Contact:             Doug Aiken
                           (714) 997-6900

Release Date:   February 11, 2004

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 

Upcoming Events Calendar
 

Date	Day	Team	Opponent/Event	Site	Time (Pacific)
2/12	Thu.	Men's Tennis	La Sierra	Home	2:00 pm
		Baseball	Pacific (OR)*	Chandler, AZ	6:00 pm
		Men's Basketball	West Coast Baptist	Lancaster	7:30 pm
2/13	Fri.	Women's Softball	Texas Lutheran	Seguin, TX	11:00 am (DH)
		Baseball	Whitman (WA)*	Chandler, AZ	12:00 pm
		Women's Basketball	Colorado College#	Home	5:00 pm
		Baseball	George Fox (OR)*	Chandler, AZ	6:00 pm
2/14	Sat.	Women's Softball	Mary Hardin-Baylor (TX)	San Antonio, TX	12:00 pm (DH)
		Baseball	Whitworth (WA)*	Chandler, AZ	12:00 pm
		Men's Tennis	Pomona-Pitzer	Pomona	2:00 pm
		Men's Basketball	San Jose Christian	Home	7:30 pm
2/15	Sun.	Baseball	Arizona Desert Classic	Chandler, AZ	TBA
		Women's Softball	Gustavus Adolphus (MN)	San Antonio, TX	10:00 am
		Women's Softball	Trinity (TX)	San Antonio, TX	12:00 pm
		Women's Basketball	Dallas (TX)#	Home	2:00 pm
2/16	Mon.	Men's Golf	Cal Lutheran	Thousand Oaks	12:30 pm
2/18	Wed.	Women's Swimming	Pacific Coast Championships	Long Beach	All Day
		Women's Softball	Vanguard	Costa Mesa	1:30 pm (DH)
		Women's Tennis	Point Loma	San Diego	2:30 pm
2/19	Thu.	Women's Swimming	Pacific Coast Championships	Long Beach	All Day
		Women's Tennis	La Verne	Home	2:00 pm
		Women's Basketball	Biola	Home	7:00 pm

*Arizona Desert Classic
#Chapman Tournament
 

Season Previews:

Softball

For a softball program rich with history and tradition, Chapman was unusually inexperienced when it made its short-lived appearance in the West Region playoffs last spring. It had been three years since the Panthers’ last postseason appearance and just one player remained from that team. But the playoff experience was invaluable to a young Chapman team that returns seven regular position players and its top three pitchers in 2004.

“That experience is huge for this team, especially our pitchers,” says head coach Janet Lloyd, who enters her tenth season as head coach of the Panthers just two wins shy of 300 for her career. “You can talk about playoffs over and over again, but until you actually get there, there is nothing that can fill the void of the experience. And it was good for us to lose some close games because now we know what it takes to win those games in the future.”

Now it is a veteran team and Lloyd has instilled a championship attitude from the beginning. The team that was new to the playoff atmosphere in 2003 now appears hungry to not only return to the regional playoffs, but also go beyond.

“This team doesn’t seem scared like they did last year,” says Lloyd. “They are excited and confident. I think they believe that they are good enough to win a championship.”

The Panthers posted a 30-10 record on the strength of an offense that batted .327 and averaged nearly five and a half runs per game in 2003. That offense includes senior infielder Brittany Ziegler (Irvine/Woodbridge High), who ranked among the top-30 in the nation in batting average (.464), slugging percentage (.808) and doubles per game (0.43) and earned All-Region honors at shortstop. Sophomore All-Region selections Kailee Roeser (River Forest, IL/River Forest High) and Meredith Cipolla (Pleasanton/Amador High) also return. The pair combined for 23 doubles and 54 RBI. And Roeser also ranked in the top-50 in the nation in doubles per game (0.41).

“We are strong from top to bottom,” says Lloyd. “You don’t want to go out on a limb and say we might have the best lineup in the region, but we could be really good. Brittany had a slow start last year adjusting to the pitching at Division III. The additions we’ve made and the freshman we’ve brought in are really going to help us right away.”

Those additions, combined with the veteran leadership of senior infielder Melissa Simerlink (Tustin/Tustin High), who batted .307 with six doubles and 20 RBI, and junior three-year starters Ashlie Vohs (Las Vegas, NV/Bonanza High) and Keely Starr (El Segundo/El Segundo High), may help the Panthers score even more runs this season. Starr will assume the leadoff spot in 2004 after ranking third on the team in on-base percentage with a .429 mark in 2003.

