2011 DePaul Blue Demon Softball

Transcription

1 For Immediate Release 2011 Schedule/Results Date Opponent Time/Result FIU Combat Classic (Miami, Fla.) Feb. 11 vs. North Florida W, 3-0 Feb. 11 vs. Memphis W, 6-5 Feb. 12 at Florida International W, 6-4 Feb. 12 vs. Kentucky L, 6-3 (8 inn) Feb. 13 vs. No. 22 Ohio State W, 5-4 (8 inn) USF Tournament Clearwater, Fla. Feb. 18 vs. Mississippi W, 3-2 (8 inn) Feb. 18 vs. Indiana W, 7-3 Feb. 19 vs. Alabama-Birmingham W, 1-0 (8 inn) Feb. 19 vs. Fordham L, 9-3 Feb. 20 at USF W, 4-2 Nevada Reno Tournament Reno, Nev. March 4 vs. Boston College W, 7-5 March 4 at Nevada Reno Cancelled March 5 vs. Boston College W, 8-0 March 5 at Nevada Reno W, 3-2 March 6 vs. Boston College Cancelled Saluki Invitational Carbondale, Ill. March 12 vs. UIC W, 6-0 March 12 at Southern Illinois W, 3-0 March 13 vs. UIC W, 3-2 March 13 at Southern Illinois W, 5-4 Judi Garman Classic (Cal State Fullerton) March 17 vs. No. 9/8 Oklahoma L, 4-3 (8 inn) March 17 vs. No. 12/14 Texas L, 11-3 (5 inn) March 18 vs. New Mexico L, 4-1 March 18 vs. Long Beach State L, 2-1 March 19 vs. No. 7/7 Arizona L, 7-1 March 26 at Providence * (DH) W, 3-0, L, 4-1 March 27 at Providence * W, 6-3 MARCH 30 vs. Louisville (DH) L, 2-1, 13-2 (5INN APRIL 2 VS. ST. JOHN S* (DH)W, 12-2 (5INN),7-2 April 3 VS. ST JOHN S* W, 7-0 April 5 at Northwestern L, 6-5 April 9 at Villanova * (DH) W, 10-3, 7-4 April 10 at Villanova * W, 12-2 (5 inn) April 12 vs. Illinois State W, 10-6 April 14 at Pittsburgh * (DH) W, 6-2, 7-2 April 22 at Rutgers * (DH) W, 9-4, (10 inn) April 23 at Rutgers * Canceled April 26 vs. Loyola W, 4-0 april 27 vs. Seton Hall * (DH) W, 7-6, 1-0 April 28 at Valparaiso Canceled April 30 vs. Connecticut * (DH) W, 4-2, 9-1 (5 INN) May 1 vs. Connecticut * W, 2-1 May 4 vs. Northern Illinois W, 9-1 (5 INN) May 5 at Illinois W, 2-0 May 7 vs. USF * (DH) L, 4-2, W, 13-5 (6INN) May 8 vs. USF * W, FORFEIT BIG EAST Championship (Louisville, Ky.) May 13 Rutgers W, 5-2 May 14 Syracuse L, 2-0 NCAA Championship Missouri Regional (Columbia, Mo.) May 20 Indiana 4 p.m. May 21 Missouri/Illinois State TBA May Super Regionals (campus sites) TBA June 2-8 Women s College World Series TBA (Oklahoma City, Okla.) * BIG EAST Conference Opponent All times Central HOME GAMES at Cacciatore Stadium DePaul University Athletics Communications Office 2323 North Sheffield Ave. Chicago, Illinois Phone: (773) / Fax: (773) / Contact: Bob Sakamoto (rsakamot@depaul.edu) 2011 DePaul Blue Demon Softball DePaul Opens NCAA Regional Play vs. Indiana COLUMBIA, Mo. - DePaul (39-13) enters the NCAA regional having won 19 of its last 21 games... the Blue Demons won 16 in a row from April 9-May 5... this is the program s 16th overall appearance in the NCAA Championship tournament and 14th in the last 15 years... the Blue Demons have advanced to the Women s College World Series (WCWS) in 1999, 2000, 2005 and DePaul finished second in the BIG EAST with a 19-2 record behind Notre Dame (19-1)... the Blue Demons open up at the Missouri regional against Big Ten power Indiana (37-16). Rematch: in their best offensive game of the USF Tournament Feb , the Blue Demons knocked off Indiana 7-3 as Alex Morocco had three hits and two RBIs and Samantha Morgan hit a two-run triple to spearhead a 10-hit attack against Indiana ace Morgan Melloh and relief pitcher Jessica Dobson... Samantha Dodd went 2-for-4 against the Hoosiers... winning pitcher Bree Brown upped her record to 3-0 after giving up three runs on eight hits... DePaul topped USF on the final day to claim the tournament title. NCAA Count: DePaul is in 15 NCAA tournament appearances... the Blue Demons are 0-1 against Indiana in NCAA Championship play... DePaul is 3-1 against the host Tigers, having lost to Missouri 1-0 in the regionaltitle game in the Blue Demons have never faced Illinois State in the NCAA tournament. Postseason Success: DePaul has had quite a ride in the NCAA tournament in recent years... since 2005, the Blue Demons have either advanced to the WCWS or qualified for the regional finals in every year except 2006 and Return Trip: Coach Eugene Lenti s ballclub is returning to Columbia, Mo. for the third-straight year... DePaul fell just short of the regional title two years ago... in 2009, the Blue Demons opened with a 1-0 loss to Missouri Valley champion Bradley and rebounded with the 6-0 triumph over Illinois... DePaul knocked off Bradley in the rematch 2-1 before losing to the Tigers... last year, the Blue Demons defeated Creighton but lost twice to Illinois. May 17, 2011 THIS WEEK FOR THE BLUE DEMONS... NCAA Missouri Regional Friday, May 21 Game 1 Indiana (37-16) vs. DePaul (39-13) 4 p.m. Game 2 Illinois State (35-17) vs. Missouri (46-17) 6:30 p.m. Saturday, May 22 Game 3 Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2 12 p.m. Game 4 Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2 2:30 p.m. Game 5 Loser Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4 5 p.m. Sunday, May 23 Game 6 Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 5 1 p.m. Game 7 Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 6 (if necessary) 3 p.m. DEPAUL at a Glance Overall Record BIG EAST Record Home Record Away Record Neutral Site Record Batting Average Fielding Percentage Hits Hits allowed Runs Runs allowed Home runs...30 Home runs allowed...32 Stolen bases Stolen bases allowed...46 ERA Opponents ERA Strike outs Strike outs allowed DePaul at the NCAA Championship Championship Appearances...16 NCAA Championship Record Regional Champions... 4 Regional Finalist.. 9 (97,98,99,00,02,05,07,08, 09) Super Regionals...2 (05,07) Women s College World Series..4(99,00,05,07) Opening Round Games Against the host school in NCAA Play All-time vs. Opponent Missouri Indiana Illinois State All-time vs. Opponent at NCAA Championship Missouri Indiana Illinois State Missouri Regional Statistical Comparison Category Indiana DePaul Illinois State Missouri Record Average Hits Runs Home Runs RBI SB ERA K s BB E s

