2014 SIU Edwardsville Cougars softball team

The 2014 SIU Edwardsville Cougars softball team represented Southern Illinois University Edwardsville during the 2014 NCAA Division I softball season. The Cougars, led by twenty-sixth year head coach Sandy Montgomery, played their home games at Cougar Field as a member of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC).[2]

2014 SIU Edwardsville Cougars softball
OVC West Division Champions
OVC Tournament Champions
NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional
ConferenceOhio Valley Conference
DivisionWest
2014 record30–23 (19–5 OVC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Jessica Jones
  • Alicia Abbott
  • Valerie McCoy
Home stadiumCougar Field
Capacity 800+
2014 Ohio Valley Conference softball standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L PCT  W L PCT
East
Jacksonville State  ‍‍‍ 22–5 .815  40–15 .727
Eastern Kentucky  ‍‍‍ 15–10 .600  29–22 .569
Tennessee Tech  ‍‍‍ 15–15 .500  25–24 .510
Morehead State +  ‍‍‍ 9–16 .360  15–36 .294
Belmont  ‍‍‍ 7–19 .269  13–36 .265
Tennessee State  ‍‍‍ 6–20 .231  18–38 .321
West
SIU Edwardsville ‡  ‍‍‍ 19–5 .792  30–23 .566
Eastern Illinois  ‍‍‍ 17–7 .708  38–17 .691
Murray State  ‍‍‍ 16–9 .640  32–23 .582
Tennessee–Martin +  ‍‍‍ 14–10 .583  27–27 .500
Austin Peay  ‍‍‍ 8–18 .308  20–32 .385
Southeast Missouri St.  ‍‍‍ 3–20 .130  11–34 .244
‡ – OVC Tournament champion
As of May 17, 2014[1]; Rankings from USA Today/NFCA Coaches; + = Also 1 non=conf. tie

Preseason

With twelve returning players from the 35–13 2013 squad, the Cougars were picked by the coaches and sports information directors of the Ohio Valley Conference to finish first in the West Division.[3]

Regular season

The season began with tournaments in Louisiana, Arizona, Mississippi, and Florida. Among the sixteen opponents in those tournaments were eight teams that would end their seasons in the NCAA Tournament, including defending national champion Oklahoma. Coach Sandy Montgomery's intent was to challenge her team early in preparation for the conference schedule.[4] The Cougars started slowly, but showed improvement in each successive tournament; losing all four games at LSU, then winning one of five at Arizona State, two of five at Jackson State, and three of five at Central Florida.

After the tournaments, the Cougars had the full Ohio Valley Conference schedule, games versus three Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) schools, and home-and-home games with St. Louis; a scheduled game against SIU-Carbondale was cancelled due to thunderstorms. The Cougars lost to Missouri State and Northern Iowa, who both ended the season with winning records, but they defeated eventual MVC champion and NCAA tourney entry Bradley. SIUE and SLU split, each winning in the other's ballpark. In non-conference play, the Cougars earned an 8–16 record.

In the OVC, the Cougars were 10–2 against the East Division. They went 9–3 versus the West after hitting an unexpected bump in the road when losing both games at Murray State. The combined 19–5 conference record was good for first place in the West Division and the #2 seed in the OVC Tournament.

Highlights

Sophomore Haley Chambers pitched no-hit games against Tennessee Tech and Southeast Missouri State, the second and third of her SIUE career.[5]

Coach Sandy Montgomery won her 900th game as the Cougars' head coach in the win over St. Louis.[6]

Four Cougars were named to the All–Ohio Valley Conference teams:[7]

  • Haley Chambers, Chelsea Yankolovich, Allison Smiley, and Whitney Lanphier were named to the All–OVC second team.
  • Allison Smiley and Whitney Lanphier were also named to the OVC All–Newcomer team.

Haley Chambers was named second team All-Mideast Region by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association.[8]

Postseason

The Cougars entered the double-elimination Ohio Valley Conference at Jacksonville State's University Field as the #2 seed.

