South Mountaineer Volume 38, Issue 24

              DID YOU KNOW?
The softball program has produced
seven different players that have taken
a total of 11 spots on the All-Patriot
League First Team since 1993.	
Spring Sports Results/This Week's Schedule
Page 13
Baseball Feature/Lehigh 1996 Summer Camps
Page 14
Lacrosse Feature/USA vs. Russia Wrestling Preview
Page 15
South Mountaineer
Volume 9, Issue 24
Lehigh University Athletics Weekly
April 3,1996
Kotula roars through softball season
Senior co-captain is comfortable with leadership role on powerhouse squad
by James Taylor
Sports CommunicationsAssistant
When senior third baseman
Kathy Kotula's softball career ends
at Lehigh, she will have at least
three Patriot League titles, all-
ECAC, all-regional and all-league
honors to her credit.
But, there is one thing about
Kotula that will not register in
statistics or all-star teams.
"She is as ferocious as a
competitor as I've ever seen," head
coach Fran Troyan said.
When Kotula, or "Kat" as
teammates like to call her, was told
of this quote, it came as no surprise
to her. After all, this is a player that
has been known to belt out roars in
the dugout that lions would be
proud of, in order to loosen up
teammates before games.
"Most of my teammates tell me
that when I walk out on the field, I
put this 'game face' on," Kotula said.
"I'm all business out there. I hate to
lose."
Lose is something that the
Mountain Hawks have not done
often since this year's co-captain
from Gettysburg, Pa., arrived on the
scene in 1993.
Thanks in part to Kotula's
efforts on offense and defense,
Lehigh has ammassed a 111-51
record in three-plus years, including
16-7 this season.
Kotula is currently hitting .299
(20-for-67) with 12 RBIs and five
extra-base hits, but the most
impressive part of her game is
defense. She has committed just two
errors this season in 87 chances for
a .977 fielding percentage at the
"hot corner."
"Kat came here as a very good
softball player and through hard
work, determination and dedication,
has made herself into an excellent
softball player," Troyan said. "She's
really developed into defensively
one of the top third basemen on the
east coast and one of our top
offensive players."
Offense and defense aside,
Kotula sees her role on this season's
squad as being a leader.
"My first priority to my
teammates is to be there for them,"
she said. "I'm confident that if I
perform my leadership abilities,
then we'll go a long way. I don't
have to be a superstar on this team,
we have plenty of players capable of
that."
Troyan considers the leadership
Joe Ryan
Senior co-captain and third baseman
Kathy Kotula is hitting .299 with 12
RBIs for 16-7 Lehigh.
she brings to the field is her biggest
benefit to the team.
"She leads by example," he said.
"She comes to every practice ready
to practice and she comes to every
game mentally and physically
prepared.
"When her teammates need
encouragement, she gives them
encouragement. When her
teammates need a kick in the tail,
she gives them a kick in the tail."
Kotula is involved in more than
just softball at Lehigh. She is also a
student advisor for the Community
Outreach for Athletes who Care
about Helping (C.O.A.C.H.) program
and is a student-athlete council
representative.
"The C.OA.C.H. program is
very involved with local boys and
girls clubs," she said. "We offer
tutoring services and we go into
local grade and junior high schools
to talk about various issues such as
the dangers of drug use, staying in
school and time management."
Kotula is responsible for a
program at the Northeast
Bethlehem Boys and Girls Club,
which takes up five to 10 hours per
week of her busy schedule.
Her community service
background goes back to high school
at Delone Catholic, where she
served on the student government.
She was involved in activities such
as Toys for Tots during Christmas
and sold roses on Mother's Day to
support the Pro-Life Organization.
Kotula has cartainly made a
lasting impression on the Lehigh
community, but there is one more
thing she wants to accomplish
before closing out her career.
"I want to go to the NCAA
Tournament," she said. "I know
the league will be a lot tougher
this year, but I know if we can
focus and play the way we're
capable of, we can win the league
and eventually advance to the
tournament."
Princeton Invitational
Lehigh's program took a big step
forward this^season when it was
invited to the prestigious, four-
team Princeton Invitational
Tournament held March 30-31 at
Princeton University's 1895 Field.
The Mountain Hawks were just
1-3 in the tournament, which
included Robert Morris, Hofstra
and Princeton, but the most
important aspect was getting the
experience of playing NCAA
Tournament competition so early in
the season.
"We really wanted to see where
we are against the best competition
on the east coast," Troyan said. "On
Saturday (against Robert Morris
and a 4-3 loss to Hofstra) we played
very well. On Sunday we didn't play
poorly, but we played average and
the other teams played very well. In
order for us to compete at that level,
we have to play extremely well."
Princeton is ranked second in
the Northeast Region and Hofstra is
fourth. Massachusetts is No. 1 in
the Northeast.
Lehigh was bounced from the
tournament portion of the
invitational with a 9-0 loss in six
innings to an old nemesis, Hofstra.
Lehigh lost to the 1995 North
Atlantic Conference champions 2-
games-to-1 in an NCAA play-in last
May at Hempstead, N.Y.
The Flying Dutchwomen
combined aggressive hitting with
spectacular pitching from Erin
Phillips to notch their second win in
as many games against Lehigh in
the invitational. Lehigh had a
seventh-inning rally fall short when
batters popped out and flew out to
end the game with the bases loaded.
Around the Horn
Junior outfielder Karen Schaefer
made Lehigh 2-for-2 in Patriot
League Player of the Week Awards
in 1996 when she received the honor
for her play during the week ending
March 31. Schaefer was 8-for-17
(.471) with two runs scored and two
RBIs on the week. She is second in
batting overall this season with a
.348 average in 23 games and leads
Lehigh in doubles with six. Senior
shortstop Kim Miller won the
league's first Player of the Week
award March 24. ... Miller leads or
is tied for the Lehigh lead in six
major hitting categories, including
batting average (.412), hits (28),
runs (20), RBIs (18), slugging
percentage (.706) and on-base
percentage (.462). ... Freshmen are
making a major contribution to this
season's team at bat and on the
mound. Joanne Strout has a 3.32
ERA in 25-plus innings while Joelle
Dawson is 2-0 with a 2.15 ERA in 13
innings. Outfielder Kelly Lyons has
started 10 games and has 34 at-bats.
Catcher Shannon Bracken has
started 19 games and Jessica Lentz
has gone 4-for-10 at the plate.
Lehigh at the Princeton Invitational
Round-Robin Results
Score: Lehigh 2, Robert Morris 1
LU stars: Karen Schaefer hits two-out, two-run double in third for only runs.
Jill Lewis wins ninth game and allows just six hits and one earned run.
Score: Hofstra 4, Lehigh 3
LU stars: Amanda Wessner collects two hits and scores a run.
Kathy Kotula gets two hits and drives in two runs.
Score: Princeton 6, Lehigh 0
LU stars: Schaefer has two-hit game.
Tournament Result
Score: Hofstra 9, Lehigh 0
LU stars: Donna Milia, Kim Miller and Patty Godwin collect hits.