DePaul University Athletics
DePaul Faces Notre Dame in BIG EAST Conference Championship Game
5/9/2009 12:00:00 AM | SOFTBALL
LOUISVILLE - The No. 19/19 DePaul softball team advanced to the BIG EAST Conference Championship game for the second consecutive year and will face Notre Dame for title. The first pitch of the championship game is scheduled for 5 p.m. (EST) on Saturday and will be broadcast live on CBSC with Ann Schatz and Jason Knapp handling the announcing duties.
The Blue Demons are looking for their second BIG EAST Championship since joining the Conference in 2006. Last season DePaul defeated USF, 4-1 for the Championship crown in Louisville. In its four tournament championship appearance the squad is 7-2 all-time. Since 1992 the Blue Demons are 53-14 in conference tournaments with 10 tournament championships in four different conferences -- North Star, Mid-Continent, Conference USA and the BIG EAST.
Noting the Blue Demons (37-11)
DePaul has won 20 of its last 23 games and is 12-3 in true road games this season... averages 7.60 hits per game while the opponent averages 5.48... has 365 hits this season, while 26 percent (95-of-365) have been for extra bases... dating back to last season, the Blue Demons have won 26 of its last 30 BIG EAST Conference regular-season games... DePaul has been ranked in every USA Today/NFCA and ESPN.com/USA Softball Poll this season... dating back to the 2007 season, the Blue Demons have been ranked in the last 39 USA Today/NFCA Polls... dating back to 2008 DePaul has been ranked in the last 18 ESPN.com/USA Softball Polls... DePaul has gone to the NCAA Championship the last three seasons and in nine of the last 10 seasons... the program has gone to a total 13 NCAA Championships while four teams have advanced to the Women’s College World Series (2007, 2005, 2000, 1999).
Fighting the Notre Dame Irish (40-15)
Notre Dame reached the Championship by defeating Louisville 3-0 in the semifinals and Connecticut 4-0 in the opening round... the Irish is 27-15 all-time at league Championship and have won the title five time and finished fourth four other times... the last time ND won the Championship was 2007... the same year it defeated DePaul 8-2 in the semifinal round... Brittney Bargar earned the win as she allowed just three hits, struck out six and walked one... the loss to Notre Dame in 2006 is Becca Heteniak’s only loss in Championship play... against ND in 2006, Heteniak struck out eight, walked two while she gave up six hits and only three runs were earned... this is the 54th all-time series meetings... since DePaul joined the BIG EAST Conference in 2006 the two teams have played nine times... in their regular season meetings, the series is tied 4-4 and split their series this seaosn in Notre Dame... only one game was played at a “neutral site” which was a recreation field in South Bend, Indiana... this season Beth Northway and Erine Marrone lead the Irish with a .371 and .370 average... Bargar leads the pitching staff with a 1.64 ERA while Jody Valdivia follows with a 2.35 ERA... both pitchers have 157 Ks... against the Irish Heteniak has a career 2.33 ERA in 30 innings of work... Heteniak is 3-2 all-time while she has struck out 26 and allowed 28 hits...Jackie Tarulli-Fisher leads the Blue Demons with a .346 average with nine hits, four RBI and two doubles.
This Year’s Championship
DePaul has shutout both of its opponents this season... Heteniak is 2-0 and have 23 Ks in 14.0 innings of work... only seven runners have reached second or third base on Heteniak... while only Seton Hall’s lead off batter (Reed) reached third...Heteniak has allowed five hits while batters are hitting just .114 against her... Amber Patton has three of DePaul’s 12 hits, while Jackie Tarulli-Fisher has two.
BIG EAST Championship
The Blue Demons are the No. 1 seed for the second time in four years... hold a 7-2 championship record... has won each of its four first round games... outscored its opponents in first round games 23-4, while two of the four games were completed before the seventh inning... DePaul’s first round game with Pittsburgh in 2008 went 11 innings which ties for the second longest championship game... two other games went 12 innings... Patton is 11-for 29 (.379) in nine BIG EAST Championship games... Jackie Tarulli-Fisher has also played in eight games while she is 8-for-27 (.296) with a four RBI... Patton has a team-best seven RBI... Heteniak is 5-1 all-time in championship games in the circle and has won her last five decisions... she averages 9.28 Ks per seven innings at the BIG EAST Championship... she has tallied career-high 14 Ks twice at the Championship... Heteniak tallied 14 in DePaul’s opening round games in 2008 (vs. Pittsburgh 11 innings) and in 2009 (vs. Seton Hall 7 innings)... Heteniak was named the 2008 Championship MVP after she went 3-0 with 30 strikeouts and she gave up 18 hits.
The BIG EAST Conference
69-18 all-time since joining the BIG EAST Conference in 2006... in four years, the Blue Demons have won two regular season titles... the 2007 title came with a perfect 20-0 record... the perfect record was just the fourth since the league began sponsoring the sport in 1992... the 20 wins tied a BIG EAST record also held by Notre Dame (2001)... DePaul won its first BIG EAST Championship title in 2008 with a 4-1 victory over USF... Becca Heteniak is 33-3 all-time in the circle with a 1.05 ERA in regular-season conference games... Amber Patton’s single-season .577 average (41-for-71) is the second highest by any BIG EAST player... Janna Venice (1992) from UConn holds the record with a .600 (9-for-15)... Patton broke the conference record for hits this season with 41... the previous record was 38 which Stephanie Brown (Notre Dame) did in 2006... Patton’s 109 career hits is the second most in BIG EAST history... Patton’s career average of .443 (109-for-246) also ranks second all-time.
High on Heteniak
Becca Heteniak won her second consecutive BIG EAST Pitcher of the Year Award this season... she is averaging 7.72 strikeouts per seven innings of work... tied a career- high with 14 Ks against Seton Hall in the first round of the BIG EAST Championship... she also had 14 strikeouts at the 2008 Championship in DePaul’s 11-inning 4-3 victory over Pittsburgh... she has 219 Ks this season... her opponents average .171 which is tops in the BIG EAST ... Heteniak won the BIG EAST Rookie of the Year in 2007 with a perfect 10-0 record while she won Pitcher of the Year accolades in 2008 after recording a 0.98 ERA in league play... 714 career strike outs ranks as the second most behind Lindsay Chouinard (2000-03)... she has 858.
