SEATTLE – Seattle University softball travels to GCU for its final regular-season series this weekend.
FOLLOW THE REDHAWKS
• Friday, May 7 at 2 p.m.
• at Grand Canyon (doubleheader)
• Game One Stats | Game Two Stats | Watch
• Saturday, May 8 at 1 p.m.
• at Grand Canyon
• Stats | Watch
ABOUT THE GAMES
• Seattle U (24-18, 11-4 WAC) at Grand Canyon (18-26, 7-7 WAC)
• All-time series-GCU leads, 13-10
NEWS AND NOTES
• Entering the final weekend of the regular season, Seattle U sits one game behind league-leading NM State. SU needs one more win than NMSU gets this weekend to move into a tie for the regular-season title. The Aggies will play a three-game set at California Baptist. If SU wins one more game than NMSU this weekend, the Redhawks would secure the top seed in next week's WAC Tournament, due to their series win over the Aggies earlier this season.
• Cherise Silvan hit a walk-off home run in the ninth inning to lift SU to a 2-1 win over DSU on senior day. It marked the third straight season that the Redhawks won in walk-off fashion on senior day. Emma Mitchell tallied walk-off hits in the 2018 and 2019 campaigns.
• Shi Smith nearly threw a five-inning perfect game on Apr. 30, settling for a one-hit shutout in an 8-0 win over DSU at Logan Field. Smith did not allow a baserunner until a single with two outs in the fifth frame.
• For the period ending May 2, Shi Smith was picked WAC Pitcher of the Week. The junior threw nine scoreless innings in two appearances against DSU. She pitched all five innings in an 8-0 win, giving up just one single, on Apr. 30. Smith followed with four shutout innings of relief in SU's 2-1, nine-inning win the next day. She struck out seven in the relief effort.
• SU has won its last 11 WAC series, dating back to the 2019 season. It is the longest streak of series wins by a WAC team since NM State won 14 in a row from 2014-16.
• Seattle U's six-player senior class played its final regular-season home games on Apr. 30-May 1. Madison Cathcart, Ally Choate, Alyson Matriotti, Stephanie Merwin, Cherise Silvan, and Bailey Thompson were honored after the May 1 contest at Logan Field.
• The Redhawks won two of three games at Tarleton State on Apr. 23-24, taking their fourth straight WAC series to start the season. Carley Nance pitched a complete game to win the rubber match in a 6-2 victory, while Stefanie Madrigal got the win and Shi Smith picked up the save in a 6-4 decision in the second game of the weekend.
• Olivia Viggiano hit two triples in the first game of the day at Tarleton State on Apr. 24. The junior has seven triples this season, second-most in the nation. She is one of only two players in the country with a pair of two-triple games in 2021. She posted two three-baggers against NM State on Mar. 27 at Logan Field.
• Seattle U took its third straight WAC series to open the 2021 conference slate, beating California Baptist twice in a three-game set at Logan Field on Apr. 16-17. Stefanie Madrigal and Carley Nance both pitched complete-game two-hit shutouts to lead the Redhawks to a pair of victories.
• Through nine WAC games, Bailey Thompson leads the conference in batting average (.536), on-base percentage (.594), slugging percentage (1.250), HRs (5), RBIs (14), total bases (35), and hits per game (1.67).
• The Redhawks won a three-game series at Utah Valley on Apr. 9-10, moving to 4-2 in WAC play. Carley Nance pitched a complete game and drove in two runs on two hits in the first game of the weekend, as SU won, 7-1. UVU won the nightcap, but Seattle U bounced back with a 9-6 win in the finale. Stephanie Merwin hit a three-run inside-the-park home run in the top of the seventh inning to lift SU to the series win.
• SU took two of three games from New Mexico State on Mar. 26-27 at Logan Field to open WAC play. Bailey Thompson homered twice in the WAC opener, while Shi Smith pitched three scoreless innings in relief to save a 6-4 win. In the nightcap, Carley Nance struck out seven in a complete-game victory as SU picked up a 4-1 decision to complete the doubleheader sweep.
• Bailey Thompson was named WAC Hitter of the Week, for the period ending on Mar. 28. The catcher hit three home runs in three games against NM State, adding a double and seven RBIs.
• The games with NM State were first at Logan Field in 692 days, as the Redhawks did not host any games in the shortened 2020 campaign due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Seattle U won two out of three games at Montana on Mar. 18-19. Stefanie Madrigal and Carley Nance both threw complete games to lead SU to wins on Mar. 18, as Madrigal allowed no earned runs in a 3-2 win and Nance struck out seven in a 5-2 victory. Cherise Silvan homered and doubled in a three-hit game to spark the Redhawk offense in the second game of the day.
