Even though St. Mary-of-the-Woods College has won eight national titles in softball in the last 16 years, seniors Sara Goelz and Jessica Jonas are among the many current Woods players who have not been part of a national championship team.
That’s because the Pomeroys captured national crowns in 1997, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2008.
Goelz, a starting pitcher who has posted an 11-7 record with a 2.43 earned-run average and three shutouts while batting .328 this season, didn’t start playing for The Woods until her freshman season in 2009 and Jonas, a catcher batting .284, transferred from Olney Central College and didn’t start playing for the Pomeroys until 2011.
So when the U.S. Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) nationals start today and continue through Thursday at Firestone Stadium in Akron, Ohio, you can bet Goelz and Jonas will be hungry for their first title. As the No. 4 seed, The Woods will take on fifth-seeded Briarcliffe College at 10 a.m. today to kick off the eight-team, double-elimination tournament.
“They can give us a game,” Woods coach Gary Rodgers said of Briarcliffe. “We’re not looking past anybody. They’ve got one good pitcher and a couple good hitters. They’re solid.”
Carlow University, located in Pittsburgh, is the No. 1 seed, but Rodgers thinks the eventual champion will be one of the Midwest teams. The championship game is slated for noon Thursday, with the “if necessary” game to follow at about 2 p.m.
Rodgers knows the 26-20 Pomeroys, who placed second in the 2011 and 2010 national tournaments, will need strong performances from Goelz and Jonas, among others, to get that far again.
“They’ve both been very dominant on the field,” he said of the SMWC battery mates.
“Jessica is one of the best catchers, if not the best, I’ve ever coached. She’s got a good, quick release, strong arm … and she blocks the ball well. She also calls the majority of our pitches. She reads the batters well.
“As for Sara, from year to year, she’s been our No. 1 pitcher. She hits spots well. She’s not a strikeout pitcher, but she is extremely in control of whatever pitches she throws and she has good ball movement.”
Goelz, a former Warren Central High School athlete who graduated from The Woods this month with a degree in elementary and special education, described the possibility of winning a national championship as “icing on the cake for my senior year and my 18-year softball career.”
“It’s about time we win one,” she continued. “For the past few games of the regular season, we’ve really come together and we’ve got more hits … not leaving so many baserunners on.”
Goelz, who has a counseling job lined up for a summer camp, admitted that she’ll spend non-softball time in Akron sending out resumés in search of career employment. But she promised that won’t interfere with her concentration during games and pregame warm-ups.
Jonas, a former Ben Davis High School athlete who graduated from The Woods with a degree in criminal justice, also will be job-searching during her down time this week. But she preferred to talk about the Pomeroys coming back to Terre Haute as USCAA national champions.
“I think we have a really good chance this year,” she told the Tribune-Star over the weekend. “We closed our season by finally finding our chemistry. We found the right lineup for us… I’d love to have [the national title] and I think coach Rodgers would love to have one more.”
“I like our chances,” assessed Rodgers, who guided the Pomeroys to national championships in ’07 and ’08.
Also worth noting, Rodgers said this is the first season that the USCAA has used a double-elimination format instead of pool play to determine its national champion.
USCAA national softball tournament
At Firestone Stadium, Akron, Ohio
Today
10 a.m. — Game 1: No. 4 St. Mary-of-the-Woods vs. No. 5 Briarcliffe
Noon — Game 2: No. 1 Carlow vs. No. 8 Penn State Mont-Alto
2 p.m. — Game 3: No. 2 Lindenwood vs. No. 7 Penn State-Beaver
4 — Game 4; No. 3 Spalding vs. No. 6 St. Joseph’s-Brooklyn
6 — Game 5: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner
6 — Game 7: Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser
8 — Game 6: Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner
8 — Game 8: Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 loser
Wednesday
Losers’ bracket games at 10 a.m., noon, 4 p.m. and 8 p.m.
2 p.m. — Game 11: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner
Thursday
Noon — Game 14: Championship game
2 p.m. — Game 15: “If necessary” championship game
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods
Related Photos
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Tribune-Star/Jim Avelis Teammates: Sara Goelz and Jessica Jonas will travel to Akron, Ohio, again, participating in the USCAA national softball tournament with the Pomeroys.
Discussion
A time for firsts: SMWC seniors have national title aspirations
- Saint Mary-of-the-Woods
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Secret weapon: Kelsey Rosselli finishing Woods career with a bang
At Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College, reporting game results to the Tribune-Star after a win or a loss is not always a high priority.
So when one of its athletes enjoys an outstanding season, like senior Kelsey Rosselli is doing for the Pomeroys’ softball team in 2013, media publicity doesn’t always follow.
In fact, her efforts almost seem like a government secret.
Rosselli’s name might sound familiar to longtime Terre Haute softball followers because she was a standout for North High School, from where she graduated in 2009.
Since then, she’s helped The Woods finish runner-up in three straight U.S. Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) national tournaments in 2010, 2011 and 2012. -
A time for firsts: SMWC seniors have national title aspirations
Even though St. Mary-of-the-Woods College has won eight national titles in softball in the last 16 years, seniors Sara Goelz and Jessica Jonas are among the many current Woods players who have not been part of a national championship team.
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Federal audit says SMWC should return $42M in student aid
A federal audit says St. Mary-of-the-Woods College should return $42 million in loans and grants made to students between 2005 and 2010, something the college plans to challenge.
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This underdog has its day
It’s been an up-and-down regular season for the St. Mary-of-the-Woods College women’s basketball team, but it concluded on a definite uptick.
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The mane attraction: Woods students learn about careers in equine world
A horse can be a powerful therapeutic tool, something Chris Marks knows firsthand.
