MAY 7 — Austin Resigns From Head Coaching Position
Seven-year coach cites personal reasons for stepping down

Goshen, IN — The Goshen College athletic department announced the resignation of head softball coach Dawn Austin Wednesday, ending a successful seven-year tenure for the program’s third coach in its 11-year existence. Austin resigns after compiling an overall record of 108-137-1 over the past seven seasons and a conference mark of 41-56-1.

“It’s rare that you’re able to find a person of Dawn’s coaching ability and expertise who is in the community and is able to fill a part-time position to the degree that she did,” said Ken Pletcher, Goshen College athletic director. “She was able to take a program from its very beginnings to a program that could compete not only in our conference, but at the NAIA regional level successfully.”

After inheriting a program that had won just 18 games in its first four seasons, Austin quickly became the program’s winningest coach following her arrival to Goshen in 1997. Goshen’s teams improved in each of Austin’s first five seasons at the helm, culminating with the Mid-Central Collegiate Conference Championship in 2001. That team’s 24-12 record still stands as the program’s all-time best win-loss mark.

Austin cited personal reasons for her resignation, noting the need to make more room in her daily schedule. Austin is the head of a three-team softball program for 18-and-under girls during the summer months, and also has worked as a private pitching instructor for the past eight years in addition to her duties as Goshen’s head softball coach. These factors, coupled with her family’s needs — Austin is married with two children — were enough to warrant a change.

“Any decision like this is an extremely tough one to make, but I am confident in my decision to step down,” Austin said. “I’ve had a lot of things on my plate for the past few years, and something had to give somewhere. The toughest part about this was having to tell the players, because you feel like you’re letting the kids down. You’re part of a true family, and it was very difficult to tell them I wouldn’t be coming back.”

Originally from Elkhart, Austin graduated from Penn State University in 1993, where she was an All-Big Ten pitcher and outfielder following her senior season. After her graduation, Austin spent three years as an assistant softball coach at The University of Notre Dame before arriving at Goshen in 1997. Austin said she plans to continue to lead her summer league club and increase her time in private pitching instruction. She plans to give lessons on a more regular basis out of a soon-to-be opened sports center in Elkhart.

“Economics and family priorities came into my decision to move on, but I’m grateful for the flexibility this job has given me over the years,” Austin said. “I’ve been able to coach at an extremely high level while having time for my kids, and Goshen is the reason for that.”

Pletcher said that the search process for a new head softball coach has already begun, but truly attempting to fill Austin’s shoes will be a difficult task.

“As an athletic department, we will miss Dawn’s positive impact on our office,” Pletcher said. “She’s a great person who we’ve enjoyed having here on a daily basis. We wish her nothing but success as she moves on.”

For Austin, however, her tenure at Goshen is not officially over yet. This year’s team has yet to conduct its end-of-the-year banquet, and she has one more goodbye speech to give.

“The relationships with the kids are what I’m going to miss the most,” Austin said. “As a player looking back on your career, you very rarely remember what you won or what you lost, but you always remember the relationships you developed with your teammates and your coaches. I’ve said that I was confident in my decision to leave, but it was very hard to tell the kids. That’s the hardest part about all of this . . . letting go and saying goodbye for the last time.”

Marion, IN — Goshen’s 2003 softball season ended Saturday in the Mid-Central Collegiate Conference Tournament, as the Leafs could not get by host Indiana Wesleyan in the second round of the consolation bracket. Goshen dropped a 9-4 decision to St. Francis in the first round on Friday, then beat Taylor by a 4-2 count to advance in the first round of consolation play later that afternoon. Indiana Wesleyan just edged the Leafs by a 4-3 count Saturday morning, however, putting an end to Goshen’s season in the double-elimination tournament.

With a 7-7 conference record heading into the tournament, Goshen was the fifth seed after a pair of losses to 7-7 St. Francis gave the Cougars fourth-seeded rights. In the tournament’s opening game between the squads, Goshen could not keep St. Francis from having two huge innings largely due to it’s own mistakes: The Leafs committed seven errors in the 4-9 loss while only three of the Cougars’ runs were earned.

