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Ferrill named new head coach!

A native of Dallas City, IL, Ron Ferrill enters the 2009 season in his first year as Head Coach for the Robert Morris-Springfield Softball Program.  After serving in the United States Army, Coach Ferrill returned to Illinois to pursue his career in coaching and teaching.  A graduate from Western Illinois University, Coach Ferrill began his coaching career at Dallas City High School in Dallas City, IL before moving on to assist his father coaching the Nauvoo Colusa High School softball team and coaching the West Central Tornadoes 16 & under ASA program.  While coaching the West Central Tornadoes, he guided them to the LaHarpe Jamboree Championship and a 2^nd Place finish in the Hannibal, MO ASA National Qualifier.  The last 6 years Coach Ferrill has coached baseball in the West Hancock athletic system.  In addition to his softball and baseball coaching experience, Coach Ferrill was an assistant coach with the Warsaw Senior High School Girls Basketball Program during their run to the Illinois Class 2A Basketball State Championship. 

"We are very excited and pleased that Coach Ferrill has joined the Robert Morris Athletic Staff and accepted the position to lead our softball program," stated Associate Director of Athletics Chris Ryan.  "Coach Ferrill is aware of the level of success that Robert Morris-Springfield softball has achieved and we look forward to him putting his own stamp on the program."

Eagle's honored at team banquet!

During their annual year-end team banquet, several members of the Lady Eagle's softball team were recognized for their achievements:

Batting Average
Kristina Hoffart (Calgary, Canada) - .535

RBI's
Kristina Hoffart - 36

Fielding Percentage
Ashton Swearingen (Bartonville, IL) - .992

Pitching
W/L - Allie Neff (Decatur, IL) - 15-4
ERA - Sarah Carby (Austin, TX) - 2.27

Newcomer Award
Emily Deters (Tolono, IL)
Lacey Walcher (Warrensburg, IL)

Comeback Award
Bethany Shackelford (Lamar, MO)

Eagle Award
Kristina Hoffart

Congratulations!

Three Named to All-Tournament Team!

With their 2nd Place finish at the 2008 USCAA Softball Championships, three Lady Eagles were named to the 2008 All-Tournament Team:

Allison Fitzgerald - LF (sophomore; Decatur, IL)
Allison batted .556 for the tournament with seven RBI's and three doubles.

Kristina Hoffart - SS (junior; Calgary, Canada)
Kristina batted .444 for the tournament with four RBI's, five runs scored and one home run.  She had 100% field percentage on 20 chances.

Sarah Carby - P (freshman; Austin, TX)
Sarah was 2-1 for the tournament with a 1.17 earned run average.  She also threw a 5-inning no-hitter against the #1 seed Lyndon State College, which was the only no-hitter in the tournament.

Also receiving special mention from the coaching staff was Lacey Walcher (freshman; Warrensburg, IL).  Lacey (C/DH) reached base twelve times in the tournament and scored four runs.  She recorded the Eagles lone RBI against St. Mary's.

Congratulations to these young ladies!

Springfield Lady Eagles take national runner-up slot in rain-shortened tournament!

Decatur, IL - The severe spring weather sweeping the Midwest forced the United States Collegiate Athletic Association to cut short the Softball National Championship Tournament, declaring defending titlist St. Mary's of the Woods (IN) the 2008 champ as a disappointed Robert Morris-Springfield team was placed second.

"We had already had to reschedule most of the tournament games due to the weather," said RMC Associate Athletic Director and USCAA Tournament Director Chris Ryan.  "We were only able to get one field out of four playable for Friday and Saturday.  But with what came down last night is predicted for Sunday and Monday, there was no way we could continue the tournament."

The Springfield Lady Eagles had battled back to the title game after losing 2-1 to St. Mary's in earlier championship bracket play.  Given that outcome, St. Mary's 5-0 record in the tournament versus a 4-2 slate for the Springfield Eagles,  and the two-day delay until the weather was predicted to clear, the USCAA Executive Committee declared St. Mary's the champion.

RMC-Springfield opened the tournament with a 5-3 loss to #5 Briarcliffe College (NY).  All-American sophomore Allie Neff (Decatur, IL) took to the mound.  She fanned eight but was tagged with the loss when she surrendered a two-run homer in the sixth that broke a 3-3 tie.  It was the second two-run blast of the game for Briarcliffe.

The Springfield Eagles bounced back behind freshman hurler Sarah Carby (Austin, TX), who went the distance, scattering four hits while surrendering but one earned run to #8 Judson College (GA).  Her teammates--led by All-American shortstop Kristina Hoffart (Calgary, Alberta), Alison Fitzgerald (Decatur, IL), and Megan Rich (McLean, IL)--piled up nine runs for a runaway 9-1 victory.

Carby followed that with a five-inning mercy-rule-shortened gem against #1-seeded Lyndon State.  The freshman from Austin, TX, allowed only one runner on an infield error while the Eagles struck for twelve unanswered runs.  Hoffart--the USCAA batting champion for the second consecutive year--had three hits including a double and drove in a run.  Lacey Walcher (Warrensberg, IL) drove in two and scored a pair and Ashley Repasz (Columbia, IL) ripped a two-run double for RMC.

