DePaul University Athletics
Softball Takes on the USA National Team on Wednesday
3/25/2008 12:00:00 AM | SOFTBALL
CHICAGO The DePaul softball team takes on assistant coach Cat Osterman and the USA Softball Team on Wednesday, March 26 at 5 p.m. at the ASA Hall of Fame Stadium. The game is scheduled to air on tape delay on ESPN2 on May 7. Eric Collins and Michelle Smith are handling the announcing duties.
Wednesday’s contest sees the Blue Demons return to the ASA Hall of Fame Stadium for the fifth time in the programs history as the stadium is home to the Women’s College World Series at the conclusion of each season. DePaul, a four-time WCWS participant was last in Oklahoma City in 2007, taking a game from Arizona State, while dropping games to eventual National Champion Arizona and Washington.
Last weekend the Blue Demons had a chance to avenge their 2007 WCWS losses at the Judi Garman Classic in Fullerton, California. After dropping a tough 11-0 contest to Arizona, the Blue Demons rebounded to defeat Washington 2-1 on the final day of the classic.
Osterman is slated to be in the circle for National Team and it marks the first time the assistant coach has faced her players outside of batting practice. A standout at Texas, Osterman finished her collegiate playing career in 2007 but has not squared off with the Blue Demon batters in competition. Osterman (3-0) has seen 23.0 innings of action during the Bound for Beijing Tour. She has struck out 56 and scattered just four hits.
DePaul last faced the USA National team on March 18, 2004 at the KIA Klassic in Fullerton, Calif. The Olympic team defeated the Blue Demons 8-0, with Jennie Finch striking out 10 in her complete game win. Crystl Bustos and Tairia Flowers both homered in the contest for USA.
The Blue Demons are led offensively by junior infielder Amber Patton, who enters the week on a three-game hitting streak. Averaging .365 on the season, Patton leads DePaul with 31 hits and a .407 on base percentage.
The Blue Demons open the home and BIG EAST Conference portion of their schedule on Sunday, March 30 when they welcome Notre Dame for a Noon doubleheader. DePaul leads the all-time series with the Irish 28-23-1, but lost the last meeting in 2007 8-2 a the BIG EAST Championship.
Familiar Face in the Circle and Dugout
When the Blue Demons take on the USA National Team on, Wednesday, March 26 DePaul will see some familiar faces. Assistant coach Cat Osterman is slated to be in the circle for the National Team while former Blue Demon and DePaul Hall of Famer Kandace Neid Lenti (1985-88) will coach first base. Lenti was induced into DePaul’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2005 and is the softball program’s first Academic All-American. Lenti is head coach Eugene Lenti’s wife. The pair were married in 1990 and have three daughters, Ali, Gena and Cate.
Streaking Sandy
Sandy Vojik had a season-long 10 game hitting streak from March 2 (Georgia Tech) to March 21 (San Diego St.). During the streak Vojik batted .394 with 13 hits, three doubles, a triple, home run and four RBI. The senior’s hitting streak ended against UNLV on the evening of the March 21, but Vojik heated up against Washington (March 22) and 4-for-4 against the Huskies.
Vojik Player of the Week
Senior utility player Sandy Vojik was named the BIG EAST Conference Player of the Week on March 9. The previous week Vojik was named to the Bingham Toyota All-Tournament team after registering a .318 batting average and four RBI. The senior hit her second home run of the season and put the squad ahead for good in the Blue Demon’s 5-3 win over No. 14/15 Houston on March 9. Vojik’s RBI-triple in a 3-2 victory over Cal-Poly on March 9 tied the game at two. She went on to score the game-winning run. She had a hit in each of DePaul’s games which stretches her hitting streak to seven games.
Heteniak Pitcher of the Week
DePaul sophomore All American Becca Heteniak was named the BIG EAST Conference’s Pitcher of the Week on March 3. Heteniak allowed only one earned run in 22 innings of work and went 3-0 at the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Columbus, Ga., Feb. 29-March 2. The sophomore threw complete games and garnered wins over Massachusetts (2-1), Winthrop (4-0) and UC Santa Barbara (2-0). Heteniak finished the weekend with a 0.32 ERA and 20 strikeouts. Against the Gauchos, Heteniak retired her first seven batters and only allowed three hits in the win. Heteniak is 6-3 on the season and was named to the NFCA Lead Off Classic All-Tournament team. Heteniak earned the League’s Pitcher of the Week honors twice and was named the conference’s Rookie of the Year in 2007.
