[Championship Page]
RIPON, Wis. – The 2012 Midwest Conference (MWC) Softball Championship will open on Saturday, May 5 with the first four games and concludes on Sunday with the new MWC Champion being crowned. The four team tournament was originally schedule for Friday and Saturday play but was moved because of weather pushing the final weekend of conference play back into the week of the tournament.
Lake Forest hosts the tournament after finishing atop the South Division with St. Norbert heading into play as the top seed in the North Division. Monmouth and Carroll will join the two division winners in Illinois and battles to be the next MWC Champion after Ripon, the 2011 winner, failed to make the field.
The double elimination tournament kicks off on Saturday when St. Norbert will face off against Monmouth at 10 a.m. Lake Forest and Carroll will square off at 12 p.m. with the two losing teams play at 2 p.m. and the two winning teams of the first game playing at 4 p.m. Sunday will feature as many as three games with the first game starting at 10 a.m. The winner of the tournament will earn the conference’s bid to the NCAA Tournament.
#1N St. Norbert (14-17, 6-2 MWC) vs. #2S Monmouth (17-16, 6-2 MWC)
St. Norbert had its three-peat bid ruined last season and are back after winning the MWC North Division. The Green Knights enter the tournament with the second best offense in the league, hitting for a .296 average while also finishing second with 258 hits. They have been effective getting on base, ranking second in the league with a .341 on base percentage while ranking fourth with a team OPS of .716. Steph Brunette leads the league in average (.426), hits (43) and on base percentage (.468) while she collected eight doubles, good for third in the league. Morgan Buboltz is right behind Brunette with the second best average in the MWC (.406) while adding a team-best four home runs and 24 RBI. She posted an OPS of 1.059 OPS and also doubled eight times. Brittany Narges (.336, 6 2B, 10 RBI) and Brittany Bauknecht (.281, 3 2B, 11 RBI) will also add punch to the St. Norbert lineup. Shannen Schmidt started 17 games earning an 8-8 record with 11 complete games while posting a team-low ERA of 3.35. Schmidt held opposing hitters to a .254 average and will be complimented by Morgan Rusch who won six games this season in 98.1 innings pitched.
Monmouth earned a come from behind win over Lake Forest and got a Foresters sweep over Illinois Col. to advance to the MWC Tournament for a chance to play in the NCAA Tournament. The Fighting Scots enter the tournament as one of the most well rounded team in the league both offensively and defensively. They enter the tournament after finishing third in the league in hits (238), runs (148) and on base percentage (.331) while having the second most doubles (41) and home runs (12). Not to be outdone the pitching staff held the second-best ERA (2.87) and held hitters to a .278 average. Sommer Foster headlines the offense with a .355 average and four home runs while posting a 1.029 OPS. Caitlin Lingle collected 10 extra base hits that included three home runs to go along with a .346 average. Lauren Bergstresser (.313/.347/.420) contributed two home runs, 13 RBI and 11 stolen bases to round out the offense. Alyssa Elder shoulders most of the pitching load with six wins on the season and a 2.51 ERA. She held hitters to a .261 average during the regular season. Taylor Smith also picked up six wins in 15 appearances with a 3.12 ERA.
#2S Carroll (19-12, 5-3 MWC) at #1S Lake Forest (17-16, 7-1 MWC)
Lake Forest earned the top spot in the South Division and the right to host the tournament thanks to a strong finish to the season which included a double header sweep of Illinois Col. to clinch a playoff berth. The Foresters enter the tournament winners of ten of their last 15 games and aim to have a bounce back performance after dropping the first two games of the 2011 tournament. Nora Logue paces the Foresters offense with a .372 average which is good for sixth in the league while her 1.041 OPS is among the best in the conference. Lake Forest tops the league with 25 home runs led by Sam Ritsema’s conference best six home runs. Whitney Leideman has five home runs and a team high 24 RBI while Nikki Miller holds a .330 average with 16 RBI. Kelly Chesnut holds a team-low ERA of 2.81 and had five wins in 67.1 innings with teammate Molly Thomsen picked up six wins and posted a 3.33 ERA in 17 appearances and 14 starts.
Carroll earned a spot to the MWC Tournament for the first time since the 2001 season and features a team that is strong both offensively and defensively. The Pioneers rank tops in the league in several offensive categories including average (.311), slugging (.415), on base percentage (.350), hits (268) and doubles (44) as well as only striking out 121 times this season which is third fewest in the league. Carroll also boasts a 2.87 team ERA which is third in the conference while holding opposing hitters to a .272 average and 220 hits, both of which are second best. Hannah Sanidas headlines six players hitting .300 or better with a .372 batting average with 15 extra base hits and a .396 on base percentage. Amanda Strutz stole a league-best 15 bases this season while hitting .324 with 18 RBI. Ashlee Leidall (.371/.391/.393) and Taylor Steinhilber (.369/.397/.415) are also strong offensive weapons for the Pioneers. Steinhilber also is the top arm on the staff with the third-best ERA in the MWC (1.90) and held hitters to only a .235 average this season. Kristi Johnson held a 3.56 ERA and posted a 6-2 record in 17 appearances to round out the pitching staff.
For all information pertaining to the championship please visit the championship page.