Pacers Conclude Season Ranked a Program-Best 12th

INDIANAPOLIS – USC Aiken’s softball team finished one of the best seasons in program history ranked a program-best 12th in the final National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division II Top 25 poll of 2009.

The first Pacer squad to participate in the NCAA Division II Tournament, USC Aiken ended the 2009 campaign with a 34-16 record. The Pacers’ 2009 mark garners the 2009 USC Aiken softball team the best winning percentage (.680) in program history.

USC Aiken's 34 victories in 2009 tie them for second in program history for the most wins in a single season.

The 2009 Pacers also tied the school record for the fewest runs allowed (139), equaling the 2006 team for the fewest runs given up as a team in a single season in school history.

In the field this past season, the Pacers had a .961 fielding percentage, second only to the 2000 team that concluded the year with a .962 mark.

The 2009 campaign was an incredibly special year for the Pacers with head coach Jerry Snyder, who now has a record of 529-528 in his 22 years at the helm, earning his 500th career win earlier in the year.

The win was just a sign of things to come for the Pacers as they continued to embark on one of the greatest seasons in school history.

Since splitting with UNC Pembroke on Feb. 15 to claim that special 500th victory, USC Aiken went on to earn its first ever national ranking en route to its first ever NCAA Division II Tournament appearance.

The second game win over UNCP led to a season-high eight-game winning streak and the stretch helped USC Aiken to claim a victory in 12 of its next 13 games to stand at 18-7 after a 4-0 win over Tusculum on March 8.

The Pacers would go 13-5 the rest of the regular season to earn the second spot in the Southeast region by the start of the 2009 Peach Belt Conference Tournament in Florence, S.C.

The Pacers ended the year ranked in the final five NFCA polls, entering the poll for the first time in school history at No. 24 on April 8.

The sixth Snyder team to claim 30 or more victories in a single season, the 2009 Pacers advanced to the 2009 Peach Belt Conference Tournament Championship Game before falling to NCAA Division II softball championship semifinalist and third-ranked North Georgia.

The NFCA Division II Top 25 Poll is voted on by 16 NCAA Division II head coaches, two representing each of the eight NCAA regions.