Sac Bunt Queen
Junior Amber Patton needs two sacrifice hits to tie the school record of 53 sacrifice hits in a career. Former All-American Yvette Healy (1996-99) is the current record holder.
Demas De MORE
Sophomore Annie Demas has made an impact in the Blue Demon line-up as a pinch hitter. Demas has 15 at bats this season and boasts a .400 slugging percentage as two of her four hits have been RBI-doubles.
Look it’s a bird, a plane, a home run
Senior Sandy Vojik has been powerful at the plate and looks to leave her mark in the record book as she is one home run shy of moving into the top-5. With 21 career home runs, she needs just one to tie Linda Secka (2004-07) for the five spot. Saskia Roberson holds the school record with 51 long balls.
Sandy Vojik has CLASS
Sandy Vojik was named to the initial list for the 2008 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award. Vojik joined thirty of the nation’s best college softball players who also excel in the classroom and make an impact in their respective communities. Vojik, who was drafted in the fourth round of the NPF draft by the Rockford Thunder spends about 20 hours a quarter volunteering in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood. She will graduate with a degree in sport and fitness management and intends to enroll in graduate school and pursue a doctorate in physical therapy.
Newest Blue Demon
Fourth year Blue Demon assistant coach Liz Bouck-Jagielski and her husband Jon welcomed Cassidy Jayden on Wednesday, Feb. 27. Cassidy weighed in at 7lbs, 10oz and is 21” long. Jagielski plans to rejoin the Blue Demons in early April.
2/10 for 1000
The Blue Demons earned the program’s 1000 victory on 4-0 win over the College of Charleston on Feb. 10. Junior Lauren Frankiewicz earned the 2-0 shut out victory at the Red and Black Showcase hosted by the University of Georgia.
Cat Tales
First year assistant coach Cat Osterman is touring with the USA National Softball Team as they prepare for the Beijing Olympics. Osterman travels with Bound for Beijing Tour, but also makes trips to Chicago for practice and to various contest sites when her schedule allows. Osterman will be in Fullerton this weekend as the USA National Team is taking on various teams during the Judi Garman Classic.
Cat will be keeping a weekly a blog on depaulbluedemons.com. Her weekly report began on March 12 and will continue each Tuesday, through the 2008 Summer Olympics.
Sandy’s World - my senior season
Sandy Vojik is chronicling here senior season in a weekly blog that is posted on depaulbluedemons.com. Vojik’s blog will be a fans insight into the Blue Demon softball program.
Preseason All-American
Sandy Vojik was named a preseason All-American by ESPN.com at the utility position. A true utility player, Vojik sees time at second base, right field and as the team’s designated player. The 2007 season saw Vojik average .333 at the plate with 36 RBI and a team-best 13 home runs.
Two Time Batting Champion
Junior third baseman Amber Patton won DePaul’s batting title in both her freshman (.316) and sophomore (.340) campaigns. This season, the junior is on pace to three-peat as she leads the team with a .365 average and has a team-best 31 hits.
Watch List, Watch Me
DePaul sophomore All-American pitcher Becca Heteniak and senior utility player Sandy Vojik were named to the Amateur Softball Association Top 50 “Watch List.”
Heteniak is one of nine sophomores to appear on the watch list as she finished her freshman campaign with the 12th best ERA (1.20) in the country. She was named an All-American after holding batters to an unprecedented .145 average and struck out 180 in 157.0 innings of work. Following a perfect 10-0 BIG EAST Conference record in the circle Heteniak was named the league’s Rookie of the Year.
Vojik is set to patrol right field and the middle infield during her senior season. She brings a career .304 batting average and recorded a team-best 55 hits during her junior season. A two-time all-conference player Vojik tallied 18 home runs and 77 RBI in her previous three season.
Lights, Camera, TV
The Blue Demons are scheduled to appear on ESPNU and ESPN2 during the 2008 regular season. The Blue Demons square off against assistant coach Cat Osterman and the USA National Team on Wednesday, March 26 in Oklahoma City. The broadcast will be delayed until May 7 and will air on ESPN2 Eric Collins and Michelle Smith will handle the announcing duties.
DePaul’s 11 a.m. (CST) game with BIG EAST Conference rival Louisville will air live on ESPNU.
Lenti Hall of Famer
Head Coach Eugene Lenti will be inducted into the NFCA Hall of Fame in the December of 2008. An instructor for the NFCA’s National Fastpitch Coaches College, Lenti has accumulated over 900 victories and 15 postseason appearances in his 27 years at DePaul. Ranking as the school’s winningest head coach, Lenti ranks 12th among active coaches in victories and 16th all-time in NCAA history. Lenti has guided the Blue Demons to four Women’s College World Series berths while capturing nine conference titles. In 1999 NFCA National Coaching Staff of the Year winner and five-time regional winner. Lenti was inducted into the DePaul Athletics Hall of Fame in 2006.