2 History Lesson: DePaul advanced to its first regional title game in 1997, losing 6-2 to host Iowa... the Blue Demons won their first regional title in 1999, defeating Michigan State 2-0 at Illinois- Chicago... they have won four regional titles and competed in nine regional title games. Hoosiers: Indiana (37-16) is batting.257 was holding its opponents to a.174 batting average... the Hoosiers have outscored teams and outhit them Indiana has 158 RBIs compared to 92 for its opposition... Sara Olson from Chicago s southwest suburban Sandburg High School leads the team in batting average at.338, home runs with eight and RBIs with Breanna Saucedo (.333) and Melloh (.322) are other top threats... Melloh is in the circle with a 1.62 ERA and 477 strikeouts in innings... she heads a pitching staff that has compiled a 1.63 ERA. Eye Of The Tiger: No. 8/4 Missouri (46-7) is batting.306 as a team while opponents are batting just the Tigers have 58 home runs and have outscored the opposition it all starts with Ashley Fleming who leads the team in batting at.372, home runs with 12 and RBIs with Rhea Taylor is batting.350 and has 34 stolen bases in 36 attempts... other top threats include Nicole Hudson (.342, 11 homers, 44 RBIs), Maddison Ruggeberg (.339), Jenna Marston (.338), Abby Vock (.326)... Missouri has eight players hitting.312 or higher... Chelsea Thomas, one of the 10 finalists for USA Softball s National Player of the Year, is with a 0.81 ERA and has 323 strikeouts in 208 innings... opponents are hitting just.145 against her... Kristin Nottelmann is 15-1 with a 1.51 ERA... the Tigers have a staff ERA of Redbirds Report: Illinois State (35-17) came to Cacciatore Stadium on April 12 and fell to DePaul the Blue Demons jumped out to a 6-0 lead behind the hitting of Kirsten Verdun, Lindsey Dean, Dodd, Alex Morocco, Brittney Yniguez, Lynsey Ciezki and Allie Braden... ISU pulled to within 7-6 in the top of the sixth thanks to home runs by Kara Nelson, Abby Olson and Caiti Kopp... Megan Coronado ended the suspense with a pinch-hit, three-run homer in the bottom of the sixth... Nelson leads the Redbirds batting.407 and is followed by Jhavon Hamilton (.358, 28 RBIs) and Liz Andrews (.338, 30 RBIs)... Elizabeth Kay has 14 home runs and 43 RBIs and Olson 14 home runs and 36 RBIs... Jordan Birch is 17-6 with a 2.89 ERA and Megan Warner is 14-6 with a 2.76 ERA... ISU has outhit opponents and outscored them Orange Alert: DePaul came up short against BIG EAST Championship titlist Syracuse, losing 2-0 in the BIG EAST tournament semifinals last Friday... the Orange scored twice in the first inning and rode the deceptive right arm of ace Jenna Caira, the BIG EAST Pitcher of the Year... the changeup specialist limited DePaul to two hits, although she walked four. For Openers: The Blue Demons knocked off Rutgers 5-2 in the first-round of the BIG EAST tournament... leading the way was junior third baseman Ciezki who was 2-for-3 with two RBIs and played spectacularly in the field... Dodd had a triple and two RBIs as winning pitcher Dean improved to DePaul is now 6-0 in BIG EAST Championship openers. Close Call: DePaul wound up in second place, a half-game behind first-place Notre Dame... the Blue Demons opened the last week of the regular season in grand style with a 9-1, five-inning defeat of in-state rival Northern Illinois... DePaul took full advantage of three NIU errors that translated into seven unearned runs... the rookies led the way offensively as Megan Coronado was 2-for-2 with one RBI and Allie Braden was 2-for-3 with a pair of runs scored... winning pitcher Lindsey Dean came through with a big two-run triple to help break this one open... Dean scattered eight hits over five innings and only allowed the one run... just 24 hours later, DePaul traveled to Champaign and faced another in-state rival---illinois... this was the same program that ended the Blue Demons season in 2010 in the NCAA regional at Columbia, Mo... Dean was masterful in her best pitching performance of the season, mixing her patented changeup with a crisp outside drop ball... the senior righthander shut down a power-hitting Illini attack on three hits and had the backup of some superb plays by shortstop Brittney Yniguez and outfielders Samantha Dodd, Alex Morocco and Sean Plese... Dean and Morocco each went 2-for-4 and Braden came through with both RBIs... Illinois had come into the game recognized as one of the top power-hitting teams in the Midwest. Showdown: Hopes for a third-straight, regular-season title took a huge hit on May 7 when USF snapped DePaul s 16-game winning streak by a 4-2 score... the steady DePaul defense made two costly errors that led to a four-run third inning for the Bulls... Dean only gave up two hits in four innings and Bree Brown struck out seven of the 11 batters she faced in relief... Sean Plese had two of the five hits DePaul mustered against USF ace Sara Nevins... game two was quite a turnaround as the Blue Demons bashed USF pitching for 14 hits in a 13-5, six-inning victory... Plese was 4-for-5 and Morocco went 3-for-4 and they combined to score six runs... Kirsten Verdun smashed a two-run home run while Dean and Samantha Dodd each had a pair of RBIs... Verdun was the winning pitcher in relief and Brown came on to strike out four... that gave the Texas right-hander 11 strikeouts in five innings of the doubleheader... DePaul was granted a forfeit win by the umpires in the series finale. Recogniton: Verdun was selected as BIG EAST Rookie of the Year and was also named All-BIG EAST First Team... Morocco and Megan Coronado were chosen All-BIG EAST Second Team... Plese, Braden and Dodd were selected All-BIG EAST Third Team. Sweet 16: The season-high winning streak reached 16 after DePaul s 2-0 victory over Illinois... that was the longest winning streak for the Blue Demons since the 2007 team won 20 in a row--- which at the time was the nation s longest... DePaul has hit.354 during its 16-game winning streak and outscored teams the Blue Demons have made just four errors in those 16 games compared to 30 for their opponents... that has translated into DePaul giving up two unearned runs and being the beneficiary of 32 unearned runs... among the regulars, Coronado has hit.478 and Braden Ciezki has hit.422 and she is followed by Morocco (.390), Verdun (.364), Samantha Dodd (.351), Dean (.327) and Dodd (.326)... in the pitching circle, Dean is 6-0 with three saves during the winning streak with a 0.97 earned-run average... Verdun is 9-0 with a 3.20 ERA and Bree Brown is Dean extended her hitting streak to six games against the Illini while Ciezki and Coronado have hit safely in their last four games. DEPAUL TEAM LEADERS Batting average 1. Sean Plese Alex Morocco Samantha Dodd Sarah Shizas Kirsten Verdun Runs scored 1. Alex Morocco Kirsten Verdun Samantha Dodd Sean Plese Lynsey Ciezki Doubles 1. Samantha Dodd Lynsey Ciezki Megan Coronado tied at...5 Total bases 1. Kirsten Verdun Samantha Dodd Alex Morocco Lynsey Ciezki Allie Braden Sacrifice bunts 1. Brittney Yniguez Sean Plese Lynsey Ciezki Alex Morocco tied at...3 Hits 1. Alex Morocco Samantha Dodd Kirsten Verdun Sean Plese Lynsey Ciezki Triples 1. Alex Morocco tied at...1 Walks 1. Kirsten Verdun Brittney Yniguez Alex Morocco Lynsey Ciezki Marla Mathews RBIs 1. Kirsten Verdun Samantha Dodd Alex Morocco Lindsey Dean Lynsey Ciezki Home runs 1. Kirsten Verdun Samantha Dodd Katelyn Braget Marla Mathews Megan Coronado...2 Stolen bases 1. Alex Morocco Samantha Dodd Allie Braden...6 Lynsey Ciezki Sarah Shizas...5 Pinch hits 1. Megan Coronado Lindsey Dean Katelyn Braget...1 Ali Warren...1 Allie Braden...1 Wins 1. Kirsten Verdun Lindsey Dean Bree Brown in a Row: Going 6-0 April 26-May 1 extended DePaul s winning streak to a season-high 14 in a row... that s the longest winning streak since 2007 when the Blue Demons won 20 in a row... DePaul has outhit opponents during the streak and outscored them in that time, the Blue Demons have only made two errors compared to 24 for their opponents.

