____________
Student-Athlete of the Year Award
Fill out an Athletics Questionnaire
Goetz; Burgess Gain All-Conference Recognition
Jessica Goetz Megan Burgess (5/6/08) -- Jessica Goetz (So., Milwaukee, WI / Greendale Martin Luther) and Megan Burgess (Fr., Racine, WI / Racine Park) have received Northern Athletics Conference recognition, the league announced Tuesday. Goetz, was named to the NAC 2nd Team All-Conference list for her work at the plate and in the field. Burgess, a "super-utility" player for this year's team, made it on the NAC "All-Rookie" Team. This was the first full year as a starter for Goetz, who had to shut it down early last season due to a shoulder injury. However it did not take her long to make it be known that she was going to have in impact this season. While on the team's first day of games in Fort Myers, Florida, Goetz threw a no-hitter against UMASS-Dartmouth en route to 3-1 victory. The no-hitter was the first in school history and it led to her being named NAC Student-Athlete of the Week, the first such distinction for an Alverno softball player. On April 5th, Goetz proved she could hit a little too. In a 6-4 win over Concordia-Wisconsin, she accounted for all of her team's scoring with a grand slam and a two-run home run in consecutive trips to the plate. She also threw a complete game in that contest, striking out 9 batters. On the season, Goetz finished with a 4-7 record but an impressive 2.80 earned run average. That was good enough for 9th in the conference. She struck out 139 batters in 111.2 innings of work. The strikeout total was 3rd highest in the conference and the highest single-season total in Alverno softball history. At the plate, Goetz hit .306 on the year with 26 hits and 27 runs batted in. She stole two bases in two attempts.
Megan Burgess began the year as a flex player, only seeing time in the field for the Inferno. By the end of the season she was hitting lead-off and proving she could handle a bat just fine. Burgess hit .278 pounding out 20 hits and drawing 14 walks in only 72 plate appearances this season. She also stole 4 bases without being caught. During a 9-2 victory on April 15th at Lakeland College, Burgess went 3-4 at the dish and scored 2 runs from the lead-off spot. While she caught fire at the plate late in the year, her biggest asset to the Inferno this season was in the field. Burgess started all 36 of Alverno's games in the field this year and did not commit one error. Even more amazing is the fact that Burgess flashed the leather at five different defensive positions throughout the season: left field, right field, third base, shortstop, and second base. Team Awards Announced (5/6/2008) - The softball team awards were announced at the athletics banquet on Sunday, May 4th.
Jessica Goetz was named the team's Most Valuable Player. Goetz pitched the first no-hitter in school history. She also set the single-game strike-out record with 15 against Concordia University-Chicago and the single-season strike-out record with 139. At the plate, hit .306 and led the team in RBIs. Megan Burgess earned the Most Improved Player Award. Burgess played in every Alverno inning this season without committing one error. She finished the season hitting .278. The Inferno Award went to Melissa Bankenbush. Bankenbush also played in every Alverno inning this season. She led the team in at-bats (112), batting average (.321), runs (29), hits (36), triples (6), home runs (3), and total bases (62). 4/28/2008
Big Innings Lead Alverno to Sweep of MSOE (4/28/2008) – On a day where the weather was more befitting a football game, the Alverno College women’s softball team tamed the elements and Northern Athletics Conference opponent MSOE to sweep a doubleheader, 12-4 (6 innings) and 18-1 (5 innings). The games were the last of the season for the Inferno as they finished the 2008 season with an 11-25 mark, 6-18 in the NAC. With two more games remaining, the Raiders fell to 0-29 on the year and 0-24 in the NAC. MSOE could not stay away from giving up the big innings in either contest. In Game 1, the Inferno led 5-4 heading into the bottom of the 6th inning. In that frame they were able to score 7 times with the benefit of only 1 hit. That knock was a big one though, coming courtesy of Jessica Goetz (So., Milwaukee, WI / Martin Luther). Goetz, who had entered the game to pitch out of a jam in the top of the inning, slapped a single up the middle to drive in 2 runs. The game ended a few batters later when Goetz and Liz Malko (Jr., New Berlin, WI / Eisenhower) scored consecutive runs on wild pitches by Raider starter Brittany Remington. Katie Stoxen (Fr., Silver Lake, WI / Catholic Central) got the win for Alverno. Stoxen worked 5.1 innings, scattered 7 hits, gave up 4 runs, 4 hits, and striking out 5. In game 2, it was Alverno taking it to starter Brittney Christenson early, scoring 9 runs in the 2nd inning. That total marked the most runs scored by the Inferno in an inning this year. Alverno tallied 7 hits in the frame including two each from CF Melissa Bankenbush (Fr. Franksville, WI / Union Grove) and SS Sarah Schwenn (Union Grove, WI / Union Grove) (2 doubles). Bankenbush finished 4-5 at the plate while Stoxen was 2-5 with 5 RBI. Goetz went the distance, giving up 4 hits, only 1 run and striking out 12. Today’s games marked the last two of the softball season. A non-conference doubleheader against North Park College, that was postponed twice, will no longer be re-scheduled.
|