But Chapman’s biggest strength in 2004 may be its pitching. A year ago, the Panthers improved their team earned run average by almost a run and a half over the previous season. They did so thanks, in large part, to the emergence of senior right-hander Cassie Dunn (Susanville/Lassen High) as one of the top pitchers in the West Region. Dunn posted a 12-1 record, including 12 straight wins, and team-best 1.54 ERA. Sophomores Marissa Becerra (Orange/Mater Dei High) and Erin Bryant (Puyallup, WA/Emerald Ridge High) also combined for 14 wins and a 2.47 ERA. Add to that trio, a pair of freshman with the potential to win big games and Chapman may have the deepest pitching staff in the West.

“This might be the best pitching staff I’ve had here,” says Lloyd, who has been coaching at Chapman for 21 years. “We have confidence in all five of them to go out there and be able to beat any team. There is a good mix of speed versus junk versus control between them.”

The Panthers play 23 of their 40 games this season versus West Region opponents, an important criterion for playoff selection. Five of those games will take place in Chapman’s opening weekend in Texas against Texas Lutheran, Mary Hardin-Baylor and Trinity. The trip will be an early test for a team poised to make a championship run.
 

Last Week’s Results:

Men’s Basketball
 

Date	Opponent	Result	Record
2/7	U.C. Santa Cruz	W, 78-63	14-8

Chapman 78, U.C. Santa Cruz 63 – The Panthers earned their fourth consecutive win and ninth win in their past ten games with a second half surge and a 15-point win over U.C. Santa Cruz. Chapman earned the season sweep over the Banana Slugs, despite a tightly contested first half that saw the Panthers shoot just 36 percent from the field and lead by just one point at halftime. The Panthers shooters caught fire in the second half, making 12-of-17 field goal attempts (70.6 percent), including six three-pointers. Freshman guard Patrick Carney (Lake Forest/El Toro High) led all scorers with 19 points and junior guard Landon Lewis (Brea/Brea Olinda High) sank 6-of-8 three-point shots for 18 points. Lewis now ranks first in all of Division III in three-point field goal percentage, shooting a remarkable 51.4 percent from three-point range.

NCAA Statistical Leaders
The Panthers find themselves amidst the top-40 in NCAA Division III in seven different statistical categories (through games of 2/8/04):
 

Field Goal Pct.	Chapman; 51.3%	3rd
Scoring Margin	Chapman; 10.7 ppg	30th
Three-Point FG Per Game	Chapman; 8.2	37th
Three-Point FG Pct.	Chapman; 42.3%	8th
Free Throw Pct.	Chapman; 74.1	36th
Three-Point FG Per Game	Landon Lewis; 3.5	15th
Three-Point FG Pct.	Landon Lewis; 51.4%	1st

Women’s Basketball
 

Date	Opponent	Result	Record
2/5	La Sierra	W, 90-50	17-3
2/7	U.C. Santa Cruz	W, 64-51	18-3

Chapman 90, La Sierra 50 – The Panthers jumped all over the Golden Eagles with 52 points in the first half, en route to a 40-point victory in Riverside. Five Chapman players reached double-digits in points, led by senior forward Caroline Jensen (San Diego/University High), who scored 17 and just missed a double-double with nine rebounds. Freshman forward Courtney Minifee (East Lansing, MI/East Lansing High) didn’t miss her double-double, recording a game-high 12 rebounds to go along with 12 points. Sophomore guard Melissa Blanco (Maywood/Bell High) and freshman forward Tiffany Jensen (San Diego/University High) each scored 11 points and senior guard Sidney Giang (Rosemead/Mark Keppel High) tallied seven assists in the win. It marked the third time in the past four games the Panthers have scored 90 or more points versus their opponents.

Chapman 64, U.C. Santa Cruz 51 – The third time was not a charm for U.C. Santa Cruz as the Panthers swept three games from the Banana Slugs the season, the third and final one, a 64-51 Chapman home victory. Chapman shot nearly 60 percent in the first half and led by 14 at halftime. Senior guard Mel Bongiorno (Stowe, VT/Rice Memorial High) led all scorers with 22 points. The Panthers improved their record versus West Region opponents to 15-1 with one to play versus Colorado College this Friday evening.

