Sunshine State, here we come! The University of Minnesota Duluth will make its 2008 softball debut this Wednesday (March 12) when the Bulldogs begin a 12-game, seven-day stay in Kissimmee, Fla. as part of the Rebel Spring Games. UMD was originally scheduled to kickoff the new season last weekend, but inclement weather forced the cancellation of the Missouri Western State College Crossover Tournament.

TO VIEW THE FULL PDF VERSON OF THIS RELEASE CLICK HERE:

UMD Softball Notes

THE SCHEDULE: UMD opens play on Wednesday by taking on Northern Kentucky University (3 p.m. - EST) and Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville (5 p.m.) at the Osceola County Softball Complex, where they will also face Holy Family University and Chestnut Hill College on March 17. In addition, the Bulldogs are scheduled to play two games at Oren Brown Park and six more contests at the Fortune Road Athletic Facility later that week.

THE RECORDS: UMD closed out the 2007 season with a 31-23 overall record and finished third in the final North Central Conference standings with a 6-5 mark. The Bulldogs went on to claim runnerup honors at the NCC Tournament en route to securing their third berth ever in the NCAA II North Central Regionals, where they went 1-2.

POLL POSITION: Two of the Bulldogs' 10 opponents at the Rebel Games are ranked in the 2008 National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division II Preseason Poll. Southern Illinois-Edwardsville, the defending NCAA II champion, holds down the No . 1 spot while Wayne State University (Mich.), which plays UMD on March 14, is ranked 20th. Shippensburg University (March 13) and Caldwell College (March 18) received votes.

THE COACH: In just two short years, Jen Banford has helped put the UMD softball program firmly back on the NCAA Division II radar. Last spring, her Bulldogs rolled up a 31-23 record and advanced to the NCAA II North Central Regionals for the third time ever and first since 2002. One year earlier, UMD, despite a roster which was void of any seniors and sported a mere three juniors, still managed to go 25-20. That gives Banford a 56-43 career record heading into the 2008 season. The 27-year old Banford made her head coaching debut in 2006 at Mayville State University (an NAIA institution located in Mayville, N.D.) where her Comets went 26-16 overall -- for their best winning percentage in school history -- and a 11-9 mark in the Dakota Athletic Conference (DAC-10). In addition, the Comets also set team marks for batting average and home runs and one of Banford’s players (Chantal Erickson) became the school’s first softball All-American honoree (NAIA honorable mention). A native of Ottawa, Ontario, Banford spent the 2003-04 season at Northern State University, where she was a graduate assistant softball coach. Banford entered the coaching arena fresh off a four-year career as a standout catcher at Valley City State (N.D.)



ABOUT THE BULLDOGS: The Bulldogs are looking to pick up right where they left off last May when they used a late-season run to march all the way to the NCC Tournament title game and earn a NCAA II playoff berth. UMD retains the services of 10 letterwinners from a year ago, including seven starting position players and two standouts from their pitching staff. Headlining the list of holdovers is fourth-year starting first baseman Gina Zech, a 2006 All-NCC selection who will serve as a team captain for the third straight season this spring and sophomore pitcher Kristin Danielson, the reigning NCC Freshman of the Year. Danielson paced the 2007 UMD mound brigade in virtually every statistical category, including wins (she was 16-10 overall), starts (27, which equaled a Bulldog single-season record), shut outs (5), and earned run average (2.28). Also back is a trio of 2007 All-NCC selections in senior Jessica Horne, who has made more lifetime appearances (97) than any pitcher in school history, sophomore second baseman shortstop Sonja Muck, who batted .330 one year ago, and junior outfielder Myriam Trepanier, who is currently with the UMD hockey team (she skates a regular shift at defense). Trepanier topped the 2007 Bulldogs in hitting with a .400 average while landing NFCA All-North Central Regional honors. Sophomore Sarah Kabes, a member of the NCAA II North Central Regional All-Tournament team who will most likely move from third base to catcher this season and sophomore shortstop Whitney Olson, a starter in 52 of UMD's 54 outings and a .282 hitter last spring, are also back. Another pair of veterans, junior second baseman Amanda Van Effen, and sophomore third baseman Gillian Gaiger could figure prominently in the Bulldogs' infield plans this spring after spending the last year in a supporting role. Sophomore outfielder Val Hartel, who received ample playing time last spring (44 games including 33 as a starter) rounds out the list of returning letterwinners.

NEW FACES: Eight promising freshmen -- infielders Megan Coombs, Nicole Gale and Sammy Gardner, pitcher/outfielder Sandy Matula, outfielders Casey Moore, pitchers Sam Sakala and Heather Stemper and ultility player Ashley Johnson -- along with junior outfielder Laura Melde, a transfer from St. Cloud State University, will provided the Bulldogs with additional punch in 2008.