Hosted by Linfield University
TOURNAMENT GLANCE
Linfield University is serving as host this week for the four-team, double-elimination NCAA Division III McMinnville Oregon Regional Softball Tournament. The winner advances to the Super Regional round, May 22-23, at eight campus sites.
Linfield will play Johnson & Wales of Providence, Rhode Island (29-15) in the double-elimination tournament at Del Smith Stadium. That game will lead off the tournament starting at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday.
Fellow Northwest Conference member Lewis & Clark (29-11) is paired with SCIAC Tournament champion Chapman (31-9) in Thursday's other opening-round game starting at 5 p.m.
TICKETS
As this is a NCAA-sponsored event, admission will be charged each day, including students. All tickets may be purchased at the ticket tent behind Del Smith Stadium on game day.
Ticket prices are as follows:
Adults (13 and up) $10
Seniors, Active Military, Veterans and Students with ID $7
Youth (ages 6-12) $3
5-under Free
Northwest Conference passes will not be honored.
FOLLOW THE ACTION LIVE
The Linfield Sports Network is providing live video broadcasts of all games and will be
streamed on HUDL, the NCAA's preferred platform. Joe Stuart and Brian Kice are set to provide the play-by-play.
Live statistics are also available.
THURSDAY, MAY 15
Game 1: Linfield 12, Johnson & Wales 2, 5 innings
Box Score Linfield Presser
Game 2: Lewis & Clark 7, Chapman 4, 8 innings
Box Score
FRIDAY, MAY 16
Game 3: Linfield 12, Lewis & Clark 2, 5 innings
Box Score Linfield Presser
Game 4: Chapman 5, Johnson & Wales-Providence 0, loser out
Box Score
Game 5: Chapman 10, Lewis & Clark 1, loser out
Box Score
SATURDAY, MAY 17
Game 6: Linfield 5, Chapman 3
Box Score
TEAM-BY-TEAM PREVIEWS
Meara Sain
LINFIELD WILDCATS (38-5, 23-5 NWC)
The Wildcats earned their spot in the NCAA tournament by winning the Northwest Conference's championship tournament. Rated No. 6 in the Division III National Power Index, the Wildcats are making their 20th NCAA Regional appearance in the last 21 years.
Linfield won the NWC Tournament for a seventh consecutive season and 12th time in program history. The Wildcats secured the NWC regular-season title for a fourth consecutive season and 18th time overall.
Linfield features Division III’s top offense, leading the country in runs (398), hits (490), home runs (85), average (.406), RBIs (379) and slugging percentage (.696). The ‘Cats rank among the top 10 nationally in on-base percentage (.468) and doubles (85).
Claire Seats has been one of the top hitters in Division III this spring, hitting .476 while leading the nation with 152 total bases and 72 RBIs. She sits among the top 10 in home runs (20), doubles (22), hits (70) and slugging percentage (1.034).
Brynn Nelson’s 67 hits ranked in the top 10 in the Division III, while Cydney Hess is top 10 with 54 RBIs, in addition to ranking in the top 25 in home runs (14), along with Jacey Leyvas and Ashlyn Aven, who have 13 and 11, respectively. Kaili Saathoff is top 10 nationally with 56 runs scored.
Linfield pitchers led the NWC this season with a 2.92 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP. The Wildcats have thrown a league-leading 15 shutouts, good for eighth nationally, while holding opposing batters to a .253 average with 203 strikeouts.
Pitching ace Tyler McNeley leads the NWC with a 25-2 record with 23 complete games and 10 shutouts, all ranking third in Division III. She led the NWC and is top 15 nationally with 162 strikeouts and 160 innings pitched. McNeley leads the NWC with a 1.00 WHIP and is second in the league with a 2.45 ERA and .218 opponent batting average.
CHAPMAN PANTHERS (31-9, 15-6 SCIAC)
Rose Malen
The Panthers earned the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference’s automatic berth to the NCAA playoffs by winning the league’s championship tournament. Ranked 23rd in the NPI ratings, the Panthers are making their 19th NCAA Regionals appearance and 14th at the Division III level.
Chapman won the SCIAC tournament for a second time in program history after finishing runner-up during the regular season. The Panthers’ 31 wins are the most since 2005 and they have won at least 27 games for four straight seasons.
The Panthers average 4.40 runs per game, collecting 302 hits this year leading to a .284 team batting average, .359 OBP and .353 slugging. They lead the SCIAC with 16 triples in addition to totaling 35 doubles and two home runs.
They are third in the league with 57 stolen bases.
Miranda Murphy leads the Panthers offensively with a .402 average, .552 OBP and .561 slugging percentage. She is top 10 in the SCIAC in average and OBP, top 25 nationally in OBP as well as triples with 6, which leads the SCIAC as do her 34 walks, third-most of any player in Division III.
Mia Reyes is second on the team in average (.337) and OBP (.405). Mo Lynch leads the team with six doubles while Ilianna Serna is the Panthers’ RBI leader with 28.
