by Matt Koll
The PAC softball tournament has a slightly different look to it this year, moving from the play-in style for the bottom three seeds to a fully double-elimination tournament. For the third season in a row, the site for the festivities will be New Wilmington, PA, home of the top-seeded Westminster Titans. But it’s the Yellow Jackets of Waynesburg who have taken the last two titles, and they’ve gotten themselves into the postseason once again. Although this time the Jackets are the sixth seed. How will things shake out this time around? Let’s take a look at the field…
Photo Courtesy of Westminster College Athletics.
#1 WESTMINSTER TITANS (22-10, 15-5 PAC)
It’s all a familiar feeling for Westminster as they’ve become accustomed to hosting the PAC Tournament, doing so for the third consecutive year. But there’s a feeling that has gone along with it that they don’t want to experience again…coming up short of the ultimate goal.
“We’re not looking at the past,” said head coach Jan Reddinger. “This is a different team than last year. Most of them don’t even know what you’re talking about when you mention the past, as it should be. We’ll do our best and see where that takes us.”
The Titans are one of three teams to finish with a 15-5 record in PAC play, making this tournament wide open for the taking. Offensively, their .321 team batting average finished 2nd in the conference while their .463 slugging percentage was tied for first.
Mackenzie Latess is a star at the plate and is arguably the best hitter the PAC has to offer. She hit .484 with 8 HR and 39 RBI to go along with a remarkable .934 slugging percentage (1st in PAC) and a ridiculous 1.507 OPS (1st in PAC).
“It’s Mackenzie’s Latess’ work ethic,” said Reddinger. “She has consistently worked hard for four years and it’s shown each year. She is at her peak right now. She’s matured as most good athletes do.”
Mia Meholick and Ava Karpa each have a home run and have driven in 19 runs on the season as well and both of their OPS numbers are well over .900.
From a pitching perspective, they’ve got two who carry the load and each made 16 starts this season. Madison Brown worked 84.1 innings with six complete games and a 2.74 ERA. Elizabeth Malczak also had six complete games, working 75.1 innings with a 3.77 ERA.
“[They] have two different styles. I think this is what makes them a good combo,” said Reddinger. “This is the fourth year that they’ve complimented each other. There really isn’t one that I would choose over the other in certain situations. I know them well enough that we know whose day it’s going to be. Obviously, in the playoffs, you hope both of them are having a day.”
Westminster is primed for another run at the title.
#2 ALLEGHENY GATORS (24-8, 15-5 PAC)
Photo courtesy of Allegheny College Athletics.
The Gators are, by the numbers at least, arguably the most complete team in the conference. At the plate, they finished the regular season with the highest team batting average, slugging percentage and home runs. On the mound, they had the lowest team ERA in the conference (2.15), the lowest opponent batting average (.219) and racked up the most strikeouts by any staff in the conference with 218. In the field, their .960 fielding percentage ranks 2nd and is only .03 percentage points off the leader.
“The players have done a better job adjusting to pitchers and they are confident they can get the job done at the plate regardless of the inning or score,” said head coach Beth Curtiss. “We have fought to come back several times. We communicate well on defense and have been extremely consistent on the field. Our defense backs our pitchers up. Our pitching staff keeps us in every game. They have all contributed. They work well together and support each other.”
Madison Hulse is the conference leader in ERA through her six starts and 51 innings, but it’s Aleya Belardinelli who Cutiss describes as “one of the best pitchers in the region” and as their “anchor.” Belardinelli’s 1.92 ERA ranks fifth in the conference and she’s logged 91 innings while punching out 118 hitters with 11 complete games. We can’t forget Samantha Dzierba who started 10 games this season and finished 6th in the PAC with an ERA of 2.16.
Offensively, the power numbers stand out. The Gators’ 21 home runs are seven more than the next-best team and they are the only team in the conference to hit 20+ on the season.
“Power doesn’t necessarily drive our philosophy, but we work to build it,” said Curtiss. “We have a tremendous strength coach and he has helped our program a great deal. We are leading in home runs partly because of our work in the weight room, but also because of the players we have on this team now. Olivia Devries is one home run away from our single-season record with 10 home runs on the year. Sofia Genareo and Sophia Godzak can hit the ball out of the park on either side of the field. Cameron Long is in the top 5 all-time for career home runs.”
That’s a strong menu to choose from for some pop. The combination of lineup depth and pitching prowess has this team capable of winning it all.
#3 GENEVA GOLDEN TORNADOES (24-14, 15-5 PAC)
Geneva comes into the tournament having really found their groove, winners of 19 of their final 22 games to finish the regular season. The season en
Photo courtesy of Geneva College Athletics.
ded with a bang as the Golden Tornadoes swept Pitt-Greensburg at home while sophomore Mackenzie Rapp set the school record for saves in a season with eight. They also finished as the highest-scoring team in the PAC, manufacturing runs to the tune of a .307 team batting average.
