Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Softball Travels to Army for Patriot League Tournament, Takes On Lehigh in Opener
5/12/2010 8:00:00 AM | Softball
May 12, 2010
WHAT: Bucknell Softball at Patriot League Tournament
WHERE: West Point, N.Y., Army Softball Complex
WHEN: Thursday, May 13 - Saturday, May 15
LIVE STATISTICS: goARMYsports.com
STREAMING VIDEO: goARMYsports.com (for games involving Army only)
GAME NOTES: Complete Patriot League Tournament Game Notes 
Other Links:
ABOUT THE PATRIOT LEAGUE TOURNAMENT
Bucknell had little doubt this year that it would eventually punch its ticket for the Patriot League Tournament. With an 11-9 final league tally, the Bison claimed the third seed and the opportunity to play No. 2 Lehigh when action begins at the Army Softball Complex on Thursday. The Bucknell-Lehigh matchup is slated for 2 p.m.
Top-seeded Army will take on No. 4 Colgate in Thursday's other action, with the first pitch coming at 4:30 p.m. Live stats for all games will be available at goARMYsports.com.
ABOUT THE NO. 1 BLACK KNIGHTS
Army needed the entire season to secure the number one seed in the 2010 Patriot League Tournament. After having half its series with Colgate rained out in April, the Black Knights took on the Raiders last weekend with the regular-season championship on the line. The doubleheader sweep over Colgate (7-3 & 5-1) set Army up as the first team other than Lehigh to host the league tournament since moving away from a neutral site in 2002.
Army is 32-18 overall and 15-5 in the Patriot League this season. The Black Knights boast three all-league selections in Shawna Bleyl, Erin McClain and Alexis AuBuchon. Michelle DePolo was also named the Patriot League Coach of the Year in her first season at the helm for Army.
ABOUT THE NO. 2 MOUNTAIN HAWKS
Lehigh just missed hosting their ninth consecutive Patriot League Tournament, finishing the regular-season one game behind Army at 14-6 in the league standings. The Mountain Hawks were 31-17 overall in 2010. Lehigh did not drop a Patriot League series this spring, edging Colgate, Lafayette, Holy Cross and Bucknell, 3-1. Army came the closest, splitting 2-2 with the Mountain Hawks.
Lehigh led the league in all-league selections with six honorees. The Mountain Hawks also claimed two of the four major awards, including Player of the Year in Julie Fernandez and Pitcher of the Year in Tiffany Curtis.
ABOUT THE NO. 4 RAIDERS
Colgate just snuck into the Patriot League Tournament, clinching its berth at almost the last second. The Raiders took three of four games off Lafayette May 1-2 to secure their second consecutive tournament appearance. At 8-12 in the Patriot League this year, the Raiders tied for fourth in the league standings with Holy Cross but edged out the Crusaders for a tournament spot based on tiebreakers. Although Colgate came to Bucknell with a 20-12 overall record, it closed out the regular season a month later at 25-21.
The Raiders' Nicole Siedof and Stephanie Hartquist were both named First Team All-Patriot League on Tuesday, while Alana Dyson was a second team selection.
MACLEAN CLAIMS PATRIOT LEAGUE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR HONOR
When the Patriot League announced its all-league teams and major awards on Tuesday, Alex MacLean became just the second Bison to be named the league's Rookie of the Year. She joins Lauren Fry who earned the award in 2008. The current freshman leads the team with a 2.75 ERA, 12 complete games and three shutouts. She also has a squad-best 71 strikeouts in 96.2 innings pitched.
MacLean claimed a bit of Bucknell history on April 21 when she became the first Bison to pitch a no-hitter since hall of famer Sharon Nichols in 1991. The weather-shortened game against La Salle ended in a scoreless tie after five innings and earned MacLean her second Patriot League Pitcher of the Week honor of the season. Despite the no-decision against the Explorers, MacLean takes a 9-4 record into the Patriot League Tournament.
ALL-PATRIOT LEAGUE HONOREES
Alex MacLean, who earned Second Team All-Patriot League recognition in addition to her Rookie of the Year accolade, was joined on all-league teams by Lauren Fry, Jessie Snyder and Shelly McCormack. Fry earned her second career First Team selection after hitting .400 with 10 doubles, five triples and 24 RBI during the regular season. The junior outfielder also set a Bucknell single-season record in walks with 27.
Snyder was also named to the First Team, hitting .267 and starting 39 of 40 games at second base. The junior is tied for second in Patriot League action in triples with and has sole possession of the number two spot in assists on the season. Snyder also has 16 RBI this spring.
Claiming a spot on the All-Patriot League Second Team as a designated player, McCormack hit a personal-best .340 at the plate this spring. Her 23 RBI and eight doubles crushed her previous career-highs. McCormack also spent time at first base where she posted a .994 fielding percentage.
TRIO NAMED ESPN THE MAGAZINE ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT
Bucknell placed a league-leading three student-athletes on the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District II teams last week. Leading the group were seniors Mary Pavlovich and Sherry Finkel were the only members of the Patriot League to receive First Team accolades and are now eligible for Academic All-America status, which will be voted on later this month. Jessie Snyder was named to the Second Team as well.
