After Five Straight NCAA Tournaments; Bulldogs Set Sights on Division I

Bulldogs Look to Take Success at Division I to Highest Level of Intercollegiate Athletics Next Spring

Smithfield, RI - Over the past decade, the Bulldog softball program, like the rest of the Bryant University athletic department has reached new levels of success. Next year, the team will take the next step, to Division I.

The 2008 Bulldogs with Bryant President Ron Machtley

   The Bulldogs have made the last five NCAA Northeast regionals, advancing to the finals in 2007 and collecting conference championsips in 2005 and 2006. This past spring, the Bulldogs captured their first thirty win season under coach Lisa-Ann Wallace and finished second in the Northeast-10 with a program-best conference record of 23-5 despite the loss of six seniors from the 2007 team.

"It's a tremendous opportunity for our student-athletes to compete at the highest level," said Coach Wallace. "I'm extremely confident that our team will play hard and compete in every game."

Wallace enters her ninth season at the helm of the program already established as the winningest coach in school history. Wallace is 194-170-1 in eight years as the Bulldogs coach.

Next year, the Bulldogs will play their first season in Division I as they transition into the Northeast Conference. The team will look to replace senior starters Janine Enos, Jessica Valentini, and Jennifer Serrano.

Sophomore pitcher Samantha Houseal (Mount Joy, PA) will look to step into the number one spot in the rotation. Houseal was 10-9 with a 2.56 ERA as a freshman last year.

The Bulldogs will also rely heavily on rising seniors Kate Thomas (Bedford, NH), Stephanie Mirando (North Haven, Conn.) and Anne Dobmeier (Buffalo, NY). Thomas and Dobmeier were the Bulldogs top two hitters last year hittings .325 and .322 respectively.

Talented starters Kim Breton (Leominster, Mass.), Ali Chouinard (Swansea, Mass.), and captain Ashley Coon (Levittown, PA) will all look to assume leadership roles with the young team.

The Bulldogs will become a full member of the NEC in 2013 and will play an independent Division I schedule in the coming years.