Darren Mueller Q&A: Looking Back At 2009

The 2009 North Dakota State softball team had nothing to lose. After all, it was the program's first season as a Division I member.

The Bison's motto that season was ‘Dream Big’ and sure enough, they did just that.

The Bison finished the regular season 32-17 and earned the No. 2 seed heading into The Summit League Tournament. After recording wins against third-seeded Centenary and fourth-seeded Southern Utah, they fell to top-seeded Western Illinois, 1-0. This forced a fourth and final winner-take-all game. 

North Dakota State rallied from a 1-0 deficit with three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to take its first lead of the game. The Bison moved ahead of the Leathernecks after taking advantage of an error to get the rally started. Breanna Konz tied things up with a RBI-single and NDSU took the lead on sacrifice flies from Melissa Chmielewski and Kelly Cantrell. 

The Leathernecks did not go down easy after that, scratching across one more run to close the gap to 3-2. Pitcher Andi Padilla was named the Championship MVP after surviving bases loaded jams in the last two innings of the decisive game. She went 3-1 in the tournament with a 1.52 earned run average in 27.2 innings pitched to lead NDSU to its first NCAA Tournament at the DI level.

North Dakota State's first task in the Regionals in Norman, Okla., was against perennial national power Oklahoma, who came in as the No. 7 overall seed and ranked ninth in the country. 

Padilla's pitching excellence carried over as she took a no-hitter into into the ninth inning of a scoreless game with the Sooners. She surrendered a single to Oklahoma's Krystle Huey to lead off the frame, but she worked around that and the game would be suspended at the conclusion of the ninth inning due to lightning. The extra-inning affair resumed the next day and after both teams went scoreless in the 10th, NDSU's Jackie Currie delivered one of the biggest hits in program history, a go-ahead solo home run with two outs in the top of the 11th inning.

Not surprisingly, Padilla returned to the circle, following up her stellar pitching performance from the day before to secure the 1-0 victory for the Bison in 11 innings.

The Bison would use some more late-inning dramatics to beat Tulsa 3-2 in their next contest with Chmielewski coming through at the plate in the postseason once again. This time she delivered a two-out, two-run double to lift North Dakota State to a dramatic 3-2 win over the Golden Hurricanes. Tulsa would earn its way back to face NDSU in the Regional Championship game, but the Bison would conquer that challenge as well.

NDSU would make history and advance to the Super Regionals with a 4-1 win. Nicole Rivera and Chmielewski each hit solo home runs, while Padilla scattered just two hits and did not allow one after the third inning. Padilla was also aided by a defense that did not commit an error her 25 innings of work during the three victories in Norman. 

Below, you will find a Q&A with head coach Darren Mueller as he reflects on the 2009 team and what he's most proud of with building the NDSU softball program.

The Summit League: How was your team able to make the quick transition from DII to DI?

Mueller: When we went through the transition, we had a great group of student-athletes that really bought into what our vision was and that was trying to win a regional. We had no idea what it would actually take. We went in there and that was always our goal. The leadership we had there helped us through those times. When we were able to compete that first year (2009), it was four years of not being able to play for anything and putting it all into that one conference weekend. We were fortunate enough to come out of there and win the tournament. We had student-athletes embrace that time during those years that we weren’t able to do anything and we put everything forward for this one weekend.

The Summit League: Was there a game or series that sparked your team or have that boost heading into the latter part of the season?

Mueller: We knew it was going to be a tough conference tournament. We were the No. 2 seed, Western Illinois was tough, Southern Utah was tough. So, for us, once we won the conference tournament, that was the time when it really clicked for us. Up to that point, we were battling into each conference weekend. There really wasn’t one game, but it was once we won the conference tournament, it was a big relief off our shoulders because it was like, ‘Wow, this is what it’s all about.’ The conference tournament was so intense and so much fun. We had never played in one before during our Division I era and we had no idea what to expect. Once we won that, it was a big relief after all the years of not playing for anything.

The Summit League: Talk about your mindset heading into the game against Oklahoma.

Mueller: We had nothing to lose and really didn’t know anything what we were stepping into. We had played at Oklahoma’s field earlier (2006) and we were familiar with their surroundings a little bit. When it comes to a regional-type tournament, we were so clueless when it comes to that. We were having fun, enjoying the moment and we had nothing to lose.

