Hall of Fame
Augustana softball began its domination of the NCC in 1982 and Connie Hayne Korf was a major reason why. Connie's pitching was instrumental in Augustana's capturing NCC championships in 1982 and 1983 – the first two titles for Augustana softball. She was chosen All-NCC first team in 1982 and 1983, and was a key to Augustana's first appearance in the NCAA Division II Tournament (1983). She was named Augustana's MVP, the NCC's MVP, and the NCC Tournament MVP that same year. In addition, Connie was the Augustana team captain in 1981, 1982, and 1983. During the 1983 season she tied for the fifth most victories by a pitcher in NCAA Division II with 15 and was eighteenth overall with a 0.77 ERA. A great student as well, Connie was named to the All-NCC Academic team in 1983.
Even though she had great personal success her fondest memories are about the teams she played on. She said,"Defeating UNO for the NCC championship in consecutive years was a great thrill. Going into the 1983 season we were not confident about repeating, but many of Coach Jerstad's freshmen recruits stepped up to make us successful. The seniors on the team were extremely grateful that the younger players were competitive at the plate and able to contribute defensively. In 1983 UNO was the #1 seed for the tournament despite the fact that we were the defending champs. We defeated them 3-2 on Saturday morning and later that day shut them out in the championship game. It was a great team effort. I still have the game ball. Assistant Coach Perry Emmons taught me the finer points of the game and encouraged me to work hard. Brenda Engen was a superb catcher."
