2012 Home Softball Games to be played at Versluis Dickinson Park and WMU's Ebert Field
With construction and renovation of the Kalamazoo College atheltic fields well underway, the Hornet softball team will play its home games off-site this spring while the new stadium is completed.

Versluis Dickinson Park (Field 1) and Western Michigan University's Ebert Field will serve as home fields for Kalamazoo College during the 2012 season. Five of the seven home doubleheaders will take place at Versluis Dickinson while the home doubleheaders against Hope and Saint Mary's will be played at WMU's Ebert Field. Please see the schedule for dates and times.

Versluis Dickinson Park is located approximately 1.5 miles north of Kalamazoo College and is about a five to seven minute drive from campus. Map/Directions

Western Michigan University's Ebert Field (Info) is located approximately one mile west of Kalamazoo College and is about a five minute drive from campus. Map/Directions

The Hornets will return to a brand new stadium on campus next spring. The softball field will feature natural turf with a complete drainage system, new dugouts, bleachers, press box and scoreboard. The entire athletic complex will also feature a new fieldhouse for locker rooms and athletic training facilities along with a new stadium services building that includes new restrooms and a concesion stand.

Ritch Harrison named head softball coach
Richard (Ritch) Harrison was hired as Kalamazoo College’s head softball coach on September 8, 2011.

Harrison comes to Kalamazoo College from Plainwell High School where he coached the past 10 seasons. He was a varsity assistant coach for five years (2001-06) as well as the junior varsity coach in 2004 and 2005. Harrison took over the varsity head coach position in 2007 and built a program that won Greater Kalamazoo Softball Tournament Silver Division championships in 2007 and 2009.

Prior to his time coaching at Plainwell High School, Harrison played an important role in Kalamazoo-area little league and community recreation programs, including two years as president of his local little league. He has been involved with the Plainwell Community Recreation softball and basketball programs since 1996, and has achieved master elite certification through the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) Coaches Advancement Program.

In addition to coaching softball, Harrison continues to run a business he started in 2001, Accupack Industrial, an industrial distributor company operating out of Plainwell. More>>

Brian De Witt announces resignation
Brian De Witt announced his resignation as Kalamazoo College's head softball coach on Thursday, July 28. De Witt led the Hornets the past two seasons and is leaving to become a full-time assistant coach at an NCAA Division II university.

"Brian did an exceptional job during his two years in Kalamazoo and he will definitely be missed," said Kristen Smith, Kalamazoo College's Director of Athletics. "The program is in considerably better shape than when he arrived, and we are grateful for his efforts in building this program and the recruiting base that will assist us moving forward."

Kalamazoo College will immediately begin a national search for his replacement.

Softball wins at Olivet
The softball team split a doubleheader at Olivet on Saturday, April 30, winning the first game 12-8 before dropping the second game, 12-0. Kalamazoo scored three runs in the third inning, two in the fifth, five in the sixth, and two in the seventh before holding on for the 12-8 win. Kalamazoo had 13 hits in the game. Rayanne Burl was 3-for-5 with a double and three RBIs. Jacque Garrison was 2-for-4 with a home run and four RBIs. Maureen Newman also had two hits. Calee Dieleman earned the win on the mound. The Hornets were limited to two hits in the second game. Game One - Game Two

Softball falls at #8 Alma
The softball team lost a pair of games at #8 Alma on Friday, April 29, losing 9-1 and 22-0. Three different players each had a hit in the first game. Four players each had a hit in the second game. The Hornets travel to Olivet for a doubleheader on Saturday, April 30 at 1 p.m. Game One - Game Two

Softball defeated at Trine
The softball team lost a pair of games at Trine on Thursday, April 28. The games were originally scheduled to be played in Kalamazoo, but were moved to Trine due to rain and field conditions in Kalamazoo. Trine won the opener, 10-2. Jessica Zwalua had an RBI triple as one of two hits for Kalamazoo. Trine won the second game, 19-0. Holly Kramer's double was one of three hits for the Hornets. Kalamazoo is scheduled to travel to Alma on Friday, April 29 for a doubleheader beginning at 3:30 p.m. Game One - Game Two

Thursday Schedule Updates - Softball moved to Trine; Baseball postponed to Friday
The Kalamazoo College baseball and softball schedules have been adjusted for Thursday, April 28 due to rain and wet field conditions. The baseball games at Hope have been postponed to Friday, April 29. The softball doubleheader scheduled with Trine in Kalamazoo has been moved to Trine with a new start time of 4:30 today (Thursday).

