Teams: Softball: Press Releases

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

FOUR FROM SOFTBALL NAMED TO NFCA ALL-REGION TEAMS

Samantha Kuhles earned All-NFCA First Team honors for her play at third base for the Jumbos

MEDFORD -- Four players for the 2007 NESCAC champion Tufts softball team were recently selected to the 2007 Louisville Slugger/National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division III All-New England teams. First-year 2B Casey Sullivan (Berlin, CT/Suffield Academy) and sophomore 3B Samantha Kuhles (Somerville, NJ/Rutgers Prep) were named to the First Team. Junior P/1B Erica Bailey (Scottsdale, AZ/Chaparral) is on the Second Team and sophomore RF Maya Ripecky (Chicago, IL/Northside) was voted on to the Third Team.

Sullivan, the only Jumbo to start all 44 games, finished at .399 with nine home runs, 43 runs batted in and 43 runs scored. The 43 runs tied a Tufts record. Kuhles had a record-setting season with 66 hits and 14 doubles, also scoring 38 runs and driving in 24 with a team-best .407 batting average. Both were above-average fielders around the diamond for head coach Cheryl Milligan's squad, with Sullivan posting a .946 percentage primarily at second base and Kuhles finishing at .910 on the hot corner. Kuhles is NFCA All-Region for the second straight season after earning a Third Team nod last year.

Bailey won nine games in the pitcher's circle for the Jumbos, including two at the NCAA New England Regional Tournament. Her three shutouts overall led the Jumbos. At bat, she hit .406 with 22 runs batted in. She struck out just six times in 106 at-bats. This is the third straight year that she has won NFCA Regional honors, as she was a Second Team pick in both 2005 and 2006. Ripecky added pop to the Tufts batting order with a .366 average, five home runs and 29 RBIs. She was also hit by 10 pitches, which helped her earn a team-best .432 on-base percentage to go with a .574 slugging percentage.

The '07 Jumbos tied the program's record for victories in a season with their 31-13 finish. They won their fourth NESCAC title, but the first sine 2003. They dominated the NESCAC East Division, finishing 11-1 and out-scoring their opponents 85-14 in the 12 games.

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