After defeating Tennessee Tech and Eastern Illinois, the Cougars awaited an opponent for the finals. Continued thunderstorms eventually forced the conference to shorten the semifinals and finals to a single-elimination format. Murray State emerged from the loser's bracket, and the SIUE women dispatched them 12–1 in five innings, earning the OVC's entry in the NCAA national tournament.[9]

Haley Chambers not only pitched all three games, striking out 27 in 20 innings, she also drove in the winning run in the Cougars' first game with a home run. She was named the tournament's MVP. Chambers, third baseman Alex McDavid, first baseman Kayla Riggs, and shortstop Chelsea Yankolovich also all selected to the All-Tournament team.[10]

The Cougars were the first SIUE team to qualify for NCAA post-season play since the university made the transition to Division I.

Of the sixteen regional tournaments, only Tuscaloosa, Alabama had three of the top 25 ranked teams, and that was the Cougars' tournament destination, as the only unranked team.[11]

SIUE was game versus host Alabama, 5th ranked and the #2 national seed, but fell to the eventual national runner-up Crimson Tide 13–4 in five innings.[12] In the losers' bracket, the Cougars faced 22nd ranked South Alabama in a game that was close until the Jaguars claimed the victory with a three-run seventh-inning home run.[13]

Roster

Pink background indicates players returning from 2012–13.

2014 SIUE Cougars roster[14]
# Name Position Bats/Throws Year Hometown High school
2 Haley Chambers Pitcher L/L Sophomore Coatesville, IN Cascade HS
3 Alex McDavid 3rd Base R/R Junior Suwanee, GA North Gwinnett HS
4 Alexis Kohrs Pitcher R/R Freshman DuQuoin, IL DuQuoin HS
5 Rebecca Gray Outfielder L/R Junior Crete, IL Marian Catholic HS
6 Kelsey Hansen Utility/Infield R/R Sophomore East Peoria, IL East Peoria Comm. HS
7 Chelsea Yankolovich Shortstop R/R Senior Phoenix, AZ Sunnyslope HS
8 Kayla Riggs 1st Base/Outfield R/R Senior Lincoln, IL Lincoln Comm. HS
11 Whitney Lanphier Outfielder R/R Freshman Plainfield, IL Plainfield South HS
12 Rachel Keller Utility R/R Sophomore Bethalto, IL Civic Memorial HS
13 Allison Smiley 2nd Base R/R Freshman Johnston City, IL Johnston City HS
16 Rachel Coonrod Catcher R/R Senior Moro, IL Edwardsville HS
17 Marissa Modglin Utility/Infield R/R Freshman Waterloo, IL Waterloo HS
21 Jill Rackers Outfielder L/R Senior Jefferson City, MO Helias Catholic HS
22 Amy Hunt Catcher R/R Freshman Troy, IL Triad HS
23 Brittany Toney Right Fielder R/R Junior Hendersonville, TN Goodpasture Christian School
24 Emily Hastings Utility R/R Freshman Riverside, IL Riverside Brookfield HS
25 Christian Harryman Utility R/R Sophomore Kirksville, MO Kirksville HS
26 Jordan LaFave Outfielder L/R Sophomore Valrico, FL Durant HS
33 Erin Greenwalt Pitcher R/R Senior Glen Carbon, IL Edwardsville HS

