FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 14, 2003

Rhode Island College 2003 Softball Season Summary

(20-14-1 Overall; 9-4-1 Second Place in the Little East Conference)

Head Coach Maria Morin’s (Career record: 173-151-2, .534) Anchorwomen finished the season with a 20-14-1 overall record and a 9-4-1 (second place) mark in the Little East Conference. Morin was named the Little East Conference's Coach of the Year.

RIC saw its season end with a 1-0 loss to Southern Maine in the opening round of the ECAC tournament. It was the third time in five seasons the Anchorwomen qualified for post-season action. The softball program recorded its fifth consecutive 20-win campaign and notched its highest regular season conference finish ever (second).

RIC won in the opening round of the Little East Tournament with a 6-1 victory over UMass-Boston. The Anchorwomen fell in the double-elimination second round with losses to Plymouth State, 1-0, and Southern Maine, 3-1. Both Plymouth State and USM also qualified for the ECAC Tournament, with the Panthers taking home the title.

Senior first baseman Michele Fanelli (Pembroke Pines, FL) leaves RIC having played in 148 games, starting 139 of them. She batted .359 with 435 at-bats, 77 runs, 156 hits, 31 doubles, seven triples, 36 walks and eight stolen bases. She owned a career slugging percentage of .462 and an on-base percentage of .417. She leaves RIC as the school’s all-time leader in hits, doubles, RBI, hit by pitch and total bases.

As a senior in 2003, Fanelli was named the Little East Conference’s Co-Player of the Year, as well as earning First Team All-Little East honors for the third straight year and team MVP honors for the second consecutive season. She played in 34 games, starting all of them. Fanelli batted .382 with 16 runs, 39 hits, 12 doubles and 23 RBI. She owned a .500 slugging percentage, a .479 on-base percentage and a .981 fielding percentage.

As a junior in 2002, she was named First Team All-Little East Conference. Fanelli played in 38 games, starting all of them. She batted .375 with 22 runs, 48 hits, six doubles, four triples, 28 RBI and one stolen base. She owned a .484 slugging percentage, a .396 on-base percentage and a .990 fielding percentage.

As a sophomore in 2001, she was named First Team All-Little East Conference and to the LEC All-Tournament Team. On the season, Fanelli played in 41 games, starting 40 of them. She batted .385 with 47 hits, 22 RBI, 26 runs, nine doubles, three triples and four stolen bases. She posted a .508 slugging percentage, a .444 on-base percentage and a .961 fielding percentage.

As a freshman in 2000, Fanelli played in 35 games, starting 27. She batted .265 with 22 hits, 13 runs, five RBI, four doubles, three stolen bases, 26 total bases for a .313 slugging percentage, a .322 on-base percentage and recorded a .895 fielding percentage.

She is a communications major and a 1999 graduate of Cooper City High School.

Senior shortstop Melanie Miller (Warwick, RI) leaves RIC having played in 114 games, starting 113 of them. She batted .286 with 343 at-bats, 58 runs, 98 hits, 12 doubles, ten triples, 41 RBI, 26 walks and seven stolen bases. She owned a .379 career slugging percentage and .338 on-base percentage.

As a senior in 2003, Miller played in 35 games, starting all of them. She batted .266 with 19 runs, 24 hits, two double, three triples, 12 RBI and one stolen base. She owned a .351 slugging percentage, a .337 on-base percentage and a .900 fielding percentage.

As a junior in 2002, she played in 38 games, starting all of them. She batted .224 with 17 runs, 28 hits, three doubles, six RBI and two stolen bases. She owned a .248 slugging percentage, a .265 on-base percentage and a .920 fielding percentage.

As a sophomore in 2001, Miller played in 41 games, starting 40 of them. She batted .363 with 45 hits, 23 RBI, 22 runs, seven doubles, seven triples and four stolen bases. She owned a .532 slugging percentage, a .410 on-base percentage and a .897 fielding percentage. Her seven triples in '01 were a RIC record for a single season.

Prior to coming to RIC, Miller played one season of fall softball at the University of Connecticut.

She is a psychology and social work major and a 1999 graduate of Pilgrim High School.

Senior second basemen Caitlin Schimmel (Cumberland, RI) leaves RIC having played in 113 games, starting 109 of them. She batted .223 with 238 at-bats, 33 runs, 53 hits, seven doubles, one triple, 24 RBI, 38 walks and six stolen bases. She owns a .261 career slugging percentage and a .335 on-base percentage.

As a senior in 2003, Schimmel played in 35 games, starting 34 of them. She batted .290 with 15 runs, 20 hits, two doubles, ten RBI and two stolen bases. She owned a .319 slugging percentage, a .424 on-base percentage and a .880 fielding percentage.

