Softball Preview vs. Corban 5-12-19

Softball CU Athletics

Lady Tiger Softball visits Gulf Shores Part Two: Scouting the Opening Round opponents

GULF SHORES — The 2019 NAIA Softball Opening Round Championships get under way on Monday at 10 host sites from across the country and Campbellsville Lady Tiger softball is competing in the Gulf Shores Bracket this week. 
 
Campbellsville, the No. 2-seed in the bracket and 15th-ranked team in the country, was paired with No. 26 and three-seeded Corban University out of Oregon. The Lady Tigers boast a 33-13 record, while Corban also earned an at-large bid and is 36-14 overall. 
 
Both CUs play on Monday morning in Gulf Shores – or the afternoon in the Eastern Time Zone. First pitch to open The Bracket is scheduled for Monday at 11 a.m. / 12 p.m. ET. 

The other two teams in the tournament – No. 1 Mobile and No. 4 Edward Waters play tomorrow at 1 p.m. CT.
 
Fans can hear all the action of the Opening Round Championship on the Campbellsville University Sports Network – www.campbellsvilletigers.com/watch.
 
CU's Opening Round History:
  • The Lady Tigers are making their fifth appearance in the Opening Round and fifth straight since the new format started in 2013. 
  • CU has one Opening Round title in 2015 and punched its ticket to the World Series for the first time that season. 
  • Overall in the five years of playing in the Opening Round, the Lady Tigers are 8-7 overall. 
  • In 2015, CU lost the first game of the USC Beaufort Opening Round and had to rally out of the loser's bracket. The Lady Tigers lost to Rio Grande (4-3) but rallied with two wins in the second round over Indiana Wesleyan (5-1) and Rio Grande (3-2). In the finals, CU had to beat the host Sand Sharks two games in a row and pulled out the unthinkable. 
  • In the first championship game, CU's Victoria Decker went 11.2 innings in the circle and the Lady Tigers walked in the 12thinning as Erin Benton delivered a through the left side scoring Haley Szpila. 
  • In 2016, CU was placed in the Morningside Bracket hosting by Morningside College and went 1-2 in the Opening Round to end its season. 
  • The last two years have ended in disappointment as well without another World Series berth. In 2017, the Lady Tigers hosted the Opening Round for the first time in history but lost to Indiana Wesleyan and Saint Francis. 
  • Last season ended with a pair of heartbreaking losses. After beating Faulkner University in the winner's bracket final last on Monday night, the Lady Tigers and Eagles met on the next Tuesday and Faulkner had to beat CU twice. The Lady Tiger offense went silent and Faulkner won 2-0 and 2-1 to seal a bid to the World Series. 
Scouting No. 1-seeded Mobile:
  • The Mobile Rams won the Southern States Athletic Conference Tournament Championship and are competing in their third NAIA Opening Round. 
  • Mobile has an overall record of 9-3 in their opening round appearances. 
  • The Rams are 50-11 on the year and went 26-6 in SSAC play to out-pace William Carey by two games in the standings.
  • The Rams are totally the opposite of Campbellsville at the plate. Mobile uses the short game to manufacture its runs, while the Lady Tigers like the long ball and extra base hits. 
  • Led by Maddie Burchell's .380 batting average on the season, she is fourth on the team with 30 RBI but has stolen 27-of-29 bases. 
  • Four Rams have double-figure stolen bags. Led by Emily Fleetwood (35/35), Burchell (27/29), Allison Vincent (19/20) and Savannah Woodruff (14/16). 
  • In the circle, Mobile is led by Erika Greek and Hope Cain. Greek boasts a 0.92 ERA with a 19-4 record and 13 complete-game shutouts. Greek has tossed 159 innings and struck out 190 batters.
  • Cain has a 1.21 ERA with a 24-3 record and a team-high 185.1 innings.
No. 3-seeded Corban Warriors:
  • The Warriors have had the longest haul to get to Gulf Shores. Corban is located in Salem, Oregon – just 2,155 miles away. 
  • Corban has a 36-14 record on the year and went 19-8 in the Cascade Collegiate Conference. 
  • Ranked just outside the Top 25 at No. 26, the Warriors are making their fifth Opening Round appearance and third-straight with a 9-6 record. The Warriors also have an Opening Round title in 2017 after winning the Columbia Bracket at Lindsey Wilson College. 
  • Ranked 10thin the country in stolen bases (120/135), the Warriors are very similar to Mobile as they use small ball and short-game to produce runs. 
  • Jessie Isham and Sam Woodley, both CoSIDA Academic All-District honorees, are the top-two run producers for the Warriors. Isham is hitting .467 with eight home runs and 50 RBI. She's also slugging .800 on the season with 18 doubles and four triples. 
  • Woodley is hitting .392 with five home runs and 37 RBI.
  • In the circle, the Warriors have a plethora of arms. Led by Sarah Probasco's 13-4 record, she has a 2.76 ERA over 99 innings this season. Rachel White is 10-3 with a 2.19 ERA through 90 innings. 
No. 4-seeded Edward Waters College:
  • Edward Waters is from Jacksonville, Florida and is making their second Opening Round appearance. The Tigers boast an 0-2 record in the tournament. 
  • Competing as an Independent, the Tigers finished runner-up in the tournament championship to Georgia Gwinnet College and earned the conference's second bid. 
  • The Tigers boast a 13-19 record on the year and are led by Ashley Combast's .340 average. The power comes from Samantha Hall with her six home runs and 23 RBI. 
  • Opponents are out-scoring EWC, 160-44, this season and the team-ERA sits at 4.86 entering the tournament. 
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