Head Coach Al White has guided his team to a 28-5 mark, just 11 wins shy of tying the school record.

LIVONIA, Mich. -- The Madonna University softball team had an idea that they would be pretty good this season.  The rest of the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference thought so as well, but now it is the entire softball nation that is standing up and taking notice of what is going on in Livonia.

Heading down the home stretch of the season, coach Al White has his team poised for one of the most successful seasons in school history.  At 28-5 and 8-3 in WHAC games, the Crusaders are just 11 wins shy of tying for the most wins in school history, set in 1994 when Jerry Abraham guided MU to a 39-11 mark.

The whole thing started in March when the Crusaders embarked on their annual spring trip to Fort Myers, Florida and returned a perfect 10-0.  The win streak continued over the next two weeks back north, moving to 15-0, the best start in school history.

They did it with pitching.  Senior Erin Brockert was absolutely dominant in the early going, posting a 10-0 record and .061 ERA through 15 games.  Liz Ballinger did the job as well, going 4-0, stymieing opponents with her knuckleball to the tune of 22 strikeouts in 19 innings of work.

They did it with offense.  Brockert led the charge at the plate, hitting a robust .478 with 15 RBI in the first 15 games while sophomore Heather Richardson knocked in 11 and slammed three home runs.

They have continued doing it all season, and it has been a team effort.

"This is the best group of girls we have had in a long time," says coach White.  "Not to say the other teams weren't good groups, but this one has something special in them....they are truly a TEAM."

As a team they jumped into the top-25 national polls at #24 after putting together a 21-1.  Now as they head down the home stretch, this team looks to do what those of recent history couldn't, get back to the NAIA National Championships in Alabama.

To do so, they will need to keep doing what they have done all year.  Timely offense and dominant pitching seem to be the recipe for wins.  Brockert has continued to dominate, posting a 16-4 mark and 1.35 ERA, tops in both categories among WHAC pitchers.  She also still leads the team on offense with a .427 average and five home runs to go with 29 RBI.  She trails Richardson and Alison Grant in dingers and RBI's respectively.  Richardson has put together a stellar season in her second year as a Crusader.  Her power numbers have soared with the win total, now tops on the team and in the conference with six home runs.

Grant, meanwhile, is leading the conference in RBI's with 32, no small feat for a freshman, but a classic example of why this team has succeeded, everyone has done a job.

Some single season records, other than team wins, are set to fall as well.  Brockert is just 29 strikeouts shy of the single season mark of 157 set in 2004 by Kelly Nilson.  Her 16 wins is tied for fifth in a single season, but she has some work to do to catch leader Dawn Terrasi who posted 31 in 1994.

Offensively, Richardson is just two home runs away from becoming the new single season leader.  She is one away from tying Jamie Brobowski's mark of seven set in 2002.  Brockert (5) and Grant (4) could also make a run at the mark.   The single season batting average mark is also in reach of Brockert and Grant.  Vikki Malkowski hit .435 back in 1995 and hold the record today.  If the team keeps scoring runs they way they have early, Grant could also take a run at the season runs batted in mark of 52 set in 1997 by Dawn Shaffer.

With all those records possibly falling, the team will be the first to tell you the only one they care about is making the school's second ever appearance in the NAIA Softball National Championship tournament.

The top three WHAC finishers will advance to the 2005 NAIA Regional tournament May 10-13.  With the winner there representing the region at the National Championship in Decatur, Alabama May 17-23.

Contact:
Matt Fancett, Sports Information Director
(734) 432-5610
mfancett@madonna.edu