Softball

APPLETON, Wis. — Anyone who watched Lawrence University softball star Amanda Jaskolski play this season knew she was one of NCAA Division III’s elite. The rest of the country agreed with Vikings nation.

Jaskolski (Shawano, Wis./Shawano) was named a first-team All-American by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association today. The senior shortstop is the first All-American in Lawrence softball history.

“When (Lawrence coach Kim Tatro) told me I could not believe it,” Jaskolski said. “As a softball player you always talk about the people who have been All-Americans and how they are idols for all of us, and now to be put in that group of people is an incredible honor. It’s beyond my wildest dreams for my softball career.”

This is the latest and greatest honor for Jaskolski, who was the Midwest Conference Player of the Year in 2014 and 2015. Jaskolski also earned first-team NFCA All-Great Lakes Region honors in each of the last two seasons.

“It has never been my goal to win any awards,” Jaskolski said. “My goals have always been to have fun, give my best and respect the game I’ve known and have loved since I was a little girl. As I get older I realize that the true All-Americans here are my parents for running me around the country to play this sport and for giving me unconditional support.

Jaskolski hit .462 on the season with 37 runs scored, 13 home runs and 46 runs batted in. Jaskolski led the Midwest Conference in on-base percentage at .573 and was first in RBIs, homers and walks and finished second in hits, slugging percentage and runs scored.

“Jazz is one of the most complete and gifted players we have had in our program,” Tatro said. “She is explosive at the plate in addition to being patient and smart, and she has one of the best gloves I’ve ever seen in 22 years at the college level on any team.”

Jaskolski decimated the Lawrence season records in 2015 by tying or setting six marks. Jaskolski’s 13 homers eclipsed the record of 12 set by Carli Gurholt in 2009, and her 46 RBIs topped Gurholt’s 2009 mark of 45. Jaskolski obliterated the total bases record with 104. The mark was 79, set by Jenny Burris in 2001 and matched by Gurholt in 2009.

Jaskolski’s 54 hits broke the record of 51 set by Burris in 2001, and she tied Burris’ record of 37 runs scored in 2001. Jaskolski also smashed the season walks record as teams consistently pitched around her. Jaskolski drew 31 walks, topping the mark of 22 held by Stephanie Ash (1992) and Kristynn Fields (1988).

With Jaskolski leading the way, Lawrence finished with a 28-12 record, tying the mark for the second-highest season win total in school history. The Vikings won the Midwest Conference’s North Division and finished second in the league tournament.

“There is no question that she is a game changer and deserves much credit for our success,” Tatro said. “When you couple her athletic ability with her leadership skills, competitive nature and humble attitude, you have greatness and that’s what she is. There is no question that she is deserving of this award and we are so proud of her.”

Jaskolski is the first Lawrence All-American in any sport since Ryan Kroeger was selected in men’s basketball in 2009. She is the first first-team All-American since 2006, when Chris Braier was chosen in men’s basketball.

APPLETON, Wis. — Lawrence University softball coach Kim Tatro has been named the Midwest Conference Coach of the Year for the eighth time.

In a vote of league coaches, Tatro won the award in the wake of her team finishing second in the Midwest Conference. Tatro just completed her 22nd season at Lawrence and also won Coach of the Year honors in 2013, 2011, 2006, 2002, 1999, 1998 and 1997.

“This is really recognition for our entire program,” Tatro said. “We have a tremendous group of people and everyone contributes to our success. Our coaching staff couldn’t be more proud of the outstanding women we get the opportunity to work with. They truly made this a very special year.”

Lawrence won the North Division for the first time since 2005 and qualified for the Midwest Conference Tournament for the third consecutive season. The Vikings hosted the MWC Tournament at Whiting Field and reached the title game before falling to Lake Forest College.

The Vikings compiled a record of 28-12, and that is the second-highest season win total in school history. The 1999 team set the record with 31 victories.