As a junior in 2002, she played in 38 games, starting 37 of them. She batted .163 with eight runs, 14 hits, one double, seven RBI and one stolen base. She owned a .174 slugging percentage, a .273 on-base percentage and a .946 fielding percentage.

As a sophomore in 2001, Schimmel played in 40 games, starting 38 of them. She batted .229 with 19 hits, seven RBI, ten runs, four doubles, one triple and three stolen bases. She owned a .301 slugging percentage, a .319 on-base percentage and a .934 fielding percentage.

Having already earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology in 2002, Schimmel returned to work on a second bachelor’s degree in business and play her final season of softball. She is a 1998 graduate of Cumberland High School.

Junior Hollie Benevides (North Dighton, MA) was named Second Team All-Little East as a utility player. Benevides played in 19 games, starting 12 of them. She batted .365 with seven runs, 11 hits, four RBI and one stolen base. She owned a .367 slugging percentage, a .500 on-base percentage and a .750 fielding percentage.

Junior center fielder Sue Gaber (Colchester, CT) was named Second Team All-Little East as an outfielder. Gaber played in 35 games, starting all of them. She batted .279 with 15 runs, 24 hits, eight RBI and one stolen base. She owned a .279 slugging percentage, a .344 on-base percentage and a 1.000 fielding percentage.

Junior pitcher/designated player Kim Warrington (North Kingstown, RI) was named Second Team All-Little East as a pitcher for the third consecutive season. Warrington appeared in 29 games, starting 26 of them. She was 15-11 with a 1.94 ERA, 22 complete games, three shutouts and 172 strikeouts in 176.2 innings.

As a hitter, she played in 32 games, starting all of them. She batted .253 with 13 runs, 24 hits, four doubles, three triples and 16 RBI. She owned a .358 slugging percentage, a .317 on-base percentage and a .917 fielding percentage. Warrington broke her own single-season strikeout mark, and is the school’s all-time career leader in Ks.

Sophomore catcher Rachael Caldwell (Richmond, RI) was named Second Team All-Little East as a catcher. Caldwell played in 33 games, starting all of them. She batted .294 with 17 runs, 30 hits, six doubles, 12 RBI and one stolen base. She owned a .353 slugging percentage, a .374 on-base percentage and a .984 fielding percentage.

Sophomore infielder Amy Machado (Newport, RI) played in 31 games, starting 30 of them. She batted .286 with 13 runs, 26 hits, three doubles, 11 RBI and one stolen base. She owned a .319 slugging percentage, a .350 on-base percentage and a .895 fielding percentage.

Sophomore pitcher/left fielder Casey Soares (Swansea, MA) was named First Team All-Little East as an outfielder for the second consecutive season. She played in 32 games, starting all of them. She batted .304 with 22 runs, 28 hits, four doubles and five triples, 12 RBI and four stolen bases. She owned a .457 slugging percentage, a .381 on-base percentage and a .930 fielding percentage.

As a pitcher, Soares appeared in 11 games, starting eight of them. She was 5-2 with a 0.88 ERA, five complete games, one shutout and 60 strikeouts in 48.0 innings pitched.

Sophomore infielder Aimee Reed (Pawcatuck, CT) played in ten games, starting four of them. She batted .176 with one run, three hits and one RBI. She owned a .176 slugging percentage, a .222 on-base percentage and a 1.000 fielding percentage.

Freshman outfielder Katie Benevides (North Dighton, MA) played in 15 games, starting 13 of them. She batted .217 with three runs, five hits and one RBI. She owned a .217 slugging percentage, a .250 on-base percentage and a .889 fielding percentage.

Freshman infielder Ashley Brooks (Hamden, CT) was named Second team All-Little East as a designated player. Brooks played in 21 games, starting 15 of them. She batted .366 with ten runs, 15 hits and five RBI. She owned a .366 slugging percentage, a .395 on-base percentage and a .769 fielding percentage.

Freshman outfielder Casie Lyons (Hudson, MA) played five games, starting three of them. She scored one run on the season. She owned a .000 slugging percentage, a .000 on-base percentage and a 1.000 fielding percentage.

Freshman pitcher Laura Papa (Coventry, RI) appeared in three games, starting one of them. She was 0-1 with a 21.00 ERA and two strikeouts in 1.1 innings pitches.

Freshman outfielder Megan Ponte (South Kingstown, RI) played in 24 games, starting 20 of them. She batted .220 with six runs, 11 hits, six RBI and four stolen bases. She owned a .220 slugging percentage, a .264 on-base percentage and a 1.000 fielding percentage.

Freshman outfielder Andree Sitnik (Lincoln, RI) played in 20 games, starting three of them. She batted .077 with one hit, one run and two stolen bases on the season. She owned a .077 slugging percentage, a .077 on-base percentage and a 1.000 fielding percentage.