May 19, 2005
By Lindsay Kramer, Staff writer
Three hours before her LeMoyne College team left for the NCAA Division II Softball Championship in Salem, Va., Tuesday afternoon, the pressure of the moment struck third baseman Kristen DesLauriers.
The games themselves weren?t the problem. The Dolphins think they can handle those. But DesLauriers, like her teammates, needed a dress for the event?s banquet.
And DesLauriers? current wardrobe apparently doesn?t include one of those garments, or at least one she likes. So as teammates brought their packed bags to the athletic building, DesLauriers hustled out for some last-minute shopping.
"I?m spontaneous. I like to keep it on the edge," said DesLauriers, a sophomore from Liverpool. "I didn?t want to go out and buy something and jinx myself. I?m very superstitious."
Regardless of DesLauriers? ultimate fashion choice, the Dolphins expect to be dressed for success the next few days at the eight-team, double-elimination championship.
LeMoyne opens today against Northern Kentucky. NKU is ranked No. 1 in Division II and sports a 53-0 record. Its 53-game winning streak is the longest in college-softball history.
The confident Dolphins, however, plan on turning the streak itself into history.
"Yeah, we?re going to face a pretty tough team coming up," said Dolphins senior outfielder Kristi Edmunds. "But I kind of look at it as we?re going to hand them their first loss. It will be that much sweeter."
The Dolphins (43-9) have every reason to believe in themselves. A few days ago, in the Northeast Regional, they were probably the only ones who did.
After losing to Caldwell 2-0 in the second game of that tournament, LeMoyne?s record stood at 1-1. One more loss would?ve bumped it from the regional. Dolphins coach Ken King admitted he was working on his consolation speech to his players.
But LeMoyne kept its coach quiet by winning five straight potential elimination games and the regional. The comeback gave the Dolphins their third regional title and trip to the championship round in four seasons.
"A lot of us didn?t even think it?s elimination, if we lose, we?re done. There was no doubt in our minds that we were going to win the whole thing," said Edmunds, a former East Syracuse-Minoa star.
"By seeing how we can play, it is a big boost to know the type of level we?re able to perform at," DesLauriers said. "I don?t think any of us have any doubt in our mind we?re going to come out and do the same thing (at nationals)."
One player who will be hard- pressed to approach her regional performance at the nationals is Dolphins freshman pitcher Sarah Reed. Reed (17-4, 1.07) was the winning pitcher in all six of LeMoyne?s regional victories, three as a starter and three in relief.
King said he is unsure whether Reed will usurp pitchers Erin Phaneuf and Martha Senko and take over as the clear No. 1 starter in the nationals or whether she will continue in her highly effective role as fill-in hurler.
Either way, the Dolphins will need a lot more than a sharp Reed if they are to improve upon their 1-2 marks in each of their last two championship-round appearances.
Edmunds hopes the difference will show in two areas. First, she thinks the veterans on this team will be less susceptible to getting caught up in the hoopla of the event.
Second, she thinks the Dolphins? scrappy batting order, while perhaps lacking a heavyweight or two, is loaded with enough catalysts to create trouble against any pitcher.
"The competition (at nationals) is great, but we?re still right along with them," Edmunds said. "All the way down the lineup, we?re nasty."
King said he thinks the reason last year?s team lost in the regionals was that it felt the pressure to repeat after reaching two straight nationals. This season, King implored his players to put aside expectations and use challenges to grow their collective confidence.
"They?ve seen everyone struggle during the season, and everyone has picked everyone up," King said. "We have to have each other?s back on every pitch and every at-bat."
If that strategy comes up short in the nationals, at least King?s words of consolation will almost certainly be off the cuff. His team has already taught him the folly of preparing a letdown speech before it?s actually needed.
"No, no. Whatever you say, the girls don?t hear it," King said. "Whatever you say, the girls think they should be playing tomorrow."
