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Issued: May 23, 2007
MCKINNEY, TSCHERNACH, LEISGANG NAMED ALL-TOURNAMENT
SALEM, VIRGINIA – Three UW-Eau Claire softball players were named to the 13-person NCAA Division III All-Tournament team from the eight-team, double elimination national tournament which concluded Tuesday with Linfield College (OR) defeating Washington University (MO), 10-2, for the National Championship. The trio included designated player Mallory McKinney (Sr.-Brooklyn Park, MN/Champlin Park), shortstop Mandy Tschernach (Sr.-Rice Lake) and second baseman Casey Leisgang (Jr.-Seymour). The Blugolds posted a 3-2 record to finish third in the tournament, their highest finish ever at the Division III World Series. The Blugolds defeated Rhode Island College, 9-1 in 5 innings; Emory University (GA), 3-1; and Plattsburgh State (NY), 6-5; while losing to Washington University, 1-0 in 8 innings, and Linfield, 22-10. Tschernach led the Blugolds in the national tournament with a .647 average (11 for 17), scoring a team-high seven runs with three RBI. Leisgang batted .412 (7 for 17) with four RBI while McKinney hit .389 (7 for 18) with a team-high nine RBI. McKinney also had all of the pitching decisions in the national tournament as she worked 23 2/3 innings with 10 walks, 31 strikeouts and a 2.07 ERA. The rest of the All-Tourney team included first baseman Amanda Attleberger, catcher Jenna Loop, pitcher Brittany Miller and outfielder Stephanie Rice from Linfield; outfielder Karli Stander, third baseman Jamie Kressel and pitcher Laurel Sagartz from Washington; outfielder Shannon Connors and second baseman Amy Woo from Plattsburgh State and second baseman Ali Braverman from Emory. Eau Claire finished the season with a 38-14 record, winning 15 of its final 18 games. Their only losses during that span were to Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference regular season champion UW-Oshkosh, ranked No. 8 in the most recent NFCA Division III poll; to national champion Linfield and to national runner-up Washington. The Blugolds claimed the WIAC tournament championship and an automatic NCAA berth after finishing fourth in the league during the regular season and the Regional Championship after being seeded sixth in that seven-team tournament. 2007 NCAA Division III Softball Championship Website - TP -
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