The MIAA softball tournament gets underway Thursday at Trine University’s new SportONE/Parkview Softball Field. The four-team, double-elimination tournament will determine the MIAA’s representative to the NCAA Division III Tournament.
Host Trine enters the tournament as the number one seed, having captured a fourth consecutive MIAA championship during the regular-season. Trine is 33-2 overall and finished the with a 15-1 mark in league games. The Thunder are ranked fifth in the latest National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division III poll and top the Central Region in the official NCAA regional rankings. Trine is seeking its third straight MIAA tournament title.
The Thunder, who have won 14 straight games entering Thursday's action, will face fourth-seeded Saint Mary’s in a first-round contest at 1 p.m., preceded by No. 2 Hope against No. 3 Alma at 11 a.m. The losers will play an elimination game at 3:30 p.m., with the winners to play the final game of the day at 5:30 p.m.
Trine features an offense that has won with both speed and power. The Thunder lead the nation in home runs per game (1.49) and slugging percentage (.645), while ranking third in scoring at 9.2 runs per game, third in stolen bases per game and ninth in the country in batting average. Outfielder Carly Searles won the MIAA batting title with a .608 average, and her 109 hits in MIAA play for her career are the most in conference history. Freshman Kaylee Fox tied an MIAA mark with nine home runs in conference play, while pitchers Justine Robles and Bree Fuller provided a potent 1-2 punch inside the circle.
Hope enters the tournament as the only team to defeat Trine in conference play. The Flying Dutch snapped the Thunder’s 49-game MIAA regular season winning streak by winning a 15-10 slugfest earlier this year in Holland. Ranked 20th in this week’s NFCA Division III poll, Hope is 27-7 overall and finished with a 12-4 record in league play. Sammi Adams was second to Searles in the MIAA batting race with a .525 average, while Autumn Anderson hit .464. Julie Sobieski belted six home runs and had 22 RBI against MIAA opponents.
Alma is back in the MIAA tournament after missing the tournament for the first time in school history last year. The Scots have won nine MIAA tournaments, more than any other MIAA school, with their last title coming in 2012. Alma led the MIAA in earned run average in conference play at 1.56, anchored by sophomore Morgan Stratton, who posted a 6-2 record with a microscopic 0.36 ERA and 63 strikeouts in conference play. Marie Zill leads the Alma offense with a .489 batting average against MIAA opponents.
Saint Mary’s enters the tournament at 22-12 overall, having placed fourth in the MIAA during the regular season with a 9-7 conference mark. The Belles are making their first tournament appearance since 2012, and won their only tournament title in 2004. Freshman Cassie Young leads Saint Mary’s in hitting with a .464 average in conference play, while Makenzie Duncan hit .380.
Weather permitting, the tournament will conclude Friday at SportONE/Parkview Softball Field.
