SEWARD, Neb. – As champions of the Morningside Bracket, the Concordia University Softball team will continue its postseason run on Saturday when it meets up with Midland in the GPAC Championship Series. The first team to win two games will earn the GPAC tournament title. First pitch for game 1 from Christensen Field in Fremont, Neb., will be at 11 a.m. CT.
2021 GPAC Championship Series
Concordia (32-9) at Midland (35-8)
Saturday, May 8 | G1 – 11 a.m. | G2 – 1 p.m. | G3 – 3 p.m. (if necessary)
Christensen Field | Fremont, Neb.
Live Webcast: Midland Stretch Live
Fan policy: Fans are allowed to attend the games at Christensen Field and are encouraged to wear face coverings when not able to maintain physical distancing from other family groups. Admission is $10 for adults/senior citizens and $3 for K-12. Only those with NAIA passes and GPAC student ID’s will be admitted free of charge.
By the numbers
· Concordia has reached the GPAC tournament championship for the fourth time in program history. The Bulldogs won GPAC postseason titles in 2007 and 2015 and placed as the runner up in 2014. The opponents in previous championship matchups were Dana College in 2007 and Morningside in both 2014 and 2015. The ’21 Concordia squad has already clinched a bid to the NAIA National Championship Opening Round. The 2014 and 2015 squads also reached the opening round.
· Camry Moore has raised her game to a new level in the postseason. Head Coach Shawn Semler trusted his ace pitcher to throw all 21 innings during play at the Morningside Bracket. In those three outings, Moore went 3-0 and allowed just four runs on 15 hits without issuing a single walk. The Crete High School product fired a two-hit shutout in the Morningside Bracket final, dealing the 13th-ranked Mustangs a 4-0 defeat. Moore is now 20-4 with a 1.61 ERA on the season. This marks the fifth time in school history that a Bulldog pitcher has reached 20 wins in a season. The school record is 24 by Mindy Evans in 1998.
· Third baseman Hhana Haro reached an impressive milestone this week by running her career hits total to 200. Only two other players in program history have reached 200 career hits – Mindy Evans (227) and Clarissa Eloge (208). Haro has thrived in her role in the leadoff spot in the lineup and has extended her hitting streak to 12 games. During the streak, Haro is a combined 23-for-44 (.523) at the plate. She went 5-for-11 during action this week in Sioux City.
· Haro was one of five Bulldogs to notch at least three hits over the three games in the Morningside Bracket. The others were Moore (4-for-8), Julia Van Wey (3-for-8), Kylee Nixon (3-for-9) and Caitlyn McGarvie (3-for-10). Moore belted a pair of homers in the 9-3 win over Morningside on Wednesday. In that same contest, Regan Karel crushed a three-run homer. Brena Brown also homered in the victory over Doane. Concordia outhit Doane/Morningside in batting average, .293 to .188.
· It’s fair to say the Bulldogs had a burning desire to get over the hump against Morningside. No player on the current roster had ever beaten the Mustangs until Wednesday. The program’s most recent victory over Morningside had come on April 6, 2017, in walk-off fashion. As Moore said, “Our seniors, and us juniors, had never beaten Morningside and it’s something we really wanted to change … I’m super proud of this team and I can’t wait to see how we continue this postseason journey.”
The opponent
Now ranked 25th in the NAIA, Midland accomplished the difficult task of having to win three games on Thursday in order to advance to the GPAC Championship Series. The Warriors defeated Northwestern in an elimination game and then topped Jamestown twice, 7-5 and 1-0. Hailee Fliam fired a two-hit shutout in the 1-0 pitcher’s duel. Head Coach Mike Heard has led Midland to GPAC regular season titles in three-straight seasons. He was named GPAC Coach of the Year in 2018 and 2019. The team’s most potent hitter has been freshman Roni Foote, who has 11 homers and a .762 slugging percentage. Concordia and Midland split a doubleheader in Seward back on April 11.
NAIA Opening Round
Once the GPAC Championship Series is in the books, both the Bulldogs and Warriors will look forward to the NAIA national tournament selection show on Tuesday, May 11. The opening round will take place at 10 separate sites from May 17-19.