DePaul has played the role of spoiler quite well through its run to the Women's College World Series. The Blue Demons knocked off C-USA top-seed Louisville to win their fourth-straight league tournament, then followed that triumph by upsetting Oregon State in Region Eight action. With the victory over the Beavers, who were ranked No. 7 at the time and were the eighth-seeded national team, DePaul advanced to the inaugural NCAA Super Regional round. In the best-of-three series with cross-town rival Northwestern, the Blue Demons sent the ninth-seeded Wildcats home for the summer with two straight wins. Next up for DePaul will be a game with top-seeded Michigan in opening round play of the World Series on June 2. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m, CT, and the game will be televised nationally on ESPN2.

PAST C-USA WORLD SERIES RESULTS
This marks the first time since the league’s inaugural softball season of 2000 that a C-USA school reached the College World Series. That season, a pair of league teams advanced as Southern Miss reached the championship game.

2000
Women’s College World Series (Oklahoma City, Okla.)
Thursday, May 25
Washington 3, DePaul 2
Southern Miss 1, Arizona 0
Friday, May 26
Oklahoma 3, Southern Miss 1
Saturday, May 27
Alabama 6, DePaul 4
Southern Miss 3, Alabama 0
Sunday, May 28
UCLA 6, Southern Miss 0

DIAMOND STARS (NCAA Super Regional)

DE PAUL: 1B SASKIA ROBERSON went 3-for-4 (.750) in DePaul’s two-game sweep of Northwestern at the NCAA Super Regional in Chicago. The senior knocked in the first run of game two and scored a pair of runs in game one. 3B JENNY DOEZIE connected on her fourth home run of the season, a two-run shot, in game one to give DePaul a couple of insurance runs in the third inning. CF LINDA SECKA and C KARA AMUNDSON each had two hits in the game-one victory. RHP TRACIE ADIX held Northwestern to just one earned run on four hits to pick up her 23rd win of the season in the series-clinching victory. LHP MEGAN HUITINK saw action in both games notching the win in game one with her third shutout of the postseason. The sophomore also earned the save in game two. LF DANA KENNEY, SS JESSICA EVANS and DP SANDY VOJIC each had a RBI in a three-run fifth inning. All three runs proved to be pivotal as the Blue Demons held on a 4-3 victory.

FAMILIAR FOE
DePaul is no stranger to Michigan when it comes to competition on the softball field. The teams have met 10 times, including earlier this season at the KIA Klassic (Fullerton, Calif.), where the then fifth-ranked Wolverines took a 1-0 decision. Sophomore Megan Huitink took the loss after allowing just one earned run on four hits in six innings of work. She fanned nine Wolverines and since the loss, has won 18 of 21 decisions. Michigan has since claimed the top spot in the national polls after amassing 60-4 overall record this season. The Wolverines hold a 6-4 advantage in the all-time series with DePaul. The two teams will play in game three of the College World Series on June 2. The teams have met four different times in NCAA Tournament play, with Michigan winning three of those contests. This will be the first meeting between the two schools at the Women’s College World Series. DePaul dropped a 6-1 decision to Tennessee in its season opener. The Lady Vols are the only other team in the World Series this year that DePaul played during the regular season.

THE BEAT GOES ON
DePaul has been the underdog in all three of its postseason tournaments thus far and that role has not impeded the Blue Demons’ path to Oklahoma City, where they will once again carry that moniker. At the C-USA Tournament (May 12-14, in Tampa, Fla.), the second-seeded Blue Demons rolled through the field with a trio of wins, including two against top-seeded Louisville to earn their fourth straight tournament title. In NCAA Region Eight action (Madison, Wis.), second-seeded DePaul posted a 3-1 record and defeated top-seeded Oregon State 8-6 in the championship game. The Beavers came into the region as the eighth seed in the tournament and ranked as high as No. 7 in the national polls. During their inaugural NCAA Super Regional series, the Blue Demons, who were the only unseeded team to advance to that round, took the first two games from Northwestern to secure their World Series berth. The Wildcats were seeded ninth in the tournament and was ranked No. 19 nationally.

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 will have another chance to extend her C-USA career records in home runs and RBI at the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City. Roberson, a 2004 All-American, belted a pair of home runs and added a two-run double to finish the NCAA Regional with six RBI. She added a 3-for-4 effort with another RBI in Super Regional action against Northwestern. With 51 career home runs and 178 career RBI, Roberson now sits a top both categories in the C-USA record books and she is just one RBI 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 Women’s College World Series. The sophomore has posted a 5-0 record and recorded a save, while posting a 0.73 ERA in eight postseason appearances (includes C-USA Tournament, NCAA Region Eight and NCAA Super Regional games). The lefthander has allowed just four earned runs in 38 1/3 innings pitched, while fanning 37 batters. Huitink has four complete games, including three shutouts.

