LIVE STATS TOURNAMENT HOME BRACKET
This week the University of Mary softball team will begin its quest for a conference championship as it opens the 2014 Northern Sun Softball Tournament in Sioux Falls, S.D., with Concordia University, St. Paul. Earning the seventh seed, the Marauders will open the double elimination tournament with the 10th seeded Golden Bears on Thursday at 10 a.m.
On the Line: The NSIC Softball Tournament Champion will earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Central Region Tournament, played May 9-11 followed by the NCAA Super Region played May 16-17 on a campus to be determined. The NCAA Championships are set for May 22-26 at Moyer Sports Complex in Salem, Va. The NCAA DII Softball Selection Show is set to air via webcast on NCAA.com on Monday, May 5 at 9 a.m.
Follow Live: All games will have live stats available at
goumary.com/coverage. Updates will also be posted on Twitter when possible @umarysports and @ NorthernSunConf
Tickets: Single day tickets are $6 for adults and $2 for seniors and students. A tournament pass is $10 for adults and $5 for seniors and students. Fans are encouraged to bring a non-perishable food item for the local food bank if possible.
Tournament Homepage: The tournament homepage can be found at
http://bit.ly/1fvUvE1 and will have results from all 10 teams and tournament statistics.
What if? If U-Mary defeats Concordia-St. Paul, it will take on second seeded Winona State University at 2 p.m., who it was swept by earlier in the season. If U-Mary loses, it will take on the loser of Wayne State College and University of Sioux Falls at 4 p.m. The Marauders swept the Wildcats last weekend and split with the Cougars earlier in the season.
History vs. CU: Dating back to 2007, U-Mary has a 7-13 record against Concordia-St. Paul. Prior to sweeping the Golden Bears earlier in the season, the Marauders had lost nine of the last 10 meetings.
Earlier this season vs. CU: Behind six home runs that accounted for nine of their 14 runs, U-Mary swept Concordia-St. Paul. The Marauders took the first game by a score of 10-1 and completed the sweep holding on for a 4-2 win in the second game.
Julissa Perales led the Marauders offense going 4-for-7 with three home runs on the day, including a three run homer in the second game. Perales finished the day with five RBI.
Cherlyn Trujillo started both games for U-Mary pitching 11.2 innings and striking out 18, while allowing just one run. Trujillo picked up a season-high 13 strikeouts in a complete game effort in the opener.
Offensively the Marauders are having one of their best statistical seasons since transitioning to NCAA Division II in 2006. With a .334 team batting average and a .394 on-base percentage the 2014 team has the best marks in both categories over the past nine seasons. With a .496 slugging percentage, this year's squad ranks second over the past nine seasons.
400 club: U-Mary had two hitters finish the regular season with a batting average of .400 or better for the first time since transitioning to the NCAA in 2006. Senior
Allison Brown finished the regular season hitting at an even .400 clip and freshman
Amber Gamboa led the team with a .415 average.
300 club: Hitting .334 as a team, U-Mary has a total of seven players: Gamboa, Brown,
Taylor Mendez,
Alana Norman,
Julissa Perales,
Demaree Rodriguez and
Kristin Ormsby that are hitting over .320.
Speed Kills: With 141 stolen bases this season U-Mary already has 60 more stolen bases than they have since transitioning to NCAA Division II in 2006. Through the end of the last week, the Marauders were second in the NCAA in stolen bases per game at 2.82. Leading the attack has been sophomore
Alana Norman, who is sixth in the NCAA with 0.84 stolen bases per game.
Defensively the Marauders have made 75 errors in 50 games, but allow just 3.64 runs per game, 2.86 of which are earned. U-Mary's catchers have allowed the second lowest stolen base percentage since the Marauders transitioned to the NCAA in 2006 at .667.
Pitching has been a strong point for U-Mary this season posting the second fewest earned runs over the past nine seasons (since transition to NCAA Division II) at 163 (2.86 ERA). With a .244 opponent's batting average, the Marauders pitchers rank first in that same time period. The 2014 team also ranks first in strikeouts with 319.
Pick Your Poison: The pitching duo of
Cherlyn Trujillo and
Erin Keen have provided the Marauders one of the most formidable 1-2 punches in the conference. Trujillo and Keen both rank in the top-15 in the NSIC in ERA and opponent's batting average and in the top-10 in strikeouts.
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