3 Busy Week: DePaul blanked Loyola-Chicago 6-0 on April 26 as Kirsten Verdun pitched a fivehitter with eight strikeouts... the next day in front of a Field Trip Day Cacciatore Stadium crowd of 1,025, the Blue Demons swept Seton Hall 7-6, Lynsey Ciezki had four hits and two RBIs in the opener while Lindsey Dean pitched a one-hitter with nine strikeouts in game two... DePaul then swept a three-game series from Connecticut... Verdun became a 20-game winner in leading the Blue Demons to a 4-2 win... game two saw DePaul erupt for a 9-1 victory in five innings as Allie Braden had three hits and Samantha Dodd a home run... a sparkling defense led by Brittney Yniguez accounted for a 2-1 win in the series finale. Rally at Rutgers: Trailing 9-7 with three outs to go, Marla Mathews slugged a game-tying home run in the seventh inning and Dodd a game-winning three-run shot in the 10th for a victory over the Scarlet Knights on Good Friday... DePaul won the opener the Blue Demons had 24 runs and 28 hits in the doubleheader with a season-high 18 hits in game two. Crooked Numbers: After sweeping Pittsburgh 6-2, 7-2 on April 14, DePaul has scored 83 runs in its last 10 games... Bree Brown had two saves and a win along with 16 strikeouts in 8.1 innings... Verdun was 3-for-5 in the doubleheader with four RBIs and Morocco was 5-for-8 with four runs... Dean hit a grand slam home run in the nightcap and was 3-for-8 with five RBIs on the day... Megan Coronado s three-run blast highlighted a 10-6 win over Illinois State on April 12. Blue Demon Bash: DePaul pounded out 16 hits in the opener of a 10-3, 7-4, 12-2 (five innings) series sweep of Villanova April Dodd went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and Verdun smashed a two-run home run... Dean also had three hits... Dodd and Braden each had two hits in the 7-4 win... in the finale, Dodd went 3-for-3 while Verdun blasted a grand slam to highlight an eightrun fifth inning... Dodd hit.714 in the series... earlier in the week, DePaul fell to Northwestern 6-5 despite Sean Plese s three hits and three runs and Dodd s two hits and two RBIs. Bat Attack: In a 14-game stretch beginning April 2nd, DePaul scored 103 runs and had 140 hits... among the regulars, Braden batted.486 in that span followed by Coronado (.444), Ciezki (.436), Morocco (.400), Verdun (.395, 17 RBIs), Dodd (.392, 16 RBIs), Plese (.333) and Dean (.310). Cardinal Sin: That would be errors, and the Blue Demons committed eight of them in 2-1, 13-2 losses to Louisville at the March 30 debut of the new Cacciatore Stadium... Verdun was victimized by a pair of unearned runs in the opener and the Cardinals scored eight runs in the fourth inning of the nightcap... DePaul bounced back with a three-game sweep of St. John s April 2-3, outscoring the Red Storm Katelyn Braget s two-run homer highlighted a 12-2, fiveinning win in the series opener... Dean had two hits and two RBIs in a 7-2 victory... Dodd, Braget and Verdun each blasted solo home runs in a 7-0 win to close out the series... Verdun won all three games while Morocco batted.615 and Plese.600. National Honor: Morocco was named a Capital One Academic All-District First Team softball player in a recognition program coordinated by CoSIDA... Morocco will now have her name placed on a ballot for the Capital One All-America Team... Morocco was also the recipient of the American Eagle Outfitters BIG EAST Conference Institutional Scholar Athlete Award. First Class: Morocco has been chosen as a national finalist for the Lowe s Senior CLASS Award recognizing softball players for excellence on the field, in the classroom and community service... she was All-BIG EAST First Team, is a captain for 2011, a mentor for younger players and is also on Captains Council... Morocco has participated in Making Strides Against Breast Cancer for four years and was a Misericordia Heart of Mercy fundraiser and hospital volunteer... she participates in DePaul s Voice For Animals and is a volunteer for Adults with Mental Disabilities... she has also received the BIG EAST Conference s American Eagle Outfitters BIG EAST Institutional Scholar-Athlete Award. Accolade: Verdun was chosen BIG EAST Conference Pitcher of the Week Feb. 21 after going 3-0 at USF with a 1.22 ERA and 21 strikeouts in 23 innings... it was the freshman s first league honor of her career... Morocco was named to the Honor Roll after batting.389 at USF with a double, triple and four RBIs. Singled Out: Verdun was credited with having one of the BIG EAST Conference s top performances Feb. 28-March 6 in being named to the league s Honor Roll March 7... it was her second weekly award... one week later, Verdun was a repeat selection for the BIG EAST Honor Roll after going 2-0 with a save and 0.98 ERA in the Saluki Invitational at SIU... her third Honor Roll selection came on April 4 after going 3-1 with a 0.35 ERA and winning every game of a three-game set against St. John s... Verdun (.625, four RBIs, four runs, 2-0 in the circle) made her fourth Honor Roll on April 18 and was joined by Brown (1-0, two saves, 16 strikeouts in 8.1 innings)... it was Brown s first BIG EAST weekly award... Dodd was named to the BIG EAST Conference Honor Roll April 11 after batting.714 (10-for-14) with one home run, seven RBIs, six runs and three doubles in four games... it was Dodd s first weekly BIG EAST honor. Dean s List: Dean was chosen for the Honor Roll on April 25th after going 1-0 with one save and a 0.78 ERA at Rutgers... the senior right-hander repeated the honor the following week after going 2-0 with a 0.57 ERA... she gave up just one run and four hits with 13 strikeouts and four walks in 12.1 innings... she helped lead the Blue Demons to a 6-0 week... Dean made it three in a row on May 9, being named to the Honor Roll again... she was 2-1 with a 1.50 ERA with just four earned runs in 18.2 innings... Dean had 10 strikeouts as DePaul went 4-1. First-Timers: Freshman Braden was selected for the Honor Roll for the first time in her collegiate career on May 2... Braden keyed an undefeated week by batting.538 in going 7-for she had a triple, a run scored and finished the week with six RBIs... Sean Plese notched her first BIG EAST award of the season on May 9, joining Dean on the Honor Roll... the senior rightfielder from Plainfield, Ill. was 7-for-13 (.538) with four runs and an RBI. USA Today/NFCA Top 25 Rank Team Record Prv. 1 Arizona St. (29) Michigan (1) Florida Alabama Tennessee Texas California Missouri Georgia Arizona Stanford Oregon Oklahoma UCLA Washington Nebraska Baylor Texas A&M Georgia Tech LSU Auburn Oklahoma St Kentucky Notre Dame Louisiana-Lafayette (First-place votes in parentheses) Receiving votes: Syracuse 15, Indiana 7, Pacific (CA) 7, Tulsa 4, East Carolina 2, New Mexico St 2, BYU 1, Texas Tech opponents in bold ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25 1 Arizona State (20) Michigan Alabama Missouri T5 California T5 Florida Tennessee Georgia Texas Arizona Oregon T12 Oklahoma T12 Stanford Washington Baylor UCLA Texas A&M Georgia Tech Notre Dame Nebraska Kentucky LSU Auburn ULL Oklahoma State (First-place votes in parentheses) Receiving votes: Syracuse (25); Tulsa (13); Houston (9); Indiana (7); BYU (6); North Carolina (6); Maryland (5); Fordham (2); New Mexico State (1); Texas Tech (1); Longwood (1) 2011 opponents in bold Weekly Award: DePaul was a multiple winner in the BIG EAST weekly awards four times this season... Verdun and Morocco were honored on Feb Verdun and Brown made the Honor Roll on April Braden and Dean were both named to the Honor Roll on May 2... it was Braden s first BIG EAST award after she batted.538 with six RBIs... this was Dean s second appearance on the Honor Roll after going 2-0 with one save an a 0.57 ERA... Dean and Plese

