Postseason Guide
Tournament Page
Live Stats

This Week
The Bellevue University Softball team begins the 2011 NAIA Softball National Championship this week in Gulf Shores, Ala., with three games scheduled in pool play. The Bruins open the tournament on Thursday, May 19 with a 5:00 p.m. game versus Belhaven (Miss.) University.

Tournament Schedule
Thursday, May 19
Bellevue vs. Belhaven (44-10), 5:30 p.m.

Friday, May 20
Bellevue vs. Lindsey Wilson (45-7), 5:30 p.m.

Saturday, May 21
Bellevue vs. Minot State (30-9), 10 a.m.

The winners of each of the eight pools will advance to a double-elimination bracket on Monday, May 23 through Wednesday, May 25.    

Live Stats Information
All of Bellevue's tournament games will include free live stats.

Scouting Bellevue
Bellevue, the regular season and tournament champions of the Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference, finished the regular season with an overall record of 31-17 overall and a 12-0 league mark. The Bruins earned the automatic bid into the NAIA National Softball Tournament by defeating Peru State College, 6-1, in the championship game of the MCAC Tournament on Friday, May 6 at Hall of Fame Fields.

Amanda Neumann, the MCAC Player and Pitcher of the Year, leads the Bruins at the plate and in the circle. For the season, she is batting .432 with a .795 slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .441. The native of Papillion, Neb., has scored 44 runs and has hit  four doubles, two triples, 15 home runs and 44 RBIs. She paces the Bruins' pitching staff with a 22-8 record and a 2.82 ERA in 179.0 innings of work. Neumann also set the single-season record for strikeouts with 233 and has also compiled 17 complete games and five shutouts.

The MCAC Newcomer of the Year, Kathryn Wardian, ranks second on the team in batting, posting a .376 batting average with a team-leading .812 slugging percentage. She has also recorded 39 runs, six doubles, 15 home runs and 36 RBIs.

Brooke Ellis leads the team with 45 RBIs and is hitting .318 with eight doubles, one triple and 10 home runs while Jessica Guyle leads Bellevue with 23 stolen bases and is batting .352 with 34 runs.

BU bats .332 with a .497 slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .382. The Bruins, who have outscored their opponents 278-to-191 this season, have hit 57 doubles, seven triples, 48 home runs and are 47-for-59 in stolen base attempts. The pitching staff has an ERA of 3.46 with 311 strikeouts, 23 complete games and nine shutouts in 314.0 innings pitched. Opponents are hitting just .261 off Bruin pitching.

Meet the Bellevue Coaches
Head Coach
In her first two seasons as the head softball coach at Bellevue, Michala Cimino has guided the Bruins to back-to-back MCAC regular season and tournament titles, and has yet to lose a conference game (22-0).  

Cimino, the two-time reigning  MCAC Coach of the Year, has compiled an overall record of 63-34 (.649) and has led  Bellevue to two straight appearances in the NAIA National Softball Tournament. She has coached 11 first team all-MCAC players as well as two MCAC Players of the Year, two MCAC Pitchers of the Year and two MCAC Newcomers of the Year.

In her first season, she guided Bellevue to a 32-17 overall record.

Assistant Coaches
Kelly Cheshier is in her ninth season as an assistant coach for the Bellevue University softball team. Her main responsibilities for the Bruins involve working with the pitching staff, their development and signal calling.

Before becoming a mainstay on the coaching staff, Cheshier played two seasons as a Bruin earning NAIA and NFCA All-American status. Cheshier is fourth all-time in Bruin history with 20 home runs, second in slugging percentage (.694) and third in batting average at .409. As a pitcher, Cheshier has the lowest earned run average (ERA) in program history, 1.43, in 309 innings pitched. She posted a two-year career record of 37-12.

A native of Omaha, Neb., Julia Krejci is in her first season on the Bruin coaching staff after a standout four-year career at the University of Nebraska at Omaha where she helped guide the Mavericks to four-straight NCAA Division II Tournament appearances.

Krejci earned honorable mention all-Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association honors in 2010 as UNO tied for the league’s regular season crown. She batted .316 as the team’s designated hitter with nine home runs, seven doubles, and 44 RBIs.

Graduate Assistant
Katie Lefler is in her first season as a graduate assistant on the Bellevue University softball coaching staff and is primarily be responsible for working with the Bruin hitters and outfielders.

