May 7, 2002

Most outsiders would have expected to see Edel Leyden smiling from ear-to-ear on Sunday after the University of Illinois at Chicago's 7-0 softball triumph over UW-Green Bay in the first game of a doubleheader.

The senior centerfielder had just broken the UIC single-season home run record a few innings earlier with her 15th blast of the year, sparking the Flames to victory and moving them one win away from a Horizon League championship.

But instead of enjoying the glow of reaching an outstanding achievement, she was kicking herself over grounding out with the bases loaded later in the game.

"It was nice," Leyden said when congratulated on setting the record. "It would have been better, though, if I had jacked one with the bases full, though."

Typical Leyden, very rarely satisfied, especially on the softball diamond. It's that internal competitive drive, though, that has made the Irvine, Calif., native one of the most dangerous hitters in NCAA Division I history.

She is ranked in the top-15 in the NCAA career record book for games played, at bats, runs, hits, doubles and walks. Leyden owns a UIC career-best .369 batting average and has been a three-time all-conference and two-time all-region performer. This year with her .374 average, 15 home runs and 53 RBI, she is a strong candidate for Horizon League Player of the Year and NCAA All-American honors.

"Edel's a fantastic hitter," Co-Head Coach Sarah O'Malley Fisher said. "She has worked very hard at being as competitive as possible.

"I think she has also worked hard to become a great outfielder as well."

"She is a complete five-tool player," Co-Head Coach Tom Gray added on his senior standout. "She has it all.

"When she's on, she is one of the most influential softball players in this region."

That's a lot of praise for a girl who coming out of high school really didn't know what to expect.

"I didn't come to UIC even expecting to play really," Leyden said of her arrival at UIC in 1999. "But I came here my freshman year and we were so good as a team it was almost hard to be bad.

"I had so much fun from day one."

That squad, which tied the NCAA record for wins with 67, featured future All-Americans Samantha Iuli and Stefanie Christoferson, but Leyden wasted little time showing what she could do on the field.

Leyden set the school record with 100 hits that season while leading the team with a .398 average and finishing second in the country with 25 doubles.

"Everyone else was so good that year it was like they didn't even pay that much attention to me," Leyden said. "They concentrated on trying to get Sam and them out, and I just got to hit away."

After playing behind Iuli and Christoferson in her first three years at UIC, Leyden knew this season, though, she had to shoulder more of a load as one of UIC's most recognized stars.

"There was a lot of internal pressure this year to go out and succeed," Leyden said. "It was a give-and-take on two different levels. There was what I expected of myself and what I think others expected of me.

"I didn't want to let either down."

She hasn't, and with a goal of trying to drive in more runs for the team this season sprouted a whole new facet to her game, home run power.

Edel's mother, Margaret, has every home run ball ever hit by her daughter back in California. That collection never occupied much room, as she owned just 15 career homers in her first three years at UIC.

This season, though, the Leyden's might need a new wing on the house as Edel has doubled her career numbers with a her UIC record 15 home runs.

"Maybe it's the new (Louisville Slugger) bats, the ball just seems to pop off them" Leyden responded when asked of her new found power. "Maybe it's our new weight lifting program.

"It's kind of weird," Leyden continued. "No one thought I would do this, especially me."

Either have many opposing pitchers, as Leyden's slight build and leadoff spot in the order often doesn't pose an immediate long-ball threat to those pitchers who don't know her game.

"Versus Utah this season, I hit a home run early and the next time up the pitcher I think just thought the first one was a fluke," Leyden said. "Next thing, I had two home runs on the day."

Throughout her career, Leyden's dedication and inner fire have propelled her to great achievements. She is quick to point out, though, that she couldn't have reached her goals without some help from her biggest fans in California.

"My parents and family are extremely supportive of me and everything I've done," Leyden said. "I would be lost without them."

This strong bond between Leyden and her family truly came out in a special moment between Edel and her mother at the end of last season.

"I remember giving my mom my Easton All-American trophy after last year," Leyden remembered. "We both just stood there and cried.

"In don't know what it was about that award, but it proved to me that I can reach a goal more than just writing down what I want to achieve on paper."

Of all the individual achievements and accolades in her career, though, there is one lasting mark in the UIC record book that she is most proud of.

"The career hit record means the most to me since it shows that I didn't just get hot for a year or a few weeks," Leyden said. "It shows that I came and played hard every day of my career.

"It shows that over 300 times in my career I was successful."

Leyden now heads into the twilight of her career and she doesn't have to look very far every day to be reminded of her softball past as the window from her apartment-style dorm room looks out over Flames Field, some 275 feet away from home plate in rightfield.

"I remember the first pair of cleats I was given when I got here," Leyden said. "My first glove.

"I can remember stuff from my first year like it was yesterday."

With the Horizon League Tournament upcoming and a possible trip to the NCAA Regional Championships and beyond still within reach, Leyden still isn't satisfied with what she has done at UIC.

"I want it all to end in Oklahoma (at the College World Series)," Leyden said. "I want to play in that setting with these teammates.

"I want to do it because nobody thinks we can."