RANKINGS
EVENTS
I COMMITTED
COLLEGE
ABOUT
A look at the success of the Grand Slam Triangle Classic
During the first weekend of March, I spent three days at the Grand Slam Triangle Classic in Raleigh, North Carolina. Hosted by William Peace University, the tournament included 37 total teams, easily the largest regular-season tournament at any NCAA level.
Across three days, the tournament was held at a single site for two days and expanded to an extra two sites for the final day. Teams traveled from states away to compete, converging on Raleigh en masse.
The nine-field Walnut Creek Softball Complex played host to the event, while two schools opened their home fields for a few games to close the tournament and accomodate the massive amount of participating teams. Now in its 16th year of existence, the tournament set new attendance records for the complex and was bustling with literally hundreds of fans.
Undefeated on the weekend were Case Western Reserve, who picked up a win over top-ranked Christopher Newport during their stay, as well as hosts William Peace. Postseason juggernaut Virginia Wesleyan played just on Sunday and went 2-0 with a win over Belhaven to their credit.
It’s not easy to run a tournament of this magnitude, but I thought the Classic was well-done. Field maintenance after some rain was, as always, an issue, but the tournament itself seemed to run quite smoothly – not an easy task with crowds and participants of such high numbers.
The softball wasn’t too bad either. I don’t get to see much D3 ball live and in-person, but this tournament gave me a great opportunity to see some of the best teams all in one place.
Josie Henry’s 300th career win
Case Western Reserve head coach Josie Henry earned her 300th career win in Florida last weekend. The milestone win came as the Spartans extended their season-opening undefeated streak; they now stand 10-0 on the year.
Henry is in her 13th season as the Spartans’ head coach. She’s already the winningest coach in program history and owns a winning percentage nearing .650 during her tenure leading the program.
Last season, the Spartans’ Super Regional run was just the third postseason appearance in school history and their second under Henry; the squad also set a single-season program record for conference wins.
Under Henry’s tutelage, the Spartans have finished above .500 every season except her inaugural year at the helm. That’s an impressive streak that now extends into double digits.
One “sandy” incentive
Oh, the things that some coaches will do to motivate their team. College of Saint Benedict head coach Rachael Click set a new, impressively-high bar for how far a coach will go to inspire their team to success.
Earlier this week, I came across this social media post:
Big win = Click eats a sandy gummy bear. CSB won 9 of our 10 games here in Florida! We’re ready for the season! pic.twitter.com/IARumK3ytf
— CSB Softball (@CSBSoftball) March 11, 2023
Clearly there was a deeper story here, one that I needed to hear and wanted to tell. The story itself is probably best told in the coach’s own words:
“On Friday, [March 10th], in our game vs. Kenyon, we found an old green gummy bear in the dugout,” coach Click said. “Who knows how long it had been there. Coaches were trying to get the team to jump on opponents early and often, so I told them if we scored 6 runs in one inning, I’d eat the sandy gummy bear.
“We scored 6 runs, but it wasn’t all in one inning – so the bet was off. I told them the same bet was on for game 2 vs. St. Joseph’s College of ME. We scored 5 runs that game. No dice.”
Then things got interesting.
“Pretty crazy how excited they got about the thought of me eating that nasty gummy bear so I didn’t tell anybody and put it in my backpack and saved it for the next day and last of the trip,” Click added. “I busted it out at the beginning of our game vs Carroll University on Saturday and they could not believe I saved it! [I] told them the bet was still on. They asked if I would consider 6 runs in one inning or a sweep on the day. Our opponents were pretty tough, including game 2 vs. #6 Belhaven, so I agreed. A sweep, and ending the trip 9-1 would be worthy of eating the gummy bear.”
You can see how things ended. The Bennies swept their final day, did end their trip with a 9-1 showing, and coach Click had a promise to fulfill.
Any regrets?
“[It was] a very grainy treat,” the coach said with a laugh. “Was still chomping on some sand an hour later. Worth it for the result and the memory.”
Red-hot beginnings to 2023
Two teams and one player that are off to really impressive starts in 2023 get spotlights here.
First, the Salisbury SeaGulls are undefeated and the unanimous #1 team in the nation to open the season. Now 14-0, the SeaGulls are tied for the second-best start in program history and have already beaten two ranked teams, including Virginia Wesleyan. The SeaGulls have won 69 consecutive games at home, dating back to the abbreviated 2020 season. Salisbury’s offense has outscored opponents 112-26 and owns a .380 team batting average and a 1.37 team ERA.
Hardin-Simmons made some history in their own right, entering the Top 25 poll for the first time since 2008 this week. The first regular season poll of the season ranked the Cowgirls at #24 overall, with HSU sitting at 16-2 overall and an undefeated 6-0 in conference play. The Cowgirls took a game from Texas Lutheran already this season and are a top-25 program for the first time in nearly a decade and a half.
Berry College sophomore Katie White owns a .500 batting average on the season, with five home runs, 14 RBIs, and a perfect 12-12 stolen base record to her credit. White hit four longballs last weekend, including one against Christopher Newport, and hit a game-tying 2-run shot against then-#2 Trine in extra innings to extend the game. As a freshman in 2022, White was a first-team all-conference selection and hit eight home runs with 40 RBIs; she’s already on her way toward smashing both of those numbers.