NCAA Statistical Leaders
Chapman’s women’s basketball team ranks among the best in Division III in seven different statistical categories (through games of 2/8/04):
 

Scoring Offense	Chapman; 78.2 ppg	9th
Scoring Margin	Chapman; 20.1 ppg	13th
Rebound Margin	Chapman; 10.1 rpg	10th
Field Goal Pct.	Chapman; 47.3%	3rd
Win-Loss Pct.	Chapman; 85.7% (18-3)	24th
Points Per Game	Mel Bongiorno; 22.5 ppg	4th
Field Goal Pct.	Caroline Jensen; 56.7%	20th

Women’s Swimming
 

Date	Opponent	Top Swimmers	Result
2/7	Biola	Kati Wise
		100 Ind. Medley; 1st	1:04.37
		Teri Bartel
		50 Backstroke; 1st	30.16
		Wendy Martinovich
		50 Breaststroke; 1st	33.25

Baseball
 

Date	Opponent	Result	Record
2/6	@ Pomona-Pitzer	W, 10-9	2-0
2/10	Pomona-Pitzer	W, 3-1	3-0

Chapman 10, Pomona-Pitzer 9 – Senior shortstop/pitcher Brian Sanders (Placentia/El Dorado High) struck out the final batter of the game with the tying run on third base to preserve the win for junior right-hander Scott Akamine (Anaheim/Savanna High), who struck out 10 batters in six innings. The Panthers built an 8-1 lead after a five-run fifth inning, capped by a two-out, two-run single by senior outfielder Shaun Donahoe (Huntington Beach/Huntington Beach High). But a grand slam off Akamine in the bottom of the inning and a four-run eighth put the defending back-to-back SCIAC champs back in the game, before Sanders shut the door. The game was called after eight innings due to darkness. Five of Chapman’s 14 hits were doubles, including two from senior outfielder Chris Van Camp (Placentia/Valencia High). Sanders also had a two-run double in the third inning to put the Panthers on top for good.

Chapman 3, Pomona-Pitzer 1 – Junior right-handers Jeff Green (Santa Clarita/Valencia High) and Scott Akamine combined to five-hit visiting Pomona-Pitzer, guiding Chapman to a 3-1 victory and its first 3-0 start since 2000. Green improved to 2-0 by allowing just one earned run in six innings of work. Akamine earned his second save of the year, allowing just one baserunner over the final three innings. Chapman scored the tying run in the fourth and an insurance run in the seventh on balks Sagehens pitchers. The Panthers scored the go-ahead run in the fifth on a two-out error. Junior first baseman Jason Mooneyham (Rancho Santa Margarita/Trabuco Hills High) was 3-for-3 with a pair of doubles and a run scored and junior second baseman Justin Hallenbeck (Laguna Hills/Laguna Hills High) had his second consecutive multi-hit game with a 2-for-4 performance, including a double and run scored. The Chapman defense turned three double plays behind Green, who battled out of trouble through much of his six innings, an outing that included six walks.
 

Men’s Tennis
 

Date	Opponent	Result	Record
2/7	Occidental	L, 3-4	0-2
	Whittier	W, 7-0	1-2

Occidental 4, Chapman 3 – Chapman number one singles player Brock Heimann improved to 2-0 in singles play with a win over Occidental’s number one player, but it wasn’t enough as Chapman dropped the first of two matches on Saturday. Junior Bryan Bruno (Riverside/Alta Loma High) and senior Justin Jonas (Carlsbad/Carlsbad High) were also winners in singles play, but the Panthers lost the doubles point when only Jonas and Ryan McCormick won their doubles match.

Chapman 7, Whittier 0 – The Panthers won their first match of the season, a 7-0 shutout over visiting Whittier. Bryan Bruno and Justin Jonas both improved to 3-0 in singles play this year with straight set wins and Ryan McCormick won his debut in the number one singles position, 6-3, 6-1. Chapman swept the doubles play led by Bruno and Lex Barte’s 8-2 win over their Poets counterparts.
 

Women’s Tennis
 

Date	Opponent	Result	Record
2/6	La Sierra	W, 9-0	2-1

Chapman 9, La Sierra 0 – The Chapman women shutout visiting La Sierra 9-0 as senior number one singles player Tiffany Lewis (Seattle, WA/Bush School) won in straight sets to lead the Panthers. Freshmen Sam Galasso (Anaheim/Magnolia High) and Melissa Sorensen (Tigard, OR/Tigard High) improved to 2-1 in singles play. Lewis and doubles partner Noelle Novoa (Mission Viejo/Mission Viejo High) improved to 2-1 this year after an 8-5 win to lead a clean sweep in doubles play.