Softball Opens Season Under the Rochester Dome
Mar 3, 2019
March 2 - BOX SCORE UW-Eau Claire-7, UD-6 in nine innings
March 2 - BOX SCORE UW-La Crosse-1, UD 9 in six innings
March 3 - BOX SCORE St. Catherines12, UD-4 in six innings
March 3 - BOX SCORE #4-ranked St. Thomas-2, UD-1
DUBUQUE, Iowa - The University of Dubuque softball team will begin a new era under first year head coach Jeff Lamb. Lamb is the 14th head softball coach in the school’s history.
He joins the Spartans after five seasons as Clarke University's head softball coach with a 124-98 overall record. Lamb guided the team to 21 victories in his first season at Clarke (2014). A year later, Lamb's the Crusaders compiled a school-record 31 wins, posted a 15-9 record in Midwest Collegiate Conference play and qualified for the MCC Final Four. In 2017, his team broke the school record again with a 41-12 overall mark.
He takes over a team with just five upper classmen and dominated by 15 freshmen and five sophomores. In the 2019 pre-season American Rivers Conference coaches poll, UD garnered just eight points and was picked to finish ninth in the league. Lamb is only new coach in the conference in 2019 and begins the seaason with a team who returns three starters and no starting pitchers.
"We're looking forward to seeing what our young group can do with the leadership from some of our returners," stated Lamb. "We feel privileged to play in such a great softball conference and hope we can continue to make that conference better day in and day out."
UD will start their season under the warms confines of the Rochester Dome in the Associated Colleges of the Midwest (ACM) Dome Tournament in Rochester, Minn. The following week the Spartans hop a flight and travel to the Spring Games in Florida over spring break. A tough 10-game spring break will help UD prepare for the conference season.
The 2019 American Rivers Conference schedule begins on Saturday, March 30 with eight of the nine schools in action to open their 16-game league schedule. Schools play a doubleheader versus each American Rivers opponent. On March 30th Buena Vista will host Wartburg, Central will travel to rival Simpson, Loras will play Nebraska Wesleyan in Dubuque, Iowa and Coe will host University of Dubuque. Luther opens 2019 conference play on Tuesday, April 2 with a road trip to Loras.
The 2019 American Rivers Conference Tournament will be held May 3-4 with the tournament's top seed serving as host. The tournament is a single-elimination format, consisting of six schools. The top two seeds from the regular season standings will receive first-round byes. The two opening-round games are played on Friday with semifinals and the final on Saturday.
The American Rivers Conference tournament champion receives the leagues' automatic qualifier to the NCAA Division III Tournament.
2019 American Rivers Conference Softball Preseason Coaches' Poll
RankSchool (1st place votes) Points 2018 Record
1. Luther College (5) - 61 PTS. (43-11 OVERALL, 10-6 Conference Tournament Champion)
2. Coe College (4) - 59 PTS. (28-14 OVERALL, 13-3 Regular Season Conference Champion)
3. Central College - 50 pts. (29-12 OVERALL, 12-4 CONF)
4. Nebraska Wesleyan University - 35 pts. (22-18 OVERALL, 8-8 CONF)
5. Buena Vista University - 31 pts. (21-15 OVERALL, 6-10 CONF)
5. Simpson College 31 pts. (21-16 OVERALL, 7-9 CONF)
7. Loras College - 30 pts. (19-20 OVERALL, 7-9 CONF)
8. Wartburg College - 19 PTS. (17-17 OVERALL, 5-11 CONF)
9. University of Dubuque -8 PTS. (8-30 OVERALL, 4-12 CONF)
