Athletes Commit to Lake Erie College
PAINESVILLE, OH. (May 10, 2007) - Lake Erie College and softball head coach Gary VanCauwenberge announces the recent commitments of 12 student-athletes to play for the Storm beginning with the 2007-08 academic year:

Darlene Bott - Outfield/Catcher/Middle Infield - Lakeside - Conneaut, Ohio
Heather Butsko - Pitcher - Riverside - Concord Township, Ohio
Megan Kimberlin - Third Base/First Base - Sandusky - Bellevue, Ohio
Lorin Koch - Outfield - Edison - Milan, Ohio
Lauren Malicki - Pitcher/Outfield/First Base - Independence - Independence, Ohio
Erin McCulloch - Pitcher/First Base/Outfield - Delta - Delta, Ohio
Amy Ruhe - Pitcher/Outfield - Southeastern - South, Ohio
Rosa Sartain - Catcher/Utility - Andrews School - Eastlake, Ohio
Haley Shinkle - Outfield/Third Base - Clermont Northeastern - Batavia, Ohio
Brittany Skeels - Pitcher - Champion - Warren, Ohio
Veronica Skowron - Outfield - Cardinal Mooney - Youngstown, Ohio
Heather Vanderpool - Catcher - Cuyahoga Falls - Cuyahoga, Ohio

LEC Leads AMCC with Eight All-Conference Honorees
PAINESVILLE, OH. (May 7, 2007) - Players from Lake Erie College accounted for eight of the 33 All-Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) Team selections, which was more honorees than any of the other nine member schools. Senior first baseman Sarah Miller (Covington, Kentucky/Holmes) and junior designated hitter Shaina Vanderpool (Kingston, Ohio/Chillicothe) made the first-team, senior catcher Nicole Mann (Cleveland, Ohio/Euclid), senior utility player Crystal Limpert (Cleveland, Ohio/John Marshall), sophomore third baseman Brittney Binko (Warren, Ohio/John F. Kennedy), sophomore shortstop Jessica Hedrick (Geneva, Ohio/Geneva) and junior outfielder Loni Sargent (Hubbard, Ohio/Hubbard) made the second-team, and freshman outfielder Alyssa Bethel (Beavercreek, Ohio/Miami Valley) made honorable mention.

Miller hit .337 (28-for-83) with 20 RBIs and a team-leading four home runs. She also won a staff-leading seven games on the mound for the Storm. Vanderpool was LEC's top hitter at .448 (30-for-67), setting a new single season record for the program in the category.

Mann hit .412 (21-for-51) with nine doubles and 12 RBIs and Limpert, who saw time at first base, catcher and designated hitter, recorded a .320 average (24-for-75) with 10 RBIs and two home runs. Binko, who earned AMCC and ECAC Player of the Week honors this season, hit .398 (39-for-98) with a team-high 29 RBIs and a single season, record-tying 14 doubles. Hedrick, another AMCC and ECAC Player of the Week this year, tied the Lake Erie season record for runs with 29 and also led the Storm with 40 hits and seven stolen bases, while hitting .374 (40-for-107) in the leadoff spot. Sargent hit .400 (22-for-55) with 16 runs and a season record eight sacrifice hits, while newcomer Bethel recorded a .976 fielding percentage after starting in 17 games.

The Storm made the conference playoffs for the second consecutive season after finishing tied for fifth place with a record of 11-7. Overall, Lake Erie went 13-16.

Season Stopped by Behrend
PAINESVILLE, OH. (May 4, 2007) - The Lake Erie College softball season came to an end today after the Storm lost in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) playoffs to third-seeded Penn State-Behrend, 4-0.

The Storm struggled at the plate, connecting for only two hits, one by senior Crystal Limpert (Cleveland, Ohio/John Marshall) in the third and the other by sophomore Katie Staats (Willoughby, Ohio/South) in the fifth. Behrend scored four runs on six hits to advance to the next round.

Lake Erie concludes the season at 13-16 overall.

