ORLANDO, Fla. - Seattle U softball opens the 2024 season this weekend, heading to the Sunshine state for the Black & Gold Classic, hosted by UCF. The three-day tournament will take place at the UCF Softball Complex in Orlando, Florida, with the Redhawks taking part in five contests. Each contest will feature live stats with the contest against UCF being streamed live on ESPN+
FOLLOW THE REDHAWKS
- Friday, February 9 at 12:30 p.m PT
- Seattle U vs. UConn
- Live Stats
- Friday, February 9 at 3:00 p.m. PT
- Seattle U at UCF
- ESPN+
- Live Stats
- Saturday, February 10 at 7:00 a.m. PT
- Seattle U vs. Howard
- Live Stats
- Saturday, February 10 at 12:00 p.m. PT
- Seattle U vs. Georgia State
- Live Stats
- Sunday, February 11 at 6:30 a.m. PT
- Seattle U vs. UConn
- Live Stats
PRESEASON HONORS
Stefanie Madrigal and Tai Wilson were honored by the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) this past week, with the former being named the Preseason Co-Pitcher of the Year and the latter joining her on the All-WAC Preseason Team. The Redhawks have gone seven straight seasons with multiple players earning Preseason All-WAC honors and have had at least one athlete named for the last 11 years.
Madrigal becomes the first Redhawk to earn Preseason Co-Pitcher of the Year honors, marking her third consecutive season on the All-WAC Preseason Team. The native of San Jose, California, took another step forward during the 2023 season, leading the squad with the nation's 37th most wins at 19. Madrigal played some of her best softball on the biggest stage at the WAC Tournament, taking the ball in all five contests and allowing just one run in the first two.
Wilson earns the award for the first time after a breakout 2023 season in which she finished in the top-10 in batting average (.438), runs scored (23) and hits (35) during conference play in route to an All-WAC First Team award. The junior outfielder led the Redhawks with 72 hits (30th nationally), a batting average of .396 (54th nationally) and an on base percentage of .456 (142nd nationally). Wilson's overall hits total and batting average rank as the Redhawks' fourth and eighth best single-season performance.
PRESEASON POLL
Seattle U was picked to finish third as voted on by the 10 WAC coaches, receiving 66 points and one first place vote. The Redhawks have been picked to finish third overall or better in eight straight years.
NEW FACES
The Redhawks have eight new faces entering the 2024 season, bringing in five freshman and three transfers. All three transfers (Nicola Simpson, Taylor Fitch and KJ Hopfer) make their return to the state of Washington after a year or two away. Simpson returns to Seattle after two years at Tennessee, appearing in the 2023 Women's College Word Series. Fitch enjoyed a stellar first season of collegiate softball, helping LMU to win the 2023 West Coast Conference. Hopfer marked two strong season at San Diego before deciding to return home.
All five freshman joined Seattle U after strong high school careers. Sophia Kissling hails from La Habra High School in La Habra, California, where she earned 2022 All-League First Team honors. Avari Morris joined from Green Valley High School in Henderson, Nevada, where she was named the 2022 Nevada softball Gatorade Player of the Year. Twin sister, Mikee Morris, also had an incredibly strong high school career, being named to the 2022 Desert Region First Team All-League and finishing as a finalist for Nevada Gatorade Player of the Year. Karen Spadafora hails from Tigard High School in Tigard, Oregon, where she was a member of the 2022 6A Championships team and earned All-League and All-State honors. Berkley Vance makes the move from Los Allamitos High School in Los Alamitos, California, earning four varsity letters and serving as team captain for the Corona Angels.
2023 NATIONAL AND CONFERENCE RANKINGS
Team batting average (.324) - 10th nationally, WAC-best
Team doubles (81) - 24th nationally, second best in the WAC
Team ERA (3.66) - second best in the WAC
Team fielding percentage (.972) - second best in the WAC
Team on-base percentage (.379) - second best in the WAC
Team scoring (5.55) - 31st nationally, second best in the WAC
Overall hits (72) - Tai Wilson, 31st nationally and first in the WAC
Batting average (.396) - Tai Wilson, 54th nationally and second in the WAC
On-base percentage (.456) - Tai Wilson, sixth in the WAC
Batting average (.372) - Sydney Frankenberger, sixth in the WAC
Toughest to strike out (31.2) - Sydney Frankenberger, 10th nationally and first in the WAC
Overall victories (19) - Stefanie Madrigal, 37th nationally and first in the WAC
Innings pitched (186.2) - Stefanie Madrigal, 38th nationally and second in the WAC
Shutouts (five) - Stefanie Madrigal, 49th nationally and second in the WAC
SERIES-AT-A-GLANCE
UConn: This will be the first meeting between the two schools.
UCF: This will be the first meeting between the two schools.
Howard: This will be the first meeting between the two schools.
Georgia State: This will be the first meeting between the two schools.
HOW TO FOLLOW
All 14 Seattle U home contests this season will be broadcast on ESPN+. For road games, related links to video stream and live stats will be posted on the softball schedule page on goseattleu.com. Fans are encouraged to check the Seattle U Softball team's official Twitter feed @seattleusb for updates of games in progress as well as news and notes. Greg Sexton and former Redhawk, Katie Favilla (Antich), mark their third season on the call.
Stay connected with Seattle U softball and get all the latest team updates by downloading the GoSeattleU mobile app available now for free in the App Store or Google Play.