Griffins Top Seed in Upcoming Softball Tournament
| SLIAC Tournament At A Glance - 2021 SLIAC Softball Tournament Page | |||||
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The 2021 St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Softball Tournament begins this week, with quarterfinal games being played on Wednesday at the higher seeds home field. The tournament will then move to Westminster College for the final three days of the tournament. The four teams that advance from the quarterfinals will play on Thursday, May 6 with elimination games being held on Friday and the championship set for Saturday. Admission for all tournament games will be $5 for adults, $3 for 16 and under. Please check each host school's attendance policy for any restrictions. A reminder that the final two days of the tournament will be broadcast live with College Casts. |
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| #1 Fontbonne University vs. #8 Blackburn College - Wednesday, May 5 in St. Louis, Mo. | |||||
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Griffins by the Numbers
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A Look at the Griffins This spring Fontbonne captured its first SLIAC regular season title since 2016 and were the only conference team to notch double digit conference wins. The Griffins have the league's best offense, plating 203 runs this season while hitting .320 with 12 home runs. Grace Paez leads the team with a .426 average and 30 RBI while the duo of Hannah Miener (5 home runs) and Gracie Morris (4 home runs) provide the pop. The Griffins have eight players hitting over .300 this spring. Abby Richmond is the go-to player in the circle, leading the team with a 2.05 E.R.A. |
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Beavers by the Numbers
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A Look at the Beavers Blackburn is hitting just .215 this season and have scored a league low 46 runs. Despite the low team average they do have four starters hitting above .300 this spring. One bright spot for the Beavers has been Holly Heuerman. The freshman is hitting .364 with a .455 slugging percentage. Their pitching staff holds a 5.12 earned-run average, 6th in the conference. Brooke Daniels is their top pitcher, with a 3.29 earned-run average and 54 strikeouts. |
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| #2 Webster University vs. #7 Eureka College - Wednesday, May 5 in St. Louis, Mo. | |||||
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Gorloks by the Numbers
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A Look at the Gorloks Webster is hitting .302 as a team, scoring 121 runs. Their lineup is anchored by Abby Burroughs, who is hitting .435 with 5 home runs and 24 RBI. Breelyn Craig and Sidney Holtz are also both hitting over .400 this spring. A total of seven players carry a .300 average or better into the tournament. The pitching staff is deep with three players (Reese Waggoner, Kirbie Mendenhall, and Morgan Parrish) throwing at least 49 innings this spring. |
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Red Devils by the Numbers
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A Look at the Red Devils Eureka is 2nd in the league in home runs and hitting .295 this spring. Morgan Ledbetter is one of the top home run threats in league history and is hitting .438 with 4 home runs and 27 RBI this year. Raelyn Payne is hitting at a .500 clip with 10 doubles while Jordan Heinz gives the team a third hitter over a .400 average. While the defending champions bats are still alive their pitching has taken a step back this year with a 6.03 team E.R.A. and opponents hitting .350 this spring. |
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| #3 Spalding University vs. #6 Greenville University - Wednesday, May 5 in Louisville, Ky. | |||||
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Golden Eagles by the Numbers
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A Look at the Golden Eagles The Golden Eagles have plated 126 runs this spring, hitting .303 as a team. Despite their lack of power, just two home runs, they feature six players with at least a .300 batting average. Leading that group is Madison Loechle with a .381 clip, including three striples. Jennifer Peffley is hitting .338 and has swiped 15 bases this spring. Olivia Carter has thrown nearly 70 innings in the circle and has a 3.11 earned-run average. |
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Panthers by the Numbers
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A Look at the Panthers Greenville was finally able to return to the field over the weekend after having not played since May 7th. The Panthers bring a three game winning streak into the tournament. Despite the lack of games it hasn't taken Kendall Farr to get into the swing of things, hitting .417 with 6 home runs; the second most in the SLIAC. Hannah Hoffman, Maegan Stone, and Jaclyn Belzer are all hitting above .300 this year while the Panthers are hitting .264 as a team. The Panthers hold a 4.98 team E.R.A. with Stone throwing a team-high 70.1 innings this spring. |
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| #4 Westminster College vs. #5 Iowa Wesleyan University - Wednesday, May 5 in Fulton, Mo. | |||||
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Blue Jays by the Numbers
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A Look at the Blue Jays Westminster comes into the tournament tied for the longest active winning streak, at three, after sweeping Fontbonne in their last games back on April 26th. The powerful Blue Jays lineup, with a league leading 15 home runs, are hitting .301 this spring. Janae Shirk is hitting a team leading .452 this spring while Laney Rosson helps set the table, scoring 26 runs this season. Brooke Laidley (7 home runs) and Mackenzie Myers (5 home runs) are long ball threats. Katie Price has thrown nearly 100 innings this spring while Erin Carr is just behind with 74.2 innings. |
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Tigers by the Numbers
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A Look at the Tigers The Tigers offense hasn't quite clicked like it did last spring, hitting just .240 and scoring 52 runs this spring. Yessenia Munoz leads the team with a .382 average and is one of four Tigers hitting at least .300 this spring. While their scoring has dropped off, there has been no change for reigning SLIAC Pitcher of the Year, Morgan Christner. The senior has a 1.90 E.R.A. and a SLIAC leading 79 strikeouts. |
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