Storm Scores in Seventh for Win
PAINESVILLE, OH. (April 21, 2007) - The Lake Erie College softball team scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to beat Penn State-Altoona 4-3 before runruling its guests 10-2 in game two.

Lake Erie let the Lions score one run in each of the first three innings in the day's opener, but chipped away in the third with a run of its own on a one-out single by junior Loni Sargent (Hubbard, Ohio/Hubbard) that was followed by an RBI double by sophomore Brittney Binko (Warren, Ohio/John F. Kennedy). LEC scored its second run in the fifth after Sargent reached on an error and eventually scored on a single by junior Shaina Vanderpool (Kingston, Ohio/Chillicothe).

Then trailing 3-2 in the seventh, Binko singled with one out and then scored on a triple by senior Sarah Miller (Covington, Kentucky/Holmes) to tie the game. Vanderpool hit her second single of the day to plate the game winner.

In game two, the Storm scored in four different innings, including a four-run sixth inning. LEC totaled 13 hits with a two-run home run by senior Crystal Limpert (Cleveland, Ohio/John Marshall) in the second. Four players had two hits in the game as Lake Erie improves to 13-15 overall and 11-7 in the AMCC.

Storm Drops Two
PAINESVILLE, OH. (April 17, 2007) - The Storm softball team lost twice in Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) action today to Pitt-Bradford, 8-3 and 13-3. Lake Erie had a 2-0 lead in game one after back-to-back home runs by catcher Nicole Mann (Cleveland, Ohio/Euclid) and outfielder Katie Staats (Willoughby, Ohio/South). LEC then added another run in the fifth to go up 3-0 before a four-run, sixth inning by Pitt-Bradford ended the Storm advantage. The Panthers added four more insurance runs in the seventh that could not be made up by Lake Erie. Mann went 3-for-3 in the loss.

In game two, LEC evened the score at two in the first after Bradford came out swinging. Lake Erie then added another run in the second to go ahead 3-2. After that, the plate was crossed by only Bradford as the Panthers scored 10 more runs to defeat their hosts. LEC had seven hits in the game with senior Crystal Limpert (Cleveland, Ohio/John Marshall) earning two.

LEC is now 11-15 overall and 9-7 in the AMCC.

Storm Lose to Undefeated Redhawks
PAINESVILLE, OH. (April 14, 2007) - Playing a double-header for the second day in a row, Lake Erie College lost, 1-3 and 1-9, to La Roche College, who is undefeated in Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) play.

Looking to topple the first place Redhawks, Lake Erie College fought a tough first game. While La Roche struck first with one run in the bottom of the first inning, the Storm tied the game at one in the top of the third. But the Redhawks responded with one run in the bottom of the 5th inning and one in the bottom of the 6th. Sophomore Brittney Binko (Warren, Ohio/John F. Kennedy) batted in the one run for the Storm. Pitcher Sarah Miller (Covington, Kentucky/Holmes) played strong, recording 4 strike-outs.

In game two, Lake Erie took an early lead in the top of the 2nd inning on a solo homerun by Miller. While the Storm played hard defense they made 4 errors that La Roche capitalized on moving to a 9-1 win in five innings of play. Miller batted perfect for the Storm going 2-for-2 in the game.

Lake Erie College remains in second place in the AMCC with a conference record of 9-5. The Storm look keep pressure on La Roche. They take on AMCC fourth place Pitt-Bradford Tuesday April 17th. The double-header is a home game that begins at 3:00 pm.

Storm Remain Atop the Lions
PAINESVILLE, OH. (April 13, 2007) - In a battle for second and third place in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC), the softball team split their two games against Penn State-Behrend, losing the first 0-5 and winning the second 8-5. The split still keeps the Storm in second place behind La Roche, with Penn State-Behrend at a close third.

In game one, Lake Erie College started out cold only registering three hits. Penn State-Behrend held the Storm scoreless and tacked on twelve hits of their own to pull a 5-0 win.

