After four months of sweat & hard work,
Cardinals are the best team in the nation

SALEM, Va. — When the season started, there were 369 teams played NCAA Division III fastpitch softball.

And, thanks to a perfect run through the post-season, the Saint Mary's University team can proudly say that they are No. 1.

The Cardinals put the icing on a dream season Sunday afternoon, rolling past Chapman 5-0 in the title game of the NCAA Division III Softball Championships at the James I. Moyer Sports Complex.

"This is so unreal," said SMU senior pitcher Teisha Smith, sporting a grin that stretched from ear to ear. "I remember after we won regionals, I had tears in my eyes and I just couldn't believe we were going to nationals.

"Now, we're the national champions! It's such an incredible feeling, I'm not sure it will ever sink in."

It was the perfect ending to a sensational season for Smith, one of four seniors on the Cardinal roster, who pitched all but one inning of the national championships, going a perfect 4-0 with a tournament-leading 1.04 ERA.

"Teisha has been our leader all season, not just through her performance on the field, but she's also our emotional leader," said SMU coach John Tschida of his right-hander, who allowed just 14 hits and four earned runs in four national tournament games — including a complete-game four-hitter in the title-clinching victory over Chapman. "She's a big-time player and she stepped up when we needed her to."

But she didn't do it alone — which was evident by the fact that the Cardinals landed five players on the 14-player all-tournament team. Against Chapman, freshman Jackie Huegel laced a two-out, two-run first-inning home run, while sophomore Jennifer Miller pitched in a two-out, two-run double in SMU's three-run sixth to ice the victory.

"This team has been on a mission all season, a Mission-23," explained Smith, the mission being to win a national title, while the 23 referred to the 23 members of the Cardinals roster. "We did this together. Every time we needed somebody to step up, they did, and that's what made this team so tough to beat."

And made the victory celebration that much more special.

"This group of young ladies has an awful lot to be proud of," said Tschida. "They've put in a lot of time and effort to get to this point — and they deserve everything they've earned.

"They should be proud of their accomplishment — I know I'm proud of them."