SCAC CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW: Softball vs. Schreiner (4/24-26)
(Photo Graphic Courtesy of Hannah Miller)
MULTIMEDIA COVERAGE
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FIRST PITCH
The University of Dallas softball team (20-14, 13-9 SCAC) head to the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) well-rested after getting two weeks off. UD has claimed a historic campaign thus far tying a program-best 20 wins, and setting a conference-high since joining four years ago.
The Lady Crusaders hold the No. 3-Seed in the SCAC bracket, and will play host school No. 6-Seed Schreiner University (7-29, 6-16 SCAC) on Friday, April 23 at 2 p.m. This is the highest seeding UD has had going into the league tournament and is 2-4 all-time in these contests.
Dallas is 4-8 on the road, but has gone 4-0 in neutral site settings, and are coming off its first SCAC-series sweep of the year.
LAST TIME OUT
Dallas was scheduled to play a pair of doubleheaders last weekend at MidAmerica Nazarene University and Ottawa University in Kansas. The MidAmerica series got cancelled due to a scheduling conflict, and Ottawa University's field was unplayable due to rain. The four non-conference cancellations left Dallas idle of the weekend, but would remain in the third seed of the SCAC Championships.
Prior to that the Navy and White swept Friday's opponent Schreiner at Irving, Texas, in 4-0 fashion. In the opener, UD tallied runs in every trip to the plate en route to its sixth shutout of the season. After a pair of three-run frames in the nightcap, Schreiner rallied for five in the fourth, but the Lady Crusaders added insurance runs the rest of the way to secure at least a split.
On Senior Day, the home squad took an early 2-0 lead in the second inning, but would relinquish and trail for the first time in the series after allowing one in the sixth. The bottom half favored the Navy and White as UD posted two to claim the four-game set.
Between contests, Garcia and Pickert would be honored for their dedication and hard work all four years with the University of Dallas softball program. In the finale, both programs scored through the first four innings, with UD capitalizing on a three-run second to propel them to a sweep and finish a school-best 12-6 at the friendly confines.
TOURNEY OUTLOOK
Dallas made a six-win improvement within the league to boast its highest total since becoming a member four years ago. The Lady Crusaders matched the most in program history in 2009, and is the most for a squad since the 2010 team rattled off an 18-18 record.
As a team, Dallas is hitting .283 with four players above the .300 line. Headlining the quartet is senior Taylor Garcia (Pflugerville, Texas) with a .385 mark. Junior Erin Begle (Houston, Texas) and sophomore Lyda Tesauro (Hollywood, Fla.) are right behind smacking .356 and .354 clips, respectively. Begle has posted five doubles, two triples, and 16 RBI. Tesauro ranks first in runs scored with 31, third in hits at 34, and has been a perfect 23-of-23 in stolen bases. Sophomore Avery Finch (Jamul, Calif.) completes the unit with a .330 average and leads the conference and team with a single-season record, 29 steals.
The Navy and White are atop the SCAC with 94 stolen bases, and are second among league opponents with 2.79 earned-run-average (ERA).
Responsible for most of that mark is sophomore Katie Lee (Houston, Texas). The righty has spun a 2.56 ERA and compiled a single-season program record in wins with 19, and innings pitched with 205.
Freshmen Eliah Davila (Abilene, Texas) and Madison Goforth (Tyler, Texas) will be making their first tournament debuts after solid rookie campaigns. Davila has played 31 games, making 29 starts, and is hitting .286 with 22 hits, and six steals. Goforth is hitting .282 with 29 knocks, seven doubles, two triples, and 10 stolen bases in 34 starts at third base.
Complete SCAC Preview of all teams here.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Garcia, a senior catcher from Pflugerville, Texas, has paced the Lady Crusaders' offense in several offensive categories this season. She leads the team with a .385 batting average, 40 hits, three home runs, and 38 RBI – setting a career mark. Garcia also has broken the program record for homers with 11, and is one away from tying a career-high from last year.
Finch, a sophomore centerfielder from Jamul, California, is batting .330 with an on-base percentage of .389. Her 38 hits rank second on the squad behind Garcia, and has scored 25 times. Finch leads the conference and team in steals with 29 out of 32 attempts. That mark has also set a single-season record for the speedy outfielder.
SCOUTING THE MOUNTAINEERS
Schreiner concluded the regular season with a two-game sweep versus Austin College at home 10-2 and 2-0, respectively. The final twinbill of the four-game set was cancelled due to weather. SU's sweep improved its record in the friendly confines to 7-15.
Offensively, the Maroon and White are led by Samantha Cordon with a .346 average and is second on the team with 36 hits and 18 RBI. Sydney Christopher has recorded the most hits with 37, 28 ribbies, 14 runs scored, and is slashing .330/.347/.500. Reanna Garces, Sarah Worrell, and Nichole Schoenherr are batting .345, .337, and .310, respectively. As a team, the Mountaineers have hit .278 and knocked five homers.
Lorena Espinoza has made the most appearances in the circle for Schreiner, tossing a team-high 114 innings in 23 appearances. She is 2-18 and reflected a 4.11 ERA with 29 walks and 26 strikeouts. Dominique Sandoval is 3-7 with a 5.40 ERA in 57 innings, and Jessica Vrana has gone 2-4 with a 4.10 ERA in 54.2 frames tossed.
Historically, Dallas holds a 6-2 record against SU in the past two years, and the programs have split 2-2 matchups at Kerrville, Texas. In the most recent series, Cordon led the Mountaineers with seven hits, and Begle posted five for UD with three doubles, and six-RBI. Her season-best, 4, came in an 8-0 win to open the series.
UP NEXT
The winner of the Friday's contest will advance to the SCAC Winner's Bracket later that day at 6 p.m. No. 2-Seed Trinity University will oppose the team that triumphs. The losing team will play in an Elimination Game on Apr. 25 at 10 a.m.
SOCIAL MEDIA
UD Twitter: @UDallasSports
Softball Twitter: @UDallasSoftball
Facebook: University of Dallas Athletics