Signature Wins: The Fords won their final six games of the regular season on the way to their second consecutive berth in the Centennial Conference tournament. Haverford's winning streak continued in the Centennial playoffs as the second-seeded Fords made an undefeated run to the conference title including a 6-2 win over host Muhlenberg College in the championship game which was head coach Jen Ward's 200th career victory.
In the program's second trip to the NCAA tournament under coach Ward, the squad recorded the program's first two NCAA victories over Wheaton (Mass.) College (6-2) and Farmingdale State College (8-0) before falling in a heartbreaker to host Montclair State University, 2-0, in the regional final.
Season Notes: Haverford went 29-11 overall and 12-4 in Centennial Conference play to establish a new program record for wins in a season ... Senior Jen DiCandilo, who earned first-team All-Centennial recognition, led the team in doubles and extended her streak of consecutive career starts to 149. Meriting all-conference honors every year of her career, DiCandilo graduates as the program record-holder in doubles (44), RBIs (118) and sacrifice flies (13) ... Senior Elizabeth Newman, a second-team all-conference honoree, paced the team in batting average (.393), runs scored (32) and hits ... Newman graduates as the program record-holder in batting average (.388), on-base percentage (.457), runs scored (134) and hits (186) ... Joining DiCandilo on the all-conference first team was junior Jill Schnall who had a breakout campaign with a program-record nine home runs which tied for first in the Centennial. Schnall also led the team in slugging percentage (.679), on-base percentage (.469), RBIs (29), total bases (74) and walks (18). The second baseman ranked among the conference leaders in runs (tied for ninth), RBIs (ninth), On-base percentage (eighth), slugging percentage (fourth) ... Sophomore Sara Tauriello was voted second-team All-Centennial for the second straight season as she tied for third in the conference in wins with a team-high 12. Tauriello, the winning pitcher in both of the Fords' wins during the NCAA regional tournament, ranked first in the conference and 10th nationally in ERA (0.89) while also ranking 14th in Division III in hits allowed per seven innings (4.44). The left-hander will enter her junior season as the career program leader in ERA (1.40), lowest opponent batting average (.206), strikeouts per seven innings (7.23) ... Sophomore Emily Winesett also earned second-team all-conference recognition for a standout campaign that included an 11-3 record and a team-high 90.1 innings pitched ... Senior pitcher Brittany Stevenson established a new program record for saves in a season with four ... Tauriello, Winesett, Stevenson and freshman Kendall Chambers combined to save a program-record nine games over the course of the season ... Junior Julie Garlick established a new single-season program record for sacrfice hits (17) ... The squad also set a new single-season program record for fielding percentage (.957) ... Junior Dayle Comerford was named the MVP of the Centennial Conference tournament ... The Fords registered the longest winning streak in program history by winning 10 straight from April 19 to May 9 ... Three Fords garnered Centennial player/pitcher of the week honors over the course of the season: Newman (3/24), Winesett (4/21) and Schnall (4/07) ... Haverford went 10-2 at home ... Head coach Jen Ward resigned at the conclusion of the season. Ward compiled a 202-169-1 record over her 10-year tenure.
Postseason Awards:
- All-Centennial Conference: Jen DiCandilo (first team), Jill Schnall (first team), Elizabeth Newman (second team), Sara Tauriello (second team), Emily Winesett (second team)
- 2014 NCAA Division III Softball Montclair Regional All-Tournament Team: Tauriello, Schnall, Lauren Touey
- 2014 Centennial Conference Tournament Most Valuable Player: Dayle Comerford
- All-Centennial Conference Sportsmanship Team: Winesett
- Centennial Conference Academic Honor Roll: Sarah Brody, Dayle Comerford, DiCandilo, Julie Garlick, Newman, Winesett
- Philadelphia Inquirer All-Academic Squad: Jen DiCandilo
Looking Ahead: Jill Schnall, a first-team all-conference honoree this season, will be one of seven seniors on the Fords' roster as a battle-tested group aims to defend Haverford's crown. The Fords will benefit from one of the deepest pitching staffs in the conference as Sara Tauriello, Emily Winesett and Kendall Chambers return in the circle. An effective mix of seasoned veterans and talented newcomers should help Haverford be a playoff contender once again in 2015.