Monthly Archives: March 2012

Spring Break Report – Softball

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The three Muhlenberg teams that went south for Spring Break for nice weather and competition all promised to check back in and let us know how their trips were going. Here’s the first report, courtesy of softball co-captain Devon Barber.

Despite having a few bad experiences with planes in the past, the Muhlenberg softball team boarded an AirTran flight from Lehigh Valley International Airport to Orlando, Florida, this past Friday night. Although we can say that the flight was more smooth than normal (yet, we obviously did hit turbulence), the process of getting through the airport in Allentown was not boring, as expected. One of my classmates couldn’t stand still enough to stop the metal detector from blaring sirens time after time. If you know the softball girls, you could probably make a great guess as to who this was (Elizabeth Sullivan). The security guard had to tell her to take a breath before she finally got through after the third try. Needless to say, we were all very excited for what Florida had to bring for our group.

After the flight landed, we were happy campers as all of our bags arrived safely, including our protective net known as Nancy, which the freshmen get to know very well each season. Although it was around eight at night, the temperature was still so hot that many of us had to ditch the black sweatsuit onesies for t-shirts and shorts. It was definitely needed, especially because we had to pack all of our equipment and bags into two white vans before we took off on our journey for food.

We stopped at Denny’s on our way to our vacation homes, which personally made me feel very content. It wasn’t even three hours into the trip and the Mules already were getting “grand slams” (pun intended). We then drove and split up into our three vacation homes, each housing teammates from each class. My home was called “Tranquility” by coach, yet she put me in a house with all worry-some, stressed out and crazy players. Being one myself, though, we seemed to gel quite nicely on our first night in Clermont.

Saturday morning we woke up early to embark on coach’s FAVORITE part of the entire trip, grocery shopping at WalMart! I hope by the capitalized letters that one might catch the sarcasm, beings that the past two years that we’ve been in Florida, there has always been an issue with our credit card. Coach, though, remembered to up our limit and things turned out great!

It is always a fun experience for the houses to shop because we get to pick out exactly what we want for the week. My house chose a lot of cereals, fruits and coffee (of course). We then had a two-hour practice at Hancock Fields in the beautiful Florida weather. Usually our practice in Florida is the first one that we have outside all season, but thankfully the weather in Allentown was oddly nice in February, so this was our fourth practice outside before the games began.

After our practice we had time to go back to our houses, shower and eat before we got to go to ESPN’s Wide World of Sports to watch some Division I games. This has been my favorite leisure part of the trip so far because I got to see my favorite team, University of Michigan, play live right in front of my eyes for the first time. It was really inspiring watching them play because they were so smooth and confident. We definitely learned a lot watching them and other teams. It was a great experience.

Sunday came around and it was all business for Berg softball. With a “Fired Up” inspired pregame chant in play, and first-game excitement jitters in our favor, we came out looking as strong as we left off last year. Simmons’ first two at-bats were back-to-back doubles, scoring one run in the first before our defense finished the half of the inning. What Simmons didn’t know was that our bats were not going to stay silent. We played a great first game and it was an amazing feeling to get a win under our belts, especially by putting up seven runs. We then battled against a tough team from Iowa and lost one game immediately after the first one.

All in all though, I felt personally that we were going to be just fine. “Not worried. Still not worried” – Shelby Smith. We came out the next morning and ended up competing in four games in a total of 21 hours. Not making any excuses, but we came out flat and tired and definitely NOT how Muhlenberg softball rolls.

Let it be known, folks, that we don’t plan on staying on the L-train for any longer. Our next games are Wednesday (today) and two more on Thursday, giving us plenty of motivation to get back to where we started the season: in the winner’s column.

With Tuesday being our off day, a lot of the girls’ families were down here in Florida and family time involved an array of activities, such as going to Sea World, Harry Potter World, Phillies spring training games, Orlando Outlets, or just laying by the pool. One thing is for sure: on our day off, we planned to revamp and refresh ourselves for our next stretch of games in Clermont. Stay tuned on the Athletics Website for scores and updates, and thank you to all who have been following and supporting us. B-E-R-G, GOOO BERG!

Basketball Postscript

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If it seemed like the 2011-12 season was a particularly good one for basketball at Muhlenberg, that’s because it was.

The Mule women ended their season in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at Mount Union on Saturday, bringing down the curtain on one of the best winters of basketball in College history.

