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Mustangs Break 10 School Records In 2011 Campaign
Neely A Second-Team All-American
Bohlmann A First-Team Academic All-American
Bohlmann A NAIA Daktronics Scholar-Athlete
Mustangs Romp To 10-0 Win In National Tourney Finale
Cal State-San Marcos All-American Shuts Out Mustangs
Mustangs Drop National Tourney Opener
Mustangs Place Five On All-GPAC First-Team; Remy Is GPAC Pitcher Of The Year
Mustangs Win GPAC Softball Championship Tourney
Bohlmann Named To Academic All-District First-Team
Mustangs Sweep Player And Pitcher Of The Week Awards
Remy Is GPAC Pitcher Of The Week
Wassom Is GPAC Player Of The Week
Mustangs Sweep Weekly GPAC Honors
Mustangs Top GPAC Pre-Season Poll
The 2011 Morningside softball team ranks as the greatest home run hitting team in school history.
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Erin Bohlmann |
Kirsten Dargy |
The Mustangs blasted 75 home runs this season to shatter their previous school record of 52 circuit clouts they set last season. The Mustangs’ leading home run hitters were Erin Bohlmann, a senior outfielder from Denison, Iowa, and Kirsten Dargy, a sophomore outfielder from Omaha, Neb., who each slugged 14 home runs to tie the Morningside single-season record previously set by Mindi Prince in 1996.
The 75 home runs were just one of 10 school records the Mustangs broke this year. The Mustangs won 46 games this season to break their former single-season standard of 43 triumphs in 2007. Morningside also set school records with 365 runs and 323 RBIs to break its former standards of 344 runs and 298 RBIs in 2006. Morningside also set new team records with a .335 batting average and a 1.63 earned run average to break the previous records of a .330 batting average and a 1.66 earned run average, both set in 1995.
Four individual records also fell this season. Kylie Helmink, a senior second baseman from Fairbury, Neb., was the record breaker in all of them. Helmink led the Mustangs with 29 stolen bases this season to break the previous Morningside record of 19 thefts by Jessica Taff in 1995 and Colleen Holland in 1991. Helmink finished her career with 60 stolen bases to break Taff’s former record of 50 career stolen bases set from 1995-98. Helmink also finished with record totals of 157 career runs scored and 104 career base on balls to break the former school marks of 155 runs by Kim Kadolph from 1992-95 and 98 walks by Jenna Jurrens from 2004-07.
Aside from her school-record 29 stolen bases, Helmink also led the Mustangs with 26 walks and a .459 on-base percentage this season and was their co-leader with 11 doubles. Helmink’s 26 walks was the fourth highest single-season total in Morningside history.
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Kylie Helmink |
Mackenzie Neely, a sophomore catcher from Roland, Iowa, was the Mustangs’ leading hitter with 66 hits in 168 at-bats for a .393 batting average. She also topped the Mustangs with 54 RBIs for the third highest single-season total in Morningside history.
Aside from her team-high 14 home runs, Bohlmann also paced the Mustangs with 74 hits, 56 runs, five triples, and a .697 slugging percentage. Her 74 hits and 56 runs were the second highest single-season totals in Morningside history and her 56 runs were just one shy of Kadolph’s Morningside record of 57 runs in 1994.
Courtney Vaughn, a junior third baseman from Fort Dodge, Iowa, slugged 11 doubles to share the team lead with Helmink.
Emma Remy, the 2011 Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Pitcher of the Year, had a 21-4 record with a 1.83 earned run average to lead the Mustangs in victories. She also led the team with 29 appearances, 27 starts, 21 complete games, 10 shutouts, 164.1 innings pitched, and 131 strikeouts. Her .840 winning percentage was the third highest single-season victory rate in Morningside history.
Jordan Johnson, a freshman pitcher from Sioux City, had an 18-5 record and led the Mustangs with a 1.10 earned run average for the second lowest single-season ERA in Morningside history. She allowed only 83 hits in 133.1 innings to limit the opposition to a paltry .176 batting average.