In game two, the Storm bats came alive. Sophomore Jessica Hedrick (Geneva, Ohio/Geneva) had three hits driving in three RBIs. Senior Sarah Miller (Covington, Kentucky/Holmes) had a deep homerun in the top of the 6th to put the Storm up 8-1. In the bottom of the same inning the Lions attempted a comeback but were held at only 4 runs. Pitcher Stevi Banks (Berlin Center, Ohio/Western Reserve) picked-up the win and recorded two strike-outs.

First National Statistical Rankings Released
PAINESVILLE, OH. (April 11, 2007) - The NCAA released the first national statistical rankings for Division III this week and Lake Erie College is among the top 100 teams in the country in five separate categories. Out of 384 teams across the nation, the Storm is second in doubles per game (2.67 pg), 35th in batting average (.346), 75th in slugging percentage (.458), 84th in double plays per game (0.28 pg) and 99th in scoring (5.72 runs per game).

As for individual players, sophomore shortstop Jessica Hedrick (Geneva, Ohio/Geneva) and sophomore third baseman Brittney Binko (Warren, Ohio/John F. Kennedy) are ranked third in doubles per game averaging 0.61 per contest. Junior catcher Nicole Mann (Cleveland, Ohio/Euclid) is in the 10th spot with 0.53 per game. Binko is the nation's 30th leading hitter with a .484 batting average and is 59th in RBIs with 1.11 batted in per game. Hedrick is also 54th in runs per game, crossing the plate an average of 1.17 times per contest.

The Storm is currently in the top spot for wins in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference with a league record of 8-2. Overall, LEC is even at 10-10.

Binko Becomes Latest AMCC Player of the Week
PAINESVILLE, OH. (April 10, 2007) - Lake Erie College sophomore third baseman Brittney Binko earned Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) Player of the Week honors as well as ECAC Player of the Week Southern Region honors.

The second-year starter received the accolade because of her recent performance in a doubleheader against Medaille College in which she went 6-for-8 at the plate. In a 13-5 win, the Warren, Ohio native went a perfect 4-for-4 with six RBIs. All four of her hits in the game were doubles. In an 8-7 loss, she went 2-for-4 with three RBIs.

The overall offensive effort pushed her to second in league hitting with a .484 average, while also allowing her to become the AMCC leader in RBIs with a total of 20.

She is the second Storm softball player to receive player of the week honors this season. Sophomore shortstop Jessica Hedrick (Geneva, Ohio/Geneva) earned the honor in the season opening week. Freshman pitcher Stevie Banks (Berlin Center, Ohio/Western Reserve) was voted Pitcher of the Week in the first week of the season.

It is Binko's second time earning the honor, as she was voted player of the week during her freshman season on April 17, 2006.

Storm Slams Mount Aloysius
PAINESVILLE, OH. (April 9, 2007) - The Lake Erie College softball team smashed two grand slams on its way to two Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) wins against Mount Aloysius Monday afternoon. Lake Erie won 18-3 in game one and 17-0 in game two, totaling 31 hits on the day.

Senior Sarah Miller (Covington, Kentucky/Holmes) got her sixth win of the season after giving up six hits in three innings in the day's opener. She helped her cause at the plate by going 3-for-3 with a double, three RBIs and two runs. Junior centerfielder Loni Sargent went 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs.

In the second game, freshman Stevie Banks (Berlin Center, Ohio/Western Reserve) got the victory in four innings, giving up only one hit and striking out five. Sargent led the team on offense going a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs scored. Senior catcher Crystal Limpert (Cleveland, Ohio/John Marshall) hit a solo home run to start off the second inning as sophomore left fielder Katie Staats (Willoughby, Ohio/South) followed suit on a grander scale in the third with a grand slam. Sophomore third baseman Brittney Binko (Warren, Ohio/John F. Kennedy) then hit another grand slam in the fourth. It is the first time in program history the Storm has had multiple grand slams in the same game.

Lake Erie is now an even 10-10 overall and 8-2 in the AMCC.

Storm Splits with Medaille
PAINESVILLE, OH. (April 3, 2007) - The Lake Erie College softball team split with Alleghney Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) rival Medaille College, winning 13-5 and losing 8-7 Tuesday afternoon.