The women finished with a record of 23-6, while the men were 18-9. The 41 combined wins were the second-most ever at Muhlenberg. Here are the top 10 years for combined wins:

  • 2008-09    42-15 (women 26-4, men 16-11)
  • 2011-12    41-15 (women 23-6, men 18-9)
  • 2001-02    40-10 (women 21-4, men 19-6)
  • 2005-06    40-15 (women 26-3, men 14-12)
  • 1985-86    36-15 (men 20-7, women 16-8)
  • 2010-11    36-18 (women 23-6, men 13-12)
  • 1997-98    35-20 (women 18-10, men 17-10)
  • 2009-10    34-20 (women 21-6, men 13-14)
  • 1998-99    33-18 (men 17-8, women 16-10)
  • 1996-97    33-18 (women 18-8, men 15-10)

During the season both Mule teams won two tournaments, one at home (the Scotty Wood Tournament) and one on the road (the Gallaudet Holiday Tournament for the men, the Centennial Conference playoffs for the women).

The men came within one win of the CC title. It was the eighth time in the 19-year history of the league that a school placed both its men’s and women’s team in the championship game, and the first time since 2000 that a school did so and came away with one title:

  • 2012 Muhlenberg (women won, men lost)
  • 2008 Gettysburg (both lost)
  • 2006 Johns Hopkins (both lost)
  • 2004 Johns Hopkins (both lost)
  • 2000 Johns Hopkins (women won, men lost)
  • 1999 Johns Hopkins (both won)
  • 1998 Muhlenberg (both won)
  • 1998 Johns Hopkins (both lost)

Both Mule teams wound up exactly where they were predicted to in the CC preseason polls (the women first and the men second). But to say the seasons went as expected would be a stretch. Both teams started strong (a combined 17-2 in November and December), faltered in January (a combined 9-9) and hit their strides coming down the stretch (a combined 11-2 in February leading up to the playoffs).

In January, before the teams hit their rough patch, we wrote about the success of both teams. The article referred to an “infectious culture of winning.”

Now that the infection has taken hold, the Mules and their fans hope it continues to spread in the coming years.

Athletes of the Week

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for contests between February 27 and March 4

Female Athlete of the Week – Alexandra Chili, Basketball

Following the Mules’ NCAA Tournament second-round loss to Mount Union, Purple Raider football coach Larry Kehres came to Muhlenberg coach Ron Rohn and said, “I’d take your number 12 on my football team any day!” The endorsement of one of the most successful coaches in college football history helps Chili earn athlete of the week. So do averaging 18.0 points, 10.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists in two NCAA Tournament games and becoming the first Centennial Conference basketball player to score 2,000 points.

Male Athlete of the Week – Joseph Vila, Baseball

Vila hit .500 with four RBI as Muhlenberg won two of its first three games in Florida. He had an .833 slugging average and a .600 on-base percentage. Vila hit a game-tying three-run homer in the Mules’ 10-9 win against Wheaton (Ill.) and singled in the middle of a two-run eighth-inning rally that led to a 4-3 defeat of Ohio Northern.

 

A Keeper at Keeper

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It started out as just a few words uttered in jest.

With the only goalie on last year’s Muhlenberg women’s lacrosse team a senior, the Mules knew they would need to find someone to fill the void in the cage this spring.

So when then-sophomore Tiffany Kreider heard the news from some of her friends on the team, she volunteered her duties.

Well, kind of.

“It was always kind of a joke,” she said. “They said they needed a goalie, and I said,
‘Well I’ll do it.’ But I never really thought it would actually happen. Then one day I went out and took some shots, and I’ve been hooked.”

Kreider, who played on the field hockey team her first two years at Muhlenberg, had just a small understanding of lacrosse as a senior at Mifflinburg High School in central Pennsylvania.

The Wildcats did not get a team until 2009, when, ironically, current Muhlenberg assistant coach Cindy Wilson helped form a team while she was a senior at nearby Susquehanna University.

But Kreider stuck to field hockey and never tried her hand at lacrosse. That is until her friends on the team said they were in need of a goalie.

Flash forward 10 months, and there was Kreider taking her place between the pipes for yesterday’s season opener at Widener.

And while she said she had no idea what to expect, she was immediately thrust into a tough spot.

Facing a free-position shot less than 10 minutes in, she got enough of her stick on the ball to send it flying harmlessly away for the first save of her career.

That one save was enough to boost her confidence, and from there she soared.

Kreider stopped nine of the Pride’s 12 shots on goal to help the Mules pick up a 15-3 win. She turned away three shots from point-blank range and two more on fastbreak opportunities.

“I was really nervous, but this wasn’t just about one person,” Kreider said. “It’s a team game, and my teammates did a great job of keeping them away from the goal. All I have to do is make sure I’m in front of the ball, and with the way the rest of the defense played, that was easy.”

To anyone unfamiliar with the situation, she would have looked like a natural who has been playing the game her entire life.

But her teammates were not surprised in the least. They’ve seen her aggressiveness and tenacity from the first day of practice and think she has all the makings of a rock-solid keeper. And, more importantly, the perfect fit for the Mules.

“It’s incredible how quickly she’s picked it up,” said senior Angela Napoletano. “She’s been impressive since the first day of practice. She has no fear, and I can’t wait to see what she does next.”