Pavlovich makes her second appearance on an All-District squad, having been named to the second team last year. Now in her senior season, the third baseman is hitting a career-best .327 with nine doubles and four home runs. A biology major, Pavlovich has maintained a 3.66 GPA and has been named to the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll three times and the Bucknell Dean's List six times.
Finkel earned her award with a 3.67 GPA while majoring in environmental studies and minoring in biology and anthropology. Finkel has been named to the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll twice and the Bucknell Dean's List six times during her time as a Bison. Always active off the field, Finkel recently received the Robert A. Latour Service Award at the Bucknell Athletics Senior Recognition Dinner for her outstanding contributions to the university and community. The outfielder's athletic accomplishments this year include a career-best .310 batting average, nine doubles and 25 RBI.
Snyder claimed her honor with a 3.76 GPA while majoring in English. Snyder is a two-time member of the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll and Dean's List. She is also an active member in softball's Bison Buddy program, has volunteered with the Red Cross in disaster preparedness drills and traveled to Mexico as part of a mission trip to work with impoverished and orphaned children. On the field, Snyder has posted a .267 average while starting all 40 of the games in which she has appeared.
WINNING SEASON
At 24-17-1 overall, Bucknell finished the regular season with a winning record for the first time since 1996. The 1996 squad closed out its year at 20-15 overall and 7-3 in the Patriot League.
500 WINS
Bucknell reached the 500-win mark with its 3-2 victory over La Salle on April 21. Since then, the Bison have improved to 503-622-7 (.447).
HOT BATS
For the first time in program history, Bucknell has eight players hitting better than .300 after totaling at least 50 at-bats this season. Leading the group is Lauren Fry (.400), Elyse Colmenero (.381), Alison Ford (.365) and Jane Messersmith (.353). They are joined by Shelly McCormack (.340), Mary Pavlovich (.327), Mary Horton (.325) and Sherry Finkel (.310).
As a team, the Bison are batting .317, which ranks first among Patriot League squads.
ONE OF THE BEST
Bucknell's .317 batting average also ranks as one of the best in program history. Although the season is not yet complete, the Bison look to record the first .300+ team average since 1993, which closed out the year at .310. The 1980 squad holds the program record in hitting at .340.
COLMENERO COMING ON
At .318 on the season, Elyse Colmenero has the second-highest batting average on the team. That was not always the case, however, as the junior catcher got off to a slow start. Colmenero opened the spring with just two hits in her first 13 games. She has seen much greater success lately, posting at least one hit in 12 of her last 13 games. That includes a career-best 11-game hitting streak.
STREAKING AT THE PLATE
Elyse Colmenero is not the only Bison to put together a lengthy hitting streak this season. Mary Pavlovich also had an 11-game stretch with at least one hit in April, while Lauren Fry strung together nine straight games with a hit earlier in the season. Alison Ford, Shelly McCormack and Jane Messersmith have also recorded eight-game hitting streaks this spring.
EXTRA-BASE HITS, PART I: TEAM HITTING
Bucknell has been hurting its opponents with extra-base hits throughout the season. The Bison have hit 68 doubles and 23 triples this spring, compared to 53 doubles and 10 triples for their opponents. Both Bucknell's totals rank among the top five in program history. The Bison also tied a single-game record, posting six triples against Mount St. Mary's on April 6.
EXTRA-BASE HITS, PART II: INDIVIDUAL POWER
Several Bison have tallied double-digit extra-base hits this spring. Lauren Fry leads the group with 17, followed by Mary Pavlovich with 14 and Sherry Finkel with 12. Alison Ford comes in with 11 extra-base hits, while Shelly McCormack and Jane Messersmith each have 10.
| Total | 2B | 3B | HR | |
| Lauren Fry | 17 | 10 | 5 | 2 |
| Mary Pavlovich | 14 | 9 | 1 | 4 |
| Sherry Finkel | 12 | 9 | 1 | 2 |
| Alison Ford | 11 | 8 | 0 | 3 |
| Shelly McCormack | 10 | 8 | 1 | 1 |
| Jane Messersmith | 10 | 3 | 5 | 2 |
EXTRA-BASE HITS, PART III: NATIONALLY RANKED
Bucknell has made quite the impact nationally when it comes to triples. Lauren Fry and Jane Messersmith are tied for 15th in the country with five triples each and both rank in the top 10 in triples per game this spring. As a team, the Bison are third in the nation with 0.55 triples per game. Bucknell is also ninth in doubles at 1.62 per game.