The Storm produced 13 runs on 14 hits in the day's opener backed by sophomore third baseman Brittney Binko's (Warren, Ohio/John F. Kennedy) 4-for-4 performance. She totaled six RBIs with all four of her hits being doubles. Senior hurler Sarah Miller (Covington, Kentucky/Holmes) got her fifth win of the season after going the distance and giving up only two earned runs.

In game two, Medaille plated all eight of their runs in the first two innings, six of which resulted in the second. Lake Erie chipped away at the score with one run in the first, two in the third and three in fourth. The Storm's final run came in the bottom of the seventh as LEC left runners on second and third to end the game.

Junior centerfielder Loni Sargent (Hubbard, Ohio/Hubbard) went 3-for-4 with two runs and an RBI and freshman right fielder Alyssa Bethel (Beavercreek, Ohio/Miami Valley) went 2-for-3 with two runs and an RBI.

LEC is now 8-10 overall and 6-2 in the AMCC.

Hedrick is ECAC Player of the Week
PAINESVILLE, OH. (March 30, 2007) - Sophomore Jessica Hedrick earned ECAC Player of the Week honors for the Southern Region. The award is the first of its kind this season for any Storm softball player. Hedrick (Geneva, Ohio/Geneva) received the honor after posting excellent statistics in the team's Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference opener against Pitt-Greensburg.

The second-year starter led her team with a .750 batting average (6-for-8), and also had team-leading totals of six hits, four runs and three doubles. She went a perfect 4-for-4 in the 8-0 shutout victory and was 2-for-4 in the 9-6 win. For the doubleheader, she was also perfect in the field with three assists and three putouts.

Hedrick was voted AMCC Player of the Week earlier in the week.

Storm Hammers Hilbert
PAINESVILLE, OH. (March 29, 2007) - The Lake Erie College softball team remains undefeated and in first place in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) after earning wins against Hilbert College, 12-1 and 18-5 Thursday afternoon.

In game one, LEC totaled 19 hits with four each coming off the bats of sophomore third baseman Brittney Binko (Warren, Ohio/John F. Kennedy) and junior catcher Nicole Mann (Cleveland, Ohio/Euclid). Mann had three doubles and Binko had two. The Storm also stole six bases in the game, four by sophomore shortstop Jessica Hedrick (Geneva, Ohio/Geneva). Senior Sarah Miller (Covington, Kentucky/Holmes) got the win after going the distance.

In game two, LEC's bats remained hot, this time stroking 23 hits. Miller went 4-for-5 with a double and a home run, senior Crystal Limpert (Cleveland, Ohio/John Marshall) went 4-for-5 with two doubles, Hedrick went 4-for-5 with a double and Binko went 3-for-4 with two doubles. Freshman Stevie Banks pitched a complete game and struck out four.

LEC is now 6-8 overall and 4-0 in the AMCC.

No. 7 Mount Union Sweeps LEC
PAINESVILLE, OH. (March 27, 2007) - Lake Erie College may have lost Tuesday afternoon, but the doubleheader was deemed a success as LEC lost 7-1 and 2-0 to No. 7 Mount Union College.

The Storm held the Purple Raiders scoreless for a total of seven innings, including the first five in game two, which pleased LEC head coach Gary VanCauwenberge.

"You know playing such a quality team at their place is a challenge, but to have a young team like ours go up against a nationally-ranked program and keep them from scoring in that many innings - that's definitely an indication of where our program is headed," said VanCauwenberge.

Lake Erie combined for 11 hits on the day with junior outfielder Loni Sargent (Hubbard, Ohio/Hubbard) going 4-for-5 on the afternoon.

Hedrick and Banks Honored in AMCC
PAINESVILLE, OH. (March 27, 2007) - Lake Erie College's Jessica Hedrick was voted Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) Player of the Week and Stevie Banks earned Pitcher of the Week with the opening of league play.

