland, Def. Union, Def. Union (Championship)

The Trevecca Lady Trojan softball team came into the 2011 season with high expectations buoyed by the team's success in 2010, when it won 44 games and advanced to the championship bracket of the NAIA National Tournament. A team that returned all but two players and brought in a strong freshman class fancied itself a legitimate contender for the 2011 NAIA National Championship.

The regular season did nothing to dispel that notion; the Trojans dominated a challenging non-conference schedule, boasting a 13-2 non-conference record, which included five wins against teams ranked or receiving votes in the NAIA preseason poll-No. 10 Shorter, No. 15 Olivet Nazarene, No. 18 Brenau, and #RV McKendree. Trevecca continued its dominance as TranSouth Conference play began, ripping through its first 15 games without a loss before dropping a 5-4 decision to #RV Union in the second half of a doubleheader on April 2. That loss was the Trojans' only conference defeat; they won the regular season title with a 29-1 record, five games ahead of second-place Union.

Trevecca added a TranSouth Tournament title to its list of accomplishments with wins over Mid-Continent, Cumberland, and Union (twice) at the TranSouth Championships at Freed-Hardeman University. The regular season and tournament titles are the second consecutive honors of that type for the Trojans, and their fifth in the last six years.

Coach Tyree's Trojans moved up to No. 2 in the rankings heading into the NAIA National Championships, the highest regular season ranking ever achieved by a Trevecca athletic team. The Trojans won their first two games in pool play easily, posting a 9-0 win over Midland (Neb.) University and a 4-0 victory over Northwood (Texas) University. But the Trojans saw their season end on a disappointing note with an 8-0 loss to eventual national champion Oregon Tech.

The loss not only ended the season but also ended the careers of four Trojan seniors: Karli Rush, Melinda Patterson, Kelsey Lantrip, and Monica West. Rush and Patterson both played four years in the purple and white, during which Trevecca posted a 166-49 record. Rush finishes her Trojan career in the Top 10 of all nine major offensive categories: batting average (9th), runs scored (2nd), hits (T-5th), doubles (T-6th), triples (3rd), home runs (T-5th), RBI (4th), stolen bases (8th), and extra base hits (7th). Lantrip and West played the final two years of their careers at Trevecca, helping the Trojans post a 92-21 record, with Lantrip finishing her career tied for ninth in program history in runs scored while West finishes fourth all-time at TNU in home runs.

NAIA All-American First Team: Lauren Baker

NAIA All-American Second Team: Haylee Rogers, Karli Rush

All-TranSouth First Team: Lauren Baker, Riley Mashburn, Haylee Rogers, Karli Rush, Heather Shuler, Breanna Zeis

All-TranSouth Second Team: Kelsey Lantrip, Kari Mason

NFCA/All-American Second Team: Karli Rush

NFCA All-Region Team East Region First Team: Haylee Rogers, Karli Rush

NFCA All-Region Team East Region Second Team: Lauren Baker

TranSouth Pitcher of the Year Lauren Baker

TranSouth Freshman of the Year Haylee Rogers

TranSouth Coach of the Year Ben Tyree

TranSouth Scholar-Athletes Lauren Baker, Kelsey Lantrip, Riley Mashburn, Kari Mason, Melinda Patterson, Karli Rush, Hannah Schnebly

NAIA Scholar-Athletes Lauren Baker, Kelsey Lantrip, Melinda Patterson, Karli Rush

TranSouth Pitchers of the Week Lauren Baker (February 21 & March 14), Riley Mashburn (March 28, April 25)

TranSouth Players of the Week Karli Rush (March 7), Haylee Rogers (March 21 & March 28)

 

Ranked No. 4 in doubles per game (2.019)

Ranked No. 6 in total doubles (105)

Ranked No. 9 in hits per game (9.712)

Ranked No. 10 in slugging pct. (0.538)

Ranked No. 11 in total runs batted in (320)

Ranked No. 12 in total runs scored (355)

Ranked No. 12 in batting average (0.347)

Ranked No. 12 in runs scored per game (6.827)

Ranked No. 12 in runs batted in per game (6.154)

Ranked No. 15 in total hits (505)

Breanna Zeis ranked No. 6 in total doubles (21)

Breanna Zeis ranked No. 9 in doubles per game (0.429)

Lauren Baker ranked No. 9 in wins (25)

Riley Mashburn ranked No. 18 in wins (21)

Haylee Rogers ranked No. 18 in home runs (15)