“We definitely made mistakes in the first game (against St. Francis) that cost us,” said Dawn Austin, Goshen head coach. “You can’t make those types of errors and expect to win.”

Goshen (18-19, 7-7) cranked out eight hits in a balanced attack, but St. Francis took advantage of the Leafs’ errors and scored nine runs using as many hits. Sophomore Rachel Solmos was saddled with the loss from the pitching circle, giving up three earned runs in 4.1 innings of work. Junior Monica Kingsley relieved Solmos in the fourth, only to pitch 2.2 innings while giving up six runs, none of them earned.

Goshen was led by senior Michelle Wade at the plate, as she finished 2-3 with an RBI and two runs scored. Junior Tera Franklin was 2-2, also knocking in a run. Sophomore Alissa Kostyk was 1-3 with an RBI and a run scored.

Against Taylor in the first round of the consolation bracket, Goshen rode the right arm of Solmos, as the sophomore threw a complete game, two-run effort to lead her team. Offensively, Goshen got major production from senior Stephanie Sidener, who was responsible for knocking in all of the Leafs’ runs. Sidener finished the day 3-4 with a double and 4 RBI.

“We did what we needed to do in the Taylor game,” Austin said. “Rachel pitched well enough to give us a solid chance, and Steph came up with well-timed hits on three different occasions.”

After a night in a local hotel, Goshen faced off against Wesleyan, in a classic ball game. After the Leafs roared out to a two-run first inning, the Wildcats responded with a run of their own in the bottom of the stanza. Goshen tacked on another run in the second, and held a 3-1 lead through two and a half innings of play. With Wesleyan at the plate and two outs down in the bottom of the fourth, however, sophomore Tara Haynes misplayed a grounder that should have been the third out in the inning. The following Wildcat batter ripped a double, scoring two runs to tie the game at three. The game would remain tied until the bottom of the seventh, when Wesleyan was able to score its leadoff hitter after a one-out triple, ending the game and the Leafs’ season.

“We really played a great game, we played quality ball with just one key mistake,” Austin said. “We had a bunch of players step up and make great plays and our pitchers threw very well.”

Solmos again was saddled with the pitching loss, tossing 3. 2 innings of work and giving up just two hits. Freshman Jessica Fryar came in with relief, giving up just one run and striking out three. Fryar also did work from the plate: Goshen’s leadoff hitter finished 2-4 with two runs scored. Senior Latrice Clark was also 2-4 with a run scored and an RBI. Haynes finished 2-3, while Sidener knocked in a run on a 1-4 performance. Kingsley was 1-2 from the plate.

At the conclusion of the tournament, Solmos was recognized with All-MCC honors, finishing the season with a 15-10 record from the circle and a 2.03 ERA. Solmos struck out 109 batters in 155.1 innings of work, and walked just 61, a vast improvement from her freshman year. Solmos continued to pitch well for the entire second half of the season learning that she had tendonitis in her throwing bicep, making throwing extremely difficult and the recovery time afterward much longer than it was before the injury.

“Rachel threw as much as she could throw this year, and she was in pain for much of the latter half of the season,” Austin said. “She did a great job for us as our top pitcher and will only continue to improve.

“I think that the group we had this year did as well as we could have done with the mistakes that we made,” Austin concluded about the season. “We had to learn to understand what it takes to be successful. We had a number of new people in new positions this year, and there was a great deal of learning that went on. In all, it was a good year for us.”

Game over: Sophomore Alissa Kostyk is the first teammate to congratulate freshman Jessica Fryar after she scored the winning run in Goshen’s dramatic 7-6, eight-inning victory over Olivet on Monday.

Homer congrats: Members of the Goshen softball team meet senior Stephanie Sidener (second from left) at the plate following her solo home run against Olivet in Game 1.

