Tuesday, May 10, 2016

WILDCATS BATTLE BACK TO WIN AZUSA SIDE OF WEST REGIONAL: For the first time in program history, Central Washington will play in the NCAA Division II Super Regional after defeating Azusa Pacific 9-6 Sunday afternoon to win the West Regional 2 Tournament at the Cougar Softball Complex.

The Wildcats won four of five games in the regional tournament, including three while facing elimination.  Dating back to the GNAC Tournament the Wildcats have won six straight games while facing elimination.

“We have a team that doesn’t know how to give up,” CWU Head Coach Mike Larabee said.  “They refuse to give in and fight until the last out.  I am not at all surprised that we are heading to the Super Regionals, but I am beyond excited.”

With the win, Central Washington also earns the distinction of becoming the first GNAC to advance past the West Regional championships since Division II moved to the Super Regional format of play in 2009.

Central Washington survived a loss to Azusa Pacific on the first day of the tournament and a day-long rain out on Friday to advance to the tournament final. After beating Dixie State 2-0 in their opener on Thursday, the Wildcats lost in a close 4-3 battle to the Cougars to move into the elimination bracket.

After having Friday’s games scrubbed due to thunderstorms, the Wildcats came back on Saturday prepared to win. Central Washington held off a three-run rally in the seventh by UC San Diego to eliminate the Tritons 6-5 anf then surged to beat Azusa Pacific 7-3 in the nightcap to force Sunday’s deciding game.

The Wildcats improve their school record with a 42-15 record and have won nine of their last 11 games.

The Cougars scored first, piecing together a pair of hits including a run scoring single, leading 1-0 in the top of the second inning. Central Washington threatened in the second inning with a leadoff double by Austin Wilkerson and, after a walk to Brielle Copodonna, the Wildcats had two runners on with no out.  Unfortunately, the next three batters went down in order to end the inning.

Azusa Pacific got a solo homerun by second baseman Nicki Sprague to up the APU lead to 2-0 in the third inning.  The Cougars tacked on another in the third on an infield single before Kailyn Campbell made a dent in the Cougars’ lead with a screaming two-run home run off a change-up, allowing CWU to cut the deficit to one run in the third inning.

The Wildcat bats stayed hot in the fourth inning, adding four runs two of which came on bases loaded hit by pitches.  Another came on a sacrifice fly by Alexa Olague that scored Rachael Johnson.

The Cougars loaded the bases with one out in the sixth inning and starting pitcher Kiana Wood was relieved by freshman Kayla Smith.  Azusa Pacific drew a walk to add a run, then a two out wild pitch allowed two more runs to come across and tie the game up at 6-6.

Central Washington came back with a vengeance, scoring three runs on a RBI single by Wilkerson and a two-run single by Copodonna, to go up 9-6.

Smith picked up the victory for the Wildcats in relief, improving to 9-1 on the season by allowing just one walk in 1.2 innings of work. Narissa Garcia took the loss for Azusa Pacific, allowing nine runs, six earned, on eight hits with three walks and three strikeouts in 5.1 innings of work.

Campbell led Central Washington offensively, going 2 for 3 with two runs and three RBI. Wilkerson and Ferleman also had two hits. Sprague and Janelle Eccles each had two hits to lead Azusa Pacific, which saw its season end with a 40-12 record.

WEST REGION TOURNAMENT NOTES: Central Washington finished the tournament with a .341 batting average with 46 hits, three doubles and five home runs. They were the only team in the tournament to hit better than .300 ... Campbell and Wilkerson each hit .500 in the five games, with Campbell going 9 for 18 with four runs and four RBI and Wilkerson going 7 for 14 with four runs and three RBI. Four Wildcats hit .400 or better and six hit .300 or better.

GNAC IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT: Central Washington is the first GNAC team to advance to the softball super regional round since the NCAA adopted the format for Division II for the 2009 season. Montana State Billings fell just short of the super regionals in 2015, dropping an 11-3 decision to Sonoma State in the regional final. Prior to that time, only two GNAC teams had reached the West Region championship game: Seattle in 2007 and Western Oregon in 2008.

SCOUTING THE LUMBERJACKS: Humboldt State has been the most dominant softball team in the West Region all season. Entering the tournament with a 48-5-1 record (.898 win percentage), the Lumberjacks are ranked No. 5 in the latest NFCA Division II Top-25 and have been ranked as high as No. 3. After winning the CCAA regular season championship, Humboldt was stunned in the conference tournament with losses to UC San Diego, 6-4, and Sonoma State, 4-2. The Jacks more than recovered in hosting their section of the West Regional, beating Sonoma State, Cal Baptist and Chico State by a combined score of 16-3.

The Lumberjacks had seven players named to the All-CCAA Team and took three of the five special awards. Hanna Holland was named the CCAA Player of the Year and enters the tournament with a .424 batting average with 75 hits, 52 runs, eight doubles, a .497 slugging percentage and a .523 on-base percentage. In 177 at-bats, Holland has struck out just 17 times.