4 2011 DE PAUL BLUE DEMON ROSTER & QUICK HIT NOTES No. Name Pos. B-T Ht. Yr. Hometown (HighSchool/Last School) Quick Hit Notes 1 Brittney Yniguez SS R/R 5-6 Sr. Fontana, Calif. (Fontana HS) Reliable shortstop anchors the nation s No. 4 defense 3 Sean Plese OF L/R 5-8 Sr. Plainfield, Ill. (Joliet West HS) Leads Blue Demons in batting average at Mackenzie Madigan C R/R 5-5 Fr. St. Louis, Mo. (Oakville HS) Appeared in 18 games and has scored seven runs 6 Hannah Penna P L/L 5-10 Fr. Miami,Fla (Southwest Miami HS) Hard ground ball brought home winning run vs. No. 22 Ohio State 7 Kirsten Verdun P R/R 5-9 Sr. Coal City, Ill. (Coal City HS) Leads team home runs (11), RBIs (42), walks (47), wins (22) 8 Megan Coronado 1B L/L 5-4 Fr. Pearland, Texas (Pearland HS) Hit.700 as pinch-hitter with two pinch-hit home runs 9 Lynsey Ciezki 3B L/R 5-3 Jr. Medinah, Ill. (Lake Park HS) Holds the school single-season record with 25 sacrifice hits (2009) 10 Lindsey Dean P R/R 5-8 Sr. Camarillo, Calif. (Adolfo Camarillo HS) Having a career year in the circle, going 10-6 with a 1.80 ERA 13 Allie Braden 2B L/R 5-3 Sr. Chino, Calif. (Chino HS) Had three-hit games vs. Florida International and Villanova 15 Katelyn Braget OF R/R 5-6 Jr. Homer Glen, Ill. (Lockport HS) Smacked home runs vs. Nevada, Rutgers and St. John s twice 18 Sarah Shizas C R/R 5-5 Sr. Manhattan, Ill. (Lincoln-Way Central HS) Prowess behind the plate solidfied defense in her 27 starts 21 Samantha Dodd OF L/L 5-4 So. Fontana, Calif. (Miller HS) Second on the team in home runs (five) and RBIs (32) 25 Marla Mathews C R/R 5-7 Jr. Thousand Oaks, Calif. (Thousand Oaks HS) Had HR and five RBIs vs. Memphis; HR vs. Oklahoma, Rutgers 27 Bree Brown P R/R 5-4 So. Spring, Texas (Klein Oak HS) Combined with Verdun for no-hitter against Boston College 33 Alex Morocco OF L/R 5-4 Sr. River Forest, Ill. (Oak Park River Forest HS) Leads team in hits (67), runs (37), second in batting average (.399) 44 Ali Warren UT R/R 5-9 So. Spokane, Wash. (University HS) Had a hit, RBI, walk, two runs, two stolen bases vs. Indiana Head Coach: Eugene Lenti (30th season) Assistant Coaches: Liz Jagielski (seventh season), Nancy Evans (first season) Director of Softball Operations: Samantha Findlay (first season) were chosen for the Honor Roll on May 9th. Verdun s Verdict: Verdun hit a pair of home runs, drove in four runs and pitched a four-hit shutout in leading DePaul to 3-0 and 6-3 wins over Providence March after a 4-1 loss at Providence in the second game of the March 26 doubleheader, the Blue Demon seniors called a team meeting... DePaul responded with six runs and nine hits among eight players...verdun hit.375 in the series. Classic Challenge: The Blue Demons were 0-5 against the NCAA softball elite March at the prestigious Judi Garman Classic in Fullerton, Calif... spotting No. 9/8 Oklahoma a 3-0 lead, DePaul rallied with single runs in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings highlighted by a Marla Mathews home run... the Sooners came away with a 4-3 win in eight innings... No. 12/14 Texas scored six runs in the first inning en route to an 11-3 win over the Blue Demons... DePaul fell behind New Mexico 3-0 and wound up losing pitcher Lindsey Dean didn t give up an earned run in four relief innings... Dean went six innings and only gave up two runs, but the Blue Demons fell to Long Beach State No. 7/7 Arizona jumped out to a 4-0 lead and came away with a 7-1 victory over DePaul... after committing just three errors in their first 17 games, the Blue Demons made eight in five games at the Judi Garman Classic. Titlist 3: Claiming their third title of the season, the Blue Demons went 4-0 in capturing the Saluki Invitational March in Carbondale, Ill... Bree Brown and Kirsten Verdun tossed back-to-back three-hit shutouts in a 6-0 victory over Illinois-Chicago followed by a 3-0 win over Southern Illinois... in a 3-2 decision over UIC, Katelyn Braget had two hits and two RBIs while Alex Morocco had three hits and two runs... Samantha Dodd had two hits and three RBIs while Megan Coronado smashed her first collegiate home run in a 5-4 victory over SIU. Titlist 2: Two home runs in the bottom of the seventh inning earned DePaul the title at the March 4-6 Wolf Pack Classic in Reno, Nev... the Blue Demons trailed 2-0 with one out when Verdun tied the game with one swing... with two outs, Braget hit the game-winning homer... earlier on that Saturday, Verdun (five innings) and Brown had combined for the first no-hitter of the season... in the 8-0 win over Boston College, Verdun was 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs... Coronado s two-run, pinch-hit single led DePaul past Boston College 7-5 in the opener... Lynsey Ciezki hit.600 and scored four runs in helping DePaul go 3-0 in Nevada... Morocco batted.545 and Dodd Braget wound up hitting.400 and Verdun in the circle, Verdun was 2-0 with a save while posting a 1.08 ERA. Titlist 1: Timely hitting was the reason DePaul captured the USF Tournament title Feb with a 4-1 record... Morocco had one hit (triple) and two RBIs in a 3-2 victory over Mississippi... Verdun limited the Rebels to three hits... in their best offensive game of the tournament, the Blue Demons knocked off Indiana 7-3 as Morocco had three hits and two RBIs and Samantha Morgan hit a two-run triple... Dodd went 2-for-4 against the Hoosiers... winning pitcher Brown upped her record to Verdun went eight innings and scattered six hits in a 1-0 victory over Alabama-Birmingham... pinch-hitter Lindsey Dean drove in the game-winner with a single in the bottom of the eighth... DePaul gave up six runs in the final three innings of a 9-3 loss to Fordham... after spotting Fordham a 3-0 first-inning lead, the Blue Demons battled back to tie it 3-3 after three innings... Brown highlighted the comeback with a two-run home run... with the tournament title on the line, DePaul defeated tournament host USF 4-2 thanks to a three-run fifth inning... Morocco and Ciezki each had two hits while Verdun limited the Bulls to six hits. Season Opener: After a month of practicing indoors at McGrath Arena, the Blue Demons welcomed the feel of infield dirt Feb at the FIU Combat Classic at Florida International in Miami... they went from subzero temperatures in Chicago to 80 degrees and Florida sunshine... DePaul opened the season with a 3-0 victory over North Florida as Verdun fired a one-hitter in her collegiate debut and helped her own cause with a two-run homer... Verdun had a no-hitter going until the fifth inning... Morocco was 2-for-3 and scored a run, as did Verdun and Ciezki (1-for-2, RBI)... freshman Braden got her first collegiate hit in her first college start... freshman Megan Coronado got her first college start... game two saw the Blue Demons fall behind Memphis 3-0, only to rally behind the clutch hitting of Marla Mathews... the junior catcher blasted a three-run homer and came through with a careerhigh five RBIs in DePaul s 6-5 comeback triumph... foreshadowing a terrific performance in the next game, Dodd went 2-for-3... Sean Plese was 1-for-2 and scored twice... game three saw Dodd go 3-for-4 with a two-run homer, two runs and two RBIs in a 6-4 victory over 2010 NCAA tournament qualifier Florida International... Braden had a breakout game going 3-for-4 with the first multi-hit game of her college career while also scoring two runs---another collegiate first... Verdun pitched three innings of relief in picking up a save, allowing one run and three hits... Brown was the winning pitcher... Coronado was 1-for-2 and picked up her first collegiate RBI... game four at the Combat Classic saw the Blue Demons take a 3-1 lead into the last inning, only to have 2010 NCAA tournament qualifier Kentucky rally for two runs in the top of the seventh and three more in the eighth for a 6-3 DePaul loss... Verdun s two-run home run---her second homer of the season---helped stake her team to the 3-1 lead...katelyn Braget went 2-for-3... morning rain delays pushed back the tournament games and DePaul didn t get back to its hotel until nearly 1 a.m... the Blue Demons were back on the field for warm-ups about seven hours later to face No. 22/24 Ohio State... behind stellar relief pitching from senior Lindsey Dean, DePaul overcame deficits twice to upset the Buckeyes 5-4 in eight innings... Dean pitched five innings and didn t give up an earned run while striking out five... Ohio State s lone tally against her came in the eighth courtesy of the international tie-breaker rule... the Blue Demons scored twice in the eighth on Dodd s RBI double and Hannah Penna s hard grounder that handcuffed the Buckeye second baseman for an error that scored Dodd... Coronado was 2-for-3 with her first multi-hit game, Braden 2-for-4 with two runs and Dodd 2-for-4 with one run and one RBI. BIG EAST Numbers: In conference play, DePaul finished No. 1 in defense and third in team ERA... the Blue Demons were first in walks, second in runs, and third in batting average, RBIs and hits... Verdun was first in walks, second in RBIs, tied for second in home runs... Yniguez anjd Plese were tied for first in sacrifice bunts... Morocco was tied for third in runs... in the circle, Dean was tied for first in saves and second in ERA... Verdun was second in wins... in all games, DePaul ranked No. 1 on defense and second in walks... Morocco was second in hits and third in batting average... Verdun led the BIG EAST in walks, was second in on-base percentage and third in wins. Winning: DePaul outhit opponents and outscored them in an eight-game winning streak Feb. 20-March DePaul had a advantage in hits... Sean Plese hit.800 during the streak with Morocco and Dean at Verdun hit.400, Ciezki.391, Braget and Ali Warren.333, Dodd.308, Coronado Verdun had seven RBIs and Dodd five while Morocco had 15 hits... Ciezki scored seven runs and Morocco six... in the circle,verdun was 5-0 with two saves and a 1.22 ERA... Brown was 2-0, 2.25 ERA and 27 strikeouts in 18.2 innings... Dean was 1-0, 2.33 ERA... DePaul made just one error. Defense Never Rests: The biggest reason DePaul had gotten off to a 15-2 start was a defense that made just about all the routine plays along with some web gems... in 17 games, the Blue Demons only committed three errors in 505 chances and were error-less in 14 games... DePaul mishandled the ball only three times out of 505 chances... in contrast, Blue Demon opponents committed 22 errors that led to 21 unearned runs. Three Decades: Coach Lenti is in his 30th season heading up the Blue Demon program, and the Hall of Famer has amassed an impressive career record of 1, heading into the 2011 campaign... Lenti has led DePaul to the NCAA tournament in 13 of the last 14 years, four times qualifying for the Women s College World Series... in the last four seasons, the Blue Demons have won either a BIG EAST regular-season title or BIG EAST Conference Championship tournament title... three of the last four years, Lenti and his assistant coaches have been honored as the BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year.