Sophomore shortstop Hedrick (Geneva, Ohio/Geneva) hit .750 in two wins against conference rival Pitt-Greensburg to help LEC take the leading spot in the AMCC in week one. Hedrick went 2-for-4 in a 9-6 victory with two doubles and a run. In the 8-0 shutout she went 4-for-4 with a double and three runs.

Freshman left-hander Banks (Berlin Center, Ohio/Western Reserve) pitched the complete game shutout against the Bobcats. She struck out three and earned her second win of the season.

LEC Starts Season Perfect in the AMCC
PAINESVILLE, OH. (March 25, 2007) - The Lake Erie College softball team beat Pitt-Greensburg, 9-6 and 8-0, to open its Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) play. The double-header was not only the Storm's first conference play, but also their first games since returning from the Sun West Tournament in California.

After two weeks of rain-outs the Storm were eager to take the field, looking to prove they deserved better than a fifth place pre-season seed, after finishing third last season. Lake Erie fell behind 2-0 in the first inning after giving up a two-run homerun. But in the bottom half of the inning the Storm lit-up on offense, answering with five runs of their own.

Pitt-Greensburg was able to pull within one in the fourth inning, but Lake Erie played solid defense and continued hitting to pull-out the win. Junior Nicole Mann (Cleveland, Ohio/Euclid) finished with 3 RBIs, while Katie Staats (Willoughby, Ohio/Willoughby South) and Erica Chercourt (Ravenna, Ohio/Streetsboro) each contributed two doubles and two RBIs a piece.

In the second game, freshman Stevie Banks (Berlin Center, Ohio/Western Reserve) pitched a shutout, only allowing two hits. The Storm struck again on offense with junior Shaina Vanderpool (Kingston, Ohio/Chillicothe) smashing a two-run homerun and finishing with three RBIs. Sophomore Jessica Hedrick (Geneva, Ohio/Geneva) finished the day 6-for-8, going a perfect 4-for-4 in the second game.

The Lake Erie College softball team travels to Mount Union on Tuesday, March 27th. They return home for a 3:00pm match-up against Medaille on April 3rd.

Teams Live on WELW on March 26
PAINESVILLE, OH. (March 19, 2007) - The Lake Erie College softball and baseball teams will be live on WELW 1330 AM and welw.com on Monday, March 26 from 7:30 – 8:30 p.m.

Softball head coach Gary VanCauwenberge and several players will discuss the Storm’s season from 7:30 – 8 p.m. and then baseball head coach Ken Krsolovic and several players will be on from 8 – 8:30 p.m. to discuss their season.

It all takes place at the Captain’s Club in Eastlake located at the Route 91 and Vine Street intersection. All are welcome to attend and show support of the Storm teams.

The broadcast is the first of its kind for any Lake Erie spring athletic team!

Saturday Game Against Mount Union Changed to Friday
PAINESVILLE, OH. (March 13, 2007) - The softball game originally scheduled against Mount Union on Saturday has been moved up a day. The game will now be played at 3 p.m. on Friday at Mount Union.

Storm Splits
PAINESVILLE, OH. (March 8, 2007) - The Lake Erie College softball team split two games on Thursday in the Sun West Tournament in California, defeating SUNY Institute of Technology 6-3 and losing to Notre Dame College 8-0.

Against SUNY, Lake Erie produced six runs on 10 hits with five of thier runs occurring in the first two innings. After allowing one run in the top of the first, the Storm answered when sophomore Jessica Hedrick (Geneva, Ohio/Geneva) hit a leadoff single. Senior Jen Dodge (Painesville, Ohio/Riverside) and freshman Erica Chercourt (Ravenna, Ohio/Streetsboro) followed suit before junior Brittney Binko walked to load the bases. A sacrifice fly by junior Nicole Mann (Cleveland, Ohio/Euclid) and single by senior Crystal Limpert (Cleveland, Ohio/John Marshall) scored three.

The Storm then tacked on two more runs in the second and another in the fifth. Hedrick went 3-for-4 as Dodge and junior Shaina Vanderpool (Kingston, Ohio/Chillicothe) had two hits each. Freshman Stevie Banks (Berlin Center, Ohio/Western Reserve) earned her first collegiate victory, going the distance with six strike outs.