CHOUINARD BACK IN FAMILIAR TERRITORY
DePaul has zero experience on its roster when it comes to players with game experience in Oklahoma City, but the current players can turn to assistant coach Lindsay Chouinard for advice on what it is like to play at Don Porter Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City. Chouinard, who was named the Conference USA Player of the Decade earlier this season, led the Blue Demons to their second World Series berth in 2000. A freshman that season, Chouinard went 3-0 in regional play to earn Regional MVP honors. The Blue Demons finished that season with a No. 8 ranking in the final NFCA/USA Today Top 25 Poll. The left-handed pitcher went on to earn All-America honors and three first-team All-C-USA honors in her four seasons with DePaul. She is in her first season as an assistant coach at her alma mater.

UNSUNG SOPHOMORE DUO GOES 20-20
Entering the 2005 season, DePaul starting pitchers Tracie Adix and Megan Huitink had combined for five wins during their rookie seasons a year ago. Adix went 4-9 with a 3.12 ERA for the Blue Demons, while Huitink posted a 1-0 record with a 1.42 ERA in eight appearances as a freshman at the University of Illinois. Head Coach Eugene Lenti did not know what to expect from the duo, but what he got was a combined 44 wins and his third trip to the Women’s College World Series. Adix, a right-hander, takes a 23-8 record and 1.85 ERA into action in Oklahoma City, while Huitink carries a 21-10 mark with 1.34 ERA. Huitink got off to a slow start, but has won 18 of her last 21 decisions including a 5-0 stretch during the Blue Demons’ postseason run. Huitink earned first-team All-C-USA honors and was the Tournament MVP in Tampa, while Adix quietly earned Second-team NFCA All-Mideast Region honors.

HOME RUN QUEENS AND RBI MACHINES
DePaul 1B SASKIA ROBERSON will conclude her career as C-USA’s all-time leader in home runs and RBI when the Blue Demons’ run in Oklahoma City comes to an end. Roberson has extended her lead in both categories during Regional and Super Regional play over the past two weekends. The senior has two home runs and seven RBI in six NCAA Tournament games this season. 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 (2002-2005)
38 Arelis Ferreris, HOU (2001-04)
33 Holly Groves, USF (2002-04)
29 Kate Manuse, ECU (2002-2005)
27 Kenya Peters, USM (2000-02)
27 Jenilee Skender, HOU (2002-2005)
25 Christina Douglas, DPU (2001-04)
25 Sara Bausher, LOU (2002-2005)

RBI
178 Saskia Roberson, DPU (2002-current)
175 Kristen Glowacz, HOU (2002-2005)
171 Carmela Liwag, USF (2002-2005)
158 Kate Manuse, ECU (2002-2005)
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)

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 (45-19, 19-5 C-USA): The Blue Demons will be making their third trip to the NCAA College World Series in Oklahoma City, Okla., this week and first since the 2000 season after defeating cross-town rival Northwestern in a best-of-three-NCAA Super Regional series this past weekend. The Blue Demons took the first two games of the series played at Flames Field on the Illinois-Chicago campus to secure the World Series berth. DePaul is 2-4 all-time in Oklahoma City and 0-2 as a representative of Conference USA. For the third-consecutive trip, DePaul will open the World Series against the top-seeded team as Michigan earned that distinction with a 59-5 overall record this season. Game three of the series is set for a 6:30 p.m., CT, first pitch and will be televised nationally on ESPN2. In 2000, C-USA’s first year to sponsor softball, DePaul joined Southern Miss to give the league two teams in Oklahoma City. The Blue Demons fell to top-seeded Washington, 3-2, in their first game and were bounced from the tournament in their next game, dropping a 6-4 decision to Alabama. In 1999, DePaul went 2-2 with a pair of wins over Southern Miss and Arizona. The Blue Demons’ two losses that season came to eventual national champion UCLA.

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 to 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.

2005 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 TOURNAMENT
Thursday, May 12
(6) Southern Miss 4, (3) East Carolina 1
(4) USF 2, (5) Houston 1
(2) DePaul 1, Southern Miss 0
(1) Louisville 5, USF 4

Friday, May 13
Houston 3, Southern Miss 1
USF 1, East Carolina 0
DePaul 7, Louisville 2
Houston 4, USF 3

Saturday, May 14
Louisville 11, Houston 0
DePaul 6, Louisville 2

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
Pitcher
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 was 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 Conference USA Tournament in Tampa, Fla. 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

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.

2005 CONFERENCE USA SOFTBALL PRESEASON POLL
(2004 Overall, Conference Records)
1. Louisville (41-19, 19-5)
2. Houston (39-25, 12-11)
3. USF (60-14, 18-5)
4. DePaul (30-31, 13-9)
5. Southern Miss (33-26, 19-4)
6. East Carolina (47-24-1, 10-14)
7. UAB (20-36, 7-17)
8. Charlotte (23-29, 6-17)
9. Saint Louis (16-45, 1-23)

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, an 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)

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.