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UNIVERSITY OF DALLAS ATHLETICS
YEAR IN REVIEW: Softball
Posted: Jun 02, 2015

YEAR IN REVIEW: Softball

IRVING, Texas – The University of Dallas softball team tied an NCAA spring record 20 wins in 2015. Overall, the Lady Crusaders posted a 20-16 record and program-most 13 victories in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) for a 13-9 mark. The historic output of triumphs propelled the Navy and White to its highest ranking in the conference standings in four seasons within the league at third place. The magical run ended in double elimination contests during the SCAC Tournament, as host school No. 6-Seed Schreiner University and No.4-Seed Southwestern University topped UD 4-2 and 8-6, respectively. Second year Head Coach Beth Krysiak guided the squad to an eight-win improvement overall and six-win improvement in the SCAC.

NOTABLE MOMENTS

  • Senior Taylor Garcia paced the team with a .373 batting average, 41 hits, three home runs, and 40 RBI. The catcher finished second in the runs batted in category as she set a personal and school record on the year.
  • Garcia tabbed United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) Player-of-the-Week for week of March 31. Hit .500 (13-26) at the plate and drove in 14 runners to go with homer and six doubles.
  • Sophomore Lyda Tesauro posted a .369 hitting average with 38 hits. Her 15 doubles were a record and set a career-high as she led the team with a .602 slugging percentage. The outfielder was a perfect 24-for-24 in bases swiped to sit second on team and SCAC.
  • Junior Erin Begle and sophomore Avery Finch rounded out a quartet of players batting over .300 with averages of .354 and .325, respectively.
  • Dallas went 12-6 at Crusader Field this season, which ties the most since 2009 at the friendly confines.
  • Matched a season-long, five-game winning streak on two occasions. Both were a portion of 11 wins out of 13 affairs.  
  • Opened conference play with a 7-2 record, including consecutive series-wins versus Centenary College and Austin College.
  • Defeated Southwestern University for the first time in program history in a 9-8 thriller that resulted in 11 innings on Mar. 28. The teams combined for 17 runs and 28 hits in the nail-biter. The Lady Crusaders claimed a 2-2 split in the series.
  • Managed the lone four-game conference set sweep versus Schreiner University on Apr. 10-11. That weekend included Senior Day, where Garcia and Ashley Pickert were honored.
  • The team blanked opponents six times, with all coming from sophomore Katie Lee in the circle. Her six shutouts tied 23rd in the NCAA.
  • Garcia pounded season-high five RBI in 10-1 victory versus Centenary College on Mar. 15.
  • Dallas triumphed by greatest margin on spring by 10 runs in 12-2 decision versus SUNY Canton on Mar. 10 in the South Carolina Fastpitch Dreams Spring Classic.
  • Placed program-most eight members of team on All-Conference Teams.
  • Four players cracked top 50 in the NCAA Division III Rankings for different categories. 

POSTSEASON ACCOLADES

(Conference and Affiliated Leagues) 

  • Sophomore Bailey DiStefano – 2015 SCAC All-Sportsmanship Team  
  • Lee – 2015 All-SCAC First Team
  • Tesauro – 2015 All-SCAC First Team
  • Finch – 2015 All-SCAC Second Team
  • Begle – 2015 All-SCAC Honorable Mention
  • Garcia – 2015 All-SCAC Honorable Mention
  • Freshman Madison Goforth - 2015 ALL-SCAC Honorable Mention 
  • Kotlar – 2015 All-SCAC Honorable Mention
  • Pickert – 2015 All-SCAC Honorable Mention
  • Garcia – 2015 USCAA All-American First Team
  • Lee – 2015 USCAA All-American First Team
  • Finch – 2015 USCAA All-American Second Team
  • Tesauro – 2015 USCAA All-American Second Team
  • Kotlar – 2015 USCAA National All-Academic Team

Full List of Postseason Awards

PROGRAM RECORDS

  • Tesauro shattered the doubles record in an individual season with 15.
  • Lee led the SCAC with 212 innings pitched, and set the new record in a single campaign. She also repeated the process by winning 19 contests on the year.
  • Lee's 25 career wins notched a career record in the program.
  • Garcia's 40 RBIs was a historic best in her career and is the new season-best within the program.
  • Lee joined the quartet of pitchers to be awarded a save in the season.
  • Garcia totaled enough home runs in her career to be tabbed with the school record. She blasted 12 overall in her four seasons with UD.
  • Finch led the SCAC and team with a season-record 30 stolen bases.
  • Team led the SCAC and USCAA with record-setting 96 stolen bases. Ranked 7th in stolen bases per game with a 2.67-clip.

Complete Softball School Records