That win pushed the Springfield Eagles into the double-elimination championship bracket where they upended Spalding University (KY) 3-1.  Looking to redeem herself from the opening game loss, Allie Neff held SU to a single run as she gave up just two hits, one of them a solo home run in the top of the seventh.  The Eagles scored all their runs in the fourth.  Kristina Hoffart broke up the scoreless tie with a lead-off homer and Allison Fitzgerald plated two with a bases-loaded single later in the frame.

That win put RMC in the championship game against defending champion and #2-seeded St. Mary's.  The top pitching team in the USCAA, St. Mary's beat Judson 4-1 on  walk-off three-run homer, then squeaked out another narrow win over the Springfield Eagles 2-1.

After Spalding beat Judson 3-2 to eliminate them from the tournament, RMC came back to send SU home, beating them 8-2 to set up a match-up with St. Mary's for the title.

The rains came down and stopped play at 11:30 PM CST.  With no change in the weather predicted for more than 36 hours, the USCAA was forced to declare the tournament over with St. Mary's as the champ.

"You wish things could be decided on the field," said RMC Head Coach Carl Fieldbinder, "but we're at the mercy of the weather.  This has been the worst spring I can remember."

This is the second runner-up finish for the Springfield Eagles.  They captured the national title in 2006.

Four Springfield Eagles earn national honors from USCAA!

Decatur, IL - The Robert Morris-Springfield Softball team had four players honored when the United States Collegiate Athletic Association announced its 2008 softball All-Americans and Academic All-Americans in conjunction with the national championship tournament being conducted this weekend in Decatur, IL.

Kristina Hoffart repeated as a first team All-American.  The junior shortstop from Calgary, Alberta, once again led the nation in hitting, posting a .522 batting average.  She also clubbed six home runs--good for third in the country--and drove in to try while scoring 25 runs herself.   Her 48 total hits were good for the #3 spot in the nation, without she was second in on-base percentage among all USCAA players, reaching at a .606 clip.  Her power numbers gave her a .943 slugging percentage.

Hoffart was also named to the Academic All-American team.  All members of the AAA team must hold a minimum 3.5 GPA while being significant members of their team's line up.

Ashton Swearingen once again was named to both the All-American and Academic All-American teams, repeating her dual honors of the 2007 season.  While batting fourth in the Springfield Eagles lineup, the senior first sacker from Bartonville, IL, also committed but one error in 185 chances in the field.  That was good for a .995 fielding percentage, fourth in the nation and tops among all infielders.

The Springfield Eagles placed a third player on the All-American first team when sophomore Allie Neff, a pitcher from Decatur, IL, followed her appearance on the 2007 USCAA National Championship All-Tournament team with selection as an All-American.  Neff was 10-4 on the season.  Her 3.74 ERA was good enough for fourth in the nation, and she struck out 63 in just 89 innings to rank ninth in K's.

Junior outfielder Emily Deters (Tolono, IL) was also named to the academic All-American team.

"To have three first-team All-Americans on our squad says a lot about the quality of student-athletes on our team," said RMC Head Coach Carl Fieldbinder.  "We are very proud of these four young women and their performance on the softball field and in the classroom."

The 2008 United States Collegiate Athletic Association National Championship Tournament is hosted by RMC-Springfield and is being contested May 9 & 10, 2008, at the Borg Warner Softball Complex in Decatur, IL

Springfield Eagles to host USCAA National Championship, enter tourney as #4 seed!

Springfield, IL - Eight of the nation's top small college softball teams will converge on Decatur, IL, this weekend for the United States Collegiate Athletic Association National Championship Tournament, May 8-10, 2008, hosted by Robert Morris-Springfield.

For the third consecutive year, Robert Morris-Springfield will host the USCAA Softball National Championship, it's first at the Borg Warner Softball Complex in Decatur, IL. The tournament field features the last national title winners--2007 champion St. Mary of the Woods (IN) and 2006 winner RMC-Springfield--and this year's #1-seed, Lyndon State College (VT).  The Hornets earned their seed behind one of the USCAA's top offenses.  Second-seeded St. Mary's boasts the nation's top earned run average, surrendering barely more than a run per seven innings played.  The #4 Springfield Eagles are the USCAA's fourth-ranked pitching team and eight-ranked hitting team.

The remainder of the field is filled out by #3 Southern Virginia University, #5 Briarcliffe College (NY), #6 Penn State University-Beaver, #7 Spalding University (KY), and #8 Judson College (AL).

The tournament begins with pool play on Friday, May 9, 2008.  The top two teams in each pool will advance to a grueling, twelve-hour double-elimination championship round on Saturday.

"That day is a real test of a team's physical and mental toughness," says RMC Head Coach Carl Fieldbinder.  "The team that emerges from Saturday's competition will have accomplished something."

The 2008 USCAA Softball All-American and Academic All-American teams will be announced at the tournament banquet on Thursday evening.

Keep up-to-date on the tournament by visiting http://theuscaa.com/SoftballUpdate