THURSDAY, MARCH 29, 2012 | PAGE 6
SPORTS
THE TIMES-DELPHIC
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
sports
Now that the weather is a lot nicer, you should go check out the softball squad at Ron Buel Field. The Bulldogs will take on Missouri State on Saturday at 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. Drake will face the Bears once again on Sunday at 12 p.m.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Head coach Amy Stephens abruptly resigns by Eduardo Tamez Zamarripa
Sports Editor eduardo.tamezzamarripa@drake.edu
Athletic Director Sandy Hatfield Clubb announced the resignation of Amy Stephens as head women’s basketball coach on Monday. “Amy has contributed much to the success of our women’s basketball program in her nine seasons at Drake,” said Hatfield Clubb in a Drake athletics press release. “We appreciate the commitment she has given to the program’s success and wish her the best in future endeavors.” Stephens’ decision comes at a strange time for the Bulldogs. Just two weeks ago, Stephens arguably completed her best coaching job at Drake. After finishing the regular season with a 15-14 mark, Stephens led the No. 7 seed Bulldogs to an improbable run to the Missouri Valley Conference championship. Drake took down 10th-seeded Evansville, shocked the No. 3 seed Illinois State and stunned the No. 2 seed Wichita State before falling in the championship game to fourth-seeded Creighton. The run also earned the Bulldogs a National Invitational Tournament bid. “As the 2011-12 season came to a close with another postseason tournament bid, Drake and I agreed we had different visions for the future of the program,” Stephens said in a Drake athletics press release. “While I believe each of our perspectives is honorable, I have decided to tender my resignation. I am grateful for my time at Drake and humbled by having had the chance to lead the women’s team to the best overall record in the Missouri Valley Conference for the past decade. I wish Drake and the women’s team nothing but the best in the future. I hope Drake continues to attract the same high quality young women I have had the privilege to coach.” The Bulldogs finished the season with an overall record of 18-16 and earned its fourth trip to the postseason in seven years. The Bulldogs lost to the University of South Dakota Coyotes in the first round of this year’s WNIT. While there’s no indication as to why Stephens decided to leave, it must be said that in the last year, three different Bulldogs have left the program: Angela Christianson, Kayla Person and redshirt junior Brittnye McSparron. McSparron left the team a few weeks prior to the start of the MVC tournament.
Stephens, who was been the head coach at Drake since 2003, compiled a 151-130 record in her nine seasons at Drake (87-75 in regular season MVC play). Drake was the Valley’s most successful women’s basketball team in the last decade (2000-2009). Before coming to Drake, Stephens served one year as assistant coach at the University of Nebraska and eight years as head coach at the University of Nebraska-Kearney. Her overall record stands at 348-173 after 17 seasons. Drake announced it will immediately start a nationwide search for Stephens’ successor.
FILE PHOTO
Hackbarth earns AP All-American honorable mention Senior Rachael Hackbarth added one more accolade to her already stellar senior campaign on Tuesday. Hackbarth was named an honorable mention on the 2012 women’s basketball Associated Press All-America team. “This is a great honor, and it was earned by the effort of the whole team,” Hackbarth said in a Drake athletics press release. “I was surrounded by people who believed in me and looked to me to lead the team. This puts a great cap on my collegiate career.” Hackbarth was named the 2012 Jackie Stiles Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year and was named to the All-MVC first team and to the MVC All-Defensive team. Hackbarth led the conference in scoring (18.9 ppg) and rebounding (11.8 rpg).
Sophomore Diaries: Looking back on the Bulldogs’ magical run I knew from day one there was something special about this team. And as I sit here itching to tell everyone what it is, I’m struggling to find the words. Our season can be defined in one simple way: The will to win. Nothing stopped us. Nothing deterred us from being the team we knew we could be. And quite frankly, adversity grew to be our best friend, whether we liked it or not. Slowly, but surely, our roster was down to a solid eight players by the time the conference tournament rolled around. Did we dwell on it? Not at all. Did we use it as an excuse? Far from it. All I know is we picked the right time to peak. After our firstround win against Evansville, it was all up from there. Our second game was against the No. 2 seed, Illinois State. They swept us in conference play, so we were definitely out for revenge. We started a little shaky, but I could tell from the get-go that we were going to win that game. It was a tie game with less than 20 seconds left, and we had the ball. Freshman Kyndal Clark finished beautifully at the buzzer — Drake victory. I get goose bumps talking about it. Next came Wichita State. They swept us previously, too. Anyone who was at this game or watched it on TV may or may not have suffered a heart attack. We came out on fire. And I mean ON FIRE, shooting over 80 percent from the 3-point line at the half. But as you know, basketball is a game of runs. After a 12-point lead, Wichita State cranked up the press. Fortunately, the game never fully got away from us. We were well on our way to the championship.