TEAM SINGLE-SEASON RECORDS
With three doubles in the final game of the series vs. Army on May 2, Bucknell set a program record with 68 two-baggers this season, passing the 2008 squad's previous record of 67. The Bison have their eye on a number of other single-season records as well, including the program marks for runs scored and RBI, which are also held by the 2008 team.
| Runs: | 1. | 2008 - | 248 | RBI: | 1. | 2008 - | 205 | |
| 2. | 2010 - | 229 | 2. | 2010 - | 202 |
POWERFUL PITCHING DEBUTS
Bucknell has benefited greatly from its young pitching staff, which boasts two freshman and two sophomores. The newest Bison - Bridget Gates and Alex MacLean - have claimed 21 of Bucknell's 24 wins this season and all five of the squad's shutouts. MacLean also has Bucknell's best ERA (2.75), while Gates is second in the category (2.81).
REACHING 10
With her win over Colgate on April 18, Bridget Gates became the first Bison pitcher to record 10 wins in her freshman season since 1992 when Heidi Dawson and Allison Love both reached that mark. Love now ranks second all-time in career wins at Bucknell with 42, while Dawson is third at 39.
STEADY MACLEAN
After shaking off the career-opening jitters in a 10-6 loss to Cornell on March 6, Alex MacLean became one of Bucknell's most consistent pitchers. The Big Red defeated the freshman in her Bucknell debut, but MacLean rebounded by going 16 straight appearances without a loss. After the 0-1 start, MacLean improved to 8-1 with a four-run victory over Lehigh on April 24. She heads into the postseason at 9-4 on the spring.
THE BISON FIVE
Bucknell will graduate five seniors this season in Sherry Finkel, Shelly McCormack, Alyssa Okita, Mary Pavlovich and Lauren Trosch. The quintet has led Bucknell to three Patriot League Tournaments and its first winning season since 1996. Their teams also rank in the top five at Bucknell in single-season home runs, RBI, runs scored, walks and games played. The five were recognized prior to the series versus Army for their commitment and dedication to Bucknell softball.
RAKING IN THE WEEKLY HONORS
Three Bison claimed six weekly awards in 2010. Lauren Fry was a two-time Patriot League Player of the Week, Alex MacLean twice was named the league's Pitcher of the Week and Bridget Gates earned a pair of Rookie of the Week honors. Only Army has more weekly honors with 12 this season.
2009 PL TOURNAMENT
As the third seed in the 2009 tournament, Bucknell opened with a 7-3 upset over No. 2 Colgate. Jessie Snyder erupted for two doubles and a triple in the Bison's victory at Kaufman Field in Bethlehem, Pa. Jane Messersmith collected her ninth win of the season, giving up three runs on seven hits in 5.2 innings of work. Katie McDonald got the save after shutting out the Raiders and allowing two hits in 1.1 innings.
The Bison stumbled in their second game, falling 6-2 to Lehigh. Bucknell found itself in a 4-0 hole heading into the bottom of the fifth inning, but the team's bats finally came to life as Cassie Lloyd connected for a single and Alison Ford reached base after getting hit by a pitch. Kristin Frick then got the second extra-base shot of the day off Lisa Sweeney. The senior second baseman nearly had herself a home run but was forced to settle for a long triple that plated two. That set the score at 4-2, and Bucknell never got any closer.
With one chance left in the double-elimination tournament, Bucknell came up short, 4-1, against Lafayette. Brittany Schlorff scored the Bison's lone run after coming home on a fielder's choice from Jessie Snyder in the bottom of the seventh inning. The late-game heroics were too little, too late for the Orange and Blue. Ashley Carlson and Cassie Lloyd were both named to the All-Tournament Team following championship play.
OFF-FIELD SUCCESS
The Bison have had a host of academic success in the past year. The 2009 squad was recognized by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA), earning a spot on the Girls Got Game Top Ten All-Academic Team. The team posted a grade-point average of 3.363 during the 2008-09 academic year, ranking it 21st among NCAA Division I schools.
For the fourth consecutive year, Bucknell also led the Patriot League with 15 student-athletes named to the 2009 Patriot League Academic Honor Roll, which cites student-athletes with a GPA of 3.20 or better during the semester coinciding with his or her sport. Among the current Bison to make the honor roll were Meredith Dickson (accounting), Liz Fanning (biology), Sherry Finkel (environmental studies), Alison Ford (early childhood education), Lauren Fry (psychology), Alyssa Okita (mathematics), Mary Pavlovich (biology), Jessie Snyder (English), Lauren Trosch (environmental studies/Spanish) and Alicia Wheeler (undeclared).
THE LAST TIME...
Bucknell won its lone Patriot League Tournament Championship in 1997, and it did so in dramatic fashion. As the No. 2 seed, the Bison moved easily through their first two games, defeating Holy Cross, 4-2, and Lehigh, 1-0. They fell to Colgate, 5-2, but got a second chance in the championship game. The Orange and Blue made the most of the opportunity, taking down the Raiders, 4-1 in 19 innings. Melanie Kulis pitched 16 scoreless innings and gave up just seven hits in 19 innings, giving her co-MVP honors at the end of the tournament. Jenn Gombos broke a 1-1 tie in the 19th with a two-RBI triple.
The Orange and Blue also have a piece of two regular-season titles in program history. They shared the title with the Mountain Hawks in 1994, and were co-champions with Lehigh, Colgate and Holy Cross in 1999.
