The Alma College softball team finished the 1998 season with a 33-4 record and a perfect 16-0 mark to win the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association, starting a run where the Scots would win the MIAA regular season and tournament titles five of the next six years. Alma finished the season ranked 12th in the country.
Alma opened the season 4-2, falling to NCAA Division II teams from Grand Valley State and Gannon University, before putting together a school-record 29-game winning streak that carried the team into the NCAA Division III Central Region as the top seed in the tournament.
The Scots opened the NCAA run with a 3-0 win over Calvin College, which it had defeated for the MIAA Tournament title, then blanked Mount Union College, 3-0, to advance to the regional championship. The Scots fell by a 4-3 margin to Muskingum College, forcing a second championship game, which was won by the Muskies, 2-0.
Alma used a 1-2 punch on the mound all season with the tandem of Becky Pierce and Tracie Lentz combining for 178 strikeouts and posting a collective ERA of 0.82 as the Alma pitching staff recorded 20 shutouts. Lentz went 15-1 with 107 strikeouts and earned a spot on the All-America Third Team, while Pierce was 16-2 with 71 strikeouts as both players earned a spot on the All-MIAA First Team.
The defense stifled opponents all season long with one of the top fielding percentages (.968) in Division III, backstopped by catcher Carolyn Whyte, the MIAA's Most Valuable Player. Offensively, the Scots hit .377 as team and were led by outfielder Danielle Pease, who hit .459 and recorded a team high 29 stolen bases to earn a spot on the All-MIAA First Team, as well as First Team All-American accolades. Shortstop Brandee Brower, also an All-MIAA First Team selection, knocked in a team-best 27 RBIs and hit .445.
1998 Alma College Softball Roster
2 Â Â Holly Bruder - Jr. - IF - Rogers, City, Mich.
3 Â Â Amy Czabala - So. - OF - Auburn, Mich.
4 Â Â Stacie Vietzke - So. - IF - East Lansing, Mich.
6 Â Â Brandee Brower - So. - IF - DeWitt, Mich.
8 Â Â Heather Bruder - Jr. - OF - Rogers City, Mich.
9 Â Â Heidi Wahl - So. - IF - Southfield, Mich.
10 Â Danielle Pease - Fr. - IF/OF - Goodrich, Mich.
11 Â Â Kristin Gardner - Sr. - OF - Cadillac, Mich.
12 Â Erin LaCosse - Jr. - P - Farmington Hills, Mich.
13 Â Susan Vander Putten - Fr. - IF/OF - Harrison Township, Mich.
15 Â Sarah Lefke - Jr. - IF - Portland, Mich.
16 Â Katie Allis - Fr. - IF - Grand Blanc, Mich.
18 Â Mitzi Janukaitis - So. - IF - Pinckney, Mich.
19 Â Jessi Ross - Fr. - OF - Essexville, Mich.
20 Â Becky Pierce - So. - P - Clinton Township, Mich.
21 Â Katrina DiNallo - Fr. - IF - Kentwood, Mich.
23 Â Kathryn Nordin - So. - P - Fenton, Mich.
24 Â Jackie Cowan - So. - P/IF - Merrill, Mich.
25 Â Melissa Strikulis - So. - C/OF - Novi, Mich.
32 Â Tracie Lentz - Fr. - P - Shepherd, Mich.
33 Â Carolyn Whyte - Sr. - C - Gaylord, Mich.
Head Coach: Denny Griffin
Assistant Coaches: Phil Hansen, James Farnum
Trainers: Kristy Nemec, Dawn Corwin
Manager: Kari Johnson