• Madison Cathcart drew two walks in the win at Montana on Mar. 18, moving into a tie for the all-time WAC record with 138 base on balls. The first baseman is two doubles shy of the WAC career record for two-baggers as well.
• The Redhawks rallied to beat Portland State twice on the weekend of Mar. 12-13 at the Husky Classic. SU also dropped two games to seventh-ranked Washington.
• Against Portland State on Mar. 12, Bailey Thompson hit a two-run single to give SU the lead in the sixth inning on its way to a 5-3 win. The next day, the Redhawks broke out with a seven-run seventh inning to claim a 10-4 victory over the Vikings.
• Madison Cathcart enters the series needing two doubles and two walks to tie the all-time WAC records in both categories. She has 55 career doubles and 136 career walks.
• SU won three of five games at the Boyd Gaming Classic from Mar. 5-7 in Las Vegas. It knocked off UNLV and beat Idaho State twice.
• Sophomores Brooke Milder and Stefanie Madrigal were named WAC Hitter and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, for the period ending on Mar. 7. Milder went 9-10 with a double and two walks at the Boyd Gaming Classic, while Madrigal won twice and struck out a career-high eight batters in a victory over Idaho State on Mar. 6.
• In an 8-7 loss at UNLV on Mar. 6, Madison Cathcart and Brooke Milder both tallied four hits. Cathcart matched a career high, while Milder set a new personal best for hits in a game.
• The Redhawks went 2-3 at the Wildcat Invitational from Feb. 26-28, beating Oregon State and Colorado State. In the win over the previously unbeaten Beavers, Shi Smith pitched a complete game, allowing one run as SU won, 2-1. Stephanie Merwin homered to take the lead in the fourth inning of the Redhawks' 5-3 victory over CSU.
• SU went 4-1 at the Hillenbrand Invitational from Feb. 19-21. It scored 39 runs across five games, winning three contest by eight or more runs.
• Senior Ally Choate was named WAC Hitter of the Week for the period ending on Feb. 21. The rightfielder recorded 10 hits in five games at the Hillenbrand Invitational. She claimed two hits in each outing, adding five runs, four RBIs, two doubles, and two walks.
• Sophomore Stefanie Madrigal put together a pair of stellar starts at the Hillenbrand Invitational. The righthander pitched 10 innings over two outings, allowing zero runs while striking out nine hitters. She earned two wins on the weekend.
• Seattle U started the 2021 season at the Kajikawa Classic from Feb. 12-14. It faced tough competition, including four Pac-12 opponents, as SU dropped five games on the weekend.
• Madison Cathcart homered to become Seattle U's all-time RBI leader. She has 162 runs batted in as a Redhawk, passing Jane Purdy for the SU career record.
• The 2020 season ended abruptly on March 11 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. SU was 9-15 at the time after being chosen to win the WAC in the preseason poll. The Redhawks beat Missouri to claim a win over a nationally-ranked opponent for the second consecutive season.
• SU was picked to win the WAC in the preseason coaches' poll for the second straight year. Madison Cathcart and Ally Choate were picked Preseason All-WAC.
• The Redhawks return every starter from the 2020 campaign, including all four "super" seniors-Madison Cathcart, Alyson Matriotti, Stephanie Merwin, and Cherise Silvan.
• Coach Geoff Hirai enters his sixth season at SU, having guided the Redhawks to their best season in program history in 2019. Seattle U won a school-record 40 games on its way to its first-ever Division I NCAA Tournament appearance. It won the WAC regular-season and tournament crowns for the first time and knocked off a nationally-ranked opponent for the first time ever (No. 25 Illinois).
• For the second straight season, Shi Smith broke her own single-season record for strikeouts per seven innings (9.9) in 2020. She also threw the eighth no-hitter in program history, setting a school record with 15 strikeouts in a 3-0 win over UC Davis on Feb. 21.
• In 2020, Madison Cathcart led the Redhawks with a .407 on-base percentage, including a team-high 11 walks. Cathcart holds SU career records in home runs (38), doubles (50), walks (109), extra-base hits (89), and putouts (1,432). In 2021, she will have the chance to take over the top spot in RBIs (161), runs (113), at-bats (542), and games started (183).
• In 2019, the most recent WAC season, SU topped the WAC with a 15-3 record, winning all six series, including three sweeps. It led the league in batting (.309) and ERA (2.35).
• The Redhawks feature five newcomers this season, with four freshmen and one transfer joining the squad for 2021.
