Peak Performance
Softball team ends season with highest finish ever—for any CWRU team
Sophomore pitcher Ilissa Hamilton was named Most Outstanding Pitcher of the Super Regional tournament, with a 2.47 earned run average and nine strikeouts—including the game-winner that sent CWRU to the championships.
I crouched and put my glove near the ground.
It was the bottom of the last inning. Two outs. Two strikes. One player on second.
What happened next could start a rally for them—or send us to the NCAA championships.
From the start, we knew this season could be special.
Our pitcher began her wind-up. The ball flew toward the plate.
The batter swung and ... missed.
Our fans screamed. We sprinted toward home plate for a massive team hug. The feeling was unbelievable.
Yet from the start, we knew this season could be special.
We had amazing new first-year players, strong leadership and that essential intangible: team chemistry.
We went 31-8 in the regular season and made it to the NCAA Division III tournament for only the second time in team history. We were the first team to reach the national championships round, tying for fifth in the country—the highest finish of any university athletic team, ever.
We cemented our place in CWRU’s sports legacy. We are part of that team forever, and no one can take that away.
—Nicole Doyle, senior studying accounting