Wednesday Softball Postponed
The softball doubleheader scheduled for Wednesday, April 27 at Alma has been postponed due to rain. The games have been rescheduled for Friday, April 29 at Alma.

Tuesday Softball Postponed
The softball doubleheader scheduled for Tuesday, April 26 at Alma has been postponed. The games have been rescheduled for Wednesday, April 27 at Alma.

Softball drops doubleheader at Saint Mary's
The softball team lost a pair of games at Saint Mary's on Saturday, April 23, falling 21-0 in the opener before being narrowly defeated 6-4 in the second game. Five different players each had a hit in the first game. In the second game, Kalamzoo trailed 4-0 before scoring four runs in the bottom of the sixth to even the score. Saint Mary's pulled back ahead with two runs in the top of the seventh and held on for the win. Three different Hornets had a hit in the second game. Kalamazoo returns to action with a doubleheader at Alma on Tuesday, April 26 at 3:30 p.m. Game One - Game Two

Friday Softball Postponed
The softball doubleheader scheduled for Friday, April 22 with Trine has been postponed due to rain. A makeup date has not yet been scheduled.

Softball falls in doubleheader at Hope
The softball team lost a pair of games at Hope on Thursday, April 21, 8-0 and 10-0. The Hornets trailed 3-0 after three innings in each game before allowing multiple runs in the fourth and fifth innings. Katie Mattison had the only hit for Kalamazoo in the first game. The Hornets are scheduled to host Trine on Friday, April 22 at 3:30 p.m. Game One - Game Two

Wednesday Softball postponed
The Trine at Kalamazoo softball doubleheader scheduled for Wednesday, April 20 has been postponed due to weather. The games have been rescheduled for Friday, April 22 at 3:30 p.m.

Tuesday Softball postponed
The Trine at Kalamazoo softball doubleheader scheduled for Tuesday, April 19 has been postponed due to weather. The games have been rescheduled for Wednesday, April 20 at 3:30 p.m.

Sunday Softball Postponed
The softball doubleheader scheduled for Sunday, April 17 at Alma has been postponed. The doubleheader has been rescheduled for Tuesday, April 26 at 3:30 p.m. at Alma.

Softball at Alma postponed
The softball doubleheader scheduled for Saturday, April 16 at Alma has been postponed due to rain. The games have been rescheduled for Sunday, April 17 at Alma at 1 p.m.

Softball falls to Finlandia in non-conference doubleheader
The softball team lost a pair of games to Finlandia in non-conference play on Friday, April 15. Finlandia won the first game, 21-12. The visiting Lions were up 11-0 in the second before Kalamazoo scored nine runs in the bottom of the second to cut the deficit to two. Finlandia came back with five runs in the top of the third and extended the lead for the win. Kalamazoo had a season-high 14 hits in the game. Rayanne Burl was 2-for-4 with two RBIs. Jacque Garrison was 2-for-4 with a double, home run and two RBIs. Katie Mattison was 2-for-4 with three RBIs. Holly Kramer was 2-for-4 with two runs scored. Maureen Newman was 2-for-2 with a triple, three RBIs and two runs scored. Finlandia won the second game, 15-1. Rayanne Burl, Jacque Garrison, Jessica Wiese and Ellen Murphy each had a hit for Kalamazoo. The Hornets return to MIAA play with a doubleheader at Alma scheduled for Saturday, April 16 at 1 p.m. Game One - Game Two

Softball defeated at home by Albion
The softball team lost 10-0 and 7-2 at home to Albion on Wednesday, April 13. Jessica Wiese had a hit for Kalamazoo in the first game. The Hornets had seven hits in the second game. Maureen Newman was 2-for-3. Calee Dieleman and Jeesica Wiese each had a double and an RBI. The Hornets return to action with a home doubleheader against Finlandia on Friday, April 15 at 3:30 p.m. Game One - Game Two

Softball falls in doubleheader at North Park
The softball team lost 9-3 and 19-3 at North Park on Saturday, April 9. Kalamazoo trailed 3-2 after four innings in the opener, but a six-run fifth inning lifted North Park to the win. Jacque Garrison had a double, a home run and three RBIs for Kalamazoo. In the second game, North Park scored 11 runs in the first inning en route to the win. Five different players each had a hit for Kalamazoo. The Hornets return to MIAA action with a home doubleheader against Albion on Wednesday, April 13 at 3:30 p.m. Game One - Game Two

