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Historic Moments and Notable Performances
Updated through the 2008 season
- Softball became an intercollegiate sport at Hope College in 1975. The Flying
Dutch are annually conference contenders and highly regarded in the region.
- Kim Grotenhuis '01 was a two-time All-American who pitched three no-hitters
in her career.
- Laurie Byington '96 was a three-time All-America centerfielder who topped
the MIAA in batting three seasons, including a conference-best career average.
- For three decades, Karla Wolters '73 has guided the fortune of college
athletes in a multitude of sports, including Hope softball. Her teams in
softball,volleyball,
field hockey, basketball and tennis have won more than 1,000 games.
- The 1991 Flying Dutch finished third in the nation among NCAA Division
III teams with 30 victories. The 1995 Flying Dutch were fifth
nationally.
- Lisa Walters pitched seven consecutive games without allowing a run during
the 1991 season. She pitched four consecutive complete game shutouts, then
pitched three innings as a starter before
leaving the game with Hope ahead 7-0, then two more complete game shutouts
and finall two games of a game before allowing a run. That was a total
of 47 consecutive shutout innings.
- The 1991 Flying Dutch topped NCAA Division III in fielding. The team's .975 fielding
average (31 errors in 1,192 chances over 42 games) tied the Division III single season mark first set by
Illinois Benedictine in 1983. Junior centerfielder Sherrie Scholten played errorless at her position for the third
consecutive year (131 chances). Over her entire career she committed just one error in 193 chances.
- Megan VanderMaas became the first freshman pitcher to throw a no-hitter
when she blanked Maryville, Mo. 8-0 on her 19th birthday (4/8/06).
- The 2006 MIAA champion Flying Dutch won a school-record 32 games, including
a 2-2 mark in the NCAA championships.
- In 2007, a record 10 Hope players had at least one homerun as the Flying Dutch hit a single-season record 19. The
players hitting homeruns were Kelli Duimstra 4, Kylee Brouwer 3, Tara Hamming 2, Maddie Garcia 2, Casey Feltner 2, Angie Randall 2,
Jessica Regnerus 1, Laura Tanouye 1, Beth Yahraus 1, and Becca Baker 1.
- In 2008, senior teammates Kylee Brouwer and Jessica Regnerus each had the distinction of achieving All-MIAA and All-Region honors a fourth consecutive year.
- Wolters Softball Stadium, honoring Karla and Tom Wolters, opened in 2008. The state-of-the-art facility features seating for approximately 250 fans, a new press box and dugouts.
There is an adjoining a patio suitable for tailgating.
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