Head coach Rich Calvert has changed the Bulldogs into not only a successful softball program on the fi eld, but also one of the top academic programs in the Missouri Valley Conference and the nation. Calvert has taken Drake to the MVC Tournament fi ve of the past six seasons and led the Bulldogs to their fi rst NCAA tournament appearance since 1994. The highlight of this journey occurred in 2008 when the Bulldogs knocked off Wichita State, top-seeded Creighton and Missouri State to win the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament title—the program’s fi rst since 1994—and advance to the NCAA tournament. The Bulldogs posted a 29-26 record in 2008, earning wins over then No. 12 ranked Michigan and No. 25 Iowa. Drake boasted the MVC Newcomer of the Year, three players on the all-conference team and the State Farm MVC Tournament MVP. Last season, Drake posted a 30-23 record and placed two players, P Jenna DeLong and IF Erin Bly, on the MVC all conference fi rst team. In 2007, Drake posted a 16-36 record, missing the MVC Tournament by only a half game. Drake posted a 24-30 overall record in 2006, including two wins in the MVC Tournament.Under Calvert’s direction, the Bulldogs posted the second highest grade point average of any NCAADivision I softball program in the nation for the 2005-06 academic year, and topped the MVC.Drake had not advanced to the post season since 1998 before Calvert led the Bulldogs to three consecu-tive trips in 2004, 2005 and 2006. The Bulldogs fi nished fourth in the league in 2004 and fi fth in 2005 and 2006 for their fi rst consecutive post-season appearances since 1997 and 1998. With a 30-24 record in 2004, the Bulldogs reached the 30-win plateau for the fi rst time since 1997.

Calvert also led Drake to a 14-11 league record that season to tie the school record for conference wins in a season. He duplicated that effort in 2005 with a 14-13 MVC record as the Bulldogs fi nished 28-25 overall. Drake’s offense has made dramatic improvements under Calvert’s direction. In 2004 and 2005, the Bulldogs had four players post a batting average better than .300. Drake had accomplished that feat just two other times in the team’s history, in 1992 and 1993. In 2004, the Bulldogs ranked No. 11 in the NCAA in stolen bases per game (1.91) and No. 14 in triples per game (0.31). Records came in abundance as Drake set an MVC mark with 103 stolen bases that season. That squad earned 15 spots in Drake’s single season record books, and the 2005 team followed suit with six more appearances in Drake’s top 10 rankings in runs, RBIs, doubles and stolen bases. Calvert, who was named head coach in June of 2002, led the Bulldogs to a 13-6 start in the 2003 campaign, bettering the previous season’s win total of 10 in just 14 games. Drake fi nished with a 23-27 record, more than doubling the previous season’s win total and posting the most wins since 1997. Calvert served as an assistant coach at the University of Iowa from 1997-2002, helping the Hawkeyes to fi ve NCAA Tournament appearances and two Women’s College World Series, as well as Big Ten Conference titles in 1997 and 2000. Iowa was 262-104-1 in his six seasons on staff. Before joining the Hawkeye program, Calvert was an assistant coach at Ohio State from 1993-96. Calvert, 43, received both his bachelor’s (1988) and master’s degrees (1990) from Illinois State where he served as an undergraduate assistant coach from 1986- 88. In 1989, he was named graduate assistant coach, and in 1990 he was promoted to full time assistant. He helped lead the Redbirds to two Gateway Conference titles (1988 and 1991), and the 1988 squad received a bid to the NCAA Tournament. A native of Taylorville, Ill., Calvert and his wife, Angie, have two daughters, Allie (13), and Maci (6) and a son, Breck (3).

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WE AREDRAKE BULLDOGS SOFTBALL | 10

#1 Macie SillimanR/R, Fr., IF

Winterset, Iowa(Winterset)

#3 Mandy OsbornR/R, Sr., PBlair, Neb.

(Blair)

#8 Kelsey KahlerR/R, Sr., OF

North Liberty, Iowa(Clear Creek - Amana)

#10 Torey CraddockR/R, So., IFTucson, Ariz.

(Salpointe Catholic)

#19 Sam WestL/R, Fr., OF

Kearney, Mo.(Kearney)

#20 Carrie Hatfi eldR/R, Sr., IF

Des Moines, Iowa(East)

#21 Elena LeonR/R, Sr., IF

West Des Moines, Iowa(Valley)

#22 Lindsey Vande WallR/R, Fr., UT

Prairie City, Iowa(Prairie City-Monroe)

#23 Brynne DordelL/L, Jr., P

Chanhassen, Minn.(Chaska)

#30 Erin BlyR/R, Jr., IF

Frankfort, Ill.(Lincoln Way East)

#33 Jenna DeLongR/R, Jr., P/OF

Dalton Gardens, Idaho(Coeur d’Alene)

#36 Molly McClellandR/R, Jr., IF

West Des Moines, Iowa(Valley)

#52 Rose MagaddinoR/R, So., C/OFTucson, Ariz.