Goshen, IN — Just one day after sweeping St. Mary’s and honoring the team’s three seniors with a post-game cookout on a gorgeous Sunday afternoon, the Goshen softball team somehow outdid itself. On Monday, the Leafs took two games from visiting Olivet, with the second being a 7-6, eight-inning heart-stopper that couldn’t have been scripted with bigger plays or pulse raising emotion. The wins over the Comets — the first game was a 4-0 victory — closed out Goshen’s regular season with the Leafs wining five of their last six games, including the last four at home.

Now riding a serious streak of winning and playing well, Goshen heads into the Mid-Central Collegiate Conference Tournament this Thursday.

“Winning five of our last six definitely gives us a boost heading into the conference tournament,” said Dawn Austin, Goshen head coach. “But more importantly, I am most impressed with our spirit and fight that we displayed against Olivet. It’s probably the most I’ve seen from our team all season long.”

Goshen (17-17, 7-7) rode the strong right arm of sophomore Rachel Solmos (14-8) in Game 1, as the Leaf ace recorded her third shutout in as many starts with the 4-0 decision on Monday. Solmos struck out just four Comet batters, but had plenty of help in the field and a strong presence at the plate to help her cause.

Possessing a 3-0 lead through four and a half innings of play, senior Stephanie Sidener blasted her third home run of the season, giving the Leafs a 4-0 advantage. Solmos kept Olivet at bay the remainder of the way, allowing just three hits by the opponents.

Sidener finished the first game going 3-3 at the plate, also recording a double while knocking in two runs and scoring twice herself. Freshman Jessica Fryar was 1-3 with an RBI, while senior Michelle Wade was 2-3 with a double. Junior Tera Franklin scored a run off a 1-3 plate performance, as did senior Latrice Clark.

“It was mostly Rachel in the first game, although we did come up with some plays defensively to help her out,” Austin said. “Stephanie had been in a little bit of a slump and hit the ball extremely hard, which was nice to see. She is one we absolutely need to come up and hit for us. She’s put too much pressure on herself and just needs to relax. When she hits the ball hard, good things happen for us.”

The second contest was where things got really interesting, as Goshen found themselves down 4-2 after three and a half innings of work. Fryar began the game in the pitching circle but faded in the fourth inning. Austin replaced Fryar with Solmos midway through the side, but she couldn’t get out of trouble — Olivet recorded four runs in that stanza to grab the lead.

Goshen came back in the bottom of the fourth with a score and then tied the game in the fifth with another one-run production, setting up a cardiac finish. After a scoreless sixth inning, Olivet looked to be in charge in the top of the seventh. After Solmos walked an Olivet batter, the Comets moved her to second with a bunt. One wild pitch later, and the runner stood on third base with two outs. The next Olivet batter rocketed a shot to right-center field, which looked to bring in the go-ahead run. Somehow, Franklin raced from her centerfield position to make a diving catch, saving the inning and the tie score in the process.

“In retrospect, that was a game-saving catch by Tera,” Austin said. “She made a great read on the ball and got there to make the play.”

Franklin’s catch seemed even more impressive after the bottom of the seventh inning concluded, and the Leafs had failed to score. With Solmos getting fatigued from a long day on the mound — 11.2 innings pitched on the day — Goshen needed a boost.

It was Olivet who got the initial boost, however, as the Comets used the top of the eighth inning to record two runs, taking a 6-4 lead and the momentum into the bottom of the inning. Undeterred, Austin’s squad slowly began the comeback. Junior Monica Kingsley began the bottom half with a single. After sophomore Tanya Ash came in to pinch run for Kingsley, Wade reached on a walk. Franklin reached first base after a throwing error by the Olivet catcher trying to field Franklin’s bunt, scoring Ash and moving Wade to third. After a pop out by sophomore Alissa Kostyk, Fryar reached on a fielder’s choice to second base, as Wade was thrown out at the plate in a nasty collision. With two outs and Franklin on third and Fryar on second, it all came down to senior Latrice Clark.

