July 13, 2017
by Tony Jones
NOTRE DAME, Ind. ââ’¬” Following a playing career that spanned two full professional seasons for both the USSSA Pride and Scrap Yard Dawgs of National Pro Fastpitch (NPF), three-time University of Notre Dame All-American Emilee Koerner (’15) has stepped away from the game of softball.
Koerner, who appeared in six games for the Scrap Yard Dawgs to open the 2017 season, was responsible for the first home run, RBI, runs scored and grand slam in franchise history for the expansion Scrap Yard Dawgs club that began play in 2016. She reached base at a .347 clip with six home runs, 26 RBI and 17 runs scored in 75 career NPF games.
An all-time .404 collegiate hitter, finishing her career as one of only two four-year Notre Dame players to ever bat at or above a cumulative .400 clip along with Karley Wester (’17, .418), Koerner posted a program-best 471 total bases, 79 doubles and a .694 slugging percentage in 223 games from 2012-15. She and Wester are the only Irish players to bat .400 or better in three straight seasons, and Koerner is the only Irish hitter to post at least 70 hits, at least 18 doubles and score more than 50 runs in three consecutive years (2013-15). Koerner also remained errorless in the Notre Dame outfield over her final three seasons, completing more than 240 straight chances in the field without an error.
Koerner tied Princeton’s Mandy Pfeiffer (1994-97) for third place in NCAA history with 79 career doubles, and her NCAA-high 28 doubles in 2014 remain the second-most ever by a Division I player in a single season. Koerner also remains third in career RBI (178) and fourth in career hits (274) in the all-time Notre Dame record book.
Emilee Koerner’s Top Five Notre Dame Performances
1. April 26, 2015: Notre Dame 17, North Carolina 9 (5 innings) ND-UNC 2015 Box Score 
ââ’¬” In a wild game two to close a conference doubleheader with the Tar Heels, Koerner batted 4-for-5 with two doubles, a grand slam, three runs and a then program-best seven RBI in only five innings. The grand slam was part of a 10-run bottom of the first inning for the Irish (START VIDEO AT 1:43).
2. March 2, 2013: Notre Dame 14, Boston College 3 (5 innings) ND-BC 2013 Box Score ââ’¬” Koerner shined at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World in Florida, finishing a single shy of the cycle with a grand slam and five RBI in only three plate appearances.
3. May 16, 2015 (NCAA South Bend Regional): Notre Dame 15, Ball St. 4 (5 innings) ND-BSU 2015 Box Score ââ’¬” Koerner and Notre Dame avenged an earlier NCAA tournament loss to Ball State with a dominant day two. The Irish senior captain ripped three doubles and tied a program record by scoring four runs in only five innings against the Cardinals.
4. May 17, 2014 (NCAA Los Angeles Regional): Notre Dame 10, Long Beach State 1 ND-LBSU 2014 Box Score ââ’¬” In one of the top Notre Dame performances in an NCAA tournament game, Koerner finished 4-for-5 with a program tournament record five RBI in an elimination game win against Long Beach State. Koerner’s three doubles against the 49ers established the Notre Dame benchmark of 28 in a single season.
5. March 24, 2013: Notre Dame 10, Seton Hall 2 (5 innings) ND-SH 2013 Box Score ââ’¬” Koerner claimed her second 2013 BIG EAST Conference Player of the Week honor thanks in large part to her outing in game three of a league slate at Seton Hall. She went 4-for-4 with two home runs, a double, three RBI and two runs scored to tie the modern program record of 11 total bases in one game. Koerner finished the series against the Pirates 9-for-10 (.900) with two doubles, three home runs, five RBI, two stolen bases and seven runs scored.
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Koerner was selected as an outfielder for the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-America third team for the second straight year as a senior in 2015, to go along with a second team NFCA All-America scroll she earned as a sophomore in 2013. She is the only player in Notre Dame softball history to achieve All-America status in not only three consecutive seasons, but in three different campaigns at any point during an Irish career.
The Notre Dame legend remains atop the list of eight multi-time Irish All-Americans all-time, joining Megan Ciolli (2004 and 2005, third team), Terri Kobata (1994 third team, 1995 second team), Andrea Loman (2002 and 2003, third team), Katie Marten (1995 and 1996, third team), Jarrah Myers (2001 and 2002, third team), Jen Sharron (2000 second team, 2001 third team) and Wester (2014 second team, 2016 third team).
Selected as the 2015 Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Player of the Year by the conference coaching membership, Koerner led all ACC players with a .493 average, 35 hits and 28 runs scored in 23 league games that season. Koerner was the 14th conference player of the year selection, and 11th different player overall to receive the distinction, in Notre Dame softball history, as well as the only sitting Irish All-American at the time of voting to receive a conference’s top yearly player honor. Her .421 career batting average in all games as an ACC player ranks second all-time among hitters with two or more years of conference experience since the league was formed in 1992.
Koerner became the first Notre Dame player to ever be named a finalist for the USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Year award, finishing among the final 10 in contention for the 2013 honor after leading the NCAA in batting average for a large stretch of that regular season. Wester joined Koerner after being named a USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Year finalist in both 2015 and 2016.
For the latest news and updates on all things Notre Dame softball, visit www.und.com/softball, follow the Irish @NDsoftball and @NDcoachGumpf on Twitter and at Instagram.com/notredamesoftball, and Like the team at Facebook.com/NDSoftball.
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Tony Jones, athletics communications assistant director at the University of Notre Dame, has been part of the Fighting Irish athletics communications team since 2012 and coordinates all media efforts for the Notre Dame softball and men’s soccer programs. A native of Jamestown, New York, Jones is a 2011 graduate of St. Bonaventure University, and prior to arriving at Notre Dame held positions at the University of Louisiana Monroe and with the National Football League’s Buffalo Bills.