SOFTBALL SCAC TOURNAMENT PREVIEW
MULTIMEDIA COVERAGE
SOCIAL MEDIA
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FIRST PITCH
The University of Dallas softball team prepares for the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) Tournament being hosted by Texas Lutheran University in Seguin, Texas. Dallas is the fifth seed and will play the fourth seed Schreiner University on Friday at 12 p.m. This matchup kicks off the three-day tournament that is double elimination.
The Crusaders finished the regular season 14-26 and 9-15 in the SCAC. However, the Crusaders surged the final two weekends of the spring by going 5-3 at home which included winning five-of-six games. Dallas took three-of-four games in the last series of the year versus Austin College. This included a doubleheader sweep on Senior Day.
UD NOTES
- The Dallas offense has been hot combining for 58 runs and 70 hits in the last six games. That includes 52 runs and 61 hits in five victories that also included a pair of six-inning run-rules.
- The Crusaders have stolen 99 bases on the year, which is the second highest total in program history. The 2016 squad set the record with 134.
- The current team has been fast on the base paths lately with 38 combined in seven games. That includes 25 over the Austin College series that helped this group become the 4th team in program history to amass at least 90 thefts. It is the third year in a row under head coach Beth Krysiak. The inaugural team in 2002 is the other squad to reach that feat.
- Jade Miller (Plano, Texas) remains the catalyst on the offense with team-highs in most categories. On Saturday, the outfielder set the individual season record with 53 hits. She has 58 entering the tournament and is on a 10-game hitting streak. Miller has recorded a hit in 37-of-40 games played this year.
- Miller swiped five steals over the weekend to propel her back to 29 for second in the league. Miller remains atop the leader board in the SCAC for batting average (.472). She also leads the team in runs (32) and doubles (9).
- Miller and Melanie Savala (Bryan, Texas) are tied for first on the team in triples with three apiece. Stephanie Cervantes (Temecula, Calif.) became the team leader in homers with three to match her total from her freshman year. The catcher wacked a homer in each series over the homestand.
- Allie Driskill (Houston, Texas) raised her batting average to .324 for second on the team. She has 36 hits and a team-high 26 RBI. Mackenzie Tano (Wylie, Texas) and Savala follow in runs driven in with 21 and 20, respectively.
- Finch is second on the team in stolen bases with 17. She reached triple-digits for her career on Sunday and continued to cement herself as the all-time leader in that category.
- Allison Kotlar (Edna, Texas) is hitting .286 with three doubles and a triple. She posted a hit in seven games over the eight-game stretch at the friendly confines and scored a run through a span of five straight games. Her total combined for scoring was seven.
- In the circle, Lauran Galvan (Bryan, Texas) has emerged as the leader in appearances (26) and innings pitched (122.1). Galvan picked up all three wins against Austin College to lift her total to nine.
- Katie Lee (Houston, Texas) eclipsed 100 innings to give the senior triple-digits for that category in all four years. She has made 120 appearances in her career and is tied with Galvan for starts with 18.
CRUSADERS IN SCAC TOURNAMENT
- Dallas has made the conference tournament five straights seasons. This includes the past four under Krysiak's tutelage. UD has played in nine games overall during Krysiak's tenure, posting a 3-6 record.
- Last season, the Crusaders advanced to their furthest round since joining the league in 2012.
- After defeating Schreiner University 11-6, the team dropped fell to host school and second seeded Trinity University, 4-3. On the second day, Dallas avoided elimination by run-ruling Southwestern University 9-1. A 9-0 setback to Centenary ended the tournament for UD.
- Dallas won 13 games in the most recent two springs and earned the No. 3 seed in the tournament both years. The Crusaders are the No. 5 seed this year, but will draw Schreiner for the third straight year in the opening round. The teams have split the last two meetings in the tournament.
SCOUTING THE MOUNTAINEERS
- Schreiner ended the 2017 regular season slate 2-6, that included a split at home the final weekend versus Centenary College. The two squads finished tied in the standings at 12-12, but Centenary won the tiebreaker.
- The Mountaineers did go 6-14 away from home this year.
- Alyssa Maki paces the team in hits with 53, runs with 40, and has a .414 batting average. She has wacked 10 doubles, five triples (team-high), and eight home runs (team-high). She is a perfect 28-for-28 in steals.
- Kaycee Govett is second on the squad in total hits with 45 and only other player (with enough ABs) hitting over .300 with a .338-clip. Kaylee Atchley is third on the team in base knocks (34) and is the other player with double-digits clinched in stolen bags (12). The team is 72-of-79 in steals.
- Samantha Cordon has powered a team-high 11 doubles and is tied with Gabriella Acuna in round-trippers with four apiece. The team has 21 total long balls.
- In the circle Hannah Ortiz and Jessica Vrana anchor the pitchers with a combined 240.2 innings out of 252.2 compiled. Ortiz has thrown the most with 132.2 frames completed and punched out 71 batters. She is 12-7 while Vrana is 9-10, but Vrana does have the lower ERA (4.15). Ortiz is also under 5.00 with a 4.38 mark.
REGULAR SEASON MATCHUP
- Dallas dropped the regular season series to the Mountaineers in Irving on March 25-26.
- Game Box Scores (L, 6-0 | W, 4-3 | L, 8-4 | L, 7-6 (F/9)).
- Tano did tie a single-game record with two triples in the second game of the series.
- Miller picked up hits in all four games with a double in the first two and a triple in the finale.
- Savala set a school record in stolen bases in the extra inning thriller with five.
REST OF THE FIELD
- No. 1 Seed Texas Lutheran University (34-4, 22-0 SCAC) Season Stats
- No. 2 Seed Southwestern University (25-11, 18-4 SCAC) Season Stats
- No. 3 Seed Centenary College (15-23, 12-12 SCAC) Season Stats
- No. 6 Seed Trinity University (14-26, 6-18 SCAC) Season Stats
UP NEXT
The winner of Friday's first game will face top-seeded Texas Lutheran University at a scheduled 4 p.m. start time. The loser will play at 12 p.m. on Saturday.