Softball falls to Calvin at home
The softball team lost a doubleheader to Calvin at home on Tuesday, April 5. Kalamazoo lost the opener, 9-1. The score was tied 1-1 after four innings before the Knights added a run in the fifth, two in the sixth and five in the seventh. Kalamazoo had six hits in the game. Holly Kramer had two hits while Jessica Zwalua had a double. Calvin won the second game, 8-0. Six different players each had a hit for Kalamazoo, but the Hornets left eight runners on base. The Hornets are scheduled to travel to North Park (Ill.) for a non-conference doubleheader on Saturday, April 9. Game One - Game Two\

Softball defeats Rochester at home
The softball team defeated Rochester College at home on Saturday, April 2. Kalamazoo won the opener, 8-0. After three scoreless innings, Kalamazoo scored four runs in the third inning and three runs in the fourth inning. The Hornets had 10 hits in the game. Jacque Garrison, Maureen Newman, and Lynza Halberstadt each had two hits. Newman had a double. Garrison had two RBIs. Calee Dieleman earned the win, allowing just three hits while striking out seven and walking three. Kalamazoo won the second game 7-0 as a result of a forfeit. The Hornets were up 8-2 in the third inning when an injury to a Rochester player left Rochester without the required nine players to finish the game. The game is declared a forfeit with a final score of 7-0. No statistics for this game are considered official as it did not meet the five inning requirement for official statistics. The Hornets host Calvin on Tuesday, April 5 at 3:30 p.m. Game One

Softball falls to #15 Adrian in MIAA opener
The softball team lost both games of a doubleheader to #15 Adrian in the MIAA opener for both teams on Tuesday, March 29. Adrian won the first game, 8-0. The visiting Bulldogs were limited to five hits in the game and were held scoreless the final three innings. Rayanne Burl and Calee Dieleman each had a hit for Kalamazoo. The Bulldogs had 15 hits in the second game which led to a 17-0 win. Jacque Garrison and Holly Kramer each had a hit for the Hornets. Game One - Game Two

Softball defeated twice in Florida
The softball team lost to Hamline (14-3) and New Paltz State (14-2) on Thursday, March 24 in Clermont, Fla. Kalamazoo had eight hits against Hamline. Katie Mattison and Jessica Zwalua each had two hits. Zwalua had two RBIs. The Hornets had four hits against New Paltz State. Jacque Garrison and Lyndsay Nuyen each had a double. Katie Mattison hit a home run. The Hornets return to Kalamazoo and host Adrian in the conference opener on Tuesday, March 29 at 3:30 p.m. Hamline Box - New Paltz State Box

Softball falls to Buffalo State, D'Youville
The softball team lost to Buffalo State (13-2) and D'Youville (5-2) on Wednesday, March 23 in Clermont, Fla. The Hornets had four hits against Buffalo State and scored in the fourth and fifth innings. The Hornets also had four hits against D'Youville. Katie Mattison was 2-for-3 with a triple. The Hornets face New Paltz State and Hamline on Thursday, March 24. Buffalo State Box - D'Youville Box

Softball drops two on Monday
The softball team lost a pair of games on Monday, March 21, losing 15-0 to Buena Vista and 10-1 to Washington & Jefferson. Rayanne Burl had the Hornets' only hit against Buena Vista. Burl and Lindsay Nuyen each had a hit against Washington & Jefferson. The Hornets return to action with a pair of games on Wednesday, March 23.

Softball defeated in season openers
The softball team lost its first two games of the season on Sunday, March 20, falling 14-0 to Benedictine and 13-1 to Scranton. The Hornets return to action on Monday with games in Florida against Buena Vista and Washington & Jefferson. Statistics from all games will be posted as they become available.

Softball players earn NFCA Scholar-Athlete awards
Six members of the 2009-10 Kalamazoo College softball team were recognized as scholar-athletes by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association on November 1, 2010. Student-athletes must have acquired a 3.5 grade point average to qualify for the individual honor. Kalamazoo players earning this award were: Bethany Gross, Lynza Halberstadt, Jessica Maas, Michelle Maiuri, Ellen Murphy and Lyndsay Nuyen.