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News Release
UMBC Softball Notebook: Lauren Nicholson Named Graduate Assistant Coach at Temple
9/27/2006
 Lauren Nicholson is the Retrievers' all-time leader in many pitching categories, including wins, complete games and appearances. |
Former UMBC pitching standout Lauren Nicholson was hired as a graduate assistant coach at
Nicholson graduated in May as UMBC’s all-time leader in wins (57), innings pitched (620.2), games started (94), complete games (68) and appearances (116) after setting the single-season wins record at 19 in 2006. She also ranks second all-time in career strikeouts (387).
The native of
“Lauren was a role model student-athlete for years and had an incredible career,” UMBC head coach Joe French said. “The UMBC softball family is proud of her. We certainly wish her the best in her new career. A workhorse on the mound, Lauren will do an outstanding job as
RETRIEVERS NAME 2006-07 CAPTAINS: Seniors Reilly Ward and Melanie Denischuk and junior Kali Shirk have been named co-captains for the 2006-07 season.
Ward garnered America East first team all-conference honors in 2006 after hitting .320 with 12 home runs, 17 doubles and 52 RBI. The third baseman has played her way into the UMBC record books, as she ranks in the top 10 all-time in a number of categories, including home runs (2nd, 28), extra-base hits (3rd, 68), doubles (4th, 40), RBI (6th, 116), runs (7th, 102) and hits (9th, 158).
Denischuk became the first Retriever ever to win America East Player of the Year in 2006. The first baseman put together one of the most impressive seasons in school and conference history. She led America East in a number of statistical categories, as she smacked a school- and conference-record 22 home runs and also set new UMBC marks with 80 RBI, 153 total bases, 39 walks and an .874 slugging percentage. Her 77 hits and .556 on-base percentage are also tops in the league, and was named conference player of the week five times during the season, including four straight.
Shirk led the America East in runs scored (57) and stolen bases (41). The center fielder stole a school-record 45 consecutive bases to begin her career, including 38 to start the 2006 season, and finished 41-for-44 on the base paths. She ranks third all-time on UMBC’s career steals list with 58 and 10th in runs with 93.
DENISCHUK LEADS NATION: One of 25 finalists for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award, Denischuk was the NCAA Division-I champion for RBI per game. She averaged 1.28 per contest (82 RBI, 64 games) to lead the nation, and becomes the first Retriever softball player to win a statistical category at the national level.
ALUMNI GAME REMINDER: UMBC’s annual softball Alumni Game will take place on Saturday, Oct. 21 at 2:30 p.m. as part of Homecoming Weekend. All softball alumni are encouraged to attend as participants or spectators.
This season marks the five-year anniversary of the 2001-02 Retriever team which won a school-record 47 games and advanced to the NCAA Regionals, picking up a win against Liberty in the national tournament after winning a best-of-three play-in series against Bethune-Cookman.
ATTENTION ALUMNI: As part of the university’s 40th Anniversary, UMBC athletics is in search of all former student-athletes. In a commitment to UMBC’s past history and its future, the athletic department has set a goal to get in touch with all former athletic alumni in order to make future alumni events, such as alumni games, as successful as possible. Please e-mail Coach French at jfrench@umbc.edu with your name, phone number, address, e-mail address and current employment. In addition, please include a short blurb about what you have been doing since leaving UMBC for a new softball newsletter starting in the near future.