Lawrence put together separate five-, six- and seven-game win streaks during the 2015 season. The Vikings finished with a 10-4 record in conference play and an 18-8 mark in non-conference and post-season contests.

Tatro has won more MWC Coach of the Year honors than any coach in Lawrence history. Former men’s basketball coach John Tharp is next on the list with four conference Coach of the Year awards.

Tatro, who was inducted into Lawrence’s Intercollegiate Athletic Hall of Fame in 2014, also has more victories than any coach in school history. Tatro’s softball teams have a record of 367-321-1, and her overall mark, which includes eight seasons of volleyball, is 458-442-1.

Lawrence also had several players honored after the season. Shortstop Amanda Jaskolski was named the MWC Player of the Year and was a first-team All-Great Lakes Region selection. Catcher Sam Belletini was a first-team all-conference pick and earned third-team all-region honors. Pitcher Liz Barthels was a second-team all-conference selection.

APPLETON, Wis. — Lawrence University softball stars Amanda Jaskolski and Sam Belletini have been named to the All-Great Lakes Region team by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association.

Jaskolski (Shawano, Wis./Shawano) was named to the first team for the second consecutive season, and Belletini (Gurnee, Ill./Warren Township) was a third-team selection.

Jaskolski, who was the Midwest Conference Player of the Year in 2014 and 2015, hit .462 on the season with 37 runs scored, 13 home runs and 46 runs batted in. The senior shortstop led the Midwest Conference in on-base percentage at .573 and was first in RBIs, homers and walks (31) and finished second in hits, slugging percentage and runs scored.

Jaskolski decimated the Lawrence season records in 2015 by tying or setting six marks. Jaskolski’s 13 homers eclipsed the record of 12 set by Carli Gurholt in 2009, and her 46 RBIs topped Gurholt’s 2009 mark of 45. Jaskolski obliterated the total bases record with 104. The mark was 79, set by Jenny Burris in 2001 and matched by Gurholt in 2009.

Jaskolski’s 54 hits broke the record of 51 set by Burris in 2001, and she tied Burris’ record of 37 runs scored in 2001. Jaskolski also smashed the season walks record as teams consistently pitched around her. Jaskolski drew 31 walks, topping the mark of 22 set by Stephanie Ash in 1992.

Belletini, a sophomore catcher, was named to the all-region team for the first time.

Batting in the clean-up spot, Belletini hit .367 with 13 doubles, four homers and 24 RBIs. Belletini, who was a first-team All-Midwest Conference selection, tied the season doubles record set by Alex Goodson in 2009. A two-time conference Player of the Week in 2015, Belletini

also was very good defensively and threw out eight of 18 runners attempting to steal.

Belletini was especially good in conference play as she hit .551 with seven doubles, four homers and 13 RBIs. She had a .600 on-base percentage and a staggering .939 slugging percentage.

The Midwest Conference had 10 selections to the all-region team, including three first-team picks. Only league champion Lake Forest College had more selections than Lawrence with four.

Lawrence finished second in the Midwest Conference and compiled a 28-12 record. That is the second-highest season win total in school history.

APPLETON, Wis. — Lawrence University softball star Amanda Jaskolski has been named the Midwest Conference Player of the Year for the second consecutive season.

Jaskolski (Shawano, Wis./Shawano), a senior shortstop, earned the honor after leading the conference in several offensive categories and helping Lawrence to the North Division title.

Sophomore catcher Sam Belletini (Gurnee, Ill./Warren Township) also was named to the first team, and senior pitcher Liz Barthels (Sheboygan Falls, Wis./Sheboygan Falls) was chosen for the second team.

Jaskolski, who was the North Division Player of the Year in 2014, hit .462 on the season with 37 runs scored, 13 home runs and 46 runs batted in. She led the league in on-base percentage at .573 and was first in RBIs, homers and walks (31) and finished second in hits, slugging percentage and runs scored.

Jaskolski decimated the Lawrence season records in 2015 by tying or setting six marks.

