William Penn Athletics #3 Story of the 2013-2014 Year

William Penn University Athletics

William Penn University Athletics

The rich tradition of softball success at William Penn continued this past spring to earn the #3 story from 2013-2014.

Beyond just attempting to notch their 19th-straight winning season, the Statesmen had their sights set on yet another run to ‘The Ball’. The Midwest Collegiate Conference preseason favorites did not disappoint by claiming the regular season title with a late-season push and then taking the tourney crown against its biggest rival. The team’s ultimate reward? A fourth trip to the NAIA National Championships.

On April 6, WPU sat at just 21-11 overall and 8-4 in the MCC, but dominance was just around the corner as the navy and gold claimed W’s in their final 11 league contests to rally past Grand View with a 19-4 mark for their seventh regular season title–all since 2002.

The MCC Tournament also did not lack in drama as, after winning its first two games, William Penn was forced to an if-necessary game against the Vikings. The #1 seed fell behind in the matchup, but a five-run sixth inning allowed the Statesmen to break free and advance to nationals for the second time in three years.

Unfortunately, the Opening Round was not as kind to the #27 team in the nation as it bowed out with losses to eventual bracket champion Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) and then to Cornerstone (Mich.) to finish 36-20.

After a triumphant season, postseason honors were a guarantee for William Penn, but few could have expected such an abundance. Behind MCC Pitcher of the Year Jennifer Whitehead (fourth time in her career) and Player of the Year Brittanee Grove, WPU finished with seven all-MCC honorees. Three players also took home NFCA all-Midwest Region recognition, while Grove topped the bulging list with a First-Team All-America laurel from both the NAIA and NFCA.

Original story can be found at http://www.statesmenathletics.com/article/5287.php

#3 Performance of the 2013-2014 Year

The bronze goes to the second no-hitter on this list as Corey Lathram gathers up the #3 performance of 2013-2014.

The senior pitcher began the baseball season as William Penn’s closer, but due to injuries, he inherited a starting role. The right-hander took to the appointment like a fish in water, highlighting a productive campaign on April 17 by tossing a no-hitter against Clarke.

Making just his second start in the navy and gold, Lathram struck out seven against one walk and one hit-by-pitch in WPU’s 2-0 victory. After the hit batter in the fifth inning, he closed strong with strikeouts in five of his final seven at-bats. The no-hitter was the first for the Statesmen since Jorge Quezada accomplished the feat on March 9, 2012.

Lathram’s performance eventually netted him both Midwest Collegiate Conference and NAIA Pitcher of the Week laurels.

Original story can be found at http://www.statesmenathletics.com/article/5247.php

Posted by on Jul 17 2014. Filed under College Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.

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