WESTERVILLE, OHIO – The Otterbein University softball team ends its season with splits against Baldwin-Wallace College and Marietta College. The team finishes with a 23-15 record this spring, a 16-win improvement from the 2010 season and the most wins since 2007.
Otterbein used nine hits from eight different players en route to a 6-4 game one victory over B-W on Friday, but came up short in a 8-1 game-two defeat. The loss eliminated the team from OAC tournament contention.
The Cards returned to the diamond Saturday afternoon, dropping game one with Marietta by a score of 8-3.
Trailing 5-4 in game two and down to their last out, the Cards were lifted by a solo home run from sophomore Brooke Albright to force extra innings. Her four home runs this spring ties the Otterbein single-season record.
The team would ride the wave of momentum and see senior Megan Studebaker score the game-winning, all the way from first base, in the bottom of the eighth after a muffed throw from the Pioneers.
Despite not making the conference postseason tournament, Head Coach Christine Steines was extremely pleased with her squad this spring.
“From the beginning we stuck to the idea of being committed to consistency,” she said. Every game we focused on doing the little things right, whether it was an OAC game or a non-league game. Having that goal forced us to always bring our best and not focus on where we would end up sitting in the final OAC standings.”
“We began with a solid group of returning players that truly understand our program philosophy, and knew that this was the year for teaching our newcomers what this game at Otterbein is truly all about,” Steines added.
The 23 wins is the most in a single season for Steines, who tallied 19 victories in her first season and just the seven last spring. It also marks the most single-season victories for departing seniors Megan Studebaker and Kirsti King, who were honored during pre-game against Marietta as part of “Senior Day.”
“I cannot say enough about how much those two mean to this program,” Steines said. “Both bring something completely different and each of those qualities are going to be missed deeply. Kirsti's love for softball and Megan's devotion for success are things that cannot be replaced, but I strongly believe that their support will always be with us and make sure that this program stays on the right path towards success.”
The 2011 group set single-season Otterbein team records in RBIs (194), runs scored (233), triples (16), home runs (16), and slugging percentage (.448).
Junior Casey Clarridge finishes the season with a .456 batting-average, her second year in a row hitting over .450. Her .702 slugging percentage this season is a program best.
Freshman Laura Basford set new single-season records for most triples (8) and runs scored (45), while sophomore Erin Carpenter’s 40 RBIs this season is also an Otterbein best.
Carpenter (.409 batting average) and Clarridge also tied the program record for most doubles, hitting 13 apiece.
Steines is excited about the future possibilities with so many players scheduled to return next spring.
“It was clear that the newcomers definitely had the talent to contribute right away this season and make an impact. Now we’ll continue to mesh and work towards putting this program at the top.”
