Softball left out of NCAA Tournament
05/16/2010 | 12:00:00 | Softball
May 16, 2010
By Beth Miller
www.SIUSalukis.com
CARBONDALE, Ill - The Southern Illinois softball team did not receive at at-large bid to the 2010 NCAA Tournament after the field was announced Sunday night.
The Salukis were left out of the tournament for a third straight year after advancing to one of the 16 Regionals in five consecutive seasons from 2003-07.
Despite not making the tournament, Southern Illinois had a standout year with some of the best performances the program has seen in years
SIU finished with more than 30 wins for the 14th-straight season with a record of 38-20 and were named the 2010 MVC Champions for the first time since 2005.
Head coach Kerri Blaylock won her 400th game at SIU this season, while collecting the MVC Coaching Staff of the Year award alongside Christy Connoyer, Jen Sewell and Mark Cosgrove.
Danielle Glosson was named MVC Pitcher of the Year, after earning Pitcher of the Week and Scholar-Athlete of the Week twice throughout the season. In addition, Southern Illinois placed six student-athletes on the All-Conference team and three on the All-Tournament Team at the State Farm MVC Championship.
The Salukis made it to the MVC Championship game for the first time since 2007, falling to Creighton by only one run with a final score of 3-2.
Individually, seniors Katie Wilson and Alicia Garza had outstanding campaigns this season, entering the record books in various categories. Wilson broke the all-time single-season RBI record, becoming the first Saluki to tally 50 RBIs in a season and Garza tied the all-time record for career RBIs with 132.
Although the announcement of the NCAA Tournament field resulted in disappointment, Southern Illinois' season will still be remembered as successful on and off the field.
