April 28, 2000

EASTON, Pa. - Lafayette softball head coach John Wong has been named the Patriot League Coach of the Year in just his first season as the skipper at Lafayette, it was announced tonight at the Patriot League Softball banquet.

In addition, three of Wong's players, Becky Chmielowski (Mountaintop, Pa./Crestwood), Gina Galati (McMurray, Pa./Canon-McMillian) and Kelly Wise (Whitestone, N.Y./St. Francis Prep) were named to the All-Patriot League Second Team.

Wong took a team that was 4-16 in the Patriot League last season and finished sixth out of six teams and initiated a turnaround in which the Leopards finished third in the regular season this year with a 4-6 record. The four wins ties last year for the most Patriot League wins for Lafayette in the league's 10-year existence, despite the team playing 20 league games last season and 12 league games for the first five seasons.

Under Wong's tutelage, the Leopards raised the team batting average by 33 points, up from last season's .208 average. The Lafayette pitching staff has also benefited from Wong's presence, with Leopard hurlers dropping their combined ERAs by nearly a point. The Leopards also swept the last doubleheader this season, against Colgate, just the second doubleheader sweep by Lafayette in league history.

Chmielowski followed up last season's team-leading .306 average with a .329 clip this season, good for second on the team and eighth all-time at Lafayette. The junior made a smooth transition from her role as the starting shortstop in 1999 to first base this season. She slugged .457, hitting four doubles, a triple and a home run. The Leopards' most consistent hitter, Chmielowski started all 24 games and never went more than three games without a hit. Her best performance of the season came against Colgate, in which she went 6-for-8 in the doubleheader, including 4-for-4 in the first game.

Galati batted .308 this season, raising her average 56 points from 1999. The junior backstop slammed three home runs, including one game-winner in extra innings against La Salle early in the season. Her 16 RBI this season led the team and tied her for eighth place among all-time single-season RBI leaders at Lafayette. Galati also rapped five doubles to tie for the team lead, and posted a .523 slugging percentage.

Wise had perhaps the strongest offensive numbers of the three, hitting .372 with five doubles and a home run. She led the Leopards with a .558 slugging percentage and made just two errors in right field all season. Honored with the Patriot League Player of the Week award in the last week of the regular season, Wise went 6-for-7 against Colgate with two runs and an RBI. Her .372 average is third-best in Lafayette softball history.

Lafayette returns to action tomorrow, attempting to stay alive in the double-elimination Patriot League Tournament. The Leopards lost their opening round game today to No. 6 seed Bucknell, 11-7 . Lafayette squares off against the loser of tomorrow's 9 a.m. game in which Lehigh plays Holy Cross. Game time is set for 1 p.m. at Patriots Park in Allentown, Pa.