Against Notre Dame, Lake Erie was held to only one hit which was a double by freshman Shannon Franklin (Swanton, Ohio/Swanton) in the fifth. NDC totaled 12 hits against the Storm as they lost their second game of the season to their Ohio rival.

LEC Drops Two
PAINESVILLE, OH. (March 6, 2007) - The Lake Erie College softball team lost two games on Tuesday in the Sun West Tournament in California, including a 10-1 loss to Notre Dame College and a 4-1 loss to Clarke College.

Against Ohio opponent Notre Dame College, the Storm allowed its rival to jump out to a three-run lead in the top of the first. Lake Erie earned its only run of the game in the bottom of the third after senior Jen Dodge (Painesville, Ohio/Riverside) walked and sophomore Brittney Binko (Warren, Ohio/John F. Kennedy) doubled to left center for the RBI. LEC pitching gave up 12 hits and six earned runs.

Against Clarke, LEC smashed nine hits but only managed one run by not being able to string them together. Only two of Clarke's runs were earned as the Storm committed three errors. Lake Erie got its only run in the top of the third when freshman Erica Chercourt (Ravenna, Ohio/Streetsboro) doubled to left field to start the inning. One out later, Dodge singled to left field for an RBI and advanced to second on the throw home. Dodge then stole third and Binko singled in the infield. The next batter grouned out, stranding two on base.

Lake Erie is 1-3 overall with four games remaining in California. The team has a day off on Wednesday.

LEC Lands in Fifth
PAINESVILLE, OH. (March 5, 2007) - With the release of the 2007 Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) Softball Coaches Poll, Lake Erie College was voted to finish fifth this season out of 10 teams.

The Storm finished in a program best third place in 2006 with a league record of 14-4. The team also recorded its best overall record at 26-16-1, which was its first 20-plus win season in program history. With the loss of a few key players, the AMCC Coaches predicted a fall in the Storm's status this season.

Two players to watch for LEC include senior first baseman/pitcher Sarah Miller (Covington, Kentucky/Holmes) and senior outfielder Jen Dodge (Painesville, Ohio/Riverside). Miller earned Second-Team All-AMCC in 2006 after leading the Storm in home runs and finishing second in runs, total bases, RBI and slugging percentage. She recorded an ERA of 2.94 with 10 wins and earned both pitcher and player of the week conference honors.

Dodge was a Second-Team All-AMCC selection last season. She struck out just four times all year in 84 at bats and committed only one error in 32 games.

League play for the Storm begins on March 24 against Pitt-Greensburg and concludes 18 games later on April 21. The top six teams advance to the AMCC Tournament which begins May 4.

Storm Splits in Season Opening Day
PAINESVILLE, OH. (March 5, 2007) - The Lake Erie College softball team split two games on opening day, losing to Thomas More College 9-4 and defeating Beloit College 9-8 in the Sun West Tournament in Orange, California.

In the first game of the season against Thomas More, the Storm scored its runs in the final three innings after getting six of its 10 total hits for the game in that time frame. Designated hitter Shaina Vanderpool (Kingston, Ohio/Chillicothe) went 2-for-3 with an RBI as third baseman Brittney Binko (Warren, Ohio/John F. Kennedy) and catcher Nicole Mann (Cleveland, Ohio/Euclid) each had two hits.

In game two, Lake Erie used 10 hits to gain nine runs and edge Beloit by a run for their first win of the season in extra innings. The Storm scored at least one run in five different innings, scoring the game winner in the bottom of the eighth.

With Jen Dodge (Painesville, Ohio/Riverside) taking her place on second to start the inning, Binko singled on a bunt to the pitcher that allowed Dodge to come home.

Dodge was 3-for-5 with two runs and an RBI. Binko and shortstop Jessica Hedrick (Geneva, Ohio/Geneva) were each 2-for-5 with two RBI and a run. Sarah Miller (Covington, Kentucky/Holmes) earned the victory in one inning of relief, retiring all three batters without a hit.