Jaskolski’s 13 homers eclipsed the record of 12 set by Carli Gurholt in 2009, and her 46 RBIs topped Gurholt’s 2009 mark of 45. Jaskolski obliterated the total bases record with 104. The mark was 79, set by Jenny Burris in 2001 and Gurholt in 2009.

Jaskolski’s 54 hits broke the record of 51 set by Burris in 2001, and she tied Burris’ record of 37 runs scored in 2001. Jaskolski also smashed the season walks record as teams consistently pitched around her. Jaskolski drew 31 walks, topping the mark of 22 set by Stephanie Ash in 1992.

In conference play, Jaskolski hit .439 with three doubles, three homers and 12 RBIs. Jaskolski also was walked 15 times, which helped her score a team-best 16 runs in league play.

Belletini had a tremendous season behind the plate for the Vikings and was named to the all-conference team for the first time. Batting in the clean-up spot, she hit .367 with 13 doubles, four homers and 24 RBIs. Belletini, who was named the conference Player of the Week twice in 2015, tied the season doubles record set by Alex Goodson in 2009. Belletini also was very good defensively and threw out eight of 18 runners attempting to steal.

In Lawrence’s 14 conference games, Belletini hit .551 with seven doubles, four homers and 13 RBIs. She had a .600 on-base percentage and a staggering .939 slugging percentage.

Barthels also was honored on the all-conference team for the first time. She went 13-6 with a 1.97 earned run average, the ninth-best season ERA in school history. In a team-high 117 innings pitched, Barthels struck out 44 and walked just 10, an average of 0.6 per seven innings.

Named the conference Pitcher of the Week once during 2015, Barthels tossed a pair of shutouts and picked up two saves. Barthels tossed a three-hit shutout in a 7-0 win over Knox College and allowed just five hits in an 8-0 shutout of Ripon College.

In conference action, Barthels posted a 5-2 record with a 2.13 ERA. In 42.2 innings, she struck out 20 and walked just four.

Lawrence won the North Division title for the first time since 2005 and finished second in the Midwest Conference Tournament. The Vikings finished with a 28-12 record to post the most wins by the team since setting the school record with 31 victories back in 1999.

APPLETON, Wis. — Jessi Werner tossed a five-hit shutout to lead the Lake Forest College softball team to a 5-0 win over Lawrence University in the Midwest Conference Championship Game on Saturday at Whiting Field.

Lake Forest (31-8) did not allow a run in its three games in the tournament to claim its second consecutive league title. Lawrence (28-12) finished second in the league for the second time in three seasons.

Werner struck out 13 and didn’t walk a batter after throwing a perfect game against Carroll University in the tournament opener on Friday.

Alex Hemmer went 3-for-4 and scored two runs for Lake Forest, and Sally Snarski went 2-for-4 and drove in three runs.

Savanna Marsicek collected two of Lawrence’s three hits. Kara Vance went 4.1 innings and allowed four runs to take the loss.

Lake Forest grabbed the lead with two runs in the third and then added insurance runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth.

Box score

APPLETON, Wis. — The Lawrence University softball team got a stellar pitching performance from Liz Barthels on Saturday and went on to a 4-1 win over Carroll University in an elimination game at the Midwest Conference Tournament.

Lawrence’s win propelled the Vikings into the conference championship game at Whiting Field against Lake Forest College.

Barthels went the distance and allowed just four hits while striking out two and walking none. Carroll got its lone run in the seventh inning after Barthels had limited the Pioneers to one hit over the first six innings.

Anna Wawiorka went 2-for-4, drove in a run and scored a run, and Amanda Jaskolski drove in a pair of runs. Jaskolski finished the season with 46 runs batted in to break the Lawrence season record of 45. She hit her 13th homer of the season on Friday to claim that season record as well.

Lawrence went up 1-0 in the first when Savanna Marsicek walked, stole second and scored on Jaskolski’s single.

