No. 23 DePaul will represent Conference USA in the inaugural NCAA Softball Super Regional round this weekend in Chicago, Ill. The Blue Demons will co-host the best-of-three series with cross-town rival and No. 18 Northwestern on the University of Illinois-Chicago's campus. Game one of the Super Regional is set for a 3 p.m. start at Flames Field on May 27. The Blue Demons are just one of two unseeded teams to advance to the round of 16. The Wildcats are the ninth-seed in the tournament. The winner of the Windy City showdown earns a berth to the NCAA Softball World Series in Oklahoma City, Okla., on June 2-8.

AROUND THE HORN

CHARLOTTE (17-39-1, 4-20 C-USA): The 49ers were the first league team to conclude their regular season after being swept on the road at East Carolina in a C-USA weekend series on May 1. Charlotte did not make it easy on its in-state foe as the 49ers lost two of the games by just a run before being shutout 2-0 in game three. EVAN MILLER led the 49ers in batting average with a .262 clip and also had a team-high 17 stolen bases this season. KAYCIE JONES was Charlotte’s top run-producer as she belted a team-high five home runs to go with a team-leading 27 RBI.

DE PAUL (43-19, 19-5 C-USA): The Blue Demons advanced to the inaugural NCAA Softball Super Regional round by winning Region Eight in Madison, Wis., over the weekend. DePaul secured its spot among the final 16 teams with an 8-6 triumph over No. 6 Oregon State in the championship game on Sunday. The Blue Demons fell to the Beavers, 7-0, in the first game, which set up the decisive game two. DePaul paved its way to the Super Regional after posting a pair of shutout-wins over Wisconsin (6-0) and Wisconsin-Green Bay (4-0) before splitting the two games with the eighth-seeded Beavers. DePaul and Bethune-Cookman were the only two non-seeded teams to advance to the Super Regionals as they will join 14-seeded teams in action this weekend. The Blue Demons will not have to venture far for their weekend match with cross-town rival Northwestern as both campuses are in the greater Chicago area. Neither team is likely to host the Super Regional, but it will be played on another Chicago-area site. Sophomore MEGAN HUITINK backed up her MVP performance at the C-USA Tournament with another trio of outstanding performances in Madison. Huitink went 2-0 with a 0.43 ERA in 16 1/3 innings of work. She fanned 20 batters including the first four she faced in Sunday’s championship victory over the Beavers. Senior SASKIA ROBERSON had a superb regional going 3-for-8 (.375) at the plate with two home runs and six RBI. Roberson’s six RBI gives her 177 for her career, which broke the C-USA career mark and leaves her two shy of the DePaul school record.

EAST CAROLINA (55-19, 17-7 C-USA): The Pirates went two-and-out in Tampa, dropping a 2-1 decision to Southern Miss and a suffering a 1-0 setback to USF. Sophomore KELI HARRELL was the only pitcher to see action for ECU in the tournament, compiling a 2.69 ERA with 17 strikeouts in 13 innings of work. Harrell her season ranked sixth in the nation with 29 wins and will enter her junior campaign just one strikeout short of 500 for her career. Harrell set the school’s all-time record for K’s in Tampa. The old record was 495. SS LEIGH SAVOY had the lone RBI for the Pirates and went 3-for-6 (.500) in two games. The Pirates 55 wins are currently tied for the third-most in the country.

HOUSTON (30-28, 11-12 C-USA): The Cougars advanced the final day of the C-USA Tournament, but fell short of second-consecutive championship game berth with an 11-0 loss to Louisville. Houston opened the tournament with a 2-1 loss to the host Bulls, but rebounded to win two straight before the setback to the Cardinals. Freshman ANGEL SHAMBLIN made three appearances on the mound allowing just two earned runs in 10.1 innings of work. RF BRANDI CLARK provided the offensive spark for the Cougars and earned a spot on the All-Tournament team. Clark went 5-for-12 (.417) with the only triple of the tournament and she also added a solo home run.

