Stremsterfer Named MVC Pitcher of Year
06/21/2001 | 12:00:00 | Softball
May 9, 2001
Omaha, Neb.--Senior Erin Stremsterfer became Southern Illinois University's first ever Missouri Valley Conference Pitcher of the Year while senior Amanda Rexroat garnered second-team league honors as the Valley unvailed its 2001 all-Conference Team Wednesday night at the pretournament banquet.
Stremsterfer, a three-time first-team all-MVC choice took home the school's first Pitcher of the Year honor since the award's inception in 1998. Prior to that year, the Valley had only honored a Player of the Year which was open to all offensive and pitching nominees.
For Stremsterfer, the award just adds to an on-going list of remarkable accomplishments throughout her astounding career at SIU, but she still feels that one thing is missing.
"I was surprised to hear that I won the award," said Stremsterfer. "Nicole Kurth (Illinois State/other Pitcher of the Year Candidate) has pitched well and she pitched her team to a first-place regular season finish so I really thought she would win it. I am so excited, but I still know it would be so much better if we win the conference tournament. If that happens, it would be the icing on the cake."
Stremsterfer, the MVC's single season strikeout leader, heads into this year's conference tournament with an overall record of 27-8 on the hill. Also, a first-team all-MVC Scholar-Athlete pick, the Manchester, Mo., native has struck out 338 batters while ranking nationally in ERA (0.91), strikeouts per seven innings (9.3), saves (4) and wins (27).
Meanwhile, Rexroat was named to the league's second-team as a utility player. Earning all-MVC plaudits for the first time in her career since joining the Salukis as a walk-on in 1998, Rexroat is batting .297 against Valley opponents this season while ranking as SIU's second best hitter.
The Salukis (35-17, 17-9), who enter the 2001 Missouri Valley Conference Softball Championship as the No. 3 seed, will open tournament play against fourth-seeded Creighton on Thursday, May 10 at 5 p.m.
2001 MVC Softball Championship
Thursday-Saturday, May 10-12
Creighton Sports Complex, Omaha, Neb.
Thursday, May 10
Game 1 - #1 Illinois State vs. #6 Wichita State, 12 p.m.
Game 2 - #2 Evansville vs. #5 Northern Iowa, 2:30 p.m.
Game 3 - #3 Southern Illinois vs. #4 Creighton, 5 p.m.
Game 4 - Loser G1 vs. Loser G2, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, May 11
Game 5 - Winner G4 vs. Loser G3, 10 a.m.
Game 6 - Winner G2 vs. Winner G3, 12:30 p.m.
Game 7 - Winner G5 vs. Winner G1, 3 p.m.
Game 8 - Loser's Bracket, 5:30 p.m.
Game 9 - Winner G6 vs. Winner G7, 8 p.m.
Saturday, May 12
Game 10 - Winner G8 vs. Loser G9, 12 p.m.
Game 11 - Winner G10 vs. Winner G9, 2:30 p.m.
*Game 12 - Winner G11 vs. Loser G11, 5 p.m.
*if necessary,
Tourney pairings based on regular-season finish
* We Meet Again . . . After having been swept by Creighton in last week's regular season finale, the Salukis will meet the Bluejays to open play in this year's Missouri Valley Conference Softball Championship. SIU, who is seeded third heading into the annual three-day event, will face fourth-seeded Creighton on Thursday, May 10 at 5 p.m.
* Now Playing . . . This year will mark SIU's 18th appearance in the MVC Softball Championship where the Salukis hold an overall tournament record of 32-33 (.492). Since beginning in 1983 (Macomb, Ill.), SIU has missed just one trip to the league's postseason tournament (1995). In addition, the Salukis' 32 tournament wins rank a third best behind Southwest Missouri State's 51 and Illinois State's 42.
* 1991 Revisited . . . SIU, who holds just one MVC Championship crown in 17 appearances, hasn't won a tournament title since 1991. Posting a mark of 42-7 that year, the Salukis clinched their only tournament championship with a thrilling 4-1 extra-inning win over Illinois State. SIU was then eliminated in the NCAA Tournament after suffering consecutive losses to Missouri (1-0) and Iowa (2-0).
* SIU vs. the Field . . . SIU holds winning tournament records against three of the five opposing teams heading into this year's MVC Softball Championship. Sporting a 3-1 tournament advantage over first-round opponent Creighton, SIU also stands at 5-4 against Northern Iowa and 7-0 against Wichita State. Illinois State (5-4) and Evansville (1-0) then rank as the only two teams in this year's field to have posted winning tournament marks against SIU.
* Beware of the Birds . . . On paper, Creighton's Bluejays and Illinois State's Redbirds appear to be the hottest two Valley teams heading into the conference tournament. Creighton, who carries a six-game win streak into the tourney, finished the 2001 campaign winning 16 of its last 19 league games while regular season champion Illinois State has won five in a row.
* Most Shared Title . . . A strong case can be made that, traditionally, softball is the conference's most evenly matched championship event. In the 18 tournaments (MVC/Gateway), nine different teams have won the title. Southwest Missouri State (4), Illinois State (4) and Drake (2) are the only current members with more than one title. Additionally, former Gateway member Western Illinois has won three softball titles.
* NCAAs? It's Possible . . . In order for Southern Illinois to earn a berth to this year's NCAA Regionals held May 18-21 (site is to be announced), the Salukis must win the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. If SIU wins the Valley's postseason fling, the Dawgs will garner the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Regional which is something that hasn't been done in over nine years.
* 38 Special . . . With its current overall record of 35-17, Southern Illinois is three victories away from winning 38 games for the fifth time in the program's 24-year history. In coach Kerri Blaylock's first year last season, the team put together its first 40-win season (41-22) since 1997. If the Salukis win 38 games this year, Blaylock will also become the second league coach (ISU's Melinda Fischer) and first Saluki coach to win 38 or more games in back-to-back seasons.