All good things must come to an end. For the number one team in all of NCAA DII, the nation's longest winning streak came to an end on Fri, April 1. 

The softball team had won 36 consecutive games before last Friday, which was the longest winning streak to start a season in both CUI softball program history and the PacWest conference as well. “The softball team is still the only team in all of NCAA DII to hold a record of 36-2 entering the weekend,” said Ben Rosehart, Sports Information Director. 

Senior pitcher and utility player Erika Morris said, “Crystal and the coaching staff make sure that we play every game like we are 0-0 so I can’t really describe the feeling. I mean from the outside perspective you would think it is an amazing run, but for us we don’t focus on it at all.” Morris added, “Our minds are more focused on who our upcoming competition is and if there is any way we can get better in between a series.” 

Morris highlighted some of her teammates throughout the season and said, “A couple clutch moments that I can think of is a walk off home run from our leadoff batter Megan Massa in the bottom of the ninth inning against Chaminade and also back-to-back home runs from Missy Nemeth and Rylie Rohr helped us win the game over Hilo this past week.” She added, “There comes a point where perfection is not asked for, but our pitching staff knows how to deliver it and for the third week in a row we have the best-earned run average across all of the NCAA and could not achieve this kind of greatness without amazing catchers who put in tireless hours of work in the bullpen.” 

Morris is prepared to continue to work hard and said, “I’m extremely proud of every pitcher on our staff and how hard we have and will continue to work this season. Concordia softball is an awesome environment, and this team is really something special.”

Junior first base Nemeth said, “It feels good to have that record. We worked so hard in the fall and in the beginning of this year so it's really cool to see all our hard work pay off.” 

Nemeth praised their team chemistry and said, “We are all working together towards the same goal, and you can feel that in the dugout and on the field. We all support each other and push one another to do better.”

Senior catcher and third and first baseman Sydney Sprinkle emphasized one of her achievements and said, “One game that was really exciting was when we went to 10 innings with APU for our first conference game with them, and I came up and hit an RBI double to take the lead.” Sprinkle added, “Playing third is something new for me this season, so being able to go out on the field and do well for the team and the pitching staff is really awesome.” 

Sprinkle also focused on the strengths of her team. She said, “We have a very in-depth team, meaning we have a lot of girls with different strengths that work well together. Each of our pitchers have their own specialties, which makes it hard for people to hit off our staff. We also have a lot of people who can do different things on offense which is why we've been so successful thus far.” She added, “We have people who can hit for power, hit the gaps, bunt for a hit, or just consistently get on base to keep the momentum going on offense. This team is something special this year.”

It is evident that the softball team will finish out this season strong. A minor setback for an even greater comeback! Their next game is at home against Cal State San Marcos on April 9 at noon. Come by and cheer on your fellow Eagles. If you can't make it, no worries! Follow them on Instagram and Twitter @cuisoftball for updates and news. 

Tags: women's athletics, Softball, game

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