May 16, 2005
The University of Dayton softball team had one of its most successful seasons in 2005 as it finished the season 20-18-1. UD finished second at the Eastern Kentucky University softball tournament. The Flyers defeated Youngstown State and IUPUI before losing to tournament champs Eastern Kentucky.
Dayton won seven of nine games beginning May 3rd with a two game sweep of Rhode Island as Laura Matthews went with one for two with a two run scoring single. Christine Eggers led Dayton with a pair of triples and scored twice while driving in one run from the leadoff spot as UD swept two games at IUPUI. Six other Flyers had one hit a piece.
The Flyers also shutout Butler in two games as UD defeated the Bulldogs 7-0, 1-0 improving their record to 13-12 on the season. Shannon St. Clair tripled to the right field corner as she was able to score when the relay throw went astray. Dayton then traveled to George Washington as they split two games with the Colonials. St. Clair and Tamsyn Kellough went two for four both with an RBI.
UD finished their Atlantic 10 conference schedule with a 4-2 win over Fordham giving the Rams their first and only Atlantic 10 loss of the season. Cassie Gross hit her ninth homerun of the season in the first inning to give Dayton the lead. Kellough and Gross were both two for four on the day. Erin LaFayette picked up the win as she pitched 6.1 innings allowing only two runs to score on three hits.
As a team Dayton ended the season batting .233 with a .340 slugging percentage. A total of 137 runs were scored on 239 hits. UD had 41 doubles, six triples and 19 homeruns. The Flyers had 349 total bases along with 23 stolen bases for the year.
Leading the Flyers, senior Cassie Gross finished her career being named to the 2005 All Conference Team. Gross closed out her career with nine homeruns giving her 16 total tying for first place on UD all time homerun list, good for fourth place in the A-10. She also led the team with a .369 batting average with a .664 slugging percentage. She also had a 13 game hitting streak and ended her season on a five game hitting streak. Gross also had 13 games in which she had at least two or more hits.
Shortstop Shannon St. Clair also finished her season at UD batting .275 with a .461 slugging percentage. She played all 39 games at shortstop compiling 28 hits, 26 runs scored and 13 RBI. St. Clair had seven games on the season in which she had at least two hits and three multi-RBI games. She played an important role against Toledo as she went two for three with one double, one homerun and three RBI. St. Clair led the team in walks with 28 on the year and is Dayton's all time leader in walks with 110.
Pitcher Melissa Myher was tabbed an 2005 Academic All Conference selection. Myher ended her junior year with a 2.11 ERA with a 15-10 record and four shutouts. She pitched 169.1 innings while striking out 127 and walking only 44. She pitched a complete game against IPFW as she threw her first shutout of the season allowing only three hits, one walk and striking out eight on the day.
Coach Jodi Eickemeyer end the 2005 season atop UD's All Time win record list with 202 career wins. She has also reached the 20 win plateau for the fifth time in her 10 season at UD. Eickemeyer led Dayton to a 20-18-1, 8-8 in A-10 season and finished in fifth place in the Atlantic 10 Conference. Dayton missed playing in the A-10 tournament by one game.
UD returns 17 of 19 letter winners for next season including Myher and Eggers, who was second on the team in with a .276 batting average and walks with 23. She played all 39 games at first base compiling 34 hits, 32 runs scored and six RBI. While committing only two errors in 296 attempts for a .994 fielding percentage. |
