[Softball] Opposing View: A look at the Falcons' matchups at the NAIA National Tournament
Henderson, Tenn. – The Friends University Falcons won the KCAC tournament championship last weekend in Great Bend, Kan., so now it's time to look ahead at the matchups that are coming up starting tomorrow (May 16) when NAIA Opening Round action begins in the Henderson Bracket in Henderson, Tenn.
Freed-Hardeman University
The Freed-Hardeman University Lady Lions are the bracket's top seed and the No. 3-ranked team overall in the NAIA. The Lady Lions are 48-3 overall and won both the Mid-South Conference regular season and tournament championship.
A theme the Falcons will need to deal with in this bracket is the ability to keep the ball in the park. The Lady Lions are tied for eighth in the NAIA with 47 home runs on the season, led by 11 from Kennedy Harris. Sophie Dunavant is also a catalyst to the Lady Lions' offensive attack with a team-leading 59 RBIs and 17 doubles on the season.
But the Lady Lions' true calling card this season has been their dominance in the circle, as they sport an NAIA-leading 1.18 ERA.
The pitching trio of Chloe Winters, Brittany Adair and Morgan Crawford have been equally effective for Freed-Hardeman. Winters is 15-2 with a 0.83 ERA, with Adair also recording 15 wins along with a miniscule 0.93 ERA and team-leading 188 strikeouts. Crawford has won all 13 of her decisions and has posted a 1.32 ERA.
The Falcons will get a quick look at Freed-Hardeman, with their opening round matchup set for tomorrow (May 16) at 5 pm.
Madonna University
The Madonna University Crusaders are the second seed and are ranked 19th in the final NAIA Top 25 Coaches' poll. At 31-7 overall, the Crusaders won the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference before falling in the tourney semifinal round to Aquinas.
The Crusaders aren't much easier to hit than the Lady Lions and rank 12th in the nation in ERA (1.80). Maeson Schlaud anchors the Madonna pitching staff with a 21-2 record and team-highs in ERA (1.20) and strikeouts (208).
Madonna hits .332 as a team but has only hit seven homers on the season, with six coming from Katie Popko. Popko has also driven in a team-high 47 RBIs, while Veronica Pezzoni leads the team with a blistering .508 batting average along with a team-best seven triples.
Columbia College
The Falcons are most familiar with the third-seeded Columbia College Cougars than any team in the Henderson Bracket. Friends faced then No. 24-ranked Columbia earlier this season at the McPherson Invite. The Cougars slipped by in that matchup 7-6 after the Falcons' late rally fell short.
The No. 18-ranked Cougars finished the regular season 33-10 and were a perfect 18-0 in the American Midwest Conference in winning the league's regular season and tournament championship.
Right behind Madonna in national team ERA is Columbia (1.84) in the 14th spot.
Ella Shouten and Lexi Dickerson are the two go-to pitchers for the Cougars. Shouten leads the team in wins (17), strikeouts (136) and ERA (1.23), with Dickerson recording a 12-3 mark and striking out 99 along with a 1.34 ERA.
Columbia is also tied for eighth in the nation with Freed-Hardeman in home runs (47) on the season. Athena Wheeler has hit a team-best 15 homers on the season, while Taylor Barnes leads the Cougars in batting average (.403) and Karolina Arbova has driven in a team-high 48 runs.
In a clearly competitive bracket, the Falcons will enter the NAIA Opening Round matchups playing their best ball of the season. Friends has won 17 of their past 20 games, including going 5-1 in capturing the KCAC tournament title last weekend.
The surge for the Falcons has been fueled by the unflappable pitching duo of Laila Spracklen (JR/San Diego, Calif. ) and Isabelle Schwien (SO/Denver, Colo. ).
Spracklen has ascended into one of the top pitchers in the KCAC, leading the league in strikeouts (215) and placing third in ERA (2.29) and tied for third in wins (18).
Schwien has been on an upward trend recently but saved her best performance for when the Falcons needed it most. Schwien retired 16 of the final 17 batters she faced in the winner-take-all title tilt vs. McPherson College last Sunday (May 8) and blanked the Bulldogs on two hits in the championship victory.
Spracklen's contributions to the Falcons' success has certainly not been limited to the mound. She is currently second on the team in hitting (.376), RBIs (33) and home runs (eight).
Priscilla Mora (FR/Beaumont, Calif. ) has been a revelation in her first season with the program. Mora is tied for the KCAC-lead with 10 home runs and leads the Falcons in RBIs (46) and slugging percentage (.704).
Aleigha Gale (SO/Winfield, Kan. ) and Meghan Low (SR/Collinsville, Okla.) serve as the spark plugs at the top of the Falcons lineup. Gale leads off for the Falcons and is second in the KCAC in stolen bases (31), while Low leads the team in batting average (.381) along with stealing 19 bases and being caught just once on the season. The Falcons' late-season surge has coincided with Low picking up steam at the plate, as the Collinsville, Okla. native has batted .476 in her last 14 games and has stolen eight bases, including a swipe in each of the Falcons' final three KCAC tournament victories.
"We will go there and give our very best. We are playing really good softball right now, so the sky is the limit!" said Friends softball head coach Suzanne Unruh following the NAIA selection show last Tuesday (May 10).
To follow next week's NAIA Opening round matchups, check out the links below.
Live Stats (Friends vs. Freed-Hardeman)