With the Blue Demons failing to qualify for the NCAA tournament, the 2013 softball season came to a disappointing end for DePaul. The team finished with the fourth-best record in the Big East with a 16-6 conference record, 32-21 overall. 

Over their final eight games, the Blue Demons went 4-4, dropping both games of a doubleheader against Notre Dame, April 27, and losing a winnable non-conference matchup with Northwestern.

On the bubble for much of the latter half of the season, DePaul’s inability to win close games and assert itself in conference games was ultimately the team’s undoing.

“It definitely sticks with you,” said Samantha Dodd, a senior outfielder. “You can ignore it or use it as a lesson – we used it as a lesson.”

“We definitely bounced back,” said Kirsten Verdun, a junior pitcher. 

For Verdun and Dodd, the highlight of the season for the team was beating Notre Dame on Senior Day, April 28. DePaul won 5-2 after junior Hannah Penna drilled a go-ahead three-run home run in the bottom of the sixth inning.

“It was a great way to end Senior Day,” said Dodd.

Head coach Eugene Lenti, however, thinks the highlight of the season was the team’s 4-3 win over Michigan. The victory over the Big 10 Champion came at the end of the NFCA Leadoff Classic, just a week after the Houston Tournament.  The team opened up strong, scoring four runs in the second inning and managed to hold off the Wolverines’ comeback attempt. The win secured the tournament for the team for the first time in the program’s history.

“It was a tough game and we didn’t give up,” said Dodd.

“A win like that says a lot of what you’re capable of,” said Lenti. 

Lenti said the team needs to develop a more consistent philosophy in order to have greater success next season.

“We need to be a lot more consistent in all aspects of the game,” said Lenti. The team left more runners on base this year than they have in previous years, something that Lenti feels needs to be fixed if the team is to take the next step.

For Dodd, the season was a learning experience.

“I was trying to understand being a senior and that there is still more to learn,” said Dodd. Taking this to heart, Dodd went on to excel in the second half of the season.

Dodd and Verdun were selected to the All-Big East First Team along with teammate Mary Connolly. Dodd said that being selected to the team was her proudest achievement over her four years playing for DePaul.

Verdun also broke DePaul’s record for most games started and most innings pitched in a single season.

“We didn’t win all the games we needed to, but our seniors did a great job leading us,” said Verdun.  Verdun went on to say she was proud of the team’s senior leadership even though the team didn’t make the NCAA Tournament. 

DePaul finished the season ranked 46th in the NCAA.