“We try to be aggressive on offense with 98 stolen bases on the year,” said head coach Van Zanic. “Molly Shelley and Lexi Zanic are the sparks for our offense and Julia Hart and Justine Robbins have really been productive.”
Those 98 stolen bases were the most by any PAC team this season and they boast a 93% success rate, making them a menace when they get on the basepaths.
All four hitters Zanic mentioned finished with a batting average at or above .325 on the year, while Hart was just recently named the PAC Softball Hitter of the Week after blasting two home runs and driving in 10 runs while hitting .500, leading Geneva to a 5-1 record this past week.
“Julia is a special hitter that generates a lot of power,” said coach Zanic. “She has a good understanding of the strike zone and has proven to be a clutch hitter in big moments. She’s a true team leader.”
Sophia Tvaroch will likely be leaned upon heavily to keep opponents off the scoreboard throughout the tournament. She started 20 games this season and posted a 2.73 ERA with 87 strikeouts in 105 innings. This team has a deep roster, it’s playing well and it has all the goods to make some noise in this tournament.
#4 GROVE CITY WOLVERINES (23-15, 12-8 PAC)
Photo Courtesy of Grove City College Athletics.
They may not have the pure power numbers, but this is one of the best offenses in the PAC. The Wolverines ranked 3rd in the conference in team batting average (.317), produced the 2nd-most runs (230), finished second in hits (338) and led the conference in triples (20).
Beyond the offensive numbers, Grove City also boasts the conference’s highest team fielding percentage at .963.
Abigail Meadors is a do-it-all player. She hit .379 while driving in 24 runs with a .500 slugging percentage. Then on the mound, she posted a 2.40 ERA over 105 innings with an impressive 117 strikeouts (3rd in PAC) in her 16 starts. Elsewhere in the lineup, Evelyn Montone (.387) and Maci Linhart (.385) are as consistent as they come, and Montone’s six triples ranks 2nd in the conference.
The Wolverines went 4-6 on the year against fellow PAC tournament teams. They split the doubleheader against first-round opponent Bethany on March 29th. Meadors pitched a complete game 4-hit shutout in a 5-0 victory in Game 1 that day. We’ll see if Grove City can repeat that performance on Thursday morning.
#5 BETHANY BISON (25-12, 11-9 PAC)
Photo Courtesy of Bethany College Athletics.
The Bison bring a lethal combination of on-base percentage (.386, t-2nd in PAC) and the ability to take bags (90 stolen bases, 2nd in PAC) to manufacture runs and give their opponents headaches.
The lineup features four of the Top 23 hitters in the PAC in OPS, with Haley Eyler’s .990 number leading the way. Mary Marshall drove in 32 runs (t-4th in PAC) to go along with her .961 OPS, and Morgan Huey is a pure run creator hitting .374 with 21 stolen bases.
Bethany holds its own on the mound too, finishing the regular season 3rd in the PAC with a 2.76 staff ERA. It’s been Josie Wise who has gotten the most work. Through 18 starts, Wise posted a 2.30 ERA with 107 punchouts over 118.2 innings. In her 10 starts, Katelyn Ziems pitched to a 1.70 ERA over her 70.2 innings.
In the regular season series against Thursday’s opponent Grove City, Bethany bounced back from a 5-0 loss in the first game to take the second game 4-2. Ziems went all seven innings, spreading out seven hits and giving up just one earned run. Brooke Markland drove in a couple of runs in the win.
#6 WAYNESBURG YELLOW JACKETS (20-16, 10-10 PAC)
Photo courtesy of Waynesburg University Athletics.
The two-time defending champions may not have had the regular season many expected, but the important thing is they’ve gotten themselves into the postseason and have therefore given themselves a chance at a three-peat. And the talent is there to do it, too.
The lineup packs a pop once again, finishing the regular season with 14 HRs which was good for 2nd in the conference. But the team batting average dipped to .273 this season which ranked in the bottom four of the PAC and their 196 strikeout total was the 2nd-highest. Trinity Edge (don’t say gives them an edge) gives them an edge (ugh) at the plate with her impressive .436 batting average (3rd in PAC) and 1.097 OPS (5th in PAC). Sydney Waryanka is a threat to go deep, leading the team with four home runs.
Waynesburg can also keep runs off the board with the best of them, finishing with a 2.17 ERA regular season ERA as a staff which ranked 2nd in the conference. Sydney Wilson led that charge, posting 13 complete games in her 16 starts while striking out 82 batters over 113.2 innings to the tune of a 1.85 ERA (4th in PAC). Autumn Stemple racked up an additional seven complete games in her 11 starts, finishing with a 2.53 ERA. This is a solid defensive team as well, finishing 3rd in team fielding percentage.
Eight of the Yellow Jackets’ final 10 games were against PAC playoff teams, a stretch in which they held their own with doubleheader splits except for a sweep suffered at the hands of #2 Allegheny on the road.
They split the regular season doubleheader against Geneva on April 13th, taking the second game of the series in 10 innings. Kayla Gratton went 3-for-5 with two doubles and drove in two runs, including the game-winner.