Morgan Swanson, a junior pitcher from Story City, Iowa, led the Mustangs with four saves for the second highest single-season total in Morningside history. Swanson had a 3-1 record with a 2.56 earned run average.
Morningside posted a 46-11 record during the 2011 season and won the GPAC regular season and post-season tournament championships en route to its third consecutive appearance in the NAIA Softball National Championship tournament.
 Mackenzie Neely, a sophomore catcher from Roland, Iowa, has been named to the 2011 NAIA All-America Softball Second-Team.
Neely was the Mustangs’ leading hitter this past season with 66 hits in 168 at-bats for a .393 batting average with eight doubles, 10 home runs, and a team-high 54 RBIs. She also had 19 runs scored, 18 walks, a .619 slugging percentage, and a .444 on-base percentage.
Her 54 RBIs was the third highest single-season total in Morningside history.
Neely was a first-team NAIA All-American in 2010 when she hit .387 with 12 doubles, seven home runs, and 40 RBIs.
She has collected 121 hits in 310 at-bats for a .390 batting average with 209 doubles, 17 home runs, and 94 RBIs over her first two seasons with the Mustangs.
Neely helped lead Morningside to a 46-11 record this past season to set a school record for wins in a season. The Mustangs were the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) regular season and post-season tournament champions en route to their third consecutive appearance in the NAIA Softball National Championship tournament.
Click here for the complete 2011 NAIA All-America Softball Team.
 Erin Bohlmann, a senior outfielder from Denison, Iowa, has been named to the first team of the 2011 Capital One College Division Academic All-America Softball Team as selected by College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
Bohlmann has a 4.00 cumulative grade point average (GPA) with a major in elementary education.
Bohlmann slugged 14 home runs this past season to tie a Morningside single-season record. She collected 74 hits in 195 at-bats for a .379 batting average with 10 doubles, five triples, 34 RBIs, 56 runs scored, 11 walks, and seven stolen bases. Bohlmann led the Mustangs with her 195 at-bats and five triples and was also the team leader with a .697 slugging percentage. Her 74 hits and 56 runs were the second highest single-season totals in Morningside history. Bohlmann was also the Mustangs’ best contact hitter with only 12 strikeouts in 195 at-bats.
Her exploits helped lead the Mustangs to a 46-11 record, the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) regular season and post-season tournament championships, and a third consecutive appearance in the NAIA Softball National Championship tournament.
Athletes must be of at least sophomore academic status, be a starter or significant reserve, and have a cumulative GPA of 3.30 or higher to be eligible for Capital One Academic All-America honors.
Click here for the complete 2011 Capital One Academic All-America Softball Team.
 Erin Bohlmann, a senior outfielder from Denison, Iowa, has been named a 2011 Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete in the sport of softball.
Bohlmann has a perfect 4.00 cumulative grade point average (GPA) with a major in elementary education.
Bohlmann batted .379 with 10 doubles, five triples, a school-record 14 home runs, 34 RBIs, 56 runs scored, and seven stolen bases this season. She also had a 4-1 record with a 1.50 earned run average in six pitching appearances.
Her exploits helped lead Morningside to a 46-11 record this season en route to a third consecutive appearance in the NAIA Softball National Championship tournament.
Student-athletes must be of at least junior academic status and have a minimum GPA of 3.50 in order to be eligible for Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete honors.
Click here for the complete list of Daktronics-NAIA Softball Scholar-Athletes.
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Erin Bohlmann |
Jordan Johnson |
The bats came to life and the Mustangs capitalized on some shaky defense by their opponents when Morningside drubbed Asbury University 10-0 in five innings on Saturday in its final game at the 2011 NAIA Softball National Championship tournament in Gulf Shores, Ala.
The Mustangs went 1-2 in pool play and finished the season with a record of 46-11 to set a school record for wins in a season.
