Time for Tschida to sit back, relax and
savor Cardinals' first-ever national title

SALEM, Va. — When the presentations were over, the individual awards had all been handed out and the Saint Mary's University fastpitch softball team was busy taking turns hugging the national championship trophy, coach John Tschida looked a little uncomfortable.

After 46 games, his team had just accomplished what had only been a dream four months ago — they had won their first-ever NCAA Division III national championship, beating Chapman 5-0 in the title game to complete a perfect 4-0 run through the national tournament.

Yet, there Tschida stood, in the middle of Diamond No. 1 of the James I. Moyer Sports Complex, with a sort of blank look on his face.

"What do we do now?" he asked.

For the first time all season, Tschida was at a loss.

There were no games to scout, pitches to chart or players to study.

"Tschida is always so prepared," said SMU junior Jill Hocking, who went 1-for-4 against Chapman and scored one of the Cardinals' five runs. "He spends so many hours scouting other teams, breaking down films … there's no question his hard work is one of the big reasons we are national champions."

Tshida's overall record speaks for itself — 207-47 and No. 2 in NCAA Division III all-time winning percentage (.814). But what really sets Tschida apart from all other coaches is his preparation.

"It's amazing how much he knows," said Jennifer Meyer, who was one of five Cardinals named to the all-tournament team, after hitting .400 with two singles, a double, a triple and a home run. "He didn't get a chance to scout (The College of) New Jersey, but after the first time through the order, he knew what pitches were coming. I couldn't believe it."

More important than his ability to read opposing pitchers, or his talent for decoding the opposition's signs, is Tschida's ability to bring out the best in his players. Whether it's by throwing 800-plus pitches in batting practice, or by taking extra time to work with a young pitcher on her riseball or curve, Tschida always has the time to work with his players.

"Tschida is always there for us," said Laura Miller, the all-tournament designated hitter. "He has a way of always bringing out the best in all of us. He keeps us level-headed and focused — and when you get this far (the national tournament), that's invaluable."

"We feed off his heart," said senior Teisha Smith, who was the tournament's top pitcher, throwing three complete-games, posting two shutouts and carrying a 1.04 ERA. "You can see his love for the game, and we just eat that up.

"Tschida's put in a lot of extra time with this team and this is his championship as much as it is ours."

The problem is, now that the Cardinals' have that precious championship trophy, Tschida doesn't know what to do next.

"We've been on a mission all season," explained Tschida. "We'd approach every day, every game, as a mission. And after each game, we'd prepare for the next mission.

"There are no more missions."

How about this one — sit back, relax and enjoy your first national championship.

• ALL-TOURNAMENT: The Cardinals landed five players on the 14-player all-tournament team, including pitcher Teisha Smith (1.04 ERA, 27.0 IP, 14 strikeouts), catcher Jennifer Miller (..417, 5-for-12, 2 doubles, 4 RBIs, 3 runs scored), shortstop Jackie Huegel (.545, 6-for-11, two doubles, one triple, one HR, three runs scored), outfielder Jennifer Meyer (.400, 6-for-15, one double, one triple, one HR, three runs scored) and designated hitter Laura Miller (.273, 3-for-11).

• THIS AND THAT: The Cardinals closed out their season winning 16 straight and 27 of their last 28 games. … Chapman has now finished second in the last three national tournaments and in four of the last five. … Teisha Smith has won her last 18 decisions and had not lost since a 1-0 setback to St. Thomas on April 4. … Jackie Huegel's first-inning home run vs. Chapman was her third of the season. Her first came in her first collegiate game.