Tuesday, May 4, 2021
MONMOUTH, Ore. – Three years ago, Northwest Nazarene took the conference by storm by not only winning the regular-season title but also winning the title in its first GNAC Softball Championships appearance.
In 2021, they will aim to repeat the feat as the Nighthawks are the No. 1 in the 2021 GNAC Softball Championships, which begins on Thursday at the Western Oregon University Softball Field.
Entering the Championships with a 28-10 overall record (11-5 GNAC), Northwest Nazarene took advantage of a scheduling quirk necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic that saw the Nighthawks open the season with a 20-game homestand. The Nighthawks went 17-3 in that stretch, which included a sweep of Saint Martin’s in their first conference series.
Despite a rocky road start where NNU lost three of four games at Western Oregon, the Nighthawks rebounded to go 8-6 away from Nampa. The road ledger included taking three of four games at Montana State Billings in the final weekend to lock up the program’s second-ever regular-season title.
Northwest Nazarene is solid in all parts of its game. The Nighthawks lead the GNAC and rank among the top-20 in Division II with a .343 batting average and also lead the league in slugging percentage (.536), on-base percentage (.430) doubles (75), walks (155) and stolen bases (53). Nighthawks’ players own the conference’s top-three spots in hits, RBI, doubles and total bases.
Senior Brittany Genuardi leads an NNU lineup that has four players ranked in the GNAC top-10 with a .429 batting average. Ranked second in the GNAC, Genuardi has also drawn 39 walks to give her a league-leading .539 on-base percentage. Junior Ivy Hommel is fourth in the GNAC with a .396 batting average and leads the conference with 53 hits, 42 runs, 14 doubles and 25 stolen bases. Sophomore Maia McNicoll is sixth with a .377 batting average and is tied for first with 11 home runs.
Freshman Sidney Booth has been an incredible two-way threat for the Nighthawks. She leads the GNAC with a 1.80 earned run average and a 13-2 record, has struck out a league-leading 137 batters and owns a .198 opponent’s batting average. At the plate, Booth is third in the GNAC with a .402 batting average and leads the conference with 39 RBI.
Entering as the No. 2 seed, Western Washington (20-12, 11-9 GNAC) is making its first GNAC Championships appearance since 2017. The Vikings benefitted from a strong start to the season, going 9-3 in non-conference play. That set the table for an 8-4 start to the GNAC schedule.
The Vikings’ strength all season has been in the circle, leading the GNAC with a 2.49 earned run average and a .225 opponent’s batting average. Senior Anna Kasner has made her senior season one to remember. Ranking second in the GNAC with a 1.88 earned run average and a 10-3 record, Kasner set the GNAC all-time strikeout record at 513 in Sunday’s season finale against Central Washington. She threw six-inning perfect game against Saint Martin’s on March 12, the first perfect game in the GNAC since 2009.
Junior Kira Doan gives WWU a solid one-two punch in the circle, ranking fifth in the GNAC with a 2.46 earned run average.
Junior Tatum Dow leads the Western Washington offense and the GNAC with a .460 batting average while ranking second with 46 hits. Junior Lauren Lo is eighth in the GNAC with a .372 batting average.
Saint Martin’s made a dramatic entry into the GNAC Championships, clinching the No. 3 seed in the final game on Sunday when sophomore Kylee Vanderbout hit a three-run homer to end a 10-0, five-inning win over Western Oregon. The homer allowed the Saints to break a tie for fourth place and earn their first trip to the postseason since 2017.
The win capped a solid second-half rally that saw the Saints win eight of their final 11 games after going 2-6 to open conference play. Saint Martin’s (19-16, 10-10 GNAC) enters the Championships with a .275 batting average and a 3.93 earned run average. Freshman Britney Patrick leads the young roster with a .336 batting average while freshman Olivia Schmidt is batting .328.
Freshman Abby Runyon ranks seventh in the GNAC with a 3.07 earned run average and is second with 11 wins on the season. Her 20 appearances lead all GNAC hurlers.
With its move into the GNAC Championships field for Central Washington after the Wildcats withdrew due to health and safety protocols, Western Oregon (13-15, 9-11 GNAC) is making its eighth GNAC Championships appearance and will be looking for the program’s first postseason win since 2018.
The Wolves, the tournament host and the No. 4 seed, did not start play until mid-March due to health and safety protocols of their own. They won six games in April, splitting two series with Central Washington and Western Washington in the final week of the season. Western Oregon was the only team to take a series from Northwest Nazarene in 2021, beating the Nighthawks in three of four games on April 2 and 3.
Senior Aleya Turner enters the tournament ranked seventh in the GNAC with a .375 batting average. Senior Chandler Bishop is batting .373 and leads WOU with 21 RBI. Junior Reilly Tidwell tops the pitching staff with a 3.40 earned run average. As a team, Western Oregon owns a .264 batting average and 4.86 earned run average.
The GNAC Softball Championships begin on Thursday at 11:30 a.m. when No. 2 Western Washington faces No. 3 Saint Martin’s. No. 1 Northwest Nazarene and No. 4 Western Oregon will play in the second game at 2:30 p.m. The championship game will take place on Saturday at noon with the winner receiving the conference’s automatic qualifier to the NCAA Championships.
To protect the health and safety of the student-athletes, coaches and support staff during the COVID-19 pandemic, spectators will not be allowed at this year’s GNAC Softball Championships. Live video and stats links can be found at GNACSports.com.