The 2001 Mary. Washington College Softball team had one of the most improved seasons in all of NCAA Division III, winning twelve more games than they did in 2000. Over the course of the Eagles' 18- victory campaign, several highlights made the year one to remember for MWC softball. With eight returnees from the 2000 team and a group of highly-touted newcomers, the MWC softball team had high hopes for 2001.
The Eagles won six of their first nine games, including three wins over Randolph-Macon College, a doubleheader sweep of Frostburg State University, and a 4-0 shutout win Over Chowan. After dropping a pair of games to eventual NCAA Tournament team York College of PA, the Eagles split a twinbill with Lynchburg College, including a 1-0 win in which All-Capital Athletic Conference pitcher Jen Rice struck out four while scattering seven hits.
Coach Dee Conway’s squad then won a pair of games at the Bridgewater/Roanoke College Tournament before reeling off a season-high six-game win streak, including CAC sweeps of Catholic University and Gallaudet University. The Eagles closed the regular season with a sweep of Villa Julie College followed by a split at Salisbury. The win at SSU gave the Sea Gulls their first conference loss since 1996, and broke their 45-game conference win streak.
MWC faced Salisbury again in the CAC Tournament semifinals, arid despite Rice's solid pitching. allowing seven hits, the Eagles fell, 4-0, to close the season with an 18-15 record. The fact that the Eagles turned the program around in one year was a pleasant surprise. The fact that they didn't lose any players to graduation and have added depth and competition for starting positions at several positions make the prospects for the 2002 season very exciting.
Leading the way is All-CAC pitcher Jen Rice, who led the league in saves, and was among league leaders in earned run average (1.49), wins (14), and strikeouts per game (6.0). Also, back for 2002 is junior infielder/outfielder Julia Gloukhoff, who repeated as an All-CAC selection a year ago in addition to being named honorable mention all-state. Gloukhoff (team-high .386, 34 hits, 18 RBI) is as important for her versatility as her skills, as she has started as catcher, first baseman, and outfielder in her two years at MWC.
The infield was again anchored by junior first baseman Erin Keenan, who came back from an early season injury to bat .364 with a team-high .500 slugging percentage. Keenan is also one of the top defensive first basemen in the region, as she is adept at scooping balls in the dirt, and possesses excellent footwork around the bag.
Sophomore second baseman Bevin Gekosky developed into the team's leadoff hitter, hitting .283 while starting every game. Gekosky scored a team-high 19 runs, had a team-high seven sacrifice hits, and carried a .971 fielding average. Her double play partner, junior Crystal Zorich, solidified the middle of the infield defense with a team best 75 assists while batting .250 with twenty hits.
Junior third baseman Lisa Coletti also showed solid defense, and drew a team-high 14 bases on balls at the plate. The outfield, led by Gloukhoff, saw Christine Franca emerge as the center fielder before a midseason injury. Gloukhoff, Stephanie Bolte, Katie Zelenak and several newcomers will be looked upon to complete the outfield this Spring. Senior Lisa Chillemi, also one of the most versatile players on the roster, saw the majority of action behind the plate last year. She batted .278 while playing every game either behind the plate or as designated hitter. Classmate Emily Ruby proved valuable both as a lefthanded hitter of the bench and as a defensive backstop. This unit will prove to be a strong nucleus in 2002 if the Eagles are to again compete for the Capital Athletic Conference crown.