5 2011 DePaul Blue Demons Alphabetical Roster 13 Allie Braden 2B L/R 5-3 Fr. Chino, Calif. (Chino HS) 15 Katelyn Braget OF R/R 5-6 Jr. Homer Glen, Ill. (Lockport HS) 27 Bree Brown P R/R 5-4 So. Spring, Texas (Klein Oak HS) 9 Lynsey Ciezki 3B L/R 5-3 Jr. Medinah, Ill. (Lake Park HS) 8 Megan Coronado OF-1B L/L 5-4 Fr. Pearland, Texas (Pearland HS) 10 Lindsey Dean P R/R 5-8 Sr. Camarillo, Calif. (Adolfo Camarillo HS) 21 Samantha Dodd OF L/L 5-4 So. Fontana, Calif. (Miller) 4 Mackenzie Madigan C R/R 5-5 Fr. St. Louis, Mo. (Oakville HS) 25 Marla Mathews C R/R 5-7 Jr. Thousand Oaks, Calif. (Thousand Oaks HS) 33 Alex Morocco OF L/R 5-4 Sr. River Forest, Ill. (Oak Park River Forest HS) 6 Hannah Penna P R/R 5-10 Fr. Miami, Fla. (Southwest Miami HS) 3 Sean Plese OF L/R 5-8 Sr. Plainfield, Ill. (Joliet West HS) 18 Sarah Shizas C-OF R/R 5-5 Sr. Manhattan, Ill. (Lincoln Way Central HS) 7 Kirsten Verdun P-1B L/L 5-9 Fr. Coal City, Ill. (Coal City HS) 44 Ali Warren 3B-C R/R 5-9 So. Spokane, Wash. (University HS) 1 Brittney Yniguez SS R/R 5-6 Sr. Fontana, Calif. (Fontana HS) Coaches Head Coach: Eugene Lenti Assistant Coach: Liz Jagielski Assistant Coach: Nancy Evans Director of Softball Operations: Samantha Findlay 2011 DePaul Blue Demons Softball Roster Numerical Roster No. Name Pos. B-T Ht. Yr. Hometown (HighSchool/ Last School) 1 Brittney Yniguez SS R/R 5-6 Sr. Fontana, Calif. (Fontana HS) 3 Sean Plese OF L/R 5-8 Sr. Plainfield, Ill. (Joliet West HS) 4 Mackenzie Madigan C R/R 5-5 Fr. St. Louis, Mo. (Oakville HS) 6 Hannah Penna P R/R 5-10 Fr. Miami, Fla. (Southwest Miami HS) 7 Kirsten Verdun P-1B L/L 5-9 Fr. Coal City, Ill. (Coal City HS) 8 Megan Coronado OF-1B L/L 5-4 Fr. Pearland, Texas (Pearland HS) 9 Lynsey Ciezki 3B L/R 5-3 Jr. Medinah, Ill. (Lake Park HS) 10 Lindsey Dean P R/R 5-8 Sr. Camarillo, Calif. (Adolfo Camarillo HS) 13 Allie Braden 2B L/R 5-3 Fr. Chino, Calif. (Chino HS) 15 Katelyn Braget OF R/R 5-6 Jr. Homer Glen, Ill. (Lockport HS) 18 Sarah Shizas C-OF R/R 5-5 Sr. Manhattan, Ill. (Lincoln Way Central HS) 21 Samantha Dodd OF L/L 5-4 So. Fontana, Calif. (Miller) 25 Marla Mathews C R/R 5-7 Jr. Thousand Oaks, Calif. (Thousand Oaks HS) 27 Bree Brown P R/R 5-4 So. Spring, Texas (Klein Oak) 33 Alex Morocco OF L/R 5-4 Sr. River Forest, Ill. (Oak Park River Forest HS) 44 Ali Warren 3B-C R/R 5-9 So. Spokane, Wash. (University HS)

