1985 NCAA Division I softball season

The 1985 NCAA Division I softball season, play of college softball in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I level, began in February 1985. The season progressed through the regular season, many conference tournaments and championship series, and concluded with the 1985 NCAA Division I softball tournament and 1985 Women's College World Series. The Women's College World Series, consisting of the eight remaining teams in the NCAA Tournament and held in Omaha, Nebraska at Seymour Smith Park, ended on May 26, 1985.^[1]

1985 NCAA Division I softball season
Defending Champions	UCLA
Tournament
Women's College World Series
Duration	May 22–26, 1985
Champions	UCLA (3rd NCAA (4th overall) WCWS title)
Runners-up	Nebraska (3rd WCWS Appearance)
Winning Coach	Sharron Backus (3rd NCAA (4th overall) WCWS title)
Seasons

Conference standings

1985 Southland Conference softball standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT Southwestern Louisiana  ‍†‍‍ 12 – 0   1.000 39 – 13   .750 Texas–Arlington  ‍‍‍ 8 – 4   .667 27 – 22   .551 Northeast Louisiana  ‍‍‡‍ 7 – 5   .583 34 – 32   .515 McNeese State  ‍‍‍ 7 – 5   .583 19 – 31   .380 Lamar  ‍‍‍ 6 – 6   .500 14 – 28   .333 North Texas  ‍‍‍ 2 – 10   .167 9 – 28   .243 Arkansas State  ‍‍‍ 0 – 12   .000 2 – 27   .069 † – Conference champion ‡ – Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA tournament As of May 20, 1985[2] Rankings from Coaches' Poll

1985 Western Collegiate Athletic Association softball standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT Cal State Fullerton  ‍†‍‍y 12 – 0   1.000 54 – 10   .844 UCLA  ‍‍‍y 9 – 3   .750 41 – 9   .820 Arizona State  ‍‍‍y 6 – 6   .500 38 – 17   .691 Long Beach State  ‍‍‍ 6 – 6   .500 25 – 19   .568 Arizona  ‍‍‍ 5 – 7   .417 17 – 16   .515 San Diego State  ‍‍‍ 4 – 8   .333 37 – 38   .493 Stanford  ‍‍‍ 0 – 12   .000 10 – 51   .164 † – Conference champion y – Invited to the NCAA tournament Rankings from Coaches' Poll

Women's College World Series

The 1985 NCAA Women's College World Series took place from May 22 to May 26, 1985 in Omaha, Nebraska.^[3]

	Upper round 1					Upper round 2					Upper final					Semifinals					Preliminary final					Final
	Cal State Fullerton		18
	Adelphi		0
						Cal State Fullerton		2
						UCLA		0
	Utah		0
	UCLA		1
											Cal State Fullerton		1
											Nebraska		5
	Northwestern		3
																Nebraska		0
	Cal Poly Pomona		6
						Cal Poly Pomona		0								UCLA		3
						Nebraska		2
	Louisiana Tech		0
	Nebraska		6																							Nebraska		1
																					UCLA		1			UCLA		29
						Lower round 1					Lower round 2										Cal State Fullerton		0
											Cal Poly Pomona		18
						Adelphi		1			Adelphi		0
																Cal State Fullerton		28
						Utah		0
																Cal Poly Pomona		1
											UCLA		1
						Northwestern		18			Northwestern		0
						Louisiana Tech		0

Season leaders

Batting

• Batting average: .488 – Mary Baldauf, Harvard Crimson
• RBIs: 50 – Karen Allen, Nicholls Colonels
• Home runs: 18 – Liz Mizera, Texas A&M Aggies

Pitching

• WINS: 48-16 – Rhonda Wheatley, Cal Poly Pomona Broncos
• ERA: 0.08 (2 ER/167.1 IP) – Tracy Compton, UCLA Bruins
• Strikeouts: 337 – Julie Buldoc, Adelphi Panthers

Records

NCAA Division I season innings pitched: 434.1 – Rhonda Wheatley, Cal Poly Pomona Broncos^[4]

Sophomore class scoreless innings streak: 90.0 – Lisa Ishikawa, Northwestern Wildcats; 1985

Sophomore class WHIP: 0.39 (66 H+50 BB/298.0 IP) – Shawn Andaya, Texas A&M Aggies

Senior class ERA: 0.08 (2 ER/167.1 IP) – Tracy Compton, UCLA Bruins

Team double plays: 82 – UC Santa Barbara Gauchos

Team single game hits: 41 – Canisius Golden Griffins, May 1, 1985

Team single game runs: 48 – Canisius Golden Griffins, May 1, 1985

Team single game RBIs: 39 – Canisius Golden Griffins, May 1, 1985

Team largest victory margin: 43 – Canisius Golden Griffins, May 1, 1985

Awards

• Honda Sports Award Softball:

Denise Eckert, Nebraska Cornhuskers^[5][6]

YEAR	G	AB	R	H	BA	RBI	HR	3B	2B	TB	SLG	BB	SO	SB	SBA
1985	49	145	29	52	.358	37	11	5	5	100	.689%	10	15	3	5

References

1. 2014 WCWS Records: 1980s Brackets/Rosters/Stats (PDF). NCAA. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
2. "Southland Softball" (PDF). Southland Conference. p. 13. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
3. "1985 Women's College World Series". Ncaa.org. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
4. "Division I Softball Records" (PDF). Ncaa.org. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
5. "PAST HONDA SPORTS AWARD WINNERS FOR SOFTBALL". Collegiatewomensportsawards.com. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
6. "FINAL 1985 Women's Softball Statistics Report" (PDF). Ncaa.org. Retrieved July 29, 2020.