It was the first time for everyone on our team competing for a championship. Although the results weren’t what we hoped for, it was the best three days of basketball I’ve ever experienced. And I’m sure my teammates would say the same. The emotional highs of that weekend were incredible. It doesn’t get much better than upsetting two teams because of clutch performances. What can I say? We were ballin’ out the gym. Despite the loss, that was the closest our team has ever been to a championship. And I know it has left us all hungry for more. I mean, think about it, we were 40 minutes away from making it to the Big Dance. Who DOESN’T want that? A team can sulk about a tough loss or use it as motivation. I’m confident we will choose the second option. I promised my mom we would win a championship within the next three years. I’m not one to break promises.
CARLY GRENFELL | COLUMNIST Grenfell is a sophomore public relations and management double major and can be contacted at carly.grenfell@drake.edu
Among her career highlights, Hackbarth leaves Drake as the 10th-leading scorer all-time with 1,161 points. She is also seventh all-time on the Drake rebounding list with 953 boards, along with finishing sixth in career minutes with 3,382 minutes played and fifth all-time in career blocks with 107. The Colgate, Wis., native recorded 26 double-doubles this season, leading the entire NCAA. She also held a streak of 15 consecutive double-doubles at one point, the sixthlongest streak in NCAA history.
SOFTBALL
Drake rides six-game winning streak as conference play heats up by Taylor Soule
Staff Writer tdphotoed@gmail.com
Every week, Rich Calvert outlines Drake softball practice goals. This week, Calvert outlined something different. “Coach (Calvert) says we’re playing with heart,” said junior outfielder Macie Silliman. “He drew a person with a big heart on the locker room white board the other day, and said, ‘This is what’s happening.’” Drake’s teamwork — and six straight wins — inspired Calvert’s artwork. On March 17-18, the Bulldogs swept Indiana State in Terre Haute, Ind. Drake opened the three game series with back-to-back victories over the Sycamores. Led by junior outfielder Lindsey Vande Wall, Drake capped the series with a 2-0 win on March 18. Vande Wall’s fly ball drove Amy Pierce home in the fourth inning for a 1-0 edge. Senior outfielder Jaimie Duffek pushed Vande Wall to the plate with a seventh inning RBI single, completing Drake’s 2-0 victory. Last Saturday marked another Missouri Valley Conference double-header, and Drake opened the three game series with consecutive wins over Bradley. On Sunday, sophomore Jordan Gronewold pitched a complete game shutout, sealing Drake’s sweep with a 1-0 victory. For Silliman, teamwork powered the Bulldogs’ six-game winning streak. “We’ve definitely come together as a team,” she said. “We kind of just fed off each other and kept it going.” Missouri Valley Conference play is just underway, but the May 10-12 State
Farm MVC Championship is already on Drake’s horizon, Silliman said. “I hope we continue to win, obviously, and making the (NCAA) tournament is one of our big goals every year and be able to put some numbers up against the top teams,” she said. “For me, I just want to give whatever I can to the team and go from there.” At 13-14 overall and 6-0 in the MVC, Drake’s numbers are already
“
We’ve definitely come together as a team. We kind of just fed off each other and kept it going.
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- junior outfielder Macie Silliman
promising. Tied with Northern Iowa in MVC play, the Bulldogs are eager to topple conference powerhouses Southern Illinois and Illinois State, Silliman said. Before facing the Salukis and the Redbirds, though, Drake will take on Missouri State on Saturday and Sunday at Ron Buel Field. Despite the Bears’ 3-3 MVC record, Drake anticipates a competitive series. Missouri State pitcher Natalie Rose is armed with a dangerous curveball, Silliman said. “Our main concern is the pitcher,” she said. “She’ll probably be our main thing to get past.” For sophomore infielder Liz Buck,
Rose’s unpredictable pitch is difficult but not impossible to hit. “They have a pretty good pitcher who has a good curveball, so that will be tough, but I think we’ve seen it all from them,” Buck said. With Rose’s curveball in mind, the Bulldogs are ready to improve offensively. “I think we hope to improve our hitting a little more,” Buck said. “Just keep scoring and getting people on base, having more of a presence at the plate.” Though Rose’s pitching poses a threat, Buck is confident in Drake’s improvement on the mound. “Our pitching has really picked it up,” she said. “They’re getting ahead on the count a lot more and they’re just stringing hits together a lot more.” Even after stringing together six straight victories, Drake is taking the MVC’s competitive field one weekend at a time. “I think it’s pretty tough this year,” Buck said. “Every weekend should be a challenge.” The Bulldogs take on Missouri State at 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. in a double-header on Saturday at Ron Buel Field.
CHECK ‘EM OUT Catch their game against Missouri State SATURDAY, MAR. 31 12 p.m. & 2 p.m. Ron Buel Field