FOLLOW THE REDHAWKS
• Friday, May 7 at 2 p.m.
• at Grand Canyon (doubleheader)
• Game One Stats | Game Two Stats | Watch
• Saturday, May 8 at 1 p.m.
• at Grand Canyon
• Stats | Watch
ABOUT THE GAMES
• Seattle U (24-18, 11-4 WAC) at Grand Canyon (18-26, 7-7 WAC)
• All-time series-GCU leads, 13-10
NEWS AND NOTES
• Entering the final weekend of the regular season, Seattle U sits one game behind league-leading NM State. SU needs one more win than NMSU gets this weekend to move into a tie for the regular-season title. The Aggies will play a three-game set at California Baptist. If SU wins one more game than NMSU this weekend, the Redhawks would secure the top seed in next week's WAC Tournament, due to their series win over the Aggies earlier this season.
• Cherise Silvan hit a walk-off home run in the ninth inning to lift SU to a 2-1 win over DSU on senior day. It marked the third straight season that the Redhawks won in walk-off fashion on senior day. Emma Mitchell tallied walk-off hits in the 2018 and 2019 campaigns.
• Shi Smith nearly threw a five-inning perfect game on Apr. 30, settling for a one-hit shutout in an 8-0 win over DSU at Logan Field. Smith did not allow a baserunner until a single with two outs in the fifth frame.
• For the period ending May 2, Shi Smith was picked WAC Pitcher of the Week. The junior threw nine scoreless innings in two appearances against DSU. She pitched all five innings in an 8-0 win, giving up just one single, on Apr. 30. Smith followed with four shutout innings of relief in SU's 2-1, nine-inning win the next day. She struck out seven in the relief effort.
• SU has won its last 11 WAC series, dating back to the 2019 season. It is the longest streak of series wins by a WAC team since NM State won 14 in a row from 2014-16.
• Seattle U's six-player senior class played its final regular-season home games on Apr. 30-May 1. Madison Cathcart, Ally Choate, Alyson Matriotti, Stephanie Merwin, Cherise Silvan, and Bailey Thompson were honored after the May 1 contest at Logan Field.
• The Redhawks won two of three games at Tarleton State on Apr. 23-24, taking their fourth straight WAC series to start the season. Carley Nance pitched a complete game to win the rubber match in a 6-2 victory, while Stefanie Madrigal got the win and Shi Smith picked up the save in a 6-4 decision in the second game of the weekend.
• Olivia Viggiano hit two triples in the first game of the day at Tarleton State on Apr. 24. The junior has seven triples this season, second-most in the nation. She is one of only two players in the country with a pair of two-triple games in 2021. She posted two three-baggers against NM State on Mar. 27 at Logan Field.
• Seattle U took its third straight WAC series to open the 2021 conference slate, beating California Baptist twice in a three-game set at Logan Field on Apr. 16-17. Stefanie Madrigal and Carley Nance both pitched complete-game two-hit shutouts to lead the Redhawks to a pair of victories.
• Through nine WAC games, Bailey Thompson leads the conference in batting average (.536), on-base percentage (.594), slugging percentage (1.250), HRs (5), RBIs (14), total bases (35), and hits per game (1.67).
• The Redhawks won a three-game series at Utah Valley on Apr. 9-10, moving to 4-2 in WAC play. Carley Nance pitched a complete game and drove in two runs on two hits in the first game of the weekend, as SU won, 7-1. UVU won the nightcap, but Seattle U bounced back with a 9-6 win in the finale. Stephanie Merwin hit a three-run inside-the-park home run in the top of the seventh inning to lift SU to the series win.
• SU took two of three games from New Mexico State on Mar. 26-27 at Logan Field to open WAC play. Bailey Thompson homered twice in the WAC opener, while Shi Smith pitched three scoreless innings in relief to save a 6-4 win. In the nightcap, Carley Nance struck out seven in a complete-game victory as SU picked up a 4-1 decision to complete the doubleheader sweep.
• Bailey Thompson was named WAC Hitter of the Week, for the period ending on Mar. 28. The catcher hit three home runs in three games against NM State, adding a double and seven RBIs.
• The games with NM State were first at Logan Field in 692 days, as the Redhawks did not host any games in the shortened 2020 campaign due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Seattle U won two out of three games at Montana on Mar. 18-19. Stefanie Madrigal and Carley Nance both threw complete games to lead SU to wins on Mar. 18, as Madrigal allowed no earned runs in a 3-2 win and Nance struck out seven in a 5-2 victory. Cherise Silvan homered and doubled in a three-hit game to spark the Redhawk offense in the second game of the day.