“I’ve seen children with autism speak their first word to a horse,” causing their parents to “dissolve in a puddle of emotion,” said Marks, chairman of the Equine Studies program at St. Mary-of-the-Woods College.
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WOMEN'S BASKETBALL ROUNDUP: Rose, The Woods post weekend victories
Rose-Hulman relied on a balanced scoring attack and a strong defensive effort to earn a 55-44 women’s basketball victory Saturday over Mount St. Joseph.
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SMWC topples Rose-Hulman
After a sluggish first half for both teams, St. Mary-of-the-Woods College found enough offensive rhythm in the final 20 minutes to outlast host Rose-Hulman 51-41 in the 19th annual Clabber Girl Trophy women’s basketball showdown Tuesday night inside Hulbert Arena.
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METRO ROUNDUP: SMWC’s Runyon wins USCAA cross country title
Blinding snow and freezing temperatures couldn’t stop Saint Mary-of-the-Woods junior Stephanie Runyon, an education major from Noblesville, from becoming the 2011 U.S. Collegiate Athletic Association women’s national champion in cross country Friday.
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Trimmed roster may benefit SMWC
“Less is more” is a statement with many, many meanings, attributed to many, many sources through the years.
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Dottie King becomes 16th president of St. Mary-of-the-Woods College
As the mother of six children, Dottie King learned early on the importance of setting priorities and achieving the right balance between family, education and work.
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Pomeroys battle to second at national championship
Eight times, St. Mary-of-the-Woods has captured some form of a national championship in softball.
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Shearing Time
You’ve probably never seen a haircut quite like this.
Alpacas, remarkably sweet-looking members of the camel family, were getting their annual shearing last week at the White Violet Center for Eco Justice at St. Mary-of-the-Woods. -
SMWC puts up fight in tourney
St. Mary-of-the-Woods downed Judson 6-2 Sunday morning in the semifinal round of the 2011 USCAA national softball championships, earning a trip to the best-of-three title series.
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BREAKING: St. Mary-of-the-Woods College names Dottie King as 16th president
Dottie L. King, Ph.D. has been appointed the 16th president of St. Mary-of-the-Woods College, the board of trustees announced today.
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Ex-Wildcat finds new home at Woods
Many people find “the path of least resistance” as a preferable way to proceed in life. After all, less risk is involved with a sure thing.
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NEW: St. Mary-of-the-Woods College announces academic changes
St. Mary-of-the-Woods College announced today a refocus of its academic programs. An afternoon news conference is under way at SMWC, which posted a notice about the changes on its website, www.smwc.edu.
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Marian holds off Rose women’s second-half charge
Marian University relied on a strong defensive effort to hold off a second half Rose-Hulman charge and earn a 61-52 women’s basketball victory Saturday afternoon.
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Influx of new players has Pomeroys on rise
With a steady influx of “Killer B’s,” the fortunes of the St. Mary-of-the-Woods’ women’s basketball team are once again on the rise.
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Woods soccer goes 1-1, earns national honors
St. Mary-of-the-Woods returned from the United States Collegiate Athletic Association soccer finals with a 1-1 record and a host of national honors.
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Six St. Mary-of-the-Woods teams compete in national tournaments
St. Mary-of-the-Woods College athletics celebrates the end of a phenomenal year during the 2009-10 season as six teams competitively competed in national tournaments.
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Rosselli, other Valley talent leads Woods into national softball tourney
The St. Mary-of-the-Woods softball program is no stranger to national tournaments.
The Pomeroys claimed some form of a national championship in 1997, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2008, the last several sanctioned by the U.S. Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA). -
St. Mary-of-the-Woods plans Saturday commencement
St. Mary-of-the-Woods College will celebrate its 169th commencement Saturday. Graduation activities will begin at 10:30 a.m. with the traditional baccalaureate mass in the Church of the Immaculate Conception.
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Woods, Rose softball teams split doubleheader
Rose-Hulman and St. Mary-of-the-Woods College split a softball doubleheader that featured the longest athletic contest in history between the two schools on Friday night.
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Ring Day a much anticipated event at The Woods
Ring Day is a much anticipated and special day for most students, but for two St. Mary-of-the-Woods External Degree students in particular it was an especially great experience this year.
- Injury bug bites: St. Mary-of-the-Woods basketball trying to get and stay healthy A myriad of injuries have plagued the St. Mary-of-the-Woods women’s basketball team in recent seasons, forcing the Pomeroys to compete on numerous occasions with just seven, six and sometimes only five players able to play.
- The Woods appoints new vice president for development St. Mary-of-the-Woods College President David G. Behrs has announced the appointment of Serafina I. Spatola as vice president for development.
- St. Mary-of-the-Woods takes fourth in national tournament
- The Woods celebrates 168th commencement More than 140 students are expected to participate in St. Mary-of-the-Woods College’s 168th Commencement Ceremony on Saturday.
- Untold Stories: Film takes unique look ‘Inside Iraq’ At 7 p.m. Monday, St. Mary-of-the-Woods College will present “Inside Iraq: The Untold Stories,” which will include a film showing and discussion with the director of the film, Mike Shiley. The presentation, which will be in the Cecilian Auditorium of the SMWC Conservatory of Music building, is part of the College’s Four-Star series, and it is being co-sponsored by the SMWC Student Activities Committee. The presentation is free and open to the public.
- TH to promote ‘Crossroads of Higher Education’ at Statehouse Terre Haute may lie near Indiana’s western border, but business, education and government leaders want state lawmakers to know that the city that bills itself as the “Crossroads of America” is also the “Crossroads of Higher Education.”
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