DePauw NCAC all-sports champ; Tiger baseball NCAA-bound

Monday, May 15, 2017

CLEVELAND, Ohio — With outright titles in field hockey and women’s basketball and a total of 19 top-five finishes during the 2016-17 academic year, DePauw has won the North Coast Athletic Conference All-Sports Championship for the third time in its six years of competition in the conference.

DePauw led after each season of play during the year as all seven fall sports finished in the top four before five of six in the winter were among the top five. The Tigers wrapped up the title in the spring seven top-five finishes.

The Tigers totaled 171.5 points for their third title, while Denison was second with 162. DePauw’s women’s teams led the way with 92.5 points, while the men’s programs also led the conference with 79.0 points.

The All-Sports champion earns the Dennis M. Collins All-Sports Trophy, given annually to the school that performs the best across the NCAC’s 23 sports. Ten points are awarded for a first-place finish, nine for a second, eight for a third, and so on. Men’s and women’s performances are combined, exemplifying the North Coast’s commitment to equity and balance among programs.

Baseball

Tigers meet No. 2 regional seed — Coming off a 31-11 regular season, DePauw has earned an at-large berth into the 56-team NCAA Division III Baseball Championship.

The Tigers are one of eight schools to compete in the Mideast Regional hosted by Washington & Jefferson College in Washington, Pa.

DePauw, seeded seventh in the eight-team, double-elimination regional, faces second-seeded SUNY-Cortland in a 7:45 p.m. contest on Thursday.

The winner advances in the winner’s bracket for a 7:45 p.m. contest on Friday with the loser battling in an elimination game on Friday at 1:15 p.m.

The Tigers are making their seventh NCAA Division III appearance and ninth overall (including two in College Division in 1960 and 1961) with the last trip coming in 2014. In 2014, DePauw won its opening two games, including a win over top-ranked Webster, before dropping the next two.

Softball

Tigers eliminated — DePauw battled back from a 2-0 deficit and forced extra innings, but 15th-ranked Otterbein pushed across a run in the top of the 11th for a 3-2 win over the Tigers in NCAA Division III Regional play at Alma (Mich.) College.

The Tigers finished the season at 23-21, while Otterbein improved to 35-7 and advanced to another elimination game against Alma this afternoon.

Otterbein’s Tory Speakman gave her team a 1-0 lead with a solo homer in the second. Megan Garner led off the Otterbein fourth with a double and Chey Rowe entered as a pinch-runner. Molly Riggs followed with a single before Speakman laid down a sacrifice bunt that advanced the runners one base. Rachael Owens doubled to center, bringing home Rowe.

DePauw evened the score in the sixth as Megan Montgomery drew a one-out walk and moved to second on Liz Getz’s ground out.

Gabby Smart walked and Sarah Beischer entered as a pinch-runner before Lauren Godden hammered a two-run double to the fence in left center that was just shy of a homer.

Abey Bass led the Tigers with two of their seven hits.

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