Schedule
Date Time Opponent Rank# Site Result Attendance Winning Pitcher Losing Pitcher
LSU Tiger Classic
February 7* 1:50 PM Oklahoma State Tiger Park • Baton Rouge, LA L 1–2 1,168 Simone Freeman Haley Chambers
February 7* 9:55 PM #17 LSU Tiger Park • Baton Rouge, LA L 2–15 5 1,168 Ashley Czechner Erin Greenwalt
February 8* 9:00 AM Minnesota Tiger Park • Baton Rouge, LA L 0–5 1,628 Sara Moulton Haley Chambers
February 8* 1:50 PM Central Arkansas Tiger Park • Baton Rouge, LA L 1–2 1,628 Clara Clampitt Haley Chambers
Arizona State Littlewood Classic
February 14* 1:30 PM Michigan State Farrington Stadium • Tempe, AZ W 3–2 280 Haley Chambers Valerie Kaff
February 14* 9:50 PM #5 Arizona State Farrington Stadium • Tempe, AZ L 2–5 920 Mackenzie Popescue Erin Greenwalt
February 15* 11:15 AM #11 Oklahoma Farrington Stadium • Tempe, AZ L 2–7 262 Leslie Miller Haley Chambers
February 15* 6:55 PM #3 Washington Farrington Stadium • Tempe, AZ L 0–17 5 299 Bryana Walker Haley Chambers
February 16* 9:00 AM Illinois State Farrington Stadium • Tempe, AZ L 3–4 8 229 Regan Romshek Haley Chambers
Jackson State Tournament
February 21* 11:00 AM Kansas JSU Softball Complex • Jackson, MS L 3–4 10 69 Kelsey Kessler Haley Chambers
February 21* 6:45 PM Southeastern Louisiana JSU Softball Complex • Jackson, MS W 7–0 75 Erin Greenwalt Rachael Hellyer
February 22* 12:00 Noon Southeastern Louisiana JSU Softball Complex • Jackson, MS W 5–3 76 Haley Chambers Hailey Weavers
February 22* 2:30 PM Jackson State JSU Softball Complex • Jackson, MS L 3–4 76 Kelsey Townsend Erin Greenwalt
February 23* 9:55 AM Kansas JSU Softball Complex • Jackson, MS L 0–5 100 Kelsey Kessler Erin Greenwalt
UCF Tournament
February 28* 10:00 AM UCF UCF Softball Complex • Orlando, FL W 3–2 8 176 Erin Greenwalt Mackenzie Audas
February 28* 2:50 PM College of Charleston UCF Softball Complex • Orlando, FL L 1–4 105 Valerie Cassell Haley Chambers
March 1* 6:00 PM Stetson UCF Softball Complex • Orlando, FL W 6–5 87 Erin Greenwalt Taylor Cochran
March 1* 9:25 PM UCF UCF Softball Complex • Orlando, FL L 1–5 313 Shelby Turnier Haley Chambers
March 2* 12:10 PM Princeton UCF Softball Complex • Orlando, FL W 3–1 99 Haley Chambers Meredith Brown
March 13* 4:00 PM Missouri State Killian Stadium • Springfield, MO L 3–4 189 Chelsea Jones Haley Chambers
March 15 1:05 PM Austin Peay Cougar Field • Edwardsville, Illinois W 10–2 6 115 Erin Greenwalt Lauren deCastro
March 15 3:30 PM Austin Peay Cougar Field • Edwardsville, Illinois W 8–0 6 115 Haley Chambers Brianna Bartuccio
March 18* 3:00 PM Northern Iowa Cougar Stadium • Edwardsville, Illinois L 1–6 127 Jamie Fisher Erin Greenwalt
March 22 12 Noon Tennessee Tech Tech Softball Field • Cookeville, Tennessee W 8–2 175 Erin Greenwalt Taylor Ketcham
March 22 2:30 PM Tennessee Tech Tech Softball Field • Cookeville, Tennessee W 1–0 175 Haley Chambers Hannah Weaver
March 23 1:30 PM Jacksonville State University Field • Jacksonville, Alabama L 4–10 713 Tiffany Harbin Erin Greenwalt
March 23 4:10 PM Jacksonville State University Field • Jacksonville, Alabama W 5–1 713 Haley Chambers Logan Green
March 30 12 Noon Tennessee–Martin Bettye Giles Field • Martin, Tennessee W 7–2 102 Haley Chambers Elizabeth Wiegand
March 30 2:15 PM Tennessee–Martin Bettye Giles Field • Martin, Tennessee L 2–9 102 Casey Vincent Erin Greenwalt
April 5 1:00 PM Morehead State Cougar Field • Edwardsville, Illinois W 13–3 5 82 Haley Chambers Tanna Seuferer
April 5 3:25 PM Morehead State Cougar Field • Edwardsville, Illinois W 5–4 82 Erin Greenwalt Megan Tymorek
April 6 1:00 PM Eastern Kentucky Cougar Field • Edwardsville, Illinois W 2–0 106 Haley Chambers Leanna Pittsenbarger