LOUISVILLE (43-20, 20-4 C-USA): The Cardinals went 1-2 in Region Nine action hosted by Notre Dame. U of L picked up its lone win in dramatic fashion as SS COURTNEY MOORE delivered a walk-off home run in the Cards’ 5-4 victory over Albany on Saturday. The host Fighting Irish dealt Louisville its first loss on Friday picking up a 3-2 victory, while eventual region-champion Northwestern ended the Cards season with an 8-2 win on Saturday. Moore connected on three home runs in South Bend to finish the season with a school record 17 long balls. Her total is just one shy of the C-USA single-record of 18 set last season by USF’s Holly Groves. The sophomore also set single-season U of L standards in RBI (52) and slugging percentage (.785).

SAINT LOUIS (18-31-1, 4-20 C-USA): The Billikens wrapped up their season with three-consecutive losses to USF at home over the weekend. Saint Louis was a much better club on the road in 2005 picking up 13 of their 18 wins away from home. Nine of those wins were on the road, while four others came at neutral sites. CF ADRIENNE MAY led the club with a .345 batting average. Freshman KARA SELL drove in a team-high 21 runs in her rookie campaign.

SOUTHERN MISS (29-32, 10-14 C-USA): The Golden Eagles concluded their season with a 1-2 showing in Tampa at the C-USA Tournament. Southern Miss opened with a 4-1 upset of No. 3 East Carolina as DANIELLE WYMER struck out a career-high 12 Pirates in the 2-1 victory. Wymer allowed just two earned runs in 14 innings of work at the tournament. MELISSA PROUTY led the Golden Eagle offense with a .400 average (4-for-10) in three games. Prouty also doubled and scored a run. 1B ASHLEY DAVIS, a second-team All-C-USA pick, went 3-for-9 in the tournament.

UAB (23-37, 7-16 C-USA): The Blazers' regular-season finale was the first conference game lost to rain all season. UAB was ahead 2-0 on Houston in the fourth inning when the game was called. UAB dropped both games of a doubleheader to the Cougars on Saturday to be eliminated from contention for the C-USA Tournament. Sophomore RF LINDSAY STANLEY had a breakout season for the Blazers as she finished the campaign with a .335 batting average, which is the highest average for a single season in school history. She also led the conference with 31 stolen bases on 36 attempts, and ended the season on a 12-game hitting streak and hit safely in 17 of her last 18 games. Stanley tied former Blazer Candice Hithe's record for hits in a single season with 63 and was one shy of Hithe's record of 32 stolen bases. Senior CF SARA CHRISTOPHEL batted .274 with a team-leading five home runs and 29 RBI. Freshman LHP JENNIFER NELSON led the pitching staff with a 9-8 record and a 3.14 ERA. Nelson tossed eight complete games, three shutouts, and one perfect game. She led the team with 111 strikeouts.

USF (42-28, 15-9 C-USA): The Bulls made an impressive run in Region 13 action at Gainesville, Fla., but fell in the championship round action to Bethune-Cookman, 5-2. USF needed to beat the Wildcats, the surprise team of the tournament thus far, twice on Sunday, but a 3-0 deficit after the top of the first inning was to much to overcome. The Bulls’ bats were sizzling in the opening contest as they broke a NCAA Tournament record with 20 hits in their 14-3 victory over future C-USA member UCF. Senior 1B CARMELA LIWAG broke a school record in the game with six RBI as had a pair of bases-clearing doubles. CF SAMANTHA RAY and LF TIFFANY STEWART each had nine hits in the four regional games. Stewart had a pair of home runs and six RBI, while Liwag finished the tournament with seven runs driven in. Freshman BREE SPENCE broke the USF freshman record picking up her 22nd and 23rd wins of the season. Spence also logged a freshman record with 243 2/3 innings pitched.