The score remained that way until the fifth when the Vikings struck for two runs. Tierney Duffy started in with an infield single and then stole second. She scored on Wawiorka’s single, who later came home on Jaskolski’s sacrifice fly to make it 3-0.

Lawrence made it 4-0 in the top of the seventh when Duffy reached on an error and came home to score Marsicek’s single.

Box score

APPLETON, Wis. — Jenny McTague and Jessi Werner combined on a two-hit shutout to lead Lake Forest College to a 3-0 win over Lawrence University on Friday in a winners’ bracket game at the Midwest Conference Tournament.

McTague allowed two hits over 5.1 innings to get the win at Whiting Field. She struck out five and walked two. Werner threw 1.2 innings of hitless relief, striking out four and walking none, to get the save.

The win puts Lake Forest (30-8) in Saturday’s conference championship game at noon. Lawrence (27-11) faces Carroll University in an elimination game at 10 a.m., with the winner moving on to face the Foresters for the title.

Lawrence starter Liz Barthels was solid as she allowed just two earned runs on six hits while going the distance.

Lake Forest got two runs in the fourth after Alex Hemmer and Sally Snarksi got back-to-back, one-out hits. A ground out and single scored both runs and the Foresters led 2-0. Lake Forest added an unearned run in the fifth for the final margin.

Lawrence had two great scoring chances but couldn’t cash in. The Vikings had runners at second and third with no outs in the second, but McTague then struck out the next three hitters. The Vikings had runners at first and second with one out in the sixth, but Werner came in and struck out the next two hitters to end the threat.

Box score

APPLETON, Wis. — The Lawrence University softball team rallied for five runs in the bottom of the sixth and went on to a 7-6 victory over Cornell College in an opening game at the Midwest Conference Tournament at Whiting Field.

The Vikings (27-10) trailed 5-2 heading to the bottom of the sixth, but Lawrence used two hits, three walks and a hit batsman to grab the lead.

Amanda Jaskolski went 2-for-4 with a solo homer and a double and four runs batted in to pace Lawrence. Kara Vance tossed six innings for the Vikings to earn the win, and Liz Barthels got the final three outs for the save.

Kari Martin went 4-for-4 to pace the Rams (30-7).

Lawrence started the sixth with Taylor Dodson’s single and then loaded the bases on consecutive walks. Tierney Duffy then drew a bases-loaded walk to cut the lead to 5-3. Anna Wawiorka was then hit by a pitch to force in another run to cut the lead to 5-4.

After a popup, Jaskoski laced a three-run double to center field, and the Vikings grabbed a 7-5 lead.

After Vance allowed a pair of hits to start the seventh, Barthels came on in relief with runners at second and third and no outs. A popup forced the runners to hold, but Renata Rankin’s ground out scored pinch-runner Tess Wilner to trim the lead to 7-6. Barthels then got Jessie Applehans to popup to end the game.

Cornell led 1-0 in the first when Jaskolski homered in the bottom half of the inning to tie it. The Rams then scored three times in the second, but the Vikings trimmed the lead to 4-2 on Sam Belletini’s run-scoring double in the third. The Rams picked up another run in the fourth to take a 5-2 lead before Lawrence rallied in the sixth.

Box score

APPLETON, Wis. — The Lawrence University softball team is hoping the third time is the charm.

Lawrence makes its third consecutive trip to the Midwest Conference Tournament, and the Vikings will have the benefit of some home cooking as they host the event at Whiting Field. The tournament starts at 10 a.m. Friday, and the title game is at noon on Saturday.

“Our team, especially this year but in the last five years, we play best when we’re relaxed and having fun,” Lawrence coach Kim Tatro said. “They know the task at hand. We don’t have to talk about that, but they know the quality of of our opponents. If we play up to our ability, then whatever happens, happens. As long as we do that, we have nothing to feel bad about.”

