The women’s softball team finished with a 28-20 record in 2008.

The Rockhurst softball program stepped up in 2008 to post its first winning season in only its fourth year of existence. Coach Galen Struve directed the Hawks to a 28-20 record and a first-ever appearance in the GLVC Tournament.

“We met our goals this year,” said Struve. “We had a wonderful year, but we have a lot of room for growth.”

The Hawks, who were picked 14th in the GLVC Preseason Coaches Poll, finished tied for sixth place in the GLVC standings with a 12-12 record. Rockhurst won road games at seventh-ranked Lewis and Wisconsin-Parkside on the last weekend of the regular season to earn a berth in the GLVC Tournament.

A pair of junior pitchers helped the Hawks finish with the second best pitching staff in the conference. Heather Robertson led the team with 15 wins, while Emily Dye won 13 games after transferring from Johnson County (Kan.) Community College. Both received All-Conference honors and garnered the GLVC Pitcher of the Week Award.

Sophomore right fielder Holly Hilton led the team with a .329 batting average and was named to the All-GLVC team. Senior first baseman Erica Stone and Hilton were co-leaders on the team in home runs (5) and runs batted in (23).

“We’re thinking big next year,” Struve said. “Everybody is back except for four seniors. We’re thrilled with the kids that we have coming back.”