Lefler was a two-year starter in the Bruin outfield, earning first team all-MCAC honors in 2009 and honorable mention accolades in 2010. She ranks seventh in school history with 14 career home runs.

An excellent student, Lefler was a member of BU's Dean's List. She majored in health and human performance with a minor in coaching.

National Tournament Results
Bellevue has reached the NAIA Division National Softball Tournament five times in the program's history, including back-to-back appearances in 2010 and 2011.

2010 NAIA National Tournament (Decatur, Ala.)
Concordia (Ore.) 3, Bellevue 2 (9 innings)
Simon Fraser (B.C.) 4, Bellevue 0
Lindsey Wilson 5, Bellevue 0

2007 NAIA National Tournament (Decatur, Ala.)
Point Loma Nazarene 9, Bellevue 0
William Penn 1, Bellevue 0
Saint Gregory's 3, Bellevue 2
Tiffin 3, Bellevue 2

2000 NAIA National Tournament (Decatur, Ala.)
Lipscomb (Tenn.) 4, Bellevue 1
Bellevue 2, Montreat (N.C.) 1
Walsh (Ohio) 5, Bellevue 4

1998 NAIA National Tournament (Tulsa, Okla.)
Simon Fraser (B.C.) 4, Bellevue 0
Lindenwood 4, Bellevue 1

Last Game Recap
BELLEVUE, Neb. -- Sophomore pitcher Amanda Neumann produced at the plate and in the circle, driving in three runs, while fanning 14 batters as the Bellevue University softball team won its second straight MCAC Tournament championship with a 6-1 victory over Peru State College on Friday, May 6 at Hall of Fame Fields.

With the tournament title, Bellevue (31-17) advances to the NAIA National Softball Championship on May 19-25 in Gulf Shores, Ala. It marks the fifth time in school history the Bruins have qualified for the National Tournament.

Neumann was 2-for-3 at the plate with three RBIs, two runs scored, and a home run. On the mound, she improved to 22-8 on the season, scattering three hits while walking none and registering at least two strikeouts for the first six innings.

Katie Tew finished 2-for-2 with a home run and Kim Wees went 2-for-3 with a double and two runs scored. Kathryn Wardian  also produced a pair of hits and drove in one run.

2011 All-MCAC Awards
MCAC Player of the Year: Amanda Neumann (Bellevue University)
MCAC Pitcher of the Year: Amanda Neumann (Bellevue University)
MCAC Freshman of the Year: Allison Edwards (Oklahoma Wesleyan University)
MCAC Newcomer of the Year: Kathryn Wardian (Bellevue University)
MCAC Coach of the Year: Michala Cimino (Bellevue University)

All-MCAC First Team
1B: Brooke Ellis, Bellevue University
2B: Ashley Wohlers, Peru State College
SS: Kayla Hodgson, College of St. Mary
3B: Arica Reeves, York College
IF: Jessica Guyle, Bellevue University
IF: Kristen Bodyk, Peru State College
IF: Lexi Paspalof, York College
P: Danielle Driscoll, York College
P: Amanda Neumann, Bellevue University
P: Lyndsay Drumm, Peru State College
C: Alyssa Mangum, Peru State College
C: Melissa Ackley, Bellevue University
DP: Emily Maresh, Peru State College
OF: Kathryn Wardian, Bellevue University
OF: Allison Edwards, Oklahoma Wesleyan University
OF: Krista Patton, Peru State College
OF: Melissa King, College of St. Mary
UT: Samantha Walker, Peru State College

All-MCAC Second Team
Pitcher: Audree Uhlarik, College of St. Mary
Pitcher: Tabatha Cramer, York College
Pitcher: Devon Massengale, Peru State College
Catcher: Jessica Pitts, Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Catcher: Yolonda Alailefaleula, York College
IF: Hannah Martin, Central Christian College
IF: Kim Wees, Bellevue University
IF: Brianna Triplett, College of St. Mary
IF: Miranda Lyndes, Peru State College
IF: Tristian Birch, York College
IF: Riannon Romero, York College
IF: Macy Wright, Oklahoma Wesleyan University
OF: Katie Tew, Bellevue University
OF: Leah Eike, Haskell, Indian Nations University
OF: Nya Beasley, Oklahoma Wesleyan University
OF: Angel Gray, York College
Utility: Kylie Damm, Central Christian College
Designated Player: Katie Malloy, Bellevue University

Honorable Mention
Allie Bartley, Bellevue University