The Summit League: Did you and your coaching staff ever have a conversation about winning not just The Summit League title, but going even farther and to win a regional tournament?

Mueller: We talked about it when we recruited saying our goal was not to win just a conference; our goal was to try to win a regional tournament. Never in our wildest dreams did we ever expect it to happen in the sense of so quickly in our transition. That was something that you kind of hope that happens at some point and dream about. We played so freely that weekend and everything kind of clicked for us that weekend. It was really fun and a great weekend and something that you’ll never forget. We hadn’t really talked that much about it as a team and something that we threw up there in recruiting once in a while, but other than that, it was never about doing that. It was about trying to get into the conference tournament and if we get into the conference tournament, at least try to win it and that was our mindset.

The Summit League: Talk about what the players meant to the 2009 team.

Mueller: They bought into why we recruited them here for the transition years. Andi had a phenomenal regional and a great game against Oklahoma on both days because of the split game due to the weather. She pitched phenomenally that whole weekend. Jackie’s home run against Oklahoma was a huge hit for us. That team really clicked and they had good chemistry. It was a fun group to be around because they were so competitive and always challenging each other. There were so many different leaders in that group. Laurel Pipken, Kelly Cantrell and Melissa Chmielewski were other big leaders for us. It was a good group of people to be around and coach because they all worked together and just wanted to go out there and play.

The Summit League: Talk about Andi Padilla’s performance against Oklahoma.

Mueller: We played over two days against Oklahoma because it was rained out after nine innings. She came back the next day and was more fresh. She was just on and that was the best weekend Andi had in her whole career. You just knew she was dialed in and we had a lot of confidence in her because of how she pitched the whole year. It was fun to watch because here’s somebody who didn’t’ have a lot of opportunities for that in previous years and here she came out her senior year, stepped up and did a great job.

The Summit League: What will you remember most about the 2009 team?

Mueller: The thing I’ll remember the most is just how freely they played during that time. We always knew they were talented and we played as one team coming together and it was a lot of fun with a lot of personalities. With groups, there’s times that you just don’t know if they were going to reach goals that we set for ourselves and there’s other times that man, this team could be really good. Everything just clicked for us at the right time and that’s something I’ll always remember with playing and being together.

The Summit League: What are you most proud of being part of the success of NDSU softball?

Mueller: The biggest thing I’m proud of is how our student-athletes continue to keep on pushing themselves, if it’s in the classroom or on the field. They always try to do great things, even in the community. That is something that I’m really proud of about these girls that come through our program. It’s really cool to see, especially talking with the alumni and seeing what they’re doing after softball and school and it’s pretty cool.

What They're Saying About the 2009 Season

Andi Padilla - Pitcher: Being part of the 2009 NDSU softball team is certainly the highlight of my softball career. It was not only my senior year, but our first year of eligibility in the Division I NCAA Tournament.

Something I’m most proud of is that we were able to represent the athletes that came before us who helped our program reach new heights in the Division I era. 

I was recruited to play at NDSU knowing my class would only have one shot at reaching the postseason. Four years of dedication to our dream all came down to one weekend, then one game and eventually, one pitch. So as you can imagine, it was a huge relief to win the Summit League Tournament and claim our spot in the NCAA Tournament. 

Once we got to regionals, we could relax and have fun, which maybe sounds odd given it was our first exposure to the tournament. But after the emotional highs and lows from The Summit League Tournament, we were able to get back to our roots, which essentially meant playing relaxed and having fun. The work hard, play hard concept never rang more true. I believe that is a huge reason we did so well in the Norman Regional. 

I’m incredibly proud of what we accomplished in 2009. I’m proud of my teammates, coaches and myself for making the most of our opportunities, believing in our strengths, and not backing down regardless of the opponent.

I have many fond memories from that season, especially those final weeks of my softball career. I am incredibly grateful that I was able to end my career on a high note, surrounded by so many wonderful individuals. I look back on my decision to attend NDSU and think I absolutely made the right choice.

Melissa Chmielewski - Recorded game-winning hit in NCAA Norman Region win over Tulsa: I feel like that season was an unbelievable start to what the tradition of NDSU softball has become in the Division I era. We had so much pride in being the underdog, having a blue collar mentality and paying attention to the details, all things that I have carried into my teaching  and coaching career. It was an absolute honor to play for Darren and North Dakota State. There is truly no place like it.