MILWAUKEE – Now that the 2016 NCAA DIII Softball Championship came to its conclusion this Memorial Day weekend, it is time to take a look at the 2015-16 Mount Mary University softball season. Another year filled with improvements as the Blue Angels went to their first ever postseason conference tournament, pitched back-to-back shutouts for the first time in school history, and also tied the most wins in a single season since joining the NCAA. With a 9-18 regular season record, the Blue Angels softball team continued their success from 2014-15.
The season started with a late March doubleheader against Wisconsin Lutheran (21-19). The Warriors took both games on the chilly Midwest afternoon. The Blue Angels then went on to lose their next four contests including a pair of games to Eureka (32-8) who finished second in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletics Conference.
It was not until they matched up against Knox College that the Blue Angels got their first season win and sweep. After scoring eight runs in the first six games, the Blue Angel went off to score 14 runs in the two games against the Prairie Fire, with those runs coming off of just two extra base hits. Both extra base hits coming of the bat of junior transfer Jess Runge (Freedom, Wis.) with a double and a triple. In an interview following Knox sweep, head coach Tim Edwards was quite pleased with his team, "…it is really nice to see the improvements that they have made so early. You can see that each time out they are improving, and they are having a fun time doing it."
Following that trip, Mother Nature decided to postpone game after game. Intermixed with wet and cold weather, the Blue Angels lost seven straight games against teams like Grinnell (16-17), Purdue Calumet (22-29) and the University of Chicago (27-10).
The Blue Angels then won three out of their next four with a sweep against rival Maranatha Baptist (4-22) and a split against Rockford (4-36). The wins against the Sabercats saw an awakening of the Blue Angels bats as MMU finished the two games with a combined 28 hits. The sweep featured break out games for multiple Blue Angels including a 3-of-4 game for Ashley Contreras (So./College Station, Texas) that included a home run. In addition, seven multi-hit performances from the likes of Katy Groth (Fr./Racine, Wis.) [2], Jess Runge, Madison Ledda (Tracy, Calif.), Taylor Yordt (Omaha, Neb.), Payton Hintz (So./Almond, Wis.) [2], Peyton Davis (Tracy, Calif.) [2], Marissa Rechlicz (West Allis, Wis.), and Shandrieka Richardson (Sr./Atlanta, Ga.).
The breakout performance led to the Blue Angels going 4-6 in their final ten games, including their first ever appearance in a postseason conference tournament and the first ever back-to-back shutouts by Blue Angels pitchers (Nikki Festge (Sr./Menomonee Falls, Wis.) and Ashley Contreras). The Blue Angels finished fourth in the Great South Athletic Conference tourney, then finished the season with a sweep against rival Maranatha Baptist finishing the 2015-16 with an overall record of 9-20.
MMU accomplished many firsts this season. A first ever postseason conference tournament, two consecutive shutouts and the team finished with the highest winning percentage in the regular season (.334). Along with their first season in the Great South Athletic Conference, multiple Blue Angels took home awards in 2015-16. Michelle Argenzio (Sr./Brookfield, Wis.), Nikki Festge, Payton Hintz and Ashley Contreras were all members of the GSAC All-Academic team, while Argenzio was also named to the All-Sportsmanship team.
As a team, the Blue Angels lost a little bit from their offense from 2014-15 to this season. Hitting a .245 batting average, .335 on-base percentage and 14 homeruns in 2014-15, MMU had a .245 batting average, .307 on-base percentage and hit six homeruns this season. Although less power and consistency getting on base, the Blue Angels got plenty of runs in as they scored 98 runs in 29 games this year, not far off their 114 mark in 2014-15 in 31 games.
In the circle, the Blue Angels continued to improved and strand runners. Taking .43 runs off the team ERA from 2014-15, this year's pitching staff kept the balls in play while letting the defense make the plays necessary to get the outs. Contreras finished with 72 strikeouts, 6.69 ERA, while allowing only one homerun. Contreras now holds the all-time strikeout record for a career and in a single season at MMU; this after setting both marks last year with 55 strikeouts in her debut season. Festge stayed consistent all season with a 5.77 ERA, striking out 51 while only walking 23 batters all season.
Head Softball Coach Tim Edwards, "This group was short-handed all season. We started with 11 dedicated athletes and they stuck together and worked hard to improve all season long." Coach Edwards continued his praises, "This was the best group of young ladies that I have worked with yet. The commitment level was the best we have had."
As the program continues to build, the Blue Angels now look to the offseason and beyond. With a big class of recruits committing to MMU softball in 2016-17, coach Edwards is pleased with where the program is headed, "This season helped us maintain our momentum and has paved the way for one of the best incoming recruit class in recent years."
With the ground work in place, the Blue Angels are ready to continue to build the program up. In the last three seasons the Blue Angels have continued to consistently improve all year long, while that success continues to build, the MMU fans will anxiously await the 2016-17 season.
