SMU Fastpitch Softball

How TheyGot Here

Muskingum catpured its fourth consecutive Ohio Athletic Confernece title, and earned the conference's automatic regional berth. The Lady Muskies cruised through the regional tournament, beating Alma 3-2, Case Western Reserve 9-2 and Denison 6-0 to earn its first trip to the national tournament finals since 1998.

Pre-TournamentNotes

The Lady Muskies posted a 17-1 record during the conference regular season, and defeated Capital University (9-2) and Otterbein College (9-1 and 12-4) in the OAC Tournament. … This is Muskingum's third finals appearance, having also qualified in 1992 and 1998. … Seniors Dani Keiffer, Julie Ryan, Carla Kampschmidt, Leslie Deal,
Chantelle Andrews and Jamie Shepherd all played on that 1998 national-tournament team, which knocked off top-seeded Simpson 5-2 in its opening-round game. … One of Muskingum's top hitters is sophomore designated player Mandy Carnes, a 2000 first team All-American. Carnes enters this weekend's action with a .490 batting average, 12 home runs, and 52 runs batted in. … Senior pitcher Dani Keiffer is one of the Muskies' best-kept secrets. Keiffer waited for her turn to shine while Jen Segner (who played for Muskingum from 1997-2000) was becoming the all-time leader in Division III in career wins (117). Keiffer, a first team all-Ohio Athletic Conference and all-Central Region selection, has been brilliant during the 2001 season posting a 26-3 record with a 1.24
ERA.