For Immediate Release April 15, 1999
Maroon Softball Ranked Fifth in Region
Roanoke, Now 28-6, Earns First Ever Ranking
April 15th NCAA DIII Softball Atlantic Region Poll 1. Montclair St. (NJ) 2. Rowan (NJ) 3. William Paterson (NJ) 4. The College of New Jersey (NJ) 5. Roanoke
SALEM, Va.--The Roanoke College softball team is ranked fifth in this week’s National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Atlantic Regional poll, marking the first time in the three-year history of the program the Maroons have earned such a ranking. The Maroons are currently 28-6 on the season, 10-0 in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference, and in first place in the conference standings. The NCAA ranks the top five teams in each of seven regions across the nation. Roanoke is the only school outside of the state of New Jersey in this week’s Atlantic Region poll. Roanoke is currently on a school-record 13-game winning streak, a streak that started with a win over Bridgewater College on March 28th. This comes after the team had a 12-game winning streak earlier this season. The Maroons are outscoring opponents, 261-73, this season and as a team have posted a stingy 1.80 earned run average. Of the team’s six losses this season, four came in the first six games of the year, and three have come to Division II schools (Bloomsburg - 7-1, Longwood - 3-2, and Charleston - 8-4). Against teams currently ranked this week’s regional polls, the Maroons own a 1-0 record, having beaten Rowan University, which is second in this week’s Atlantic rankings, 5-1.
To go along with outstanding pitching (there are two 10-game winners on the team), the Maroons have had an outstanding year at the plate. Roanoke is currently batting .366 for the season, far surpassing the .302 mark that is the current school standard. Led by six homeruns apiece from Holly Morris (Barrington, RI/Barrington) and Crystal Hileman (St. Paul, VA/St.Paul), the Maroons have hit 22 round-trippers this year. The 339 hits RC has pounded out this year are already a school-record, breaking the old mark by 42 safeties.
Morris is the leading offensive threat in 1999. She leads the team in batting average (.486), hits (52), runs (41), stolen bases (19), and RBIs (48). She is also tied for the lead in homeruns (6) and triples (3). She was named the ODAC’s Player of the Week on March 24th, an accomplishment that was matched by Hileman on April 13th.
Leading the pitching core this season is 1998 ODAC Player of the Year Amy Layman (Salem, VA/Glenvar). Layman has won a school-record 16 (16-3) games this season, a number that breaks the old mark of 13, which was set just last year. Layman, who leads the team with 10 doubles, has a minuscule 0.85 earned run average this year, allowing just 12 earned runs in 19 appearances. She has fanned 62 batters this year, while issuing just 27 free passes. She is complemented on the mound by sophomore Suzanne Maddox (Amherst, VA/Amherst), who has complied a 10-3 record this year. Maddox, who also is a .333 batter, has struck out a team-best 74 batters this year.
The Maroons will be in action on Saturday in a home double-header with Virginia Wesleyan, which is currently in second place in the ODAC. Following the Saturday double-dip with VWC, the Maroons will play two with Randolph-Macon College to close out the 1999 regular season. The ODAC tournament will be held at the Moyer Sports Complex in Salem, VA next Saturday and Sunday (April 24-25). The Maroons came in second place in the league in 1998 after falling to Virginia Wesleyan, 7-1, in the title tilt.