2007 NCAA III National Champions
As the first women’s team to bring home a national championship, the 2007 softball team holds a unique place in Linfield history.
Head coach Jackson Vaughan and All-Americans Jenny Marshall and Stephanie Rice led Linfield through a season filled with dramatic highs and lows, capped by a storybook ending.
The groundwork for winning a national title was put in place in 2006. That year, the Wildcats advanced to the NCAA Finals for the first time in program history where they finished fourth overall. It was there that the seed of hope was planted and the belief that a championship was within the reach of those who would return to compete in 2007. The Wildcats witnessed firsthand the commitment and skill level it would take to capture the coveted NCAA championship trophy.
With belief in their back pocket, the 2007 squad found its new identity through adversity. Eight games into the regular season, inspirational leader Lisa Smith suffered a broken arm caused by a collision at home plate, putting her final season in jeopardy and leaving the Wildcats wondering how they would compensate for the loss of her leadership and experience.
Smith made a miraculous comeback in time for the final weekend of the regular season. If anything, her injury and courageous recovery inspired the team to push forward no matter the circumstance.
It was in the regional playoffs in Pineville, Louisiana, that the Wildcats realized their resolve to win. Trailing by five runs in an elimination game against the host school, Louisiana College, the ‘Cats could have easily resigned themselves to defeat. Instead, they rallied with six runs in the top of the seventh inning, carrying them to a stunning 8-6 victory. Linfield then surprised previously unbeaten Redlands in back-to-back elimination games to advance to the Finals for the second straight year.
Linfield won its first two games at the Finals with relative ease, beating Emory (Ga.) 9-0 and DePauw (Ind.) 11-0. The ‘Cats then lost 6-3 to Washington University and the nation’s best pitcher, before fighting back to defeat Washington U. twice to secure the national title, 1-0 in a pitchers’ duel, followed by a 10-2 romp in the championship-clinching game.
The season’s accomplishment’s included an 18-game winning streak, a fourth straight Northwest Conference championship and second straight West Region title. Nine Wildcats were chosen for the NWC all-star team and six members were named to the all-West Region Team. Vaughan and assistant coaches Greg Hermann, Lisa Allen and Ben Blosser were honored as the Division III Coaching Staff of the Year by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association.
Looking back at his team’s historic season, Vaughan said “it was not just about one person. It seemed like just about everyone had a career season.”
Eighteen new team records were established, among them new single-season standards for home runs (50), stolen bases (133) and winning percentage (.865).
The 2007 softball team overcame individual and team adversity, ending on a high note and carving a special place in Linfield Athletics history.