NFCA ALL-REGION MEMBERS
Southeast Region First Team
DP: Mandi Nichols, East Carolina
OF: Tiffany Stewart, USF

Southeast Region Second Team
P: Keli Harrell, East Carolina
1B: Kate Manuse, East Carolina

South Region Second Team
3B: Kristen Glowacz, Houston
SS: Courtney Moore, Louisville
P: Aja Sherman, Louisville

Mideast Region Second Team
P: Tracie Adix, DePaul
1B: Saskia Roberson, DePaul
UT: Sandy Vojik, DePaul

2005 C-USA ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
MVP
Megan Huitink, DePaul
Infielders
Saskia Roberson, DePaul
Courtney Moore, Louisville
Audrey Rendon, Louisville
Christie Chapman, USF
Outfielders
Dana Kenney, DePaul
Sara Bausher, Louisville
Brandi Clark, Houston
Catcher
Jenn Skaggs, Louisville
Utility Player
Kate Sheaks, DePaul
Pitchers
Bree Spence, USF

CONFERENCE USA ANNOUNCES POSTSEASON AWARDS

For the first time in Conference USA history, the league’s Most Valuable Player award for softball will be shared. Houston senior Kristen Glowacz and Louisville sophomore Courtney Moore each received an equal amount of recognition by league coaches to share MVP honors, while Moore’s teammate Aja Sherman was named Pitcher of the Year and East Carolina’s Tracey Kee was named Coach of the Year. USF pitcher Bree Spence was selected as Freshman of the Year.
Moore and Sherman led the Cardinals to their first regular season title and the top seed at the upcoming Conference USA Tournament in Tampa, Fla., which will be played at the USF Softball Complex on May 12-14. The Cardinal duo was joined by teammates Lacy Wood (catcher) and Audrey Rendon (infielder) on the All-Conference USA first team, giving Louisville the most first-team members with four.

First-Team All-Conference USA
C: Lacy Wood, Louisville
IF: Kristen Glowacz, Houston
IF: Kate Manuse, East Carolina
IF: Courtney Moore, Louisville
IF: Audrey Rendon, Louisville
OF: Dana Kenney, DePaul
OF: Kim Nesloney, Houston
OF: Tiffany Stewart, USF
P: Megan Huitink, DePaul
P: Aja Sherman, Louisville
UT: Sandy Vojik, DePaul

Second-Team All-Conference USA
C: Krista Jessup, East Carolina
IF: Ashley Davis, Southern Miss
IF: Carmela Liwag, USF
IF: Mandi Nichols, East Carolina
IF: Saskia Roberson, DePaul
OF: Ashley Parker, DePaul
OF: Samantha Ray, USF
OF: Lindsay Stanley, UAB
P: Keli Harrell, East Carolina
P: Catherine Bishop, Louisville
UT: Jenilee Skender, Houston

Conference USA All-Freshmen Team
Amanda Antonovich, LHP, UAB
Paige Baggett, UT, East Carolina
Allison Bullard, OF, Southern Miss
Laurel Carlson, IF, East Carolina
Jennifer Fox, UT, Southern Miss
Barbie Love, RHP, Houston
Angel Shamblin, RHP, Houston
Bree Spence, RHP, USF
Erin St. Ledger, IF, East Carolina
Sandy Vojik, UT, DePaul
Marcy Wilus, IF, DePaul

Individual Awards
Co-Most Valuable Players: Kristen Glowacz, Houston
Courtney Moore, Louisville
Pitcher of the Year: Aja Sherman, Louisville
Coach of the Year: Tracey Kee, East Carolina
Freshman of the Year: Bree Spence, USF

CONFERENCE USA ANNOUNCES SOFTBALL ALL-DECADE TEAM

Conference USA is celebrating its 10th anniversary during the 2004-05 season. In conjunction, the league is naming a Team of the Decade for each of the conference’s 19 sports. Softball is the latest sport to have its All-Decade team released and the squad is led by former DePaul All-American Lindsay Chouinard, a three-time all-Conference USA first team selection, who was named the Player of the Decade.

The Softball Coach of the Decade award was won by DePaul’s Eugene Lenti, a unanimous selection after leading the Blue Demons to three Conference USA regular season championships and three straight C-USA Tournament titles. Voting on the awards was done by each of the league’s current softball coaches.

DePaul produced four of the 10 members of the Al-Decade team. Southern Miss and USF each had two, while Houston and Louisville both had one player named to the squad.

