The NCAA News - News and Features

May 5, 1997

Division II

Top-ranked Rangers heavy favorite

Event: 1997 Division II Women's Softball Championship.

Overview: Top-ranked Wisconsin-Parkside (52-7) returns every player from a team that finished 64-6 in 1996 and set the NCAA single-season record for victories. The Rangers rank second nationally in team earned-run average, thanks mainly to all-American Wendy Wolff (30-4 won-lost record, 0.36 ERA) and Kris Vanlangevelde (16-2, 0.82). Wisconsin-Parkside relies heavily on the offensive production of two-time all-American Jackie Aiken. The third baseman leads the team with 11 home runs, 39 runs scored and 66 runs batted in .... Kennesaw State (45-3) has won 28 straight games -- the longest current winning streak in the nation. The Owls, who rank high in most team statistical categories, are led by two dominating pitchers, Brenda Farrell and Natasha Johnson. Farrell is 25-2 and has recorded 173 strikeouts and 13 shutouts in 25 starts. Johnson is 20-1 with a 0.75 ERA. Senior first baseman Cara Dornstander (.437, seven home runs and 46 runs batted in) and junior outfielder Shannon McDonough (.437, 0, 29, 19 stolen bases) lead the Owls' offensive attack .... UC Davis (45-5-1) is also on a roll and the likely champion of the Northern California Athletic Conference title. Two-time all-American Gina Weber is 23-3 with a 0.50 ERA. Weber also ranks high among the national strikeout leaders with 232. The Aggies feature possibly the toughest Nos. 3 and 4 hitters in the country in Trisha Reinhardt (.436, 18, 67) and Sharlie Cunningham (.394, 16, 60). Reinhardt ranks high nationally in both home runs and runs batted in.

Field: The championship field is 24 teams. Three teams will participate at each of eight regional sites in a double-elimination format. Winners of the regionals will advance to an eight-team double-elimination final. All teams are selected at large.

Dates and sites: Regional competition will be May 9-10 at on-campus sites. The eight-team final will be May 15-19 in Salem, Virginia.

Information/results: The fax-on-demand telephone number is 770/399-3060 (passcode 1915); request numbers are 1474 for bracket/schedule and 5171 for results. Championship results also will be available on the World Wide Web at www.ncaa.org. Scores from regional competition will be published in the May 19 issue of The NCAA News. Results from the finals will be in the May 26 issue of the News.