Tuesday, April 30, 2019

PORTLAND, Ore. – Central Washington is the team to beat once again. And they wouldn’t want it any other way.

After winning their most conference games in seven seasons and claiming their fourth consecutive regular-season title, the Wildcats are the No. 1 seed in the 2019 GNAC Softball Championships, which begins Thursday at Porter Park on the campus of Concordia University.

Picked to finish second in the GNAC Preseason Coaches Poll, Central Washington used a strong start to the season and a solid finish to clinch the sixth regular-season title in program history. After going 7-3 in non-conference play to start the season, the Wildcats won 10 straight to open the GNAC schedule. They finished with an 11-4 record in April and sewed up the regular-season crown with a doubleheader sweep of Concordia on Saturday.

The Wildcats are one of the top offensive teams in the country, leading the GNAC and ranked 13th in Division II with a .339 batting average. Central also ranks 27th nationally with 6.37 runs scored per game. Junior Savannah Egbert ranks fourth in the GNAC and 30th in Division II with a .444 batting average while leading the league with 71 hits. Sophomore Katie Kastning is hitting .403 and leads the league with 15 doubles.

In the circle, sophomore Lexie Strasser has won 14 games while amassing a 2.78 earned run average. At 156 innings, Strasser has the most innings pitched of any player in the tournament. Junior Taylor Williams owns a 3.27 earned run average and a 7-3 record.

Western Oregon has saved its best softball for the end of the season, winning six straight and seven of its last eight to earn a seventh consecutive GNAC Championships appearance. Arguably the most experienced team in the tournament field, the Wolves lead the conference with a 2.86 earned run average and a .960 fielding percentage. The team’s .338 batting average is second in the GNAC and 14th in Division II.

In the circle, the Wolves depend on senior Haley Fabian and freshman Maddie Mayer. Both players enter the GNAC Championships with a 2.55 earned run average, tying them for second in the GNAC. Fabian has 13 wins on the season while Mayer has 10. Mayer, however, has allowed just 17 walks in 90.2 innings of work.

Offensively, sophomore Ayanna Arceneaux has been the model of consistency. She enters the tournament leading the conference with a .488 batting average, ranking her seventh in Division II. Her .535 on-base percentage ranks 22nd in Division II. Senior Ryanne Whitaker is hitting .393 and has stolen 22 bases. Arceneaux and Whitaker are among four WOU players with four triples on the season.

Picked to finish eighth in the GNAC Preseason Coaches Poll, Concordia also put together a strong stretch run to earn the team’s first GNAC Championships berth since 2016. Concordia closed the regular season by winning five of their last seven games. The Cavaliers have thrived on pitching, ranking third in the conference with a 3.42 earned run average. Defensively sound, the Cavaliers are 12th in Division II with 0.45 double plays turned per game.

Concordia is led by dual-threat senior Mckenzie Smith. The utility player, who has seen starting time at pitcher, first base and designated player, has a .319 batting average at the plate and a 3.53 earned run average in the circle. Smith is tied for second in the GNAC with 14 wins. Junior Hannah Self leads the Cavaliers with a .328 batting average and 12 home runs while junior Sally Bowles tops the team with a 3.14 earned run average. Bowles is fifth in Division II with 0.65 walks allowed per seven innings.

The defending regular season and tournament champion, Northwest Nazarene needed a split with Western Washington in the final weekend to claim the No. 4 spot in the GNAC Championships. After struggling over the first half of conference play, the Nighthawks bounced back to win eight of their last 11 to make the postseason.

The Nighthawks are third in the GNAC with a .311 batting average and are led by senior Anna Williams, who boasts a .418 average that is fifth in the GNAC. Williams leads the league with 54 runs and is 26th in Division II with 69 hits. Senior Kylie Orr is eight behind Williams with a .407 batting average.

In the circle, sophomore Jordan Adams continues to impress. She leads the GNAC with a 1.18 earned run average and has allowed just 34 earned runs in 131.2 innings. Her 141 strikeouts is second in the conference.

The GNAC Softball Championships begin on Thursday with No. 2 Western Oregon playing No. 3 Concordia at noon. No. 1 Central Washington and No. 4 Northwest Nazarene face off at 2:30 p.m. The championship game in the double-elimination tournament will take place on Saturday at noon. A second game, if necessary, will follow at 2:30 p.m. The winner of the GNAC Championships receives the conference’s automatic berth to the NCAA Division II Softball Championship.