C-USA SOFTBALL ALL-DECADE TEAM
Lindsay Chouinard, DePaul (2000-2003) – PLAYER OF THE DECADE
Liz Bouck, DePaul (2000-2003)
Sarah Martz, DePaul (2001-2004)
Saskia Roberson, DePaul (2002-2005)
Kristen Glowacz, Houston (2002-present)
Keola Calderon, Louisville (2000– 03)
Courtney Blades, Southern Miss (2000)
Amy Berman, Southern Miss (2000)
Holly Groves, USF (2002-04)
Leigh Ann Ellis, USF (2003-04)

C-USA SOFTBALL COACH OF THE DECADE
Eugene Lenti, DePaul (1983-present)

NATIONAL POLLS

ESPN.com/USA Softball Poll (Week 15 – May 9-May 15)
1. Michigan (20)
2. California
3. Arizona
4. Stanford
5. Texas A&M
5. Texas
7. Oregon State
8. Alabama
9. Georgia
10. Baylor
11. Oklahoma
12. UCLA
13. Tennessee
14. Louisiana-Lafayette
15. Fresno State
16. Missouri
17. Georgia Tech
18. Northwestern
19. Iowa
20. Auburn
21. Washington
22. Southern Illinois
23. DePaul
24. Nebraska
24. BYU
Parenthesis Denotes first place votes.

USA TODAY/NFCA Poll (Week 14 – May 2-8)
1. Michigan (22)
2. California (1)
3. Arizona
4. Stanford
5. Texas A&M
6. Oregon State
7. Texas
8. Georgia
9. Alabama
10. Oklahoma
11. Tennessee
12. UCLA
13. Baylor
14. Louisiana-Lafayette
15. Fresno State
16. Missouri
17. Georgia Tech
18. Auburn
19. Northwestern
20. Southern Illinois
21. Washington
22. Iowa
23. Florida
24. Long Beach State
25. Nebraska
Parenthesis Denotes first place votes.

LOUISVILLE CLINCHES FIRST C-USA REGULAR SEASON TITLE

Louisville earned the top seed in the 2005 Conference USA Softball Tournament by finishing off a three-game sweep of No. 25 DePaul with a 4-0 victory on May 8. The Cardinals trailed the Blue Demons by two games in the C-USA standings entering the weekend, needing a sweep to capture the school’s first-ever regular season title and that is exactly what the Cards did. Senior Aja Sherman’s second shutout of the weekend gave the Cardinals (40-16, 20-4 C-USA) the title on Sunday.

FOUR-PEAT
DePaul won its fourth-consecutive C-USA Tournament title with a 6-2 triumph over top-seeded Louisville in the championship game on May 14 at the USF Softball Complex. Tournament MVP Megan Huitink won her second game of the tournament and secured the second-seeded Blue Demons’ automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Huitink was joined on the all-tournament team by CF Dana Kenney, 1B Saskia Roberson and UP Sandy Vojik.

SKI-RIFFIC
DePaul first baseman Saskia Roberson extended her record-breaking career and the Blue Demons’ season for another weekend after putting together an outstanding effort during Region Eight competition in Madison, Wis. Roberson, a 2004 All-American, belted a pair of home runs and added a two-run double to finish the regional with six RBI. With 51 career home runs and 177 career RBI, Roberson now sits a top both categories in the C-USA record books and she is just two ribbies shy of tying the DePaul school mark. The Blue Demons’ were just one of two non-seeded teams to advance to the NCAA’s first-ever Super Regional round in its annual softball tournament.

HIGH-FIVE FOR HUITINK
DePaul’s Megan Huitink (pronounced High-tink) has been huge in the circle for the Blue Demons’ during their run to the inaugural NCAA Super Regional round. The sophomore has posted a 4-0 record with a 0.48 in six postseason appearances (includes C-USA Tournament and NCAA Region Eight play). The lefthander has allowed just two earned runs in 29 1/3 innings pitched, while fanning 32 batters. Huitink has three complete games, including two shutouts.

