SENIOR SPOTLIGHT SERIES: Softball Class of 2020
The Eastern Nazarene College softball Class of 2020 will depart as one of the most successful group of seniors in program history. The Class of 2020 helped the Lions to 83 wins since arriving on campus and guided the team to back-to-back postseason appearances in 2018 and 2019.
In 2019, Eastern Nazarene clinched the program's first-ever New England Collegiate Conference championship and made the program's NCAA Tournament debut. The Lions put forth a strong showing at their first-ever NCAA Tournament, picking up a win over Husson to post the program's first NCAA Tournament victory and dropping a pair of one-run decisions against nationally-ranked and regionally-ranked opponents.
Eastern Nazarene Softball Class of 2020:
Kori Bow (Shaftsbury, Vt.)
A four-year member of the program, Kori Bow posted a career batting average of .307 to go with a .367 on-base percentage and a .447 slugging percentage. An NECC first team selection as a junior, she saw action in 132 career games and racked up 116 career hits, including six home runs, 31 doubles, and a pair of triples. Kori Bow registered 57 career RBIs, 59 runs scored, and seven stolen bases.
Elisabeth Schaffer (Benton, Pa.)
Elisabeth Schaffer will graduate as the most decorated student-athlete in program history and has shattered every single-season and career pitching program record. In four seasons with the Lions, she appeared in 117 career contests and made 74 starts in the pitcher's circle with 18 relief appearances. Elisabeth Schaffer boasts a career record of 58-25 with three saves. She has spun 67 career complete games and has tossed 525.2 innings in four years. In 92 pitching appearances, Elisabeth Schaffer has racked up 720 strikeouts while posting a career earned-run average of 1.60. In 2020, she fanned 20 batters as the Lions defeated Concordia – marking the most strikeouts in an NCAA Division III contest this spring.
Along with her pitching prowess, Elisabeth Schaffer also recorded a career batting average of .250 to go with a .326 on-base percentage and a .425 slugging percentage. She produced 77 base hits, including launching 12 career home runs and adding 18 doubles, and drove in 53 RBIs while scoring 36 runs.
Among her impressive haul of awards, she has collected two Conference Pitcher of the Year honors and was named to the Fastpitch News All-America and Preseason All-America First Team as a junior to go with numerous conference Pitcher of the Week nods. A two-time NFCA All-Region second team selection, she earned All-NECC first team accolades as a junior and All-CCC first team honors as a sophomore after earning a spot on the All-CCC third team as a rookie. After propelling Eastern Nazarene to the 2019 NECC Tournament championship, Elisabeth Schaffer was named the NECC Tournament Most Outstanding Player. She was also selected to the NCAA Tournament Cambridge Regional All-Tournament Team in 2019.
Head Coach Dani Bishop had this to say about ENC Softball's Class of 2020:
"Kori Bow and Liz Schaffer will leave a lasting impact on the ENC Softball Program. They were part of three teams that set consecutive single-season win records, won the NECC Championship in 2019 and made an NCAA Regional Appearance in 2019 - firsts in ENC Softball program history. They helped put ENC Softball on the map!
Kori was the first player that committed to me for the 2020 class. She has been the ultimate utility player for ENC, making starts all around the infield as well as in left field. She was a consistent force in the middle of our lineup and was a First Team All-NECC selection in 2019. Kori plans to obtain a Master's Degree in Athletic Training after graduation.
On a personal note, I will miss Kori, she challenged (in a good way) me as a coach and ENC will always remember her on Star Wars Day (May 4) because of her love for Star Wars.
Liz Schaffer has re-written the pitching records at ENC. She has won almost every major award a pitcher can earn including CCC Pitcher of the Year, NECC Pitcher of the Year, NFCA Easton All-American Scholar-Athlete, NFCA second team All-New England, and numerous conference pitcher of the week awards. She has been one of the most dominant pitchers in all of Division III and has been top in the country in strikeouts, ERA, and innings pitched. Her work ethic on and off the field has been admirable. Coaching a pitcher of Liz's caliber has been a true privilege, one of the best experiences I have had as a coach and I hope she knows how much I enjoyed coaching her."