2007 Season Recap

Softball Completes 14-22 Season After Battling Elements, Tough Competition

Under the direction of second-year head coach Angela Seders, the Malone College softball team compiled a 2007 record of 14-22 overall with a 4-10 mark in the challenging American Mideast Conference South Division.
 
The Pioneers opened the ’07 campaign during spring break by facing some of their toughest competition of the season at the Smash Hit Softball Tournament hosted by Savannah College of Art & Design in Savannah, Georgia. Malone posted a 2-6 record on the week after playing a total of eight games at the event which included three contests against nationally-ranked opponents. After enduring this tough week of competition, the squad returned home and struggled against another challenging, yet somewhat unexpected foe – the weather. Snow, rain or a mix of both prevented the Pioneers from playing a single game over the two weeks that followed their trip to Georgia. Five straight scheduled doubleheaders were either postponed or cancelled during this two week period, forcing the vast majority of Malone’s 36-game schedule to be crammed into a five-week stretch from late March until the end of April. 
 
The squad was finally able to resume play at home on March 26th as the Pioneers split a doubleheader with Ohio Valley (WV) University. However, Malone struggled to get into a rhythm after the long layoff and proceeded to drop nine out of its next 12 contests, leaving the team with a 6-16 record. The Pioneers refused to give up on the season, though, and fought back into the playoff picture by winning eight out of their next twelve games. This late season surge was highlighted by a pair of doubleheader sweeps on the road over local rival Walsh University and NCAA Division II Ashland University. Unfortunately, Malone’s postseason aspirations were dashed in the last weekend of the regular season after the squad dropped a pair of games at home to eventual AMC South co-champion Urbana University.
 
Several Pioneers put together outstanding individual seasons in 2007 including junior starting pitcher Kathryn Bzdafka (Avon Lake H.S.), who appeared on the mound in 21 of Malone’s 36 contests this year and tallied a 6-9 record with a team-best 3.82 earned run average. Bzdafka, a 2007 All-AMC South Second Team and NCCAA All-East Region Honorable Mention selection, also posted a .319 batting average at the plate with 14 runs batted in and a team-high .412 on-base percentage.
 
Freshman outfielders Laura Blackburn (Thomas Worthington H.S.) and Morgan Heacock (Mt. Gilead H.S.) also turned in excellent performances this season as both players garnered All-AMC South Second Team and NCCAA All-East Region Honorable Mention recognition. Blackburn started all 36 games for the Pioneers in left field and tallied a .301 batting average while posting team highs in hits (34), doubles (10), and stolen bases (nine). Heacock scored 20 runs, swiped eight bags, and led the squad with a .326 batting average.
 
Sophomore catcher Elisha Bierman (Keystone H.S.) and freshman infielder Leslie McCammon (Wadsworth H.S.) were both voted All-AMC South Honorable Mention after their strong 2007 efforts. Bierman drove in 15 runs in just 72 at-bats and put together a team-best 10-game hitting streak near the end of the season. McCammon  batted .324 and set a new Malone record (and also tied an NAIA single-game record) by crushing three home runs in just three plate appearances as the Pioneers rolled to a 7-1 win in game one of their doubleheader with Ohio Valley on March 26th.
 
In addition, junior centerfielder Ashlee Locker (Strasburg H.S.), sophomore third baseman Caitlin Ott (Glendale, AZ) and sophomore pitcher/first baseman Ashleigh Ralston (Wadsworth H.S.) were each tabbed NCCAA All-East Region Honorable Mention. Academically, junior infielder Rebekah Martin (Lakewood H.S.) was voted a 2007 Daktronics NAIA Scholar Athlete.
 
This young Pioneer squad, comprised of five freshman, four sophomores, five juniors and just one senior, gained an abundance of valuable experience in 2007 that they will look to utilize next spring as they battle to qualify for a spot in the AMC playoffs.
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