(Canyon Del Oro)

#55 Erin MollohanR/R, Jr., C

Tinley Park, Ill.(Andrew)

#4 Bridget ShieldsL/R, Sr., OF

Iowa City, Iowa(West)

#7 Jaimie DuffekL/R, So., OFBrookfi eld, Ill.

(Riverside-Brookfi eld)

MEET THE 2010 BULLDOGS

HEAD COACH RICH CALVERTEIGHTH SEASON I ILLINOIS STATE (1988)

ASSISTANT COACH NICOLE WOODTHIRD SEASON I DRAKE (2005)

Nicole Wood, a catcher and utility player for Drake during the 2004 and 2005 seasons, returns for her third season as the Bulldogs assistant softball coach.

Wood spent two years as the assistant coach at Kirkwood Community College (2005, 2006). She also served as an assistant varsity coach at Des Moines East High School in 2006, where she helped the Scarlet to the Iowa class 4A state title.

While at Kirkwood, Wood helped the Eagles to seventh and ninth-place fi nishes at the NJCAA DII National Tourna-ment. She also served as the recruiting assistant and helped coordinate all travel for the team, while also coordinating and running softball camps.

Wood played in 100 games during her two-year career with the Bulldogs. She posted a .237 batting average in 2004 and recorded 52 hits for the Bulldogs with 21 runs batted in.

Wood is third on the Drake all-time fi elding percentage leaderboard with a .993 career percentage.A 2005 graduate of the Drake school of education program, Wood currently is seeking a masters degree in educa-

tional psychology from the University of Iowa.

JESSICA HICKS2003-06

DANI TYLER1993-95

KATIE SHIMON2001-04

KRIS COX1990-93

HISTORYDrake boasts a pair of two-time all-Midwest Region players in Dani Tyler and Katie Shimon. Tyler, who earned all-Midwest Region honors in 1994 and 1995, helped the United States Olympic Team capture a gold medal at the 1996 summer games in Atlanta, Ga. Shimon earned fi rst team all-Midwest Region honors in 2003 and 2004 and is Drake’s all-time leading home run hitter.

Pitcher Laurie Bowden is Drake’s career leader with 119 starts, 66 wins and 670 strikeouts, among six other records she holds. In fact, Bowden holds nine of Drake’s 12 pitching records and is ranked second in the other three. Pitcher Jessica Hicks is the program’s career leader in appearances and ranks in the top fi ve in nearly every school pitching category. Finally, Kris Cox is Drake’s career leader with 663 at bats, 221 hits and 117 runs scored.

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2010 DRAKE SOFTBALL

TRUE BLUE

Drake University is a national, coeducational, inde-pendent and private university founded in 1881. The University is comprised of six colleges and schools that offer more than 70 majors. The College of Arts and Sci-ences offers numerous undergraduate majors in its four divisions and supports the programs of the other col-leges and schools. The College of Business and Public Administration, School of Education, School of Journal-ism and Mass Communication support extensive un-dergraduate and graduate programming. The College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, School of Educa-tion, and Law School provide professional doctorates.

More than 3,000 full-time undergraduate students from 45 states and 56 countries attend Drake Univer-sity. Total enrollment with part-time, law and graduate students is more than 5,600. The University’s student/faculty ratio of 15:1 offers a high-quality, personalized experience with ample opportunity for personal interac-tion. Nearly all Drake graduates (92 percent in 2008) fi nd career employment or enter graduate school with-in six months after receiving their degrees. Nearly 80 percent of Drake students graduate having had one or more internships.

Approximately 98 percent of Drake full-time under-graduate students receive fi nancial aid, including both merit- and need-based assistance. Drake awards more than 5,000 scholarships each year and more than $65 million in fi nancial assistance is provided to Drake un-dergraduate students.

For the ninth consecutive year, Drake University is listed in the “Great Schools, Great Prices” category for Midwest master’s universities in the annual college

rankings published by U.S.News & World Report maga-zine. Drake ranked fi fth in the overall rankings of 141 Midwest universities that provide a full range of under-graduate and master’s programs, and maintained its No. 2 position in reputation for academic quality (peer assessment).

Community

Drake combines the benefi ts of a safe and friendly “small town” campus with the advantages of a capital city. The Des Moines metro area, with a population of more than 500,000, offers a variety of easily accessible cultural, entertainment and career-building experienc-es.

