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2010 SEASON REVIEW

The Northwestern softball team, under the direction of first year head coach Stephanie Kuhl, concluded the 2010 season with a 9-31 overall record, 5-19 and in 12th place in conference play. This year’s squad ranked in the middle of the conference in both batting average (.271) and runs scored (3.3) while the pitching staff sported a 4.90 team ERA.

For the third straight year, the Red Raiders opened their season at the Tucson Invitational (Ariz.) where they played eight games against teams from both the NAIA and NCAA D-TeamIII. After a season opening loss to Baldwin Wallace (Ohio), the Raiders earned their first win under Coach Kuhl with a 4-3 win over Purdue-North Central. Northwestern then concluded its Arizona trip with six consecutive losses to fall to 1-7 on the season.

Following the return home, Northwestern opened league play with a pair of losses to defending GPAC champion Morningside and then dropped four straight games at the Morningside Tournament, all by four runs or less. After a 6-1 defeat to GPAC rival Mount Marty in game one of a doubleheader, Northwestern knocked off the Lancers in game two, 16-14, to end its 13-game losing streak.

In its next action, Northwestern swept past Waldorf and finished off an impressive 4-1 stretch with a doubleheader split against Dakota Wesleyan to improve to 2-4 in the GPAC.

With a 2-4 league record and facing a difficult stretch in its league schedule, Northwestern lost its next five games until a 4-1 game two win over the University of Sioux Falls. A 6-2 non-conference win over Buena Vista followed before the Raiders  lost nine straight games to fall to 3-17 in the GPAC. Coach Kuhl’s squad concluded its season with a 2-2 record, including an impressive 4-1 home win over Concordia, a team bound for the postseason.

Individually, Rachel Harris enjoyed one of the finest seasons ever in a Northwestern uniform. The junior from Akron, Iowa, led the GPAC in both batting average (.449), walks (26) and on-base percentage (.542) while ranking second in hits (57)  and triples (4). Harris became the first Northwestern player to earn NAIA All-American honors since 2002 after earning first team all-GPAC accolades. Sophomores Kami Kuhlmann (Charter Oak, Iowa) and Shelby Johnson (Akron, Iowa) were named second team all-GPAC as a utility player and catcher. After joining the team in late March, Kuhlmann ranked second on the team with a .370 average and ranked fourth with 14 RBIs. In addition, the sophomore tied for the team lead with four wins and boasted a team-best 3.53 earned run average on the mound. One of the top defensive catchers in the conference, Johnson hit .235 with 15 RBIs while throwing out 10 runners. Senior Sara Curry (Fort Collins, Colo.) finished off her career by earning honorable mention all-league honors after hitting .289 with a team-high 18 RBIs. Curry and Stephanie Van Duyn (Bellflower, Calif.) were also named NAIA Scholar Athlete. Freshman Heidi Esdohr (Coon Rapids, Iowa) started every game at third base and hit an impressive .270 in her first season as a Red Raider. Esdohr finished with 19 sacrifices, the second highest total in the program’s history.