6 DePaul Blue Demons Overall Statistics for DePaul (as of May 13, 2011) (All games Sorted by Batting avg) Record: Home: 13-3 Away: 15-2 Neutral: 11-8 BIG EAST: 19-2 Player avg gp-gs ab r h 2b 3b hr rbi tb slg% bb hp so gdp ob% sf sh sb-att po a e fld% PLESE, Sean MOROCCO, Alex DODD, Samantha SHIZAS, Sarah VERDUN, Kirsten BRADEN, Allie CORONADO, Megan CIEZKI, Lynsey DEAN, Lindsey BRAGET, Katelyn WARREN, Ali YNIGUEZ, Brittney MATHEWS, Marla MORGAN, Samantha BROWN, Bree PENNA, Hannah MADIGAN, Mackenzie Totals Opponents LOB - Team (369), Opp (300). DPs turned - Team (6), Opp (20). TPs turned - Team (0), Opp (1). IBB - Team (2), MOROCCO 1, VERDUN 1, Opp (1). Picked off - YNIGUEZ 1. (All games Sorted by Earned run avg) Player era w-l app gs cg sho sv ip h r er bb so 2b 3b hr b/avg wp hp bk sfa sha DEAN, Lindsey / VERDUN, Kirsten / BROWN, Bree / PENNA, Hannah / Totals / Opponents / PB - Team (13), MATHEWS 9, SHIZAS 3, MADIGAN 1, Opp (16). Pickoffs - Team (1), MATHEWS 1, Opp (1). SBA/ATT - SHIZAS (27-30), VERDUN (22-25), MATHEWS (15-19), DEAN (14-19), BROWN (10-11), WARREN (4-5).

7 DePaul Blue Demons Overall Statistics for DePaul (as of May 13, 2011) (All games Sorted by Fielding pct) Player c po a e fld% dp sba csb sba% pb ci VERDUN, Kirsten MORGAN, Samantha PLESE, Sean WARREN, Ali MADIGAN, Mackenzie PENNA, Hannah MATHEWS, Marla SHIZAS, Sarah CIEZKI, Lynsey CORONADO, Megan DODD, Samantha MOROCCO, Alex BRAGET, Katelyn BROWN, Bree BRADEN, Allie YNIGUEZ, Brittney DEAN, Lindsey Totals Opponents

8 Feb. 18, 2011 For Immediate Release DePaul Athletics NCAA Softball Release Contact: Bob Sakamoto (773/ ) Morocco & Morgan Spark No. 25 DePaul Blue Demons Early Outburst Too Much for Indiana CLEARWATER, Fla. - Alex Morocco was ready for a break from the drama and tension of a one-run game. Taking matters into her own capable hands, the senior leadoff batter had three hits and two RBIs in sparking No. 25 DePaul to a 7-3 victory over Indiana Friday night at the USF Tournament. DePaul (6-1) had won three of its first six games this season by that narrowest of margins. This time, it would be different. The Blue Demons jumped on highly regarded Indiana starter Morgan Melloh for three runs in the second inning and scored four more in the third off Melloh and relief pitcher Jessica Dobson as Indiana fell to 3-4. Alex Morocco was 3-for-5 with two RBIs and a stolen base in Friday's 7-3 victory over Indiana. "It was great to score seven runs early," said Morocco, who also had a two-run triple in DePaul's 3-2 victory over Mississippi earlier on Friday. "That took a lot of pressure off our defense and Bree (starting pitcher Bree Brown). "I didn't think. I just went up there looking to swing. I had taken too many strikes in the first five games." Brittney Yniguez walked and Allie Braden singled in the top of the second. Ali Warren came through in her first start of the season with an RBI single. Lynsey Ciezki's groundout scored Braden and Morocco's single brought in Warren to make it 3-0. An inning later, Kirsten Verdun and Yniguez both walked and came hustling around on Samantha Morgan's first hit of the season---a triple down the left-field line. "Sam isn't our fastest player, so we were all laughing and enjoying watching her run all the way to third," Morocco said. "It was an awesome hit."