The Mustangs had 10 hits in their national tourney finale after they had combined for only three hits in losses against Bethel College and California State University-San Marcos.
Three of the hits came in a three-run second inning and the Mustangs struck for six more hits when they broke the game open with a seven-run third frame.
All 10 of the Mustangs’ runs were unearned as Eagle starting pitcher Kelsey Robinson was the victim of a defense that leaked four errors.
Robinson could have retired the Mustangs in order in the three-run second inning, but the Mustangs’ Kati Steffen reached base on a two-out dropped fly ball by the centerfielder to keep the inning alive. The Mustangs made the Eagles pay when Alison Kusler singled to left field and Erin Bohlmann followed with a two-run triple to open the scoring. Kylie Helmink then singled to drive in Bohlmann and make it a 3-0 game.
Asbury contributed three errors to the Mustangs’ seven-run third inning. The Mustangs’ hitters also did significant damage as Steffen, Bohlmann, Kirsten Dargy, Jordan Johnson, and Mackenzie Neely all supplied RBI singles.
Bohlmann paced the Mustangs’ 10-hit attack with a triple, single, three RBIs, and two runs scored. Helmink and Neely each had two hits.
Jordan Johnson blanked Asbury on one hit over the first 4.1 innings to get the pitching win and finish the campaign with an 18-5 record. Johnson walked two and struck out five.
Morgan Swanson relieved Johnson with one out in the fifth and allowed one hit and struck out one the rest of the way.
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Kati Steffen |
Brenna Sandberg pitched a no-hitter to lead fourth-ranked California State University-San Marcos to a 5-0 victory against Morningside in Friday’s pool play action at the NAIA Softball National Championship tournament in Gulf Shores, Ala.
Sandberg, a second-team NAIA All-American last year, walked three and struck out nine en route to her 38th victory of the season against eight defeats. The Mustangs’ only batters to reach base were Kati Steffen, who walked in the third and sixth innings, and Jordan Johnson, who walked in the fourth.
Morningside’s Emma Remy, the 2011 GPAC Pitcher of the Year, kept the Mustangs in the game by allowing only two unearned runs over the first six innings. Remy took a two-hitter into the seventh inning before the Cougars broke through for three runs in the top of the seventh to break the game open.
Remy finished with a four-hitter with four walks and four strikeouts.
A two-out error helped the Cougars take a 2-0 lead in the top of the second inning when Alyssa Dronenburg walked and scored when Kimi Villalpando reached base on a dropped fly ball in the outfield. HeavinLee Rodriguez then doubled to drive in Villalpando.
Remy retired the Cougars first two batters in the seventh before Villalpando and Rodriguez both walked to set the table for Kaitlin McGinley, who delivered a RBI single, and Derrisha Lacey, who followed with a two-run single.
Morningside will take a 45-11 record into its national tourney finale against Asbury University on Saturday at 11:30 a.m.
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 Bethel College used the long ball to defeat Morningside 10-0 in five innings in Thursday’s first round of pool play action at the 2011 NAIA Softball National Championship tournament in Gulf Shores, Ala.
The Mustangs, 45-10, hope to rebound when they face fourth-ranked California State University-San Marcos on Friday at 9 a.m.
Bethel, ranked 16th in the nation, had seven hits against the Mustangs and four of them went for extra bases, including three-run home runs by Kaitlyn Dubois and Katrina Klingberg.
Pilot ace Giana Zimmerman blanked the Mustangs on two hits over the first four innings to get the win. Zimmerman, 18-3, struck out four and didn’t walk a batter.
Bethel capitalized on a Morningside error to take a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Dubois reached second base on a one-out error and the Mustangs intentionally walked the dangerous Katie Boocher, a returning first-team NAIA All-American, to put runners at first and second. Mustang ace Emma Remy, the 2011 GPAC Pitcher of the Year, came within one out of escaping unharmed before Alyssa Zimmerman delivered a two-run double to right-center field.
