United States Coast Guard Academy - Department of Athletics - Softball - Bears Win 20 Games for 6th Straight Season in 2006

For the sixth straight season the Coast Guard Academy softball team posted 20 or more wins as the Bears finished 20-21 overall and 9-7 and in second place in the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) despite its ace pitcher junior Colleen Perry playing injured for the second half of the season.

The Bears were eliminated in the first round of the NEWMAC Tournament for the second straight season cutting the season short.

Year in and year out the Bears play a very tough spring break schedule at the Rebel Games in Orlando, Fla. and this season was no different as the team played Muskinghum, ranked fourth in the nation and Washington (Stl.) ranked seventh in the nation. The Bears played four teams that won over 40 games last season and returned from the trip 3-7.

Coast Guard won their final game in Florida over rival Kings Point and then won its first six games up north to improve to 9-7 on the season.

The first game up north was a 12-0 win over Mitchell as Perry threw her first career no-hitter and gave head coach Donna Koczajowski her 200th career win. Ironically, Koczajowski won her 100th career game on a no-hitter by Jen Paulson in the 2002 season.

The highlight of the season was the Bears sweeping NEWMAC power Wheaton for the first time in school history, which would be a key factor in the second place finish.

The Bears were 15-12 when Perry sustained an injury which affected her pitching for the final 14 games of the season the Bears went 5-9 in those games.

Perry still had a solid season as she was named to second-team All-conference and posted a 18-14 record with a 1.76 ERA. She set a single-season school record with a NEWMAC best 203 strikeouts breaking the school record of 193 set by Katie Wunderlich in the 1999 season. Perry also became the Bears all-time leader with 534 strikeouts passing Wunderlich who had 524 strikeouts from 1998-2001.

A pair of freshman had outstanding seasons and were the Bears top two hitters. Leftfielder Jeannie Crump was named to the All-conference second team. She led the team with a .333 batting average, three homers and 25 RBI’s while shortstop Keely Balthrop was second on the team with a .318 average and 23 RBI’s.

Senior first baseman Stephanie Kimmel (.278) led the team with 12 doubles to go with her 14 RBI’s while junior third baseman Meagan Schoenhardt, who is playing her final season, was tied with Balthrop for second on the club with 23 RBI’s.

Seniors Karen Love (.221), who started 39 games in right field and Julie Miller (.219), who started 34 games at second base, made the most of their opportunities this season.

The Bears will lose Kimmel, Schoenhardt, Love and Miller, but return everyone else as they look to capture their first ever NEWMAC Championship.