A Blast From the Past - Recalling the 2003 WNE Softball World Series Team

In memory of beloved Golden Bears – Doug Pearson (1945-2009) and Erin Whitcomb (1984-2020).

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (May 18, 2023) - Riding the golden right arm of senior Marcie Bruder, Western New England College's softball team advanced to the NCAA Division III Final Eight Championship for the first time in school history in 2003.

The Golden Bears, coached by Lori Mayhew, celebrated their "Silver Anniversary" season by compiling a 32-7 record that was the second most wins in school history and the highest winning percentage (82.1).

Western New England College also repeated as Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Tournament champions and captured its first NCAA Division III New England Regional Championship with two stunning victories over host Wheaton (MA) to advance to Salem, VA to compete for the National Championship.

At the NCAA Division III Final Eight Championship (also called the Division III World Series), the Golden Bears saw their season come to an end with a pair of losses to eventual national champion Central College of Iowa (7-0) and Cortland State of New York (2-0).

The Golden Bears were ranked 10th in the final USA Today/National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division III poll, the highest ranking ever (up to that point) by a Western New England College team in any sport.

Meet Marcie Bruder – The soft-spoken, hard-throwing, dynamic right-handed pitcher with a perpetual smile was the person most responsible for the team's rise to national prominence. 

After a slow start, Marcie won 16 straight decisions, finishing with a 20-5 record for her second consecutive 20-win campaign. She compiled a 1.10 earned-run-average with nine shutouts, including a perfect game against Southern Vermont and a no-hitter against Simmons. Marcie struck out 185 hitters and walked only 25 in 159.2 innings. She finished her career with a 61-20 record and 1.41 ERA with 535 strikeouts in 522 innings.

Marcie, who is hearing impaired, tossed four complete games victories at the NCAA New England Regional Championship. She turned her game up a notch at this tournament allowing no earned runs in 28 innings in victories over Keene State (1-0), Tufts (5-0), and Wheaton (3-1 and 2-1). She gave up only 17 hits and fanned 30 with four walks. The opening win over Keene was especially satisfying for Marcie who grew up in Keene, NH. 

At the Final Eight Championship, Marcie allowed runs in only three of the 12 innings she worked, but the Golden Bears didn't support their star pitcher managing only four hits in the two contests.

WHAT A YEAR – 

Western New England entered regional play with an eight-game winning streak following four victories to end the regular season and getting past Johnson & Wales, RI (11-0), Pine Manor, MA (3-2 in eight innings), and Norwich, VT twice (3-2 and 3-1) in the GNAC Tournament.

Wheaton was the NEWMAC champion who had eliminated WNE from regional play in 2002. The Lyons, perennially one of the best programs in New England, were strong favorites to punch a ticket to Virginia.

The Golden Bears had a strong lineup in 2003 with a lot of talented batters from top to bottom, including Jen Piorkowski and Joyce Blake who delivered two of the biggest hits in program history.

After defeating Keene and top-seed Tufts, Piorkowski hit a dramatic three-run walk-off homer with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning on May 10, 2003, for a stunning 3-1 victory over Wheaton. The freshman left fielder also had several other key hits in the post-season tournament.

Blake, a senior designated hitter, then provided the game-winning walk-off single with two outs in the bottom of the seventh in the 2-1 win over Wheaton on Mother's Day, May 11, that sent the Golden Bears packing their bags for Virginia. Bruder struck out five, walked one, and scattered five hits in gaining her 20th win.

There were a couple of other nerve-racking moments from the morning Keene game that deserve mention.

Sophomore outfielder Tricia Troiano collided with senior shortstop June Blake (Joyce's twin sister) while diving for a pop-up and suffered a cracked tooth. An imprint of the tooth was left on June's leg. So, in between games, Trish got a root canal at a local dentist and was in the lineup for the afternoon game vs. Tufts. 

Junior third base player Becky McHugh thwarted a Keene scoring bid in the sixth inning when with the bases loaded, she snared a line drive for an inning-ended unassisted double play. Another time Becky fouled off a pitch that hit her in the face causing blood to splatter all over the ground. That didn't faze Becky a bit as the determined Golden Bear remained in the game.

Freshman Erin Whitcomb, who played first base, had the game-winning single against the Owls to keep the Golden Bears in the winners' bracket of the tournament.

I truly loved all the players with one of my favorites senior outfielder Ashley Koch who played most of the season with Bell's palsy. A quiet person with a great sense of humor, she managed to hit .323 with a team-high 11 stolen bases. 

"The Mayor" came through with several key defensive plays all season, including one against Cortland in the first inning when she made a sensational two-out catch falling through the fence. She was the only Golden Bears player to hit safely in both games at the Final Eight.

LOTS OF AWARDS

As expected, when it came time for awards, Western New England College players earned their fair share of well-deserved accolades.

Bruder was the GNAC Pitcher of the Year for the second straight season and the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III New England Pitcher-of-the-Year. 

All-GNAC recognition went to Joyce Blake who had a team-high .393 batting average, Bruder, Koch, Piorkowski (.329), and sophomore pitcher Jackie Shedlock (9-1, 0.72 ERA). 

Whitcomb was voted the GNAC Rookie-of-the-Year after hitting .379 with nine homers (then the second-highest total in program history). She would later serve as the President of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) as a senior. 