DIAMOND STARS (NCAA Regional Action)

DE PAUL: 1B SASKIA ROBERSON went 3-for-8 (.375) in Region Nine action in Madison, Wis., belting two home runs and driving in six runs. With her six RBI, Roberson passed Houston’s Kristen Glowacz for the C-USA career mark. The senior enters NCAA Super Regional action with 177 RBI, just two shy of tying the DePaul school mark.

LOUISVILLE: SS COURTNEY MOORE hit three home runs during regional action, including a walk-off solo shot in the Cards’ 5-4 victory over Albany. Moore finished the season with a U of L single-season record of 17.

USF: CF SAMANTHA RAY put the Bulls in the regional championship game with a game-winning RBI double in the bottom of the seventh inning of their 5-4 win over UCF. Ray and LF TIFFANY STEWART each batted. 600 (9-for-15) in Gainesville, with Stewart adding a pair of home runs and six RBI.

GLOWACZ GRABS NATIONAL HONORS
USA Softball recognized Houston 3B KRISTEN GLOWACZ as its Co-National Collegiate Player of the Week on March 8 after the senior batted .667 with five home runs and 11 RBI for the week (Feb. 28-March 6). Glowacz hit back-to-back-to-back homers in the Cougars’ second victory of the weekend over No. 16 Nebraska. She shared the honor with UCLA freshman Anjelica Selden, who tossed a pair of no-hitters against St. John’s and No. 18 Fresno State.

WIN STREAKS
Louisville has notched the league’s longest win streak of the season after reeling off 14 straight victories. It is the Cardinals’ second winning streak of 10 or more games this season. Here’s a look at the league’s longest winning streaks:

25 Southern Miss (April 8-May 19, 2000)
21 DePaul (March 26-April 24, 2003)
19 DePaul (March 24-April 14, 2001)
17 USF (Feb. 9-Mar. 7, 2003)
17 USF (March 14 – April 9, 2004)
17 Southern Miss (Feb. 29-March 18, 2000)
15 Louisville (April 20-May 12)
14 East Carolina (March 14-27, 2004)
13 Louisville (March 27, 2004 – April 21)
12 DePaul (April 9-May 2, 2002 )
11 Houston (Feb. 1-Feb. 16, 2002)
11 USF (Mar. 9- 23, 2002)
10 DePaul (April 29-May 16, 2003)
10 Louisville (March 29-April 14, 2005)
10 Southern Miss (Feb. 13-Feb. 27, 2000)
10 UAB (Mar. 8-Mar. 26, 2002)
10 USF (April 4-25, 2003)
10 USF (March 4-12, 2004)

HOME RUN QUEENS AND RBI MACHINES
DePaul 1B SASKIA ROBERSON will finish her career as C-USA’s all-time leader in home runs and RBI as she helped extend her career for at least two more games with an impressive NCAA Regional showing in Madison, Wis. Roberson extended her lead in the home run category after belting a pair of long balls, while taking the lead for good in RBI department after driving in six runs in the Blue Demons’ four games at Goodman Diamond. Roberson went back-and-forth in both categories with Houston senior Kristen Glowacz. The Cougars’ season ended with a loss to Louisville in the semifinal’s of the C-USA Tournament. Roberson has at least two games remaining in her career to add to her legacy.

Home Runs
51 Saskia Roberson, DPU (2002-current)
47 Kristen Glowacz, HOU (2002-current)
38 Arelis Ferreris, HOU (2001-04)
33 Holly Groves, USF (2002-04)
29 Kate Manuse, ECU (2002-current)
27 Kenya Peters, USM (2000-02)
27 Jenilee Skender, HOU (2002-current)
25 Christina Douglas, DPU (2001-04)
25 Sara Bausher, LOU (2002-current)

RBI
177 Saskia Roberson, DPU (2002-current)
175 Kristen Glowacz, HOU (2002-current)
171 Carmela Liwag, USF (2002-current)
158 Kate Manuse, ECU (2002-current)
157 Holly Groves, USF (2002-04)
152 Arelis Ferreris, HOU (2001-04)
140 Keola Calderon, LOU (2000-03)
132 Courtney Lewellen, USF (2000-03)
124 Cliffanie Engram, UAB (2000-03)
115 Sarah Martz, DPU (2001-04)

ERICKSEN COLLECTS 400th VICTORY
USF head coach KEN ERICKSEN is the third Conference USA coach this season to reach a milestone victory. Ericksen recorded his 400th career victory on April 9 in the Bulls’ 7-2 victory over UAB in game two of the doubleheader. In nine seasons at the helm of the Bulls, Ericksen has won two conference titles and guided his USF squads to five NCAA Tournament appearances.