9 Pinch-runner Brown scored on an error and another Morocco hit sent Warren home. "We left a lot of runners on base and couldn't score when we had opportunities in the later innings," said DePaul coach Eugene Lenti. "I guess we got a little complacent once we got ahead 7-0. "Then again, we did score seven runs off of quality pitching. And, Bree looked better today." Brown had won two games at last weekend's FIU Combat Classic in Miami, but had given up 11 runs, 19 hits and three home runs in 14 innings. On Friday, Brown (3-0) gave up three runs and scattered eight hits with five strikeouts and no walks. She was the beneficiary of her team's 10-hit offensive. Lenti lauded Marla Mathews' game-winning RBI single in the top of the eighth inning against Mississippi along with Morocco's triple. "Those were key hits by key players," Lenti said. "Last week, it was the freshmen who had many of the big hits. Today, it was the older kids." Next up for Lenti & Co. is a 2 p.m. matchup against Alabama-Birmingham. NOTES: DePaul was the only team in the tournament field to go 2-0 on Friday... Indiana, Mississippi, Fordham and Alabama-Birmingham all went 1-1 and host USF was the Blue Demons can clinch the tournament title with wins over UAB and Fordham on Saturday... along with Morocco's three hits against Indiana, Samantha Dodd had a pair of hits and Verdun (double), Yniguez, Braden, Morgan and Warren each had one hit... Yniguez and Warren each scored twice... it was quite a day for Warren as the sophomore catcher registered her first hit, run, RBI and stolen base during her first start of the season... Morgan picked up her first hit and RBI... Brown scored her first run of on the day, Morocco was 4-for-8 with four RBIs, a triple, double and stolen base... she is now 5-for-5 in stolen bases... Yniguez scored three runs in the two games... Dodd leads the team with a.400 batting average followed by Katelyn Braget (.364), Morocco (.346) and Allie Braden, Sean Plese and Warren at Dodd's 10 hits are tops and Morocco is second with nine... Mathews leads in RBIs with six and Verdun has five... Morocco has a five-game hitting streak and has gone hitless just once this season... Lindsey Dean is 1-0 with a 0.00 earned run average... Verdun is 2-1 with a 2.77 ERA and Brown is 3-0 with a 6.00 ERA.

10 Bob Sakamoto Athletics Communications DePaul University 2323 N. Sheffield Ave. Chicago, Illinois Phone: (773) Fax: (773)

11 The Automated ScoreBook #25 DePaul vs Indiana Feb 18, 2011 at Clearwater, Fla. (E.C. Moore Complex) DePaul 7 (6-1) Indiana 3 (3-4) Player ab r h rbi bb so po a lob MOROCCO, Alex cf CORONADO, Megan rf VERDUN, Kirsten 1b DODD, Samantha lf YNIGUEZ, Brittney ss BRADEN, Allie 2b MORGAN, Samantha dh WARREN, Ali c CIEZKI, Lynsey 3b PENNA, Hannah ph BROWN, Bree p/pr Totals Player ab r h rbi bb so po a lob Saucedo ss Callanan rf Stander rf Abraham lf Nelson, H. lf Olson, S. dh Brannon pr Gogreve, C. c Wagner 3b Gogreve, S. 2b Murphy 1b Warrum ph Heyman cf Melloh p Dobson p Totals Score by Innings R H E DePaul Indiana E - Saucedo(4); Gogreve, S.(4). DP - DePaul 1. LOB - DePaul 12; Indiana 5. 2B - MOROCCO; VERDUN; Gogreve, S.(2). 3B - MORGAN. HR - Olson, S.(2). HBP - Murphy. SH - DODD. SB - MOROCCO; WARREN 2; Saucedo(2); Heyman(1). DePaul ip h r er bb so ab bf BROWN, Bree Indiana ip h r er bb so ab bf Melloh Dobson Win - BROWN (3-0). Loss - Melloh (2-4). Save - None. HBP - by BROWN (Murphy). Umpires - Start: 9:25pm Time: 2:12 Attendance: 77 Weather: Low 60s

12 April 12, 2011 For Immediate Release DePaul Athletics NCAA Softball Release Contact: Bob Sakamoto (773/ ) Carpe Diem Coronado Seizes the Moment Pinch Hitter s Three Run Homer Finishes Illinois State CHICAGO - Let's just call this "Megan's Moment," and admire how the plucky freshman pulled off a softball "carpe diem" on Tuesday. Coronado's three-run, pinch-hit home run set off a wild Cacciatore Stadium celebration and led DePaul to a 10-6 nonconference victory over Illinois State in a Wrigley-Fieldwind-blowing-out slugfest. The Blue Demons had a comfortable 7-1 lead heading into the top of the sixth inning when Abby Olson's two-run home run and Caiti Kopp's three-run homer made the home crowd a little nervous. In the bottom of the sixth, Lynsey Ciezki coaxed a two-out walk from Redbird pitcher Taylor Baxter and Brittney Yniguez followed with a single to center field. DePaul coach Eugene Lenti chose Coronado to bat for Allie Braden. "As a pinch-hitter, you're just waiting for the call," Coronado said. "You have to be ready in the dugout and ready all the time. "There's more momentum as a pinch-hitter. It's your one big at-bat, and you have to go hard." Coronado blasted a 2-and-2 inside fastball over the right-center field fence and then sat back and watched relief pitcher Bree Brown strike out the side in the seventh. Megan Coronado came through with a three-run home run in Tuesday's 10-6 victory over Illinois State. "No, I wasn't nervous," said Coronado, who is batting.778 (7-for-9) as a pinch-hitter this season. "We had been hitting all day. When two people got on, I knew we'd pull through." It was a Blue Demon offense that has scored 70 runs in the last eight games that carried the day again. DePaul (24-11) scored twice in the first inning on a Lindsey Dean RBI sacrifice and an Illinois State error. It was 6-0 after two innings thanks to Braden's RBI single, Dean's RBI walk and a two-run Samantha Dodd single. Kara Nelson's solo home run in the third inning put Illinois State (23-13) on the board. But Lenti & Co. got that right back with Lynsey Ciezki's RBI single in the fourth. After winning pitcher Kirsten Verdun (15-3) gave up the pair of home runs in the sixth, Brown was called upon to shut down the Redbirds. Brown struck out Shelby Music to end the sixth and whiffed three more in the seventh. "I wanted to finish the game off because I haven't been doing too well for our team this season," said Brown, who earned her first save. "I've been wanting to pick it up for us, and this was my chance.