Katie Obbema was named the CCAA Pitcher of the Year. She has amassed a 21-3 record and a 1.151 earned run average in 25 games and 24 starts. In 162.2 innings, she has struck out 136 batters. As a team, Humboldt State has a .210 opponent’s batting average. Both Holland and Obbema were named to the D2CCA All-West Region Team. as the Player and Pitcher of the Year

In addition to the two players, Shelli Sarchett was named the CCAA Coach of the Year.

Humboldt State is 6-0 against GNAC teams this season, all of which were played at the Stanislaus Tournament of Champions. In the tournament, the Lumberjacks beat Central Washington 8-0 in six innings.

ALL-REGION TEAMS: Six of the GNAC’s best have earned all-West Region selection on teams released by both the NFCA and The Division II Collegiate Commissioners Association.

Central Washington first baseman Kailyn Campbell was named to the first team in both squads. Concordia outfielder Meghan Luebbert and third baseman Taylor Copher were elected to the NFCA’s first team. Central Washington catcher Austin Wilkerson was named a first teamer in D2CCA voting (by the region’s sports information directors) and a second teamer on the NFCA squad (voted upon by coaches).
Wildcats’ outfielder Celine Fowler and Montana State Billings outfielder Heather Tracy were elected to the D2CCA’s second team.

GNAC ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM: A change of divisions for Concordia outfielder Meghan Luebbert and Central Washington head coach Mike Larabee did little to slow down their winning ways.

Luebbert was selected by conference coaches as the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Softball Player of the Year while Larabee was honored as the Coach of the Year, leading the list of honorees on the 2016 GNAC Softball All-Conference Team.

Making the transition from NAIA membership to NCAA Division II with the rest of her Concordia teammates, Luebbert proved one of the top offensive threats in the conference as she led the Cavaliers to a tie for second place in the GNAC regular season standings and the No. 3 seed in the GNAC Championships.

The conference’s leading hitter with a .456 batting average, .497 on base percentage and an .857 slugging percentage, Luebbert finished the regular season with 83 hits, 59 runs, 17 doubles, four triples and 16 home runs. She had 27 multi-hit games and at one point owned a 19-game hitting streak. She ended the regular season with a 4 for 4 performance at Simon Fraser on Apr. 24 that included three home runs, tying the GNAC single game record.

Luebbert leads five total Concordia selections to the team, including four first team selections: freshman pitcher Jessica Lambourn, shortstop Taylor Bussey and third baseman Taylor Copher.

In his first season coaching Central Washington after six seasons at Division I Arkansas, Larabee led the Wildcats to an impressive 34-13 record and its first conference title since 2011. Picked to finish fifth in the GNAC Preseason Coaches Poll, Central Washington opened the season by winning 12 of its first 13 games and never had more than two losses in a row. The Wildcats ended the regular season leading the league in batting average (.339) and pitching (2.89 earned run average). The 34 wins runs Larabee’s record as a collegiate head coach to 297-341.

The Wildcats’ leading pitcher, Kiana Wood, was named the GNAC Pitcher of the Year. The junior finished a 17-5 record and was third in the GNAC with a 2.51 earned run average, allowing 56 runs and striking out 61 in 37 appearances and 142 innings. Wood threw a complete game three-hitter to beat Academy of Art 3-0 on Feb. 12 and struck out a season high eight batters in five innings in a 2-1 win over Western Oregon on Mar. 25.

Wood leads five Central Washington selections to the All-Conference Team. Joining Wood on the first team are senior Austin Wilkerson and first baseman Kailyn Campbell.

Northwest Nazarene’s Kylie Orr was selected as the Freshman of the Year in addition to earning first team honors. The Crusaders’ leading batter with a .393 average, Orr also led NNU with 59 hits, 12 doubles, five home runs, 35 RBI and a .587 slugging percentage. Orr earned GNAC Player of the Week for the week of Apr. 4-10 after she hit .619 (13 for 21) with six runs, five RBI, two doubles and a grand slam in six games against Concordia and Saint Martin’s.

Simon Fraser’s Tori Belton and Northwest Nazarene’s Brooke Bonsen share the league’s Newcomer of the Year award. Belton, a transfer from British Columbia’s Douglas College,  finished with a 10-10 record and a 5.04 earned run average in 107 innings for the Clan, striking out 53. Bonsen, a transfer from Washington’s Bellevue College, led the Crusaders in the circle with a 9-12 record and a 3.56 earned run average. In 129.2 innings, Bonsen allowed 84 runs and struck out 64.

Rounding out the first team selections are Western Washington first baseman Emily Benson, Western Oregon second baseman Kelsie Gardner, Saint Martin’s outfielder Mary Dettling, Simon Fraser outfielder Rachel Proctor and Montana State Billings’ outfielder Heather Tracy.

The 2016 GNAC Softball All-Conference Team includes 16 unanimous selections and 13 repeat selections. Saint Martin’s third baseman Megan Miller and Western Washington outfielder Alexie Levin, both second team honorees, became four-time all-conference selections. Levin was a first team selection in 2013, 2014 and 2015 while Miller was a second team selection in 2015, a first teamer in 2014 and honorable mention in 2013.

Saint Martin’s led the league with six total team selections. Central Washington, Concordia, Montana State Billings and Western Oregon each yielded five selections. View Complete Team