LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) unanimously voted the Trine University softball team number one for their final Division III Top 25 Coaches Poll of the season.
Fresh off their first NCAA Division III Softball Championship, the Thunder secured another program first with the top-spot in the poll after tallying 250 points and all the first-place votes. The team previously had reached as high as second in the poll while garnering some first-place votes.
The national runners-up from Salisbury University fell to second after their defeat by Trine in the championship series. The Sea Gulls had held the top spot in the poll in every regular season edition of the rankings. Rounding out the top-four were Berry and Coe Colleges. Those two teams finished tied for third in the nation, both losing in the semi-final round.
The Thunder secured their first national championship in dramatic fashion. After losing their first game in Marshall, Texas, the team won four straight to reach the championship series. They lost again in the opening game against Salisbury, but won back-to-back games on Wednesday, June 7 to secure the championship.
On that final day senior Anna Koeppl started with five and a third innings of perfect pitching before being relieved by junior Alexis Michon who recorded a save in the 6-2 victory. Michon then pitched a two-hitter in the final decisive game and graduate student Carolyn Biel came up with a walk-off single in the bottom of the seventh to give the team a 1-0 victory.
The Thunder finished the season 46-6 overall, a new program best for wins in a season. Earlier this year they secured their 12th Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) Championship, their fourth straight. It is the first time a MIAA softball team has won a national championship.