Coming up with her only hit of the second game, she delivered.

A slapped shot down the third base line scored Franlkin and Fryar, ending the game with a walk-off single for Clark, and the celebration was on in the Goshen dugout.

“Latrice was due for a hit and she stepped up in a big way,” Austin said. “But again, it was just exciting to see how we all hung in there through the entire game. We got down, tied it, got down again and still had spirit and fight left to come back and win it. Sometimes, when we don’t hit well we seem to get down on ourselves. That didn’t happen tonight.”

Clark finished the second contest 1-5 from the plate, with the ever important 2 RBI. Fryar was 2-5 scoring the winning run, while Kingsley was 2-3 on the day and started the entire eighth inning off. Franklin finished 1-4 with two runs scored and an RBI. She also stole a base.

The Leafs now take their collective upswing into the MCC Tournament, which begins Thursday at Indiana Wesleyan. Goshen, the fifth-seed, will face off against St. Francis at 12 p.m. on Field 2. For a complete bracket of MCC Tournament game times and fields, click here.

Finding the action: Sophomore Tara Haynes (infield) and senior Latrice Clark (outfield) react to a ground ball during the second game against St. Mary’s on Sunday.

Smiling seniors: Seniors Michelle Wade, Stephanie Sidener and Latrice Clark pose with Goshen head coach Dawn Austin following Sunday’s games with St. Mary’s. Austin called the threesome’s respective careers “instrumental” to the program.

Goshen, IN — Things couldn’t have gone much better for the Goshen softball team on Sunday. Honoring the team’s three seniors in their second-to-last home games of the season, the Leafs defeated St. Mary’s by 3-0 and 10-7 scores. A sun-filled sky and temperatures in the mid-70’s made the post-game senior day festivities even nicer, as the team and its coaching staff honored its upperclassmen with a cookout as the sun slowly began to set. According to Goshen head coach Dawn Austin, it was the least she and her assistants could do to show appreciation for Latrice Clark, Stephanie Sidener and Michelle Wade, the seniors on this year’s squad.

“It was such a nice day to thank the seniors for their commitment to the program,” Austin said. “All three have been instrumental to the success of our team over the past few years, and its nice to take both games and have a day like today to celebrate their careers.”

Sunday’s first game began with the celebration of sophomore Rachel Solmos’ ability to get past a nagging injury. Goshen’s ace tossed her second shutout win in four days after being diagnosed with tendonitis in her throwing arm bicep. Solmos (12-8) struck out four and walked just three in the Game 1 win over the Belles.

“Rachel did a great job in her second straight shutout in as many starts,” Austin said. “We didn’t have many hits in the first game but we had timely hits. It was good to see us have hits that produced runs, not just isolated ones.”

Goshen (15-17, 7-7) used a patient attack in the first game, scoring runs in the second, fourth and fifth innings. Wade got things going with an RBI single in the second, while Wade stole home plate in the fourth inning. Sidener cleaned up the fifth with a two-out, RBI double, and that was all that the Leafs needed.

The second game began with a fury, as Goshen stormed out to a 10-2 lead after the first three innings. Save for giving up a five-run fifth inning to the Belles, and the Leafs were never in jeopardy of losing the lead.

Freshman Jessica Fryar collected the win on the mound, and also was on fire from the plate: Fryar finished 3-4 with 3 RBI and two runs scored while garnering a triple. Junior Tera Franklin was 2-4 with two runs scored, while sophomore Alissa Kostyk was 2-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Sophomore Tara Haynes finished 1-4 with an RBI, while Clark scored twice for the Leafs.

“We took advantage of their mistakes in the second game and were able to withstand a tough situation (in the top of the fifth inning),” Austin said. “Again, it was great to take care of business on the field for the seniors and their parents who were in attendance.”

Austin and her staff elected to conduct senior day on Goshen’s last weekend home game of the year so more parents could attend. Goshen’s last official home games of the season will take place Monday, when the team hosts Olivet. The first game of the double-header is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m.