California Dreamin’
The Blue Demons competed at the Judi Garman Classic, March 20-22. The Blue Demons struggled early on, dropping games to Arizona (11-0), Utah (3-2) and San Diego St (1-0 8 innings) before rebounding to defeat UNLV and Washington. Sandy Vojik led the DePaul with a .500 batting average and tallied seven hits on the weekend. Lauren Frankiewicz led the Blue Demons with 16 strikeouts to a .200 average.
Big Time at Bingham Bulldog Classic
The DePaul softball team went 5-1 at the Bingham Toyota Classic. The Blue Demon wins were against Rhode Island (3-2), Santa Clara (6-0), Sacramento St (7-4), No. 14/15 Houston (5-3) and Cal Poly (3-2). DePaul’s lone loss came at the hands of tournament host Fresno State. Senior Sandy Vojik led the Blue Demons with several game-changing hits. Against Houston the senior knocked a two-run home run and had a game-tying triple against Cal Poly. The senior averaged .318 and had four RBI. Sophomore Becca Heteniak led DePaul for the second straight week in the circle. Heteniak picked up two wins and struck out 21 while holding batters to a .105 average.
Classic Notes
The Blue Demons went 5-1 at the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Columbus, Ga. last week. The Blue Demons finished the week on a four game winning streak and registered wins against UMass (2-1, 8inn), Winthrop (4-0), Iowa (4-3, 8 inn), UCSB (2-0), Georgia Tech (2-1). DePaul lone loss of the weekend came at the hands of No. 2/3 Texas A&M. Sophomore Becca Heteniak led the squad in the circle as well as at the plate. The sophomore went 3-0 in the circle and recorded a 0.32 ERA. At the plate Heteniak finished the weekend on a four-game hitting streak and averaged .429 (6-for-14). Freshman Simone Ashkar led the Blue Demons with five RBI on the weekend.
Crowne Plaza Points
The Blue Demons competed at Houston’s Crowne Plaza Classic March 15-17. Finishing the Classic 3-2, DePaul took two games from Texas A&MCC and a single game from Army. The Blue Demons were unable to score against host Houston as they dropped both contests with the Cougars. Freshman Alex Morocco led the offense with a 4-for-10 effort. The freshman center fielder finished with a double and two RBI.
Red & Black Recap
After dropping their first two games of the season, the Blue Demons bounced back and closed out the Red and Black Classic with four wins. The Blue Demons defeated the College of Charleston twice and split a pair of games with host Georgia and Marshall. Junior catcher Jackie Tarulli-Fisher led the Blue Demons with a .474 batting average. The junior smashed two three-run game-changing home runs and finished the tournament with eight RBI. Junior transfer Lauren Frankiewicz made her Blue Demon debut in the circle and finished with a 2-0 record. Frankiewicz struck out 18 in 15.1 innings of work.
BIG EAST Championship
The 2008 BIG EAST Softball Championship moves to Louisville, Kentucky this season after spending the last three years in Notre Dame, Ind. The 2008 Championship will be held at Ulmer Stadium May 10-8. Eight of the leagues top 12 teams will compete in a single a single elimination tournament. The Semifinals and the Championship games will be broadcast on CSTV on May 9 and 10. The tournament champion will earn the BIG EAST’s automatic NCAA Championship berth.
BIG EAST Favorites
Following DePaul’s fourth trip to the Women’s College World Series, the Blue Demons were picked to finish first in the 2008 BIG EAST Conference Softball Preseason poll as voted on by the league’s 12 coaches. After finishing the 2007 conference season 20-0 the Blue Demons received nine first-place votes and 116 points. USF followed in second with three first-place votes and 110 points, while defending BIG EAST Tournament Champion Louisville followed in third with 100 points. Notre Dame, Connecticut and St. John’s took the five through seven stops, while Rutgers, Syracuse, Pittsburgh, Seton Hall, Villanova and Providence rounded out the poll.
Class of 2009
Three new faces will join the Blue Demon squad for the 2008-09 season. Illinois natives, Katelyn Braget and Lynsey Ciezki, as well as Marla Matthews from California all signed a National Letter of Intent during the November signing period. “This class gives us the depth that we need,” Lenti said of his recruiting class. “By signing one outfielder (Braget), a middle infielder (Ciezki) and one catcher (Matthews) it solidifies the team and makes us stronger.