April 6 3:05 PM Eastern Kentucky Cougar Field • Edwardsville, Illinois L 5–8 106 Alex Sallberg Haley Chambers
April 9* 3:55 PM St. Louis Billiken Sports Center • St. Louis, Missouri W 4–1 50 Erin Greenwalt Brianna Lore
April 10* 4:00 PM Bradley Cougar Field • Edwardsville, Illinois W 2–0 115 Haley Chambers Lexi Cremeens
April 12 1:00 PM Southeast Missouri State Cougar Field • Edwardsville, Illinois W 10–0 5 143 Haley Chambers Hannah Durham
April 12 3:00 PM Southeast Missouri State Cougar Field • Edwardsville, Illinois W 9–2 143 Erin Greenwalt Keaira Schilling
April 13 1:00 PM Southeast Missouri State Cougar Field • Edwardsville, Illinois W 3–0 136 Haley Chambers Aubrey Denno
April 15* 4:00 PM St. Louis Cougar Field • Edwardsville, Illinois L 1–2 8 163 Brianna Lore Haley Chambers
April 18 1:10 PM Tennessee State Tiger Stadium • Nashville, Tennessee W 4–2 154 Haley Chambers Olivia Gamache
April 18 3:30 PM Tennessee State Tiger Stadium • Nashville, Tennessee W 2–1 154 Alexis Kohrs Hannah St. Clair
April 19 12:00 Noon Belmont E. S. Rose Park • Nashville, Tennessee W 3–2 107 Haley Chambers carolyn Snodgrass
April 19 2:00 PM Belmont E. S. Rose Park • Nashville, Tennessee W 3–1 107 Erin Greenwalt Taylor Moon
April 26 1:00 PM Murray State Racer Field • Murray, Kentucky L 4–5 8 212 Mason Robinson Haley Chambers
April 26 4:30 PM Murray State Racer Field • Murray, Kentucky L 2–7 212 CheyAnne Gaskey Erin Greenwalt
May 3 1:00 PM Eastern Illinois Cougar Field • Edwardsville, Illinois W 2–0 208 Haley Chambers Hannah Mennenga
May 3 3:00 PM Eastern Illinois Cougar Field • Edwardsville, Illinois W 2–0 208 Erin Greenwalt Stephanie Maday
May 4 1:00 PM Eastern Illinois Cougar Field • Edwardsville, Illinois W 2–1 211 Erin Greenwalt Stephanie Maday
Ohio Valley Conference Tournament
May 7 12:45 PM Tennessee Tech University Field • Jacksonville, Alabama W 1–0 1419 Haley Chambers Danielle Liberatore
May 8 12:45 PM Eastern Illinois University Field • Jacksonville, Alabama W 4–2 919 Haley Chambers Stephanie Maday
May 10 8:00 PM Murray State University Field • Jacksonville, Alabama W 12–1 6 203 Haley Chambers CheyAnne Gaskey
NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional Tournament
May 16* 6:45 PM #5 Alabama Rhoads Stadium • Tuscaloosa, Alabama L 4–13 5 1987 Leslie Jury Haley Chambers
May 17* 4:00 PM #22 South Alabama Rhoads Stadium • Tuscaloosa, Alabama L 1–5 2093 Farish Beard Haley Chambers
*Non-Conference Game. #Rankings from NFCA released prior to game.All times are in Central Time Zone.

References
  1. "Softball" (PDF). Ohio Valley Conference. Retrieved May 11, 2015.
  2. SIUE 2014 softball
  3. "Jacksonville State Picked to Win the East, SIUE Picked to Win the West in the 2014 OVC Softball Race". SideArm Sports. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
  4. Early schedule prepares SIUE for tourney : Sports
  5. SIUE
  6. ST. LOUIS: SIUE coach Montgomery wins 900th career softball game | College | News Democrat
  7. OVCSports.com - Jacksonville State's Borders and Harbin Headline Postseason Softball Awards
  8. 2014 Division I All-Region Teams
  9. "Rain ousts EIU; SIUE wins OVC softball title". May 11, 2014. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
  10. OVCSports.com - SIUE Wins OVC Softball Championship
  11. SOFTBALL: SIUE softball ready for NCAA Tournament
  12. The Crimson White | Softball team run-rules SIU-Edwardsville on first day of NCAA play
  13. University Of South Alabama - Jaguars Win Back-To-Back Elimination Games To Advance To Tuscaloosa Regional Final
  14. 2014 SIUE Softball Roster - SIUE
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