400 KEE’S TO VICTORY
With a doubleheader sweep of UNC-Wilmington on March 23, East Carolina head coach TRACY KEE notched her 400th career win at the school. Kee is in her eighth season as head coach for the Pirates and 17th overall at the school. Following a successful four-year stint as a catcher/third baseman, Kee spent six seasons as an assistant coach in Greenville.

A GRAND VICTORY
East Carolina recorded its 1,000th win in school history on April 17 with a 4-1 victory over Louisville. The victory also finished off a series sweep of the Cardinals. Head Coach TRACY KEE has been a part of more than 400 of those victories as she reached that coaching milestone on March 23.

McNUTT NETS 300th WIN
Southern Miss head coach GAY McNUTT recorded the 300th victory of her coaching career on Feb. 13 at the Rebel/Easton Tournament in Oxford. USM rallied for the historic victory beating Ball State 5-4 in game six of the season.

ESPN THE MAGAZINE ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT
Eight members of Conference USA schools were named to 2005 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District teams. All first-team members are eligible to be named Academic All-American. Here is a list of those players the districts they represent:

First Team
Kate Manuse, East Carolina – District III
Sara Bausher, Louisville –District IV
Aja Sherman, Louisville – District IV
Charity Butler, Southern Miss – District IV
Tiffany Stewart, USF – District III

Second Team
Dana Kenney, DePaul – District V
Mandi Nichols, East Carolina – District III
Christie Chapman, USF – District III
Krista Holle, USF – District III
Samantha Ray, USF – District III

C-USA ON THE WEB
For all of the latest information on Conference USA baseball and the league’s other 18 sports, please visit www.ConferenceUSA.com.

C-USA VS. RANKED OPPONENTS
C-USA teams have defeated Nine ranked opponents this season. DePaul and Houston lead the way with three wins over ranked teams. Louisville has defeated two ranked-opponents, while USF has defeated one.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Each Monday during the season Conference USA named a Hitter of the Week and a Pitcher of the Week. Here’s a look at the season’s winners:

HITTER OF THE WEEK
F7 Courtney Moore, SS, Louisville
F14 Carly Griffin, OF, USF
F21 Courtney Moore, SS, Louisville
F28 Kristen Glowacz, 3B, Houston
M7 Kristen Glowacz, 3B, Houston
M14 Tiffany Stewart, OF, USF
M21 Ashley Davis, 1B, Southern Miss
M28 Mandi Nichols, DP, East Carolina
Tiffany Stewart, OF, USF
A4 Michelle Vazquez, 2B, Louisville
A11 Kristen Glowacz, 3B, Houston
A18 Dana Kenney, LF, DePaul
Kate Manuse, 1B, East Carolina
A25 Kaycie Jones, 1B, Charlotte
M2 Ashley Davis, 1B, Southern Miss
M9 Audrey Rendon, 3B, Louisville

PITCHER OF THE WEEK
F7 Catherine Bishop, RHP, Louisville
F14 Keli Harrell, RHP, East Carolina
F21 Aja Sherman, RHP, Louisville
F28 Carla Kennimer, LHP, Houston
M7 Angel Shambllin, RHP, Houston
M14 Stephanie Hayes, LHP, East Carolina
M21 Angel Shamblin, RHP, Houston
M28 Lorena Floccari, RHP, Saint Louis
Aja Sherman, RHP, Louisville
A4 Aja Sherman, RHP, Louisville
A11 Aja Sherman, RHP, Louisville
A18 Megan Huitink, LHP, DePaul
A25 Catherine Bishop, RHP, Louisville
M2 Keli Harrell, RHP, East Carolina
Megan Huitink, LHP, DePaul
M9 Aja Sherman, RHP, Louisville