Tuesday, May 3, 2022

ELLENSBURG, Wash. – Northwest Nazarene hopes that the momentum they built in April carries through into May as the Nighthawks are the No. 1 seed in the GNAC Softball Championships, which begin Thursday at Frederick Field on the campus of Central Washington University.

With a 30-18 overall record and 18-6 conference mark, Northwest Nazarene secured its second consecutive regular-season championship and its fourth straight GNAC Championships appearance with an impressive run through the final half of the season. The Nighthawks went 13-3 against conference foes, which included series sweeps over Montana State Billings and Western Oregon and a series victory over Simon Fraser.

Northwest Nazarene excels in the circle, leading the GNAC with a 2.58 earned run average with the fewest earned runs (116) and walks (97) allowed in the conference. Sophomore Sidney Booth leads the conference with her 1.91 ERA, 15 wins and 184 strikeouts in 164.2 innings. She is among the Division II leaders with 23 complete games. Booth also helps herself at the plate, ranking second in the GNAC with a .390 batting average.

Senior Tori Hensley provides a solid second look in the circle, ranking sixth in the GNAC with a 3.38 ERA and eight wins in 74.2 innings. Freshman Charlotte Forniss has been effective as well with a 3.30 ERA in 39 innings as a part-time starter.

Senior Ivy Hommel ranks eighth in the conference with a .368 batting average and leads the GNAC with 54 runs scored. She is among six NNU players batting .300 or better. Sophomore Abigail Gagnon is batting .308 and junior Maia McNicoll, who is tied for first in the GNAC with 11 home runs, is batting .307.

With a 29-18 overall record and 17-7 GNAC mark, Saint Martin’s is in the midst of its best season since 2017. The Saints were in contention for the regular-season title right up until the final weekend before NNU surged ahead with its series win over Simon Fraser. The Saints put together a solid April, going 11-5 in conference games after posting an 11-game win streak earlier in the season.

The Saints have also benefitted from solid pitching, ranking third in the GNAC with a 3.69 earned run average. Sophomore Tia Ridings has been the team’s ace, ranking 10th in the conference with a 3.56 earned run average with eight wins and 101 strikeouts in 22 starts.

Freshman Chloe Leverington has been impressive, earning 12 wins while ranking third in the conference with a 2.32 ERA. She has allowed the fewest walks (13) of any qualified pitcher over 99 innings, primarily in relief appearances.

At the plate, sophomore Malia Pinder is fourth in the GNAC with her .387 batting average and ranks tied for sixth with 55 hits. Sophomore Megan Convery has a .313 average in 32 games while sophomore Vanessa Smoke is batting .289.

Western Washington dominated the 2021 GNAC Championships, allowing one run on five hits in three games to win the title. Entering as the No. 3 seed in 2022, the Vikings have a solid combination of veteran leadership and young talent that will make them a threat once again. The Vikings solidified their spot early in the season, going 9-3 in the first three conference series of the season en route to a 29-22 overall record and 15-9 conference mark.

Also a solid pitching team, the Vikings rank second in the GNAC with a 3.15 earned run average. Senior Kira Doan has provided solid leadership, ranking fourth in the conference with a 2.57 ERA. Her 13 wins are second in the conference only to Booth. Sophomore Sydney Brown ranks second in the GNAC with a 2.26 ERA. Her eight wins on the season includes a no-hitter thrown against Academy of Art during the Tournament of Champions on Apr. 3.

Senior Chantelle Shimabukuro leads the WWU offense, ranking third in the GNAC with a .389 batting average. Senior Dakota Brooks is batting .366 with a team-leading 39 RBI and a .625 slugging percentage. Senior Tatum Dow is batting .349. Dow and Brooks are tied for third in the GNAC with 59 hits.

After withdrawing from the 2021 tournament due to COVID protocols, Central Washington looks forward to its eighth GNAC Championships berth. The Wildcats secured their spot on the final day of the season, holding off a scrappy Western Oregon squad for the No. 4 seed. Central enters the tournament with a 19-25 overall record and 10-14 conference mark under first-year coach Joe DiPietro.

The Wildcats’ strength has been at the plate with a .288 team batting average. Junior Allie Thiessen leads the way, ranking fifth with a .381 batting average. Junior Alyssa Benthagen has a .312 average and is tied for the conference lead with 11 home runs. Sophomore Makenna King is batting .333.

Senior Rhaney Harris has been the Wildcats’ stalwart in the circle with 11 wins. She ranks sixth in the conference with a 3.11 earned run average and her 15 complete games rank second in the conference. Senior Isabel Womack owns a 4.37 ERA in 21 appearances.

Originally scheduled to be played on the campus of Saint Martin’s University in Lacey, Washington, the tournament was moved on Monday due to the forecast for heavy rain in the Puget Sound region and the prospect of unplayable field conditions.

The GNAC Championships open on Thursday with No. 2 Saint Martin’s facing No. 3 Western Washington at 10 a.m. No. 1 Northwest Nazarene will play No. 4 Central Washington at 12:30 p.m., with the losers of the two games playing in an elimination contest that day at 3 p.m.

The double-elimination tournament ends with the championship game on Saturday at noon. The winner of the GNAC Championships receives the conference’s automatic berth to the NCAA Championships.