Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, May 18, 1995 TAG: 9505180036
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RALPH BERRIER JR. STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
She's still seeking her first NCAA championship. She could get it this weekend in Salem.
For the past 18 years Hutchinson has been the softball coach at Bloomsburg (Pa.) University, which is among the six regional winners competing in the NCAA Division II Softball Championship that begins today at the Moyer Sports Complex.
No active coach has won as many games as Hutchinson, whose 595-120 record and .832 winning percentage are tops in NCAA Division II. Her teams have posted 16 consecutive winning seasons and have won 30 or more games 13 times.
Bloomsburg has appeared in every NCAA tournament since joining Division II in 1983. The Huskies are the only Division II team to have appeared in the past 13 postseason tournaments. This is the sixth time Bloomsburg (51-4) has advanced to the championship round. The team's 51 victories are a school record.
Each time, the Huskies were one of the favorites to win the title. Each time, the tournament ended in heartbreak.
In 1991, Bloomsburg lost the championship game in 10 innings on an error. The Huskies finished third three other times and placed fourth in 1994. They did not make the field last year, ending a string of four straight appearances in the championship round.
``I try not to think too much about winning the championship,'' said Hutchinson, the national coach of the year in 1991. ``A couple of years, we were right there with the best teams. This year, we're just glad to be back [in the championship] since we got upset in the regional last year.''
Bloomsburg won the AIAW Division III national championship under Hutchinson in 1982, the year before the Huskies moved into the NCAA. Hutchinson also coaches field hockey, a sport in which she has won 291 games and four national titles.
Hutchinson will be relying on strong arm of All-American pitcher April Paoli, a 24-year-old junior college transfer whose 35-1 record is the nation's best. With an average of 12.0 strikeouts per seven innings, Paoli, a native of Napa, Calif., is on pace to break the NCAA record.
``This is the first time I've been here, so it feels good,'' said Paoli, whose best pitch is a rise ball. ``I'm really not feeling any pressure to win it all. We'll just go one game at a time.''
Bloomsburg, the tournament's second seed, earned a first-round bye and will play at 2 p.m. Friday against either Kennesaw (Ga.) State (48-4) or Wisconsin-Parkside (43-12). Those teams play today at 7 p.m. In today's first game, Nebraska-Omaha (39-16) meets defending NCAA Division II champion Merrimack (39-9) at 5 p.m., with the winner advancing to meet top-seeded Humboldt State (52-8) Friday at noon. The tournament is a double-elimination event.
``This is one of the strongest teams that we've had,'' said Hutchinson, who added with a laugh: ``I know it would be nice to win it because I've watched other people win it so many times. It looks like it's a fantastic feeling.''
REPEAT SHOW:Humboldt State of Arcata, Calif., is seeded first for the second straight year. The Lumberjacks finished second in 1994 to Merrimack (Mass.), which beat Humboldt State twice in last year's tournament, including 6-2 in the final game. The Lumberjacks and the Warriors are bidding to become the first schools to meet in back-to-back championships since Cal State Northridge and Akron met in 1984 and 1985.
``We were the top dog last year, too, but they took the bowl and the bone away from us,'' said Humboldt State coach Frank Cheek, who spent his early years in Rose Hill, Va. ``We'd like to play them again this year. It's not a grudge game, it's good competition.''
Humboldt State could play Merrimack as early as Friday. The Lumberjacks earned a bye today and play either Merrimack or Nebraska-Omaha.
The field is loaded with the perennial powers of Division II softball. Bloomsburg is making its 13th NCAA tournament appearance, Nebraska-Omaha its eighth, and Humboldt State and Merrimack their fifth each.
ALL-AMERICANS:Nine Division II first-team All-Americans will be in action this weekend. The National Softball Coaches Association/Louisville Slugger All-American team was announced Wednesday and included pitcher Kelly Rafter, third baseman Tonya Carlisle and designated hitter Cara Dornstauder of Kennesaw State; Paoli and shortstop Jan Lefever from Bloomsburg; second baseman Daniela Paparo and outfielder Michelle LeFebvre of Merrimack; shortstop Apple Gomez of Humboldt State; and catcher Jackie Alken of Wisconsin-Parkside.
KENNESAW'S MOUNTAIN:Kennesaw State has achieved several milestones in its first year of NCAA play, not the least of which is reaching the Division II championship tournament. The Owls, who appeared in the NAIA championships from 1991-94, are riding a Division II-record 40-game winning streak. Rafter pitched a perfect game in Kennesaw State's 1-0 win in the South Regionals.
by CNB