After completing a 37-12 regular season and winning a share of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference title, the Seattle University softball team has earned a berth in the West Regionals of the NCAA Division II Softball Tournament for the third consecutive season and for the fourth time in the past five years.
Seattle University was selected as the seventh seed and will face second seed Cal State Stanislaus, the CCAA Tournament champion, Wednesday, May 7, at approximately 11:30 a.m. The West Regional will be hosted by Humboldt State University and will be played at HSU Softball Field in Arcata, Calif.
The Redhawks have already set a school record for most victories in a season, securing that with Saturday’s doubleheader sweep over Saint Martin’s that enabled them to clinch a share of their first-ever conference title. Seattle University shares the 2008 GNAC title with Western Oregon, the sixth seed in the regional and the official GNAC representative by winning the conference season series.
This year’s squad has postseason experience, as 13 of the 19 active players were on the roster during last season’s run to the regional title game. Seven players, three seniors and four juniors, are making their third consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament.
The Redhawks will be led by pitcher Erin Martin (Valencia, Calif.), who set a new school single season record with 24 victories against only four losses. The senior, winner of her first 12 decisions and the last seven coming into the postseason, earned nine shutouts during the year and struck out 103 batters while allowing only 14 walks. Sophomore pitcher Kelsey Reynolds (Kent, Wash.) showed during last year’s regional tournament that she can handle the postseason pressure and brings a solid 13-7 record with seven shutouts into the postseason.
Offensively, eight Seattle University hitters boast a batting average over .300, led by second baseman Jane Purdy (Missoula, Mont.), who leads the team with a .423 batting average, a .608 slugging percentage, and a .479 on-base percentage. After a slow start, Purdy has come on late in the season and currently has 55 hits, including seven doubles, a triple, and five home runs, and 33 runs batted in.
Junior shortstop Megan MacIsaac (Santa Barbara, Calif.), batting .338 this year and the team leader with 23 walks, broke the school single season record with 13 doubles, but sophomore Lauren Berin (Lacey, Wash.) is right on her heels with 12 doubles, four of them coming in yesterday’s games against the Saints. Berin is batting .381 with four home runs and a team-high 41 RBI.
The leadoff spot in the lineup has been solidified by Katie Antich (Spokane, Wash.), who is batting .367 with 54 hits, including six doubles. She has taken advantage of every opportunity on the bases, earning a school-record 26 stolen bases in 27 attempts. As a team, Seattle University is batting .318 and has outscored opponents, 290-121, during the season.
Seattle University has also excelled defensively, posting one of the top fielding percentages in the country at .976. The left side of the starting infield, third baseman Jamie Foote (Lynnwood, Wash.) and MacIsaac, have shown the ability to make both the routine and spectacular plays, while the starting outfield of Brenda Stice (Poulsbo, Wash.), Antich, and Katie Gould (Medford, Ore.) have made only two errors in 123 chances.
The Redhawks will begin the 2008 postseason facing the same team they did at the end of their 2007 tournament run, as Cal State Stanislaus defeated Seattle University to win the regional title last year. Seattle University does boast a victory over the Warriors earlier this season, as Reynolds pitched a six-hitter and Sandra Hernandez (Redlands, Calif.) went 3-for-3 in Seattle’s 4-0 victory on Feb. 1 at the Mizuno Best of the West Invitational in Turlock, Calif.
Humboldt State University provided live stats for the CCAA Tournament and it is expected that they will do the same for the regional. Stay tuned to GoSeattleU.com for updated information regarding Seattle’s participation in the tournament.