The capital city of Iowa and a center for insurance, government, publishing, business and more, Des Moines is a great place to land internships or start a career, enjoy modern art or classic architecture, experi-ence metropolitan amenities or explore scenic bicycle trails.

The city’s diverse offerings include the antiques shops and one-of-a-kind boutiques of historic Valley Junc-tion; downtown’s lively East Village and Court Avenue districts; a zoo, science center and art museum; and the annual Des Moines Arts Festival, which is ranked among the top fi ne arts festivals in the country.

But don’t just take our word for it. In its July 2008 issue, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine named Des Moines one of the top ten best cities in the country to live, work and play.

Drake University is a national coeducational inde- rankings published by U S News & World Report maga-

Buel Field is the home of the Drake softball program. The fi eld has undergone some major renovations over the past three years with the addition of a Musco lighting system, a new press box and recessed dugouts.

The new press box includes a new sound system, phone lines and internet access. The fence behind the backstop was replaced by a netting system and a low brick wall. The out-fi eld was treated with a state of the art drain-age system to help keep the fi eld playable.

Buel Field will host the 2010 State Farm Mis-souri Valley Conference Softball Tournament May 13-15.BUEL FIELD

2010 SCHEDULEFEB. 12 IOWA STATE# 1 PM

MINNESOTA# 5 PMFEB. 13 ARKANSAS# 9 AM

IOWA# 3 PMFEB. 14 IOWA# 11 AMFEB. 19 BUFFALO%FF 10 AM

NORTH TEXAS% 12:30 PMFEB. 20 SAM HOUSTON STATE% 10 AM

COLORADO STATE% 12:30 PMFEB. 21 ARKANSAS% 11:30 AMMARCH 5 SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI^ 9:30 AM

LOUISIANA LAFAYFF ETTE^ 3:30 PMMARCH 6 IOWA STATE^ 1:30 PM

ARKANSAS^ 7:30 PMMARCH 7 EASTERN ILLINOIS^ 11 AMMARCH 12 PITTSBURGH$ 9:30 AM

BOSTON COLLEGE$ 1:30 PMMARCH 13 KENNESAW STATE$ 3 PM

QUINNIPIAC$ 6 PMMARCH 14 JAMES MADISON$ 9:30 AMMARCH 16 SOUTH FLORIDA (DH) 3 PMMARCH 17 CENTRAL FLORIDA 4:30 PMMARCH 18 FLORIDA GULF COAST 5 PMMARCH 20 ILLINOIS STATE (DH)* 12 PMMARCH 21 ILLINOIS STATE* 12 PMMARCH 27 BRADLEY (DH)* 12 PMMARCH 28 BRADLEY* 12 PMMARCH 30 NEBRASKA (DH) 3 PMAPRIL 2 WICHITA STATE (DH)* 2 PMAPRIL 3 WICHITA STATE* 12 PMAPRIL 6 IOWA STATE 4 PMAPRIL 8 IOWA STATE 4 PMAPRIL 10 NORTHERN IOWA (DH)* 12 PMAPRIL 11 NORTHERN IOWA* 12 PMAPRIL 17 MISSOURI STATE (DH)* 12 PMAPRIL 18 MISSOURI STATE* 12 PMAPRIL 21 CREIGHTON (DH)* 3 PMAPRIL 24 INDIANA STATE (DH)* 11 AMAPRIL 25 INDIANA STATE* 11 AMAPRIL 27 CREIGHTON* 4 PMMAY 1 EVANSVILLE (DH)* 12 PMMAY 2 EVANSVILLE* 12 PMMAY 5 KANSAS (DH) 4 PMMAY 7 SOUTHERN ILLINOIS (DH)* 12 PMMAY 8 SOUTHERN ILLINOIS* 12 PMMAY 13-15 STATE FARM MVC CHAMPIONSHIP TBA

BUEL FIELD - DES MOINES, IA

HOME GAMES IN BOLD - *MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE GAME

# METRODOME TOURNAMENT, MINNEAPOLIS, MN - %SLEEP INN CLASSIC, DENTON, TX

^RAZORBACK INVITATT TAA IONAL, LITTLE ROCK, AR - $USF UNDER ARMOUR TOURNAMENT, TAMPA BAY, FL

LOCATIONS VARY, VISIT THE WEB FOR COMPLETE INFORMATION. ALL TIMES CENTRAL.

Carrie HatfieldSr. Infielder

Mandy OsbornSr. Pitcher

Bridget ShieldsSr. Outfielder

Elena LeonSr. Infielder

Kelsey KahlerSr. Outfielder

TRUE BLUE