The tournament champion gets an automatic berth in the NCAA Division III Tournament, and Lawrence is looking for its third trip to the national tournament and first since 1999.

The Vikings (26-10) won the right to host the tournament by winning their first North Division title since 2005. Lawrence, which has won three MWC titles, defeated Carroll University last Saturday to claim first in the North Division.

“It was nice to play well in a pressure situation and win the ability to host the tournament and be the North Division No. 1 seed,” Tatro said. “We also know we have our work cut out for us because everyone in the tournament is solid in every aspect of the game.”

Solid describes the Vikings quite well, especially the pitching staff. Lawrence doesn’t have a flamethrower on the staff, but the Vikings do have three very good pitchers.

Senior Liz Barthels is 12-5 with a 2.02 earned run average, and senior Kara Vance is 10-5 with a 3.16 ERA. While Barthels and Vance have combined to strike out 69 this season, they average just 0.7 walks per seven innings. Junior Jessica Demski has been outstanding in her spot starts and has a 4-0 record and a 3.00 ERA. It was Demski who won the division-clinching game against Carroll.

“We’re not relying on one big strikeout pitcher,” Tatro said. “We really rely on three pitchers that all have different strengths. It gives us an opportunity to do different things with that kind of flexibility.”

The Lawrence offense and defense is paced by senior shortstop Amanda Jaskolski, the reigning MWC North Division Player of the Year and a first-team All-Great Lakes Region selection.

Jaskolski enters the tournament hitting .472 with eight doubles, one triple, a school-record 12 homers and 40 runs batted in. She has a .588 on-base and .906 slugging percentage. Lawrence also has clean-up hitter Sam Belletini, a sophomore catcher. She is hitting .388 with 12 doubles, four homers and 23 RBIs.

“With the quality of the teams in the tournament, everyone is going to have to rise to the occasion for us to be successful,” Tatro said. “We’ve talked all year about not having to rely on the big boppers because if others get on base, it makes it hard to work around them. You can’t take away those players if others are getting it done.”

The Vikings have some great table-setters, starting with No. 9 hitter Tierney Duffy, who is hitting .398. Lead-off hitter Anna Wawiorka is at .315 and hasn’t been thrown out attempting to steal in 16 tries this season. Three more Lawrence starters, left fielder Kori Looker (.347), designated player Taylor Dodson (.333) and first baseman Katie Schumacher (.321) are all hitting above .300.

“Across the board, people have stepped up their game,” said Tatro, whose team has won 10 of its last 11. “I think one of the things that has made us difficult to beat at times is the balance. Different people coming through at different times.”

The Vikings face a challenging tournament field that features South Division champion Lake Forest College, which is at 28-8. South Division runner-up Cornell College has the best record in the conference at 30-6, and Carroll is at 21-15. Lake Forest is the defending champion, and Cornell won the title at Whiting Field in 2013.

“I really wouldn’t be surprised if any of the four teams won it,” Tatro said. “It’s whoever is playing well at the right time and making critical plays when they count.”

APPLETON, Wis. — Lawrence University softball standout Sam Belletini has been named the Midwest Conference Player of the Week for the second time this season.

Belletini (Gurnee, Ill./Warren Township) hit .600 for the week as she led Lawrence to a 5-1 record and the Midwest Conference North Division title.

Belletini, who was named the Player of the Week on April 13, went 12-for-20 at the plate with three doubles, a home run and five runs batted in. Belletini compiled a .619 on-base percentage and had a .900 slugging percentage for the six games.

The Vikings picked up a doubleheader sweep of St. Norbert College on April 22 and then split with Carroll University on April 25 to claim the North Division title and the right to host the MWC Tournament. Lawrence then finished the week with a sweep of Rockford University on April 26.

Belletini is now hitting .388 on the season with 12 doubles, four homers and 23 runs batted in.

Lawrence (26-10) returns to play on Friday when the Vikings open MWC Tournament play against Cornell College at noon at Whiting Field.