The Pilots broke the game open with four more runs in the second inning to take a 6-0 lead. The big blow was a three-run home run by Dubois. The home run, her fifth of the season, came after Holly Weaver had delivered a RBI single to put Bethel ahead 3-0.
Bethel scored four more runs in the fourth inning to make it 10-0. Alyssa Zimmerman singled to drive in the first run before Klingberg slugged a three-run homer for her third round tripper of the season.
Morningside’s hits were singles by Kirsten Dargy, Jordan Johnson, and Kati Steffen.
Remy, who had won each of her last 10 starts, suffered only her third loss of the season against 21 triumphs. She walked five, three of them intentional passes to Boocher, and struck out three.
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Emma Remy |
Morningside College, the 2011 Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) regular season and post-season tournament champion, placed five players on the 2011 All-GPAC First-Team as selected by the league’s head coaches.
Leading the way is Emma Remy, a freshman from Urbandale, Iowa, who was named the 2011 Hauff Mid-America Sports/GPAC Pitcher of the Year. She is joined on the All-GPAC First-Team by teammates Erin Bohlmann, Kylie Helmink, Jordan Johnson, and Mackenzie Neely.
They have helped lead the Mustangs to a 45-9 record and a third consecutive berth in the NAIA Softball National Championship Tournament. This year’s NAIA national tourney is slated for May 19-25 in Gulf Shores, Ala.
Remy has a 21-2 record with a 1.46 earned run average to lead the Mustangs in victories. She also leads the Mustangs’ pitchers with 19 complete games, 10 shutouts, 153.1 innings, and 124 strikeouts. Remy has allowed only 114 hits and 41 walks and has held the opposition to a .201 batting average. Remy has won each of her last 10 starts, including five by shutout, and has allowed one earned run or less in each of her last five outings.
Bohlmann, a senior outfielder from Denison, Iowa, has a .385 batting average with 10 doubles, four triples, 14 home runs, and 31 RBIs. Her 14 home runs is the highest single-season total in Morningside history. Bohlmann, a repeat first-team selection, also tops the Mustangs with 72 hits, four triples, 54 runs scored, and a .706 slugging percentage and is the team’s best contact hitter with only nine strikeouts in 187 at-bats.
Helmink, a senior second baseman from Fairbury, Neb., is also a repeat first-team selection. She is batting .382 with 11 doubles, one triple, three home runs, and 28 RBIs. Helmink is the Mustangs’ co-leader with her 11 doubles and leads the team with 26 walks, a .468 on-base percentage, and a school-record 28 stolen bases. Helmink is also the Mustangs’ record holder with 104 career walks and 59 career stolen bases.
Johnson, a freshman pitcher from Sioux City, has a 17-5 record and leads the Mustangs with a 1.14 earned run average. She has 16 complete games and six shutouts and has allowed 82 hits to go along with 53 walks and 112 strikeouts in 129 innings. Johnson has held the opposition to a .179 batting average. Aside from her pitching prowess, Johnson also has a .324 batting average with 10 doubles, eight home runs, and 40 RBIs.
Neely, a sophomore catcher from Roland, Iowa, is the Mustangs’ leading hitter and run producer with a .398 batting average and 53 RBIs. Her hits include eight doubles and 10 home runs. Neely is a repeat first-team selection and is a returning first-team NAIA All-American.
In addition to their five first-team selections, the Mustangs placed Kirsten Dargy and Courtney Vaughn on the All-GPAC Second-Team.
Dargy, a sophomore outfielder-third baseman from Omaha, Neb., has a .339 batting average with 10 doubles, one triple, 14 home runs, and 41 RBIs. Her 14 home runs tied a Morningside single-season record first set by Mindi Prince in 1996 and matched by Bohlmann earlier this season.
Vaughn, a junior third baseman from Fort Dodge, Iowa, has a .324 batting average with 11 doubles, one triple, three home runs, and 29 RBIs. She is the Mustangs’ co-leader with her 11 doubles and has hit .439 (29-for-66) over her last 23 games.