• Madison Cathcart drew two walks in the win at Montana on Mar. 18, moving into a tie for the all-time WAC record with 138 base on balls. The first baseman is two doubles shy of the WAC career record for two-baggers as well.
• The Redhawks rallied to beat Portland State twice on the weekend of Mar. 12-13 at the Husky Classic. SU also dropped two games to seventh-ranked Washington.
• Against Portland State on Mar. 12, Bailey Thompson hit a two-run single to give SU the lead in the sixth inning on its way to a 5-3 win. The next day, the Redhawks broke out with a seven-run seventh inning to claim a 10-4 victory over the Vikings.
• Madison Cathcart enters the series needing two doubles and two walks to tie the all-time WAC records in both categories. She has 55 career doubles and 136 career walks.
• SU won three of five games at the Boyd Gaming Classic from Mar. 5-7 in Las Vegas. It knocked off UNLV and beat Idaho State twice.
• Sophomores Brooke Milder and Stefanie Madrigal were named WAC Hitter and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, for the period ending on Mar. 7. Milder went 9-10 with a double and two walks at the Boyd Gaming Classic, while Madrigal won twice and struck out a career-high eight batters in a victory over Idaho State on Mar. 6.
• In an 8-7 loss at UNLV on Mar. 6, Madison Cathcart and Brooke Milder both tallied four hits. Cathcart matched a career high, while Milder set a new personal best for hits in a game.
• The Redhawks went 2-3 at the Wildcat Invitational from Feb. 26-28, beating Oregon State and Colorado State. In the win over the previously unbeaten Beavers, Shi Smith pitched a complete game, allowing one run as SU won, 2-1. Stephanie Merwin homered to take the lead in the fourth inning of the Redhawks' 5-3 victory over CSU.
• SU went 4-1 at the Hillenbrand Invitational from Feb. 19-21. It scored 39 runs across five games, winning three contest by eight or more runs.
• Senior Ally Choate was named WAC Hitter of the Week for the period ending on Feb. 21. The rightfielder recorded 10 hits in five games at the Hillenbrand Invitational. She claimed two hits in each outing, adding five runs, four RBIs, two doubles, and two walks.
• Sophomore Stefanie Madrigal put together a pair of stellar starts at the Hillenbrand Invitational. The righthander pitched 10 innings over two outings, allowing zero runs while striking out nine hitters. She earned two wins on the weekend.
• Seattle U started the 2021 season at the Kajikawa Classic from Feb. 12-14. It faced tough competition, including four Pac-12 opponents, as SU dropped five games on the weekend.
• Madison Cathcart homered to become Seattle U's all-time RBI leader. She has 162 runs batted in as a Redhawk, passing Jane Purdy for the SU career record.
• The 2020 season ended abruptly on March 11 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. SU was 9-15 at the time after being chosen to win the WAC in the preseason poll. The Redhawks beat Missouri to claim a win over a nationally-ranked opponent for the second consecutive season.
• SU was picked to win the WAC in the preseason coaches' poll for the second straight year. Madison Cathcart and Ally Choate were picked Preseason All-WAC.
• The Redhawks return every starter from the 2020 campaign, including all four "super" seniors-Madison Cathcart, Alyson Matriotti, Stephanie Merwin, and Cherise Silvan.
• Coach Geoff Hirai enters his sixth season at SU, having guided the Redhawks to their best season in program history in 2019. Seattle U won a school-record 40 games on its way to its first-ever Division I NCAA Tournament appearance. It won the WAC regular-season and tournament crowns for the first time and knocked off a nationally-ranked opponent for the first time ever (No. 25 Illinois).
• For the second straight season, Shi Smith broke her own single-season record for strikeouts per seven innings (9.9) in 2020. She also threw the eighth no-hitter in program history, setting a school record with 15 strikeouts in a 3-0 win over UC Davis on Feb. 21.
• In 2020, Madison Cathcart led the Redhawks with a .407 on-base percentage, including a team-high 11 walks. Cathcart holds SU career records in home runs (38), doubles (50), walks (109), extra-base hits (89), and putouts (1,432). In 2021, she will have the chance to take over the top spot in RBIs (161), runs (113), at-bats (542), and games started (183).
• In 2019, the most recent WAC season, SU topped the WAC with a 15-3 record, winning all six series, including three sweeps. It led the league in batting (.309) and ERA (2.35).
• The Redhawks feature five newcomers this season, with four freshmen and one transfer joining the squad for 2021.