Dependable as brinks, sophomore second base player Sarah Moisao (who hit .389), Joyce Blake, Bruder, and Whitcomb, all made the New England Intercollegiate Softball Coaches Association (NEISCA) Division III All-Star Team.

June Blake told Gene Marrano of the Pittsfield (MA) Berkshire Eagle on May 16, 2003, "We really have no standout players on our team, we have a whole bunch of decent players put together to make a great team."

As Lori Mayhew recalled last week, "The 2003 season will always hold a special place in my heart, not only for playing in the College World Series but because we had a group of hard-working, outstanding young women on and off the field. 

"This was a time WNEC softball was taking off on the Regional and National landscape and this team started that movement. They were competitive, we had great pitching, great defense, and great offense. It was the perfect package. But more importantly, they got along off the field. They were a family and always supported each other. I know many of them still stay in touch and it is always good to see them at games.

"Playing in the College World Series was one of my all-time favorite moments and experiences as a head coach. For me, it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I will never forget. What made it special was the team who played for me. Without them, I never would have had that experience. That moment put WNEC softball on the map."

Lori Mayhew was indeed the perfect person to coach this special softball squad.

FINAL THOUGHTS - 

--- Like Lori, covering this team ranks among the biggest highlights of my career. Anytime you get an opportunity to compete for a national title (especially a long way from home) is special. Getting to know the student-athletes better was a lot of fun.

--- I flew to Virginia with WNE assistant athletics directors Cyndi Costanzo and Joe Sassi, who along with AD Mike Theulen, are the individuals most responsible for the success the Golden Bears still enjoy to this day. 

--- Fred and Dee King did an excellent job as the Golden Bears hosts during our stay in Salem, VA. They took us to a wonderful restaurant in the Shenandoah Valley where Fred presented each player with a Salem police cap. They made sure the team received everything they needed.

--- In a display of support that Lori and I will never forget, the late Doug Pearson (the former men's basketball and tennis coach) rented a van and drove to Salem, with several staff members (Joanie, Kathy, Wendy, Jennifer, Sarah, and Mike) acting as Family members. 

--- The night before the opening game against Central (IA), the Family went bowling at the Lee Hi Lanes in Salem. We had the first two lanes, the rest were occupied by the weekly rowdy cigarette-smoking, beer-drinking Friday night League crowd.

--- School President Anthony Caprio and athletics director Mike Theulen were the team's biggest fans. When the team returned home, Dr. Caprio and Mike hosted a special luncheon in the Campus Center to distribute diplomas to the seniors who missed Commencement. It was a class act and "a great gesture by Dr. Caprio," said Mike.

--- A lot has changed since that incredible journey in May 2003 almost 600 miles from Springfield. The players are now (for the most part) twice their age and I hope life has been kind to them. My only wish is that they remain the wonderful people they were back then. And I hope when they reflect back on 2003, they realize what a special time it was in their lives wearing the WNE softball uniform and being part of one of the greatest teams in school history. "Once a Golden Bear, always a Golden Bear."

Lori Mayhew was inducted into the WNE Downes Athletic Hall of Fame in 2001 and the 2003 Softball Team entered the Hall in 2008. Marcie Bruder was also inducted as a player the same year. Three other team members are also in the HOF: Kristy Kehoss (2014), Jackie Shedlock (2017), and Erin Whitcomb (2022).

The 2003 Golden Bears - 

Seniors (6) – Joyce Blake (Capt.), June Blake (Capt.), Marcie Bruder, Lindsay Gauthier, Ashley "The Mayor" Koch (Capt.), and Sarah Leggio

Juniors (2) – Sara Cavolo and Becky McHugh

Sophomores (6) – Michelle Boss, Holly Coutinho, Chrissy Locascio, Sarah Moisao, Jackie Shedlock, Tricia Troiano

First-Year (9) – Megan Cloutier, Toni D'Ambrosio, Kristy Farnan, Kristy Kehoss, Mallory Patten, Jen Piorkowski, Courtney Taylor, and Erin Whitcomb

Head Coach – Lori Mayhew (WNE Class of 1995)

Assistant Coach: Kate Farry (WNE Class of 2002)

Athletic Training Staff: Kim O'Leary, Mike Valley, Sarah Kelly, and Pat Shinodo

Editor's Notes:

Mention the 2003 Softball Team to Lori Mayhew-Wood, the Associate Athletics Director for Operations and Senior Woman Administrator at Western New England University in Springfield, MA, and watch her eyes light up.

For 22 seasons from 1997 to 2018, Lori was the school's softball coach. She compiled an incredible 567-315-2 record (64.3%) that still ranks as the most wins by any coach in any sport at WNE. Lori was a local product from nearby Westfield, MA who starred in softball for the Golden Bears from 1992-95. She held the program's career batting average (.403) for 28 years until it was broken this season by Dina DiBlasio (.404). 

Lori smiles when talking about 2003, not only because of the success the team enjoyed, and but also because of the players she was able to coach.

(The following article is an updated version of a story that first appeared in the 2003 Golden Bears Summer Newsletter. Western New England became a University in 2011.)

Written by Ken Cerino – Former Western New England University Director of Athletic Communications / Director of Athletic Publications (2000-2016).