The NCAA News - News and Features

May 5, 1997

Division III

Strong pitching gives top-ranked Simpson edge going into tournament

Event: 1997 Division III Women's Softball Championship.

Overview: Simpson (28-6) is atop the Division III coaches' poll for the first time in school history. After a 2-2 run during last year's championship finals, the Storm might have the team -- especially from a pitching standpoint -- to bring home the title in 1997. Simpson ranks second nationally in earned-run average, with most of the credit going to Kelly Schade. Schade leads the nation with 163 strikeouts and is second with an earned-run average of 0.42. Schade also has 15 victories, 14 complete games and nine shutouts. Junior Deanne Wischmeier leads the team with a .478 batting average, two home runs and 43 hits .... The Atlantic region has two, if not three, teams that are capable of competing at the championship finals -- but only one will advance. First-year coach Kim Wilson has Rowan (30-2) on a roll as the Profs set a school record with 22 consecutive victories earlier in the season. Rowan senior first baseman Jami Musey -- an all-American in 1996 -- leads the team in hitting at .494. She also has 39 runs batted in, seven triples and eight home runs. Freshman shortstop Stephanie Allocco is also among the national leaders in home runs (six) and RBIs (40). Junior pitcher Melissa Maxwell leads the team with a 13-1 mark and a 1.03 ERA .... College of New Jersey (25-4) has won three of the last five championships and has a legitimate shot at successfully defending its title this year. Senior left fielder Alicia Sanchez leads the team with a .532 average, while junior first baseman Anita DeFeo is hitting .449 with a team-leading 44 hits, 36 runs scored, 10 doubles and six triples. Two-time all-American catcher Sunny Montas leads the team with 26 RBIs and is hitting .449 with 25 runs scored.

Field: The championship has a field of 24 teams. Four teams will participate in each of six regionals in a double-elimination format. Winners of the regionals will advance to a six-team, double-elimination final. Four conferences have been granted automatic qualification for the championship. All remaining teams will be selected at large.

Dates and sites: Regional competition will be May 9-11 at on-campus sites. The six-team final will be May 15-18 in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

Information/results: The fax-on-demand telephone number is 770/399-3060 (passcode 1915); request numbers are 1481 for bracket/schedule and 5187 for results. 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.