The Case Western Reserve University softball team recorded its eighth-consecutive winning season in 2019, finishing the campaign with an overall record of 25-13.
The Spartans ended the year strong as they won their last seven games. CWRU hit .361 during the stretch and averaged 7.9 runs per game, while the pitching staff recorded a 2.57 earned run average, helping the Spartans secure the above-.500 record. Overall for the season, the Spartans hit .345 and slugged 35 home runs, with the pitching staff notching a 2.92 team ERA.
The Spartans' success came despite playing a challenging schedule, which featured 11 games against teams that would go on to make the NCAA Division III Championship field, including a four-game series against the subsequent NCAA Division III Softball Runner-Up, Emory University.
CWRU went 15-5 in non-conference games during the year, while also exerting its home field advantage, going 12-7 in games at Mather Park to improve to 79-30 over the last eight seasons (good for a .725 winning percentage).
Case Western Reserve was paced during the year by senior shortstop Nicole Doyle, junior first baseman Nicole Carty, sophomore outfielder Arisa Cleaveland and freshman designated player Liv Thomas. Carty, Cleaveland and Thomas each were selected to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division III All-Region Softball Second Team, while Doyle earned third team honors. In addition, Doyle, Carty and Cleaveland were named to the All-University Athletic Association Softball First Team, while Thomas and junior pitcher/outfielder Ilissa Hamilton were selected to the All-UAA Second Team.
Doyle , a three-time All-UAA selection, started all 38 games for the Spartans, leading the team with 37 RBI's, ranking tied for third in home runs with five and ranking fifth among all CWRU players with a .395 batting average. For her career, Doyle ranks first in school history with 55 doubles, fourth in runs scored with 118 and sixth in batting average with a .365 mark.
Carty finished her junior season ranked first among CWRU players with a .422 batting average (54-for-128). She led the team with seven home runs, while also collecting 14 doubles, two triples and driving in 27 runs. Carty earned UAA hitter of the week honors on March 25th, as she led the Spartans with a .682 batting average (15-for-22) and scored 10 runs, while also hitting two home runs and driving in six RBI's.
Cleaveland ranked first on the squad with 35 runs scored and finished the regular season ranked second on the team with a .406 batting average (54-for-133). She led the team with nine stolen bases, while also tallying nine doubles, three home runs and 19 RBI's. In just her two years as a Spartan, Cleaveland has totaled a .334 batting average (101-for-302) with 64 runs scored, 11 doubles, three home runs and 39 RBI's.
Thomas finished her freshman campaign ranked fourth among CWRU players with a .396 batting average. She finished second on the team with six home runs, while also collecting 11 doubles, 14 runs scored and 29 RBI's.
Hamilton, a two-time All-UAA selection and an Academic All-America first team selection, finished tied for first in the conference with 13 wins and ranked second with 115 strikeouts in her second year as a Spartan. She went 13-6 overall on the mound, as she allowed 52 earned runs on 125 hits for a 3.00 ERA. Hamilton also totaled a team-high 13 complete games. In addition to her work on the mound, Hamilton batted .270 (20-for-74) with two home runs, five doubles, two triples, 11 RBI's and 21 runs scored. During her career as a Spartan, Hamilton has gone 34-14 on the mound with a 2.74 earned run average in 306.1 innings pitched. She has totaled 299 strikeouts and thrown 32 complete games.
Other major contributors for the Spartans during the year included junior infielder Melissa Cuellar who ranked third on the team with a.405 batting average (32-for-79) and hit five home runs and tallied 17 RBI's. Sophomore catcher Dusstyn Reynolds batted .298 (36-for-121) with five home runs, nine doubles and 28 RBI's, and sophomore outfielder Hope Yashnik tallied a .348 average (23-for-66) with two home runs, four doubles and 14 runs batted in.
Adding depth on the mound behind Hamilton was sophomore Sidney Brannam. The second-year Spartan 19 games during the year, recording a team-best 2.47 ERA and striking out 59 batters in 99.0 innings of work. Brannam earned UAA pitcher of the week honors on March 18th, as she went 2-1 on the mound, allowing one earned run in 13.2 innings pitched, while striking out 12 batters during the team's spring break trip to Arizona.
In addition to the team's success on the field, the Spartans excelled in the classroom as well. Carty, Cleaveland, Cuellar, Doyle, sophomore Jordan Gross, Hamilton, sophomore Sarah Miller, sophomore Marlo Robinson, sophomore Sydney Wagner and sophomore Gretchen Weiss all received UAA spring All-Academic recognition.
The Spartans earned the following honors during the 2019 season:
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CoSIDA Academic All-America |
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S. Abington Twp, Pa. / Scranton Preparatory School |
First Team |
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NFCA All-Region |
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Pittsford, N.Y. / Pittsford Sutherland |
Second Team |
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Long Beach, Calif. / Woodrow Wilson |
Second Team |
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Maumee, Ohio / Anthony Wayne |
Second Team |
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Mount Vernon, Ohio / Mount Vernon |
Third Team |
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All-UAA |
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Mount Vernon, Ohio / Mount Vernon |
First Team |
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Pittsford, N.Y. / Pittsford Sutherland |
First Team |
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Long Beach, Calif. / Woodrow Wilson |
First Team |
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S. Abington Twp, Pa. / Scranton Preparatory School |
Second Team |
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Maumee, Ohio / Anthony Wayne |
Second Team |
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UAA Athlete of the Week |
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Austin, Texas / St. Dominic Savio Catholic |
Mar. 18 |
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Pittsford, N.Y. / Pittsford Sutherland |
Mar. 25, May 6 |
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S. Abington Twp, Pa. / Scranton Preparatory School |
May 6 |
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UAA All-Academic Recognition |
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Pittsford, N.Y. / Pittsford Sutherland |
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Long Beach, Calif. / Woodrow Wilson |
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Grand Island, Neb. / Grand Island Senior High |
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Mount Vernon, Ohio / Mount Vernon |
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Reno, Nev. / Earl Wooster |
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S. Abington Twp, Pa. / Scranton Preparatory School |
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Lorain, Ohio / Marion L. Steele |
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Lewis Center, Ohio / Olentangy Orange |
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Lewis Center, Ohio / Olentangy |
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Clarence, N.Y. / Clarence |
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The following were the Spartans statistical leaders during the season:
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Hitting |
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Batting Average |
.422 |
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Hits |
54 |
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Doubles |
14 |
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Triples |
2 |
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Home Runs |
7 |
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Runs Batted In (RBI) |
37 |
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Pitching |
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Wins |
13 |
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Innings Pitched |
121.1 |
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Strikeouts |
115 |
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Earned Run Average (ERA) |
2.47 |
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