|
Home
Vikings Softball Team Has Covenant Flavor
By Craig Pinley
CHICAGO, IL (March 3, 2004) - The North Park University (NPU) softball team
has a distinct Covenant flavor as seven players on the team's roster of
15 have grown up in Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC) congregations.
Catchers Ashley Berg and Bethany Isaacs, outfielders Pam Carlson and
Carrie McKee and infielders Dayle Dillon, Kelly Nelson and Angie Willner
are playing for head coach Dan Gooris this spring. The Vikings were
8-26-1 in 2003, but won 19 games in each of the two previous years
behind two-time All-Conference pitcher Kim Walker.
Berg and Isaacs are both sophomores. Berg grew up at Urban Heights
Evangelical Covenant Church in Urbandale, Iowa, a suburb of Des Moines.
Isaacs is from Bethlehem Evangelical Covenant Church in Minneapolis. She
attended Northwest Conference-sponsored Minnehaha Academy during high
school.
Carlson, who is from the Evangelical Covenant Church in Moose Lake,
Minnesota, was the team's starting first baseman last year and hit a
homer in her first at-bat during the team's spring trip last March. A
fifth generation Covenanter, she is also an honors student. McKee, a
senior, and Dillon, a sophomore, will serve as backups while helping as
designated hitters at times. McKee attended Covenant Community Church in
Fairfield, Ohio, while Dillon (who also plays volleyball at NPU) grew up
at the Evangelical Covenant Church of Paxton, Illinois.
Nelson, a sophomore third baseman, is from West Hills Covenant Church in
Portland, Oregon. Willner, a senior shortstop, is from the Evangelical
Covenant Church in Fairmont, Minnesota. The latter player had a knee
injury that kept her from playing softball in 2003 and her presence
gives the Vikings added versatility in the infield. North Park's infield
depth and an improved outfield gives Gooris added support to help
Walker, who has recorded 35 pitching victories in three years while
breaking most or all softball pitching and hitting record at the school.
Other players on North Park's roster include returning starting
infielders Stacy Salihovich and Katie Ritti, number two pitcher Lindsey
Van Wyk, transfer Deb Rusthoven, two-sport athletes Kara Boonstra
(volleyball) and Molly Mitchell (basketball) and senior outfielder
Stephanie Thompson, who earned All Conference Academic honors last
spring as an infielder at NPU.
The Vikings open their season in Ft. Meyers, Florida, with 10 games at
the Gene Cusic Tournament. They open with Lakeland College of Wisconsin
at 1 p.m. (EDT) on Sunday.
More about NPU's softball program and other athletic teams can be found
on the school's web site at www.northpark.edu under the "Athletics" link.
Copyright © 2008 The Evangelical Covenant Church. |
|
|
|
