Hall of Fame
Lori Burkholder was a four-year starting centerfielder for the women’s softball team from 1990 through 1993.
She was a three-time National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-Region and All-Conference selection who was a second-team All-American in 1993.
Making an immediate impact, Burkholder batted .349 her freshman season. She was second on the team in triples with four, and third in stolen bases with eight.
She helped the 1990 team compile a 36-10 record and make the first of 21 NCAA Division II postseason tournament appearances. The Vulcans won three of five Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Tournament games to reach the championship finals and also placed second at the NCAA II Mid-Atlantic Regional.
The achievements continued in 1991, when Burkholder batted .341 and led the team with 47 runs, 23 walks and 27 stolen bases, which remains a school record. That year, the Vulcans became the first women’s team at Cal U to earn a PSAC championship, finishing at 47-11, a team record at the time.
Burkholder fondly recalls the excitement of dethroning eight-time, defending-conference champion Bloomsburg and the fierce rivalry between the two teams, which began during the 1990 post-season. Cal beat the Huskies 6-1 in the 1991 title game.
“It was special to be part of that first state title team and mind-boggling to finally knock Bloomsburg off their pedestal,” she said. “We had a powerful team and they (Bloomsburg) were like robots. The rivalry happened right away and winning that was definitely a highlight.”
She batted .401 in 1992 and was the team leader in six different offensive categories: hits (57), runs (42), triples (9), walks (14), stolen bases (17), and at-bats (142). The Vulcans won 31 games, a fourth-straight PSAC-West crown and again qualified for both PSAC and NCAA post-season play.
A model of consistency, Burkholder batted .447 in 1993, a team and personal best. She again led the team with 67 hits, 56 runs, five triples, 15 walks, 21 stolen bases and 150 at-bats.
Cal U finished with a 34-9 overall record, won another PSAC-West title and finished second and third at the PSAC and NCAA regional tourneys, respectively.
She remains the program’s career leader in triples (22) and stolen bases (73). Her .385 career batting average ranks sixth in program history.
Burkholder is listed in the PSAC single-season record books for her nine triples in 1992 (fourth), 56 runs in 1993 (ninth) and 27 stolen bases in 1991 (10th). Her 23 career triples are third among all PSAC players, her 157 runs are 15th and her 203 hits are 30th.
Interestingly, Burkholder initially struggled at the start of her freshman season before she switched to batting on the left side during the season-opening southern trip. The speedy leadoff hitter would produce 52 extra-base hits and six career home runs.
“I jokingly switched batting sides and the slap-bunting really worked,” she said. “Then I somehow was able to hit with power as an un-natural left-handed batter. It was crazy.”
Cal’s cumulative record during the Burkholder years was 148-40-1 with a 36-4 PSAC-West mark.
She is the fourth player from the 1991 PSAC-title team to receive the University’s highest athletic honor, joining Paula Mastrean ’91, Deb Kopacko ’92 and Stacy Eppinger ’93. Former coach Linda Kalafatis ’88 also is a member of the Athletic Hall of Fame.
Burkholder stays in contact with her teammates through Facebook, which she called “an awesome thing.”
Burkholder turned down a basketball scholarship from Clarion to come to Cal U, largely due to Kalafatis. She remembered being recruited by her collegiate coach while playing poorly in a playoff game in high school.
“Coach Kalafatis recruited me for my speed, took a chance on me and never stopped believing in me,” Burkholder said. “I remember at a home game I let a ball go through my legs in the field and just hung my head. Coach took me behind the dugout, literally picked me up and said she has never given up on me and never wanted me to give up on her or the team. Since then I’ve always been determined in whatever I do and she was a big influence.”
Kalafatis left Cal U following Burkholder’s senior season for Division I opportunities and has won more than 800 career games in 24 years of coaching, She speaks highly of the versatile Burkholder.
“Lori could do it and was the total package,” said Kalafatis. “Her speed and power at the leadoff spot gave us many options and she was a very dangerous player for our opponents. She was also extremely competitive and wanted to win so badly. Lori was just a great player and person to have on your team.”
Originally from Carmichaels, Pa., and a 1990 graduate of Carmichaels Area High School, Burkholder was a three-time all-conference scholastic athlete in softball and basketball.
She becomes the 14th softball player to make the Cal U Hall of Fame and is happy about the softball team’s many years of success under current head coach Rick Bertagnolli.
“This is a huge honor and it was unfortunate the teams I played on could not get out of the regional,” she said. “But all of us are glad how the program has taken off. Even though we are Division II Cal U softball is known all over and when people ask me where I played they know immediately. I reflect back proudly where I played softball and went to school. Everyone at Cal was very supportive.”
She has been a member of the Pittsburgh Passion since the professional women’s football team’s inception in 2002. She began as a quarterback but switched to running back and helped the Passion conclude an undefeated 2007 season by winning the National Women’s Football Association championship.
Burkholder lives in Bobtown, Pa., and works as a medical assistant at the Lions Medical Center in Dry Tavern.
updated 10/10/12
