DePaul University Athletics
DePaul Softball Finishes No. 24 in the Nation
6/16/2011 12:00:00 AM | SOFTBALL
June 16, 2011
CHICAGO - DePaul's strong finish in softball had a telling effect on the national scene.
Earlier in the week, the Blue Demons were ranked No. 24 in the USA Today/NFCA Top 25 final poll, tied with Tulsa.
Unable to crack the USA Today/NFCA Top 25 all season, DePaul (41-15) emerged in the only ranking that counts after battling No. 6 Missouri to the final game of the NCAA Regional in Columbia, Mo.
Coach Eugene Lenti's ballclub was among the final 20 teams in the NCAA tournament after upsetting Missouri 2-1 in 11 innings on May 21 when Alex Morocco scored the winning run on a daring sprint to home plate.
"We played well at the Missouri regional and deserved to be ranked," Lenti said. "We beat two of the best teams in the country (Indiana, Missouri) and gave Missouri its only loss until the Tigers got to the Women's College World Series.
"I believe we were overlooked during the regular season. After all, we led the BIG EAST Conference almost the entire way."
The Blue Demons were second in the BIG EAST with a 19-2 record. They went on a 16-game winning streak from April 9-May 5---the longest streak since the 2007 team won 20 in a row.
"We got our just desserts in the end," Lenti said. "When it comes to rankings, the only thing that matters is where you finish when the season is over."
This is the 12th time DePaul has been ranked in the Top 25 at the end of a season.
"It shows how much we accomplished this year, especially considering how much we had gone through during the course of the season," Lenti said. "There were injuries, and two of our starters from 2010 didn't return.
"This was a nice, shining moment to cap off a very successful season."