13 "So long as we stayed ahead, I wasn't going to let them pass us up." Brown called upon her curveball for first-pitch strikes and then mowed the Redbirds down with her patented riseball. "Bree was awesome," Coronado said. "It was kind of like me. When Bree was called upon, she was ready to go." Make no mistake about it. When called upon in a pinch, Coronado and Brown were ready to seize the day. The Blue Demons return to BIG EAST Conference action on Thursday with a 10 a.m. doubleheader at Pittsburgh. NOTES: DePaul has scored 70 runs in its last eight games while going the Blue Demons have hit.393 as a team and outscored opponents Coronado is hitting.625 over the last eight games followed by Sean Plese (.571), Dodd (.560), Braden (.524), Verdun (.522), Dean (.389) and Alex Morocco (.346)... Verdun has 13 RBIs in eight games and Dodd has Plese's eight-game hitting streak came to an end Tuesday, but Dodd, Verdun and Braden have now hit safely in six-straight games... Verdun and Yniguez were 2-for-3 against ISU and Morocco was 2-for-5... Dodd, Ciezki, Coronado and Braden each had one hit... Coronado had three RBIs while Dean and Dodd each had a pair... the Blue Demons took advantage of six walks... on the season, Plese leads DePaul in batting average at.449 followed by Morocco (.391), Dodd (.366), Verdun (.348), Braden (.296) and Coronado (.264)... Morocco is tops in hits with Verdun leads in home runs (nine), RBIs (30), runs (22) and walks (29)... in the circle, Verdun is 15-3 with a 2.27 earned-run average while Dean is 4-4 with a 2.55 ERA... Brown is 5-4 with a 4.20 ERA. Bob Sakamoto Athletics Communications DePaul University 2323 N. Sheffield Ave. Chicago, Illinois Phone: (773) Fax: (773)

14 The Automated ScoreBook Illinois State at DePaul Apr 12, 2011 at Chicago, Ill. (Cacciatore Stadium) Illinois State 6 (23-13) DePaul 10 (24-11) Player ab r h rbi bb so po a lob Nelson,Kara 2b Kellar,L. lf Olson,Abby 3b Kay,E. c/1b Kopp,Caiti c Andrews,L. cf Canopy,L. 1b Bradley,S. ss Music,Shelby ph Roche,Jessic rf Hamilton,J. dp Warner,Megan p Baxter,T. p Totals Player ab r h rbi bb so po a lob MOROCCO, Alex cf PLESE, Sean rf VERDUN, Kirsten p BROWN, Bree p DEAN, Lindsey dp/ph DODD, Samantha lf BRAGET, Katelyn 1b CIEZKI, Lynsey 3b YNIGUEZ, Brittney ss BRADEN, Allie 2b CORONADO, Megan ph SHIZAS, Sarah c Totals Score by Innings R H E Illinois State DePaul X E - Nelson,Kara; Olson,Abby. LOB - ILS 10; DPU 9. 2B - Andrews,L.; YNIGUEZ. HR - Nelson,Kara; Olson,Abby; Kopp,Caiti; CORONADO. HBP - Andrews,L.. SH - DEAN; YNIGUEZ; SHIZAS. SB - MOROCCO. Illinois State ip h r er bb so ab bf Warner,Megan Baxter,T DePaul ip h r er bb so ab bf VERDUN, Kirsten BROWN, Bree Win - VERDUN (15-3). Loss - Warner,Megan (9-6). Save - BROWN (1). WP - Warner,Megan. HBP - by VERDUN (Andrews,L.). PB - SHIZAS. Umpires - HP: Eric Mandley 1B: Jeff Brice 3B: Steve Verive Start: 4:00 PM Time: 2:15 Attendance: 306 Weather: Sunny, temps upper 50s

15 ESPN.com - DePaul Dean has a reason to smile file://c:\documents and Settings\rsakamot\Desktop\Dean ESPN Story.htm Page 1 of 3 5/14/2011 ESPN.com: Colleges [Print without images] Wednesday, May 11, 2011 DePaul Dean has a reason to smile By Scott Powers CHICAGO Marlene Dean was ready to jump on the next flight out of Los Angeles to be with her daughter, Lindsey, in Chicago. Lindsey s jaw and chin had been shattered in four places and her lower Lindsey Dean suffered a painful injury last year, but she's finally recovered. gum had been torn open when a line drive smashed into the left side of her face during a DePaul softball practice last May. Surgery was required, and Marlene wanted to be there. Lindsey wasn t having it. She argued that the plane ticket was too expensive, and the trip wasn t worth all the hassle. Marlene expected no less from her daughter. Lindsey was treating the damage to her face like she had treated every injury in her life with indifference. The phone call we had was interesting, Marlene said. She was like, Don t fly out here. My roommates will drive me there. I ll be fine. Marlene discovered a few days later her daughter would be far from fine. After Lindsey s father, Geoff, put an end to the mother-daughter travel dispute, Marlene flew to Chicago to be with Lindsey. Marlene found her daughter to be in a slight discomfort due to her jaw being knocked loose, but it was manageable. Lindsey s real pain still lay ahead. Lindsey s surgery lasted about an hour. While she was knocked out, she had a titanium plate inserted into her chin, she had stitches and screws placed into her gum and her mouth was wired shut. Marlene was waiting for Lindsey when she returned to her room. In time, Lindsey awoke, and what Marlene saw she never expected. I ve seen her virtually cry a handful times in her life, Marlene said. She woke up with tears coming

16 ESPN.com - DePaul Dean has a reason to smile file://c:\documents and Settings\rsakamot\Desktop\Dean ESPN Story.htm Page 2 of 3 5/14/2011 down her face. I m going to cry now. It was awful. She was lying there and with all kinds of medication, morphine. She was still under, and she said, It hurts. It was dreadful after the surgery. I was taken off guard by that. She can withstand all types of pain. This pain was too much for Lindsey, and the following three weeks wouldn t get any better. The pain medication helped, but she never felt complete relief. She couldn t look at herself in a mirror either. She did it once, and it resulted in her not leaving the apartment for the next two weeks. With everything holding her face in place, she didn t look like herself anymore. It was not pretty, Dean said. I was fine, and I was like, I can do this. I looked in the mirror, and I m like, Oh, my gosh. I couldn t do any physical activity outside of walking. I wasn t getting much nutrition. I fed myself through a syringe in the back of my mouth. It was terrible. I lived on protein shakes and cream of chicken soup that I had to put in a blender just get it thin enough and mix it with water and whatever else I could blend. The physical pain was one problem, but there was also an emotional struggle that Dean was trying to deal with. Her DePaul teammates were playing in the NCAA tournament, and she wasn t going to be able to be there. She had surgery on a Thursday, and DePaul was to play that Friday. That was the biggest thing I wasn t happy about, said Dean, a right-handed pitcher. That was terrible. I watched it on Gametracker, but that s not the same. DePaul s season ended and her attention quickly turned to getting back to the team for her senior year. Dean returned to the doctor and had the wires removed. The nerves in her face slowly came back to life, and today her face is nearly 100 percent the same as it was pre-injury. As for Dean's return to the field, that was slow. She hadn t been active for nearly two months, and she had lost weight and muscle. She started with low doses of jogging and steadily added more cardio. She began eating normally again and got back into the weight room. She was feeling like her old self as the season approached. Dean made her official comeback in DePaul s fifth game of the season. She came in relief in the fourth inning of a 3-3 game against Ohio State and shut the door. She pitched five innings, allowing two hits and no earned runs and struck out five hitters to help DePaul pull out a win. The rest of Dean's season has followed suit. She s pitched as a starter and a reliever and compiled a 9-5 record with three saves. She has a 1.79 ERA and opponents have a.230 batting average against her. Offensively, she s contributed four doubles, one triple, one home run Dean has pitched as both a starter and reliever for the Blue Demons this season. and 19 RBIs for the Blue Demons, who are likely headed back to the NCAA tournament after a regular season.