Chapman has won games on the strength of its pitching and defense, allowing the fewest total (104) and earned (84) runs in the SCIAC. The Panthers’ 2.09 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and .232 opponent batting average all lead the SCIAC as do their 210 strikeouts. They are top 20 nationally in WHIP and seventh in strikeout-to-walk ratio (4.04).
Rose Malen headlines the Chapman staff with a 15-4 record to lead the SCIAC, also leading the league with 15 complete games and seven shutouts in addition to earning seven saves. She also leads the SIAC with 136.2 innings pitched, a 1.23 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, .212 opponent batting average, and 112 strikeouts with just nine walks. Her ERA, WHIP, shutout and save numbers are all rank among the top 25 nationally.
LEWIS & CLARK PIONEERS (31-11, 21-7 NWC)
Maggie O'Leary
The Pioneers earned the program’s first-ever berth in the NCAA tournament by securing an at-large bid. They are ranked 34th in the NPI and are the first NWC program to receive an at-large bid since 2018.
With 31 victories, the Pioneers set new program records for overall and NWC wins to finish second in the league standings and runner-up in the NWC championship tournament for a second straight year.
Lewis & Clark ranks second in the NWC in runs (284), hits (389), RBIs (254), average (.348), OBP (.410), and doubles (28) in addition to leading the league with 12 triples and hitting 19 home runs.
Sam Gildersleeve leads the Pios with a .390 batting average while sitting eighth in the NWC in slugging percentage (.675). She’s tied for the league lead in triples (4) and for second in stolen bases (19), while sitting eighth in RBIs (37) and fourth in runs (42).
Lacey Marglin second on the team with a .390 average while McKenna Dahir is second in both OBP (.468) and slugging pct. (.588). Dahir’s 31 RBIs are tenth in the NWC and she is one of four additional Lewis & Clark players to join Gildersleeve with at least 20 RBIs, along with Mari Alvarez, Gina Ozuna and Emily Patton. Marglin leads the team and is fourth in the NWC with 12 doubles, Alvarez and Dahir have hit ten apiece. Ozuna is third in the league with 18 walks.
The Pioneers have three solid options in the circle between Maggie O’Leary, Ryan Jurischk and Charlize Pope. As a team, they’ve posted a 3.85 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and .276 opponent batting average. They’ve struck out 165 batters while only walking 85, and were backed up by the NWC’s top defense with a .974 fielding percentage, ranking among the top 20 in Division III.
O’Leary leads the team with a 3.30 ERA, .240 opponent batting average and 1.20 WHIP in 146.1 innings pitched, striking out 103 batters, all good enough for top five in the league. Her 20-8 record and 33 appearances are both good enough for top 15 in Division III. Pope and Jurischk have combined for an 11-3 record in 41 appearances.
JOHNSON & WALES PROVIDENCE WILDCATS (29-15, 15-3 GNAC)
Mady Lyons
The Wildcats earned their spot in the NCAA tournament by securing the Great Northeast Athletic Conference’s automatic qualifier by winning the league’s championship tournament. They are ranked 132
nd in NPI and are making their sixth appearance in the NCAA Regional.
Johnson & Wales won the GNAC tournament for a fifth time in program history after finishing with first in the league’s “East” division with the best overall and conference record in the GNAC. This is the sixth time in the last 10 seasons JWU has won at least 29 games.
The Wildcats are top 25 nationally and lead the GNAC in hits (408) and home runs (27). They are the GNAC’s top offense with 290 runs and lead the league in average (.333) and slug (.469) while sitting third with a .382 team OBP.
They also led the league in RBI (252) while hitting 69 doubles and 11 triples.
Mady Lyons leads JWU with an .825 slugging percentage while hitting .438 with a .468 on base percentage. Her slugging percentage leads the league along with her 60 hits, 13 home runs, 54 RBI and 113 total bases. She ranks among the top 10 nationally in RBIs and top 15 in home runs and total bases. Her 14 doubles lead the team and are top 3 in the GNAC and she’s drawn 12 walks, second-most on the team.
Mackenzie Clee leads the Wildcats and is top 5 in the GNAC with a .446 average and .507 OBP, and her 54 hits are also top 5. She’s scored more runs than any GNAC player (50) and is top 10 in stolen bases (12) and walks (18).
Morgan Pettellier is second on the squad with seven homers and 33 RBI while Caroline Amorelli is third in both with three homers and 31 RBI.
JWU has the top pitching staff in the GNAC with a 2.86 ERA and 1.27 WHIP. Wildcats hurlers struck out 161 batters while walking 91 and their 12 shutouts lead the league.
Katie Scheid and Jillian Reed have split the bulk of JWU’s pitching duties. Scheid’s posted a 14-7 record with a 3.05 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and .244 opponent batting average with 75 strikeouts in 129.2 innings pitched while Reed’s collected a 12-3 record with a 3.17 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and .227 opponent average with 56 strikeouts in 108.0 innings pitched. Scheid leads the GNAC in wins, ERA and complete games (17) while Reed leads the conference in WHIP, is second in ERA and the duo is tied for the league leads with five shutouts each.