Morningside placed Emily Wassom, a junior shortstop from Spencer, Iowa; and Kati Steffen, a freshman first baseman from Moville, Iowa, on the All-GPAC honorable mention list. Wassom has a .315 batting average with eight doubles, one triple, seven home runs, and 26 RBIs, while Steffen has a .286 batting average with six doubles, eight home runs, and 36 RBIs.
Click here for the complete 2011 All-GPAC Softball Team.
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Kati Steffen |
Courtney Vaughn |
Morningside added the GPAC Softball Championship tournament title to its regular season league crown when it defeated Midland University twice in Saturday’s championship round play in the double elimination tourney at the SYA Complex.
The Mustangs, who came through the loser’s bracket with five straight wins after a 3-0 loss against Concordia University on Thursday, toppled Midland 9-1 in five innings in Saturday’s opener to force a second championship game. Morningside won the second game 2-1 to wrap up the post-season title.
Both teams will move on to the NAIA Softball National Championship tournament to be held May 19-25 in Gulf Shores, Ala. Morningside will take a 45-9 record into the national tourney.
Morningside won the first game on a walk-off three-run home run by Kati Steffen in the fifth inning that ended the game by the eight-run rule.
The Warriors had taken a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning when Emily Kmiecik beat out an infield single, stole second, and came home on a two-out double by Kat Nickel.
Morningside answered with four runs in the bottom of the inning to take the lead. Kylie Helmink started the rally with a one-out walk. Jordan Johnson drove a double to left field to plate Helmink with the tying run and Johnson scored the go-ahead run on a two-out single by Courtney Vaughn. The big blow came one batter later when Emily Wassom blasted a Lyndsi Eckelberry pitch over the left field fence for her second home run of the tournament.
The Mustangs used back-to-back doubles by Kirsten Dargy and Vaughn to score again in the third to make it a 5-1 game.
Morningside scored again in the fourth to go up 6-1 when Erin Bohlmann singled and scored on a single by Johnson.
Vaughn went three-for-three with a double to lead a 10-hit Morningside attack. Steffen was two-for-three with a home run, double, and three RBIs, while Johnson went two-for-three with a double and two RBIs. Wassom and Dargy added doubles.
Johnson allowed four hits, struck out four, and didn’t walk a batter to get the pitching win.
The Mustangs struck for back-to-back hits with two outs in the bottom of the second inning to take a 1-0 lead in the second game. Steffen singled to start the rally and Alison Kusler brought her home with a double down the left field line.
Midland bunched three hits to tie the score at 1-1 in the fourth inning. The big hits were a double by Nickel and a RBI single by Shannon DePuy.
The Mustangs took a 2-1 lead in the fifth inning when Bohlmann singled, stole second, and came home on a single by Helmink.
Helmink had two of the Mustangs’ six hits in the game with a double and single. Kusler also had an extra base hit with a double.
Winning pitcher Emma Remy twirled a six-hitter with one walk and four strikeouts for her 20th triumph of the season against just two defeats.
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 Erin Bohlmann, a senior outfielder from Denison, Iowa, has been named to the 2011 Capital One Academic All-District VII College Division Softball First-Team as selected by College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
As a first-team all-district selection, Bohlmann will go on the national ballot for the selection of the Capital One Academic All-America Softball Team.
Bohlmann has a 4.00 cumulative grade point average (GPA) with a major in elementary education. She has a .394 batting average with eight doubles, four triples, a school-record 14 home runs, and 29 RBIs this season.
Athletes must be of at least sophomore academic status, be a starter or significant reserve, and have a cumulative GPA of 3.30 or higher to be eligible for Capital One Academic honors.
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Kati Steffen |
Emma Remy |
Kati Steffen, a freshman first baseman from Moville, Iowa; and Emma Remy, a freshman pitcher from Urbandale, Iowa, have been named the Hauff Mid-America Sports/Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Softball Player and Pitcher of the Week after they helped lead the Mustangs to a 5-1 record last week.
