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2007 WINGATE UNIVERSITY SOFTBALL TEAM

2007 Season Outlook

The 2007 Wingate University softball team will look to build on the successes of the 2006 squad, one of the most decorated teams in South Atlantic Conference history. In 2006, the Bulldogs set a new school single-season win record with a 47-11 overall ledger (11-3 SAC). The 47 wins included two victories in the NCAA Division II South Atlantic Regional tournament.

Eleven letterwinners return for the Bulldogs in 2007. Senior catcher Mandi Chester earned a spot on the 2006 Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division II All-America second team. She batted .386 with 14 home runs, 52 RBI, 42 runs scored, 12 doubles and a .726 slugging percentage last year. Chester also handled a pitching staff that compiled a 1.97 ERA, 16 shutouts and 294 strikeouts.

Senior pitcher Ashley Green returns to give the Bulldogs one of the top batteries in the South Atlantic Region. Her 2006 postseason ERA was 1.24 with 44 strikeouts. Green held postseason opponents to a .171 batting average. Green made eight starts in the postseason and tossed two shutouts. Green was honored as the 2006 Food Lion SAC Tournament MVP as she led Wingate to the title.

For the year, Green had a 1.51 ERA in 195 1/3 innings, 176 strikeouts, eight shutouts and held opponents to a .203 batting average. Green tied the school record for win in a season with 27.

Pitcher Lauren Powell (18 wins last year) graduated, but head coach Michelle Caddigan will have three additional arms ready for action. Senior Brittney Taylor has a 17-10 career record. She has pitched many big games for the Bulldogs. Freshmen Meredith Harris and Katy Eaker give the Bulldogs many options in the pitching circle.

Position players Sarah Carleton, Grace Cunningham and Laura Gray also graduated, leaving behind a championship legacy. Caddigan has veteran leadership and eager newcomers ready to continue the Bulldog winning tradition.

Six position players were named to the 2006 Louisville Slugger/National Fastpitch Coaches Association NCAA Division II All-South Atlantic Region teams. Senior second baseman Megan McPhail leads the All-Region returnees as a four-year starter. She batted .378 with 29 RBI, 35 runs, one triple, one home run and a team-high 15 doubles in 2006.

Sophomore third baseman Hallie Pettigrew ended her freshman campaign with a .409 batting average. In NCAA Division II, Pettigrew ranked 25th with 0.28 sacrifice hits per game. Playing the hot corner, she committed only seven errors in 160 total chances, compiling a solid .956 fielding percentage.

Senior outfielder Kimee Lewis joined McPhail and Pettigrew on the All-Region teams. She hit .374 with 79 hits, 47 runs, 24 RBI, 10 stolen bases and 10 triples in her first Wingate season. Lewis ranked seventh in the nation with 0.17 triples per game. She started the 2006 season by hitting safely in her first 19 games. The 19-game hitting streak was the highest for a Bulldog last year.

Joy Henry, Courtney Wagner and Ashley Green were named to the All-SAC teams along with McPhail, Pettigrew and Lewis. Henry batted .345 on the season with 24 RBI, 35 runs, 11 doubles and six triples. Wagner batted .308 with 35 RBI, five doubles and 22 runs scored. Wagner had 156 at-bats with only six strikeouts, ranking her 20th in the nation in the toughest-to-strikeout category.

Sophomore Heather Winchester will make the move from outfield to shortstop in 2007. She hit two home runs in the second game of a doubleheader sweep over Catawba College last year.

Freshman Leyila Myers will play first base, while classmate LaRonda McClain will start in right field and occupy the lead-off spot in the batting order. Myers won the top offensive player award for three years at Wheeler (Ga.) High School, while McClain played for two state championship teams at Kings Mountain High.

Senior Katie Parmalee gives the Bulldogs a reliable glove in the outfield. Parmalee was one of 10 Bulldogs to earn a spot on the SAC Commissioner’s Honor Roll in 2006. Winchester can provide assistance in the outfield as well. Sophomore Jamie Millen will always remember her first home run: a grand slam in a regional victory at USC Aiken on March 8, 2006.

Freshmen Kelsey Emig (2b/SS) and Celina Rocha (SS) will bring enthusiasm to the Wingate infield. Both Emig and Rocha earned many honors in high school. Caddigan believes they will are ready to help the Bulldogs make another NCAA tournament run.

The 2006 season will go down in history as one of the finest seasons in Wingate softball history. Caddigan won her 300th game in early March against the University of Indianapolis. In 10 Wingate seasons, Caddigan has compiled a 336-160-2 overall record.

Caddigan has guided the program to one first-place finish, five second-place finishes, three third-place finishes and three conference tournament championships during her 10-year Wingate coaching career.

The 2006 team set new offensive records in batting average (.358), slugging percentage (.526), on-base percentage (.396), hits (583), triples (22), home runs (50), RBI (351) and total bases (858).

The 2006 pitching staff also broke a few records of their own, including most wins (48), fewest losses (11), shutouts (16) and batters faced (1536). Defensively, Wingate established a new high in fielding percentage (.974) and a new low in errors (40).

Academics are very important for the Bulldogs. Six Wingate players made the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District III second team. The honorees were Carleton, Chester, Cunningham, Green, McPhail and Wagner.

The Wingate University softball team was ranked 28th on the 2005-06 NCAA Division II Academic Scholar-Athlete team GPA list, released in December by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) at the organization’s annual convention. 

Each year, the Bulldogs play one of the top schedules in NCAA Division II. The 2007 slate is no exception. Wingate will play defending NCAA Division II national champion Lock Have (Pa.) University in the Catawba Invitational. All total, Wingate will play three teams (Lock Haven, Shippensburg and Columbus State) that are ranked in the 2007 NFCA Division II preseason top 25 poll.

The South Atlantic Conference schedule begins March 24 at Mars Hill College. Wingate will play a challenging non-conference slate with home contests against region foes Queens (N.C.) and Francis Marion highlighting the schedule.

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2003 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference tournament champions

2005 Rafting Trip
2005 Photo Gallery
2004 Photo Gallery

Click here for a photo of the Wingate University softball facility

Link to 2004 Food Lion SAC Spring Sports Festival home page