2012 Men’s Basketball
Championship
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Lepp was a key to Linfield’s 2011 national title run as the Wildcats set NCAA records with 51 victories and 103 home runs while winning their second championship in five years. Along the way, she set two individual Division III records by leading the nation with 29 home runs and 0.54 home runs per game. The powerful catcher, who had one one error while starting 54 games behind the plate, also led the country with 94 RBI, 74 runs and a 1.089 slugging percentage to earn first-team All-America and NFCA/Diamond Sports Division III Catcher-of-the-Year honors, while also being named a finalist for the Honda Award. Lepp finished 2011 on a strong note, hitting .500 in 11 postseason games with two homers and 12 RBI with nine stolen bases as the Wildcats outscored postseason foes 99-9. |
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Staci Doucette
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Abby Flannagan
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Lesley Guenard
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Amanda Lievanos
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Jackie Mangola
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Emilee Lepp| Pitchers to Watch |
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The first first-team All-American in Coast Guard history in 2011, Feindel has already etched her name into the NCAA record book even before the start of her senior season. She set the Division III single-season record with 26 shutouts last year while racing to a 37-4 record in 42 appearances while leading the nation in wins and ERA (0.56). Her 457 strikeouts as a junior paced the country and pushed her career total to 1,206, a Division III record. Named the NEWMAC Pitcher of the Year each of the past three years, Feindel opened last season with a 55-inning scoreless streak before coming back to post a career-best 75-inning streak while helping Coast Guard rank in the NFCA top 20. Behind Feindel, Coast Guard will open 2012 ranked No. 15. |
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Erika Brittingham
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Alex Hill
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Bridget Holloway
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Molly Rathbun
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Lyndsay Rowell
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Hayley Feindel
| Keep an Eye on These Programs |
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Noting the Wildcats: It’s tough to recover when you lose two first-team All-Americans, but Linfield should be OK considering it still returns two other All-Americans from the NFCA first team along with a third-teamer. Emilee Lepp returns after putting up power numbers never seen before in Division III. Her partner in crime, Staci Doucette also is back after pounding pitchers at nearly the same clip, helping Linfield to a national title and into NCAA record book. Third-team All-American Karleigh Prestianni added another weapon especially in the postseason, when she hit .567 while smashing six homers with 21 RBI in the NCAA Finals, including the game-winning home run in the title game. Third-team All-American Claire Velaski — and her 26 wins in the circle — is gone, but Lauren Harvey and hopes to remain perfect after going 16-0 last season with a 1.70 ERA.
Noting the Patriots: Texas-Tyler hit a league-high 53 home runs a year ago on its way to a third-place finish at the NCAA Finals. Expect more power this spring as first baseman Joey Cronin, the league’s choice as preseason player of the year, returns after pounding 21 homers the past two years combined. Last season she hit .367 with 41 RBIs and eight roundtrippers. Brittney Batten is back after ranking second on the squad with 11 home runs a year ago while adding 32 RBI after hitting at nearly a .400-clip and will be complemented by Lauren Robenalt’s .394 average and 39 runs scored. In the circle, the Patriots lost an 18-game winner but return Katelyn Thomason, who led the squad with 75 strikeouts. She also posted 13 wins in the circle despite starting 23 games in the field.
Noting the Eagles: Emory has plenty of experience back from a squad that went 41-4-1 a year ago while posting the second-most wins in school history. Right-hander Bridget Holloway had stellar junior campaign and looks to build on an 18-win season. Backing her up offensively, Jessica Thomas set a school record and led the conference with 11 home runs while Megan Light set numreous freshman records while also establishing a new school mark for RBI with 61. Both Thomas and Light were named second-team All-Americans in 2011 while Holloway was a third-teamer. Other Teams to Watch: Eastern Connecticut State, Cortland State, Christopher Newport, Coe, DePauw, Louisiana College, Coast Guard. |
| Contests to Look for in 2012 | |
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No. 1 Linfield — March 11: vs. Pacific Lutheran (DH) March 25: at No. 18 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (DH) March 27: at No. 11 Redlands (DH) April 1: at Pacific Lutheran (DH) |
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No. 2 Texas-Tyler — March 24: at No. 14 Louisiana College (DH) March 29: vs. Pacific Lutheran April 3: vs. No. 19 East Texas Baptist April 11: vs. No. 14 Louisiana College (DH) April 14: at No. 19 East Texas Baptist |
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No. 3 Christopher Newport — Feb. 11-12: at No. 7 Emory Feb. 22: at No. 25 Virginia Wesleyan March 6: at No. 8 Salisbury (DH) |
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No. 5 Luther – March 27: vs. No. 23 Wisconsin-Eau Claire (DH) March 31: vs. No. 12 Central (Iowa) (DH) April 10: at No. 10 Coe (DH) |
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No. 6 Cortland State — March 4: vs. No. 15 Coast Guard April 3: at No. 21 Ithaca (DH) |
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No. 7 Emory — Feb. 11-12: vs. No. 3 Christopher Newport March 11: vs. No. 21 Ithaca |
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No. 10 Redlands — March 20: vs. No. 25 Virginia Wesleyan (DH) March 24: vs. No. 18 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (DH) March 27: vs. No. 1 Linfield (DH) April 22: at No. vs. No. 18 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (DH) |
All photos courtesy of respective school athletic departments.
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