Steffen hit .500 with nine hits in 18 at-bats with one double, one home run, and eight RBIs. She was three-for-four with a home run, double, and three RBIs in a 4-0 win against Midland University in the second game of last Sunday’s doubleheader to extend her hitting streak to 12 games.
Remy had a 2-1 record with a 0.88 earned run average. She threw shutouts in her last two starts with a five-inning three-hitter with two walks and two strikeouts in a 9-0 win against Hastings College and a two-hitter with four walks and seven strikeouts in a 3-0 win against Midland.
Morningside will take a 31-8 record into a Wednesday league doubleheader against city rival Briar Cliff University.
 Emma Remy, a freshman from Urbandale, Iowa, has been named the Hauff Mid-America Sports/Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Softball Pitcher of the Week for her performances last week.
Remy had a 3-0 record with a 0.74 earned run average to help lead the Mustangs to a 5-1 record for the week. She twirled a three-hit shutout with one walk and seven strikeouts in a 4-0 victory against Dakota Wesleyan University and threw a one-hit shutout with three walks and five strikeouts in a 1-0 triumph against Northwestern College. Remy allowed two runs on six hits with three walks and four strikeouts in an abbreviated five-inning 15-2 victory against the University of Sioux Falls.
Remy has won 11 consecutive decisions since she lost her first outing of the season.
 Emily Wassom, a junior shortstop from Spencer, Iowa, has been named the Hauff Mid-America Sports/Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Softball Player of the Week for her performances last week.
Wassom collected 10 hits in 16 at-bats for a .625 batting average with three doubles, one home run, and four RBIs to help lead the Mustangs to a doubleheader sweep of College of Saint Mary and a 3-1 record at the Sterling College Tournament.
She went two-for-four with a home run, double, and four RBIs in an 11-3 triumph against College of Saint Mary at the Sterling Tournament. Wassom had seven hits in 11 at-bats over her last three games of the week.
Morningside will take a 17-4 record into its home and GPAC opener when it hosts Northwestern College in a 3 p.m. doubleheader on Wednesday.
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Erin Bohlmann |
Jordan Johnson |
Erin Bohlmann, a senior outfielder from Denison, Iowa; and Jordan Johnson, a freshman pitcher from Sioux City, have been named the Hauff Mid-America Sports/Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Softball Player and Pitcher of the Week for their performances last week.
Their exploits helped the Mustangs go 5-0 at last weekend’s McPherson College Tournament to improve their record to 12-3.
Bohlmann collected 11 hits in 19 at-bats for a .579 batting average with one double, four home runs, and five RBIs. She had two hits in each of the Mustangs’ five tournament victories and extended her hitting streak to 14 games. Aside from her hitting exploits, Bohlmann also pitched a four-hit shutout with nine strikeouts in a 10-0 shutout against Kansas Wesleyan University.
Johnson won both of her starts at the McPherson Tournament and didn’t allow an earned run. She pitched a four-hitter with two walks and four strikeouts in a 9-1 victory against Friends University and tossed a three-hit shutout with three walks and four strikeouts in an 8-0 triumph against McPherson.
Morningside will take a 14-3 record and an eight-game winning streak into this weekend’s Sterling College Tournament in Hutchinson, Kan.
 Morningside has been tabbed the favorite to win the 2011 GPAC softball title in the GPAC coaches’ pre-season poll.
The Mustangs posted a 40-9 record last season, including a 21-3 mark in the GPAC to win their second consecutive regular season GPAC title. Morningside, which won the GPAC’s post-season tournament championship in 2008, has made three consecutive appearances in the NAIA National Tournament.
Morningside received 11 of the 12 first place votes and topped the GPAC pre-season poll with 121 points.
Click here for the complete 2011 GPAC softball coaches pre-season poll.
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