February 22, 2005
Softball Squad Returns to Texas For Second Weekend of Action
Complete Northern Colorado Softball Notes in PDF Format
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University of Northern Colorado Bears (0-4)
at University of Texas-El Paso Miners (1-10)
Game #5 l Thursday, Feb. 24, 2005 l 4 p.m. (Mountain)
El Paso, Texas l Helen of Troy Complex
University of Northern Colorado Bears (0-4)
at UTEP Tournament
Tournament #2 l Friday-Sunday, Feb. 25-27, 2005 l All Day
El Paso, Texas l Helen of Troy Complex
GAME INFORMATION
The University of Northern Colorado Bears' softball squad will look to begins its winning ways this as they travel to El Paso, Texas, to take on the UTEP Miners in a single game on Thursday. The Bears will then take part in the UTEP Tournament on Friday-Sunday.
2005 UTEP Tournament Schedule
Friday, Feb. 25
10 am - Albany vs. Northern Colorado
12 pm - Albany vs. UTSA
2:30 pm - UTSA vs. New Mexico State
4:30 pm - New Mexico State vs. UTEP
7 pm - Northern Colorado vs. UTEP
Saturday, Feb. 26
9 am - UTSA vs. Northern Colorado
11 am - Northern Colorado vs. New Mexico State
1:30 pm - New Mexico State vs. Albany
3:30 pm - Albany vs. UTEP
6 pm - UTSA vs. UTEP
Sunday, Feb. 27
9 am - Seed #4 vs. Seed #5
11 am - Seed #2 vs. Seed #3
1 pm - Seed #1 vs. Game 1 winner
3:30 pm - Championship
All Times Mountain
THE BEAR FACTS
UTEP TOURNEY
Northern Colorado will take on Albany (10 a.m.) and UTEP (7 p.m.) on Friday at the UTEP Tournament. The Bears will then take on the University of Texas-San Antonio (9 a.m.) and New Mexico State (11 a.m.) on Saturday. Sunday's action will be determined by the seeding after two days of action.
BEARS STRUGGLE AT TEXAS STATE
The 2005 season got off to a rough start in San Marcos, Texas, as the Bears lost four matchups. Northern Colorado came up short against Texas State, Texas-Arlington, Texas Tech and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in the tournament. The Bears game against Wichita State was rained out.
BRIGHT SPOTS
Despite the Bears 0-4 start, it has not been all gloom for head coach Linda Witt's squad. Freshman shortstop Morgan Dahlman had a solid start to her collegiate career as she hit .417 over the four games and tallied a pair of doubles. Sophomore Casey Hogue is hitting .385 with three doubles and a triple. Senior Nicole Martinez is batting .333 with a double.
PRESEASON PICK
University of Northern Colorado senior catcher Whitney Platten (Lakewood, Colo.) was named to the preseason NCAA Division I All-Independent team. Platten hit .350 last season with six home runs and tallied 22 runs batted in. Platten also scored 11 runs and was named to the Division I-II All-Independent team in 2004.
BEARS LOOK TO BOUNCE BACK
After struggling to a 6-32 finish in the 2004 season, the Bears will look to bounce back to the form they had in both the 2002 and 2003 seasons when they averaged 23 wins a season.
HOME OPENER
The Bears home opener is set for March 9 when the Regis Rangers come to Greeley for a doubleheader. The action will be begin at 12 p.m. at the UNC Softball Field. Regis is the only non-Division I team on the 2005 Bears' schedule.
HAPPY HOME
Head coach Linda Witt is happy to have a home schedule to talk about this season. With the Bears in the midst of a transition from Division II to Division I it has become increasingly difficult to nail down home games. Witt was able to land home series this season with Regis (March 9), UTEP (March 25-26), Colorado State (March 29) and Utah Valley State (April 23-24).
BEARS CONTINUE DIVISION I TRANSITION
On May 10, 2002 the UNC Board of Trustees voted unanimously to approve a move for the UNC intercollegiate athletics program to NCAA Division I. This season is the second of a four-year transition period before officially becoming a Division I school in 2007. UNC will be unable to compete in NCAA postseason competition until the 2007-08 season. UNC will be competing as an independent during the 2004-05 school year and will hopefully find conference affiliation before the end of the reclassification period.
HEAD COACH
Linda Witt is entering her fifth season as the head coach of the UNC softball squad. During Witt's tenure as the Bears' leader she has compiled a record of 64-93 overall. Witt will be charged with taking the Bears back to Division I softball, a level she is very familiar with at UNC.
"We are going back to Division I and it's exciting because I was a part of the tradition as a player and now I have the opportunity to do it as a coach," Witt said.
Witt was named the Co-Coach of the Year in 2002 after leading the Bears to a 28-18 overall mark and an 11-5 record in league action. Witt has compiled an overall mark of 41-36 in two full seasons as the Bears' head coach. Witt played for the Bears' during here college days and led the squad to the NCAA championship game in 1978 before falling to UCLA, 2-0, in the title contest.
A 1978 graduate of UNC, Linda Witt spent 20 years as a teacher and coach at University High School (UNC Laboratory School). While at University High, Witt coached the girls' gymnastics team (1979-93), girls' track & field team (1979-2000) and boys' track & field team (1984-2000). Her gymnastics' squads captured 10 state championships and five runner-up finishes during her tenure, including several individual state championship performances. In addition, she coached numerous track & field athletes to individual state titles.
Along the way, Witt has garnered many coaching honors, including National High School Athletic Coaches Association - National Coach of the Year Runnerup (1994), NHSACA Regional Coach of the Year (1994), Gatorade "Coach Who Cares" Award (1993), McDonald's Regional Coach of the Year (1992) and Colorado Sportswoman Coach of the Year (1985).
Witt has also been very active in the Northern Colorado softball community. She coached several competitive travel teams from 1989-93 and helped initiate numerous softball tournaments, camps and clinics. From 1995-97, she served as a softball instructor and clinician at the Greg Riddoch Sports Academy.
As a student-athlete at UNC, Witt excelled in field hockey and softball. For her efforts, Witt was inducted into the UNC Athletic Hall of Fame in 1996 and was recognized along with her 1978 softball teammates during the induction of the team at the 1998 ceremony. Witt was also a member of the United States Field Hockey team from 1979-1982.
