SEWARD, Neb. – The Concordia University softball team fell three games shy of winning a GPAC regular season title, but another opportunity for a championship presents itself in the postseason. As the No. 3 seed, the Bulldogs will be headed to the Jensen Softball Complex in Sioux City, Iowa, as part of the Morningside Bracket of the GPAC tournament. In the opening game of the bracket, Concordia will take on sixth-seeded Mount Marty.
As host of its own pod, second-seeded Morningside will play at 12 p.m. on Thursday against seventh-seeded College of Saint Mary. On the other side of the GPAC bracket, top-seeded Midland will welcome No. 4 Northwestern, No. 5 Jamestown and No. 8 Dordt to Fremont, Neb.
Head coach Shawn Semler hopes his squad can put things together at the right time. When at their best, the Bulldogs have proven capable of competing with some of the top teams in the NAIA. They own wins over two squads currently ranked in the top 25: No. 7 Valley City State University (N.D.) and No. 22 Midland. At 26-10 overall, this 2019 Concordia team boasts a .722 winning percentage that would rank third best in program history behind the 1998 (33-10, .767) and 2008 (31-11, .738) squads.
The GPAC is awarded two automatic bids to the national championships in softball. Midland has already secured one of them by garnering the No. 1 seed. The other will go to GPAC tournament champion or the GPAC tournament runner up if Midland also wins the conference postseason crown. Previous head coach Todd LaVelle guided Concordia to back-to-back national tournament opening round appearances in 2014 and 2015. The ’15 squad entered the GPAC tournament as the No. 7 seed and upset its way to a conference postseason title.
This squad is capable of similar achievement, especially if Hhana Haro and Tori Homolka are stinging the ball. The unofficial title of team MVP would seemingly be a battle between the two sophomore standouts. The reigning GPAC Player of the Year, Haro is coming off a week in which she went 11-for-18 with a pair of home runs. Homolka has not hit for as much extra base power of late, but the hope is that her three-run walk-off homer in the regular season finale will get her going again. On the season, Haro is hitting .429 and Homolka is at .386.
In the circle, Semler will lean upon freshman Camry Moore and senior Brittany Woolridge as he has all season. Moore’s final outing of the regular season was a dandy. She fired a two-hit shutout in a 7-0 win over Dordt. There may not be a better one-two pitching combo in the conference. Woolridge sports a 2.75 ERA while Moore’s is right behind at 2.80. Incredibly, Moore has walked only eight batters in 112.2 innings this season. As a staff, the Bulldogs rank third in the GPAC in ERA (2.91).
The rest of the Morningside Bracket Field
College of Saint Mary (17-27, 10-12 GPAC)
Head Coach: Carolyn Todd Bray (4th year)
Runs/Game: 4.30
Team ERA: 4.68
Top Hitter: Brittney Banks (.399 BA, .465 OBP, .674 SLG, 17 2B, 7 HR, 23 RBI)
Top Pitcher: Kelsey Goodban (14-7, 3.56 ERA, 126 IP, 123 K, .276 OPP BA)
Synopsis: The Flames were just 4-9 entering conference play in late March, but they have shown the ability to rise up and knock off top teams in the league. College of Saint Mary owns a run-rule victory over both Midland and Concordia. Brittney Banks is a star to watch out for at the top of the lineup. Carolyn Todd Bray’s squad is also not easy to beat when Kesley Goodban is working in the circle.
Morningside (25-8, 18-4 GPAC)
Head Coach: Jessica Jones-Sitzmann (20th year)
Runs/Game: 6.33
Team ERA: 2.10
Top Hitter: Morgan Nixon (.385 BA, .411 OBP, .548 SLG, 8 2B, 3 HR, 31 RBI)
Top Pitcher: Hallie Misiaszek (17-3, 1.39 ERA, 139.1 IP, 105 K, .204 OPP BA)
Synopsis: Morningside has been a perennial power in the league and is certainly a threat to win the conference tournament. Head coach Jessica Jones-Stizmann will not be afraid to ride ace pitcher Hallie Misiaszek for multiple games in a day. The Mustangs balance good hitting and pitching. The return of outfielder Josie Baxter this April has made the lineup even more formidable.
Mount Marty (20-22, 11-11 GPAC)
Head Coach: Tate Bruckner (3rd year)
Runs/Game: 6.21
Team ERA: 5.00
Top Hitter: Amber Writer (.386 BA, .463 OBP, .700 SLG, 14 2B, 10 HR, 65 RBI)
Top Pitcher: Rylee Denomy (8-4, 3.75 ERA, 93.1 IP, 82 K, .272 OPP BA)
Synopsis: Mount Marty is dangerous due to its ability to put runs on the board. Rylee Denomy (.359), Makenzie Howard (.396) and Amber Writer (.386) are each hitting better than .350 for an offense that averages more than six runs per game. The Lancers ended the regular season by winning three of four, including a doubleheader sweep at Northwestern.
2019 Morningside Bracket
Live coverage from Morningside: Webcasts | Stats
Thursday, May 2
Game 1 – No. 3 Concordia (26-10, 15-7) vs. No. 6 Mount Marty (20-22, 11-11), 10 a.m.
Game 2 – No. 2 Morningside (25-8, 18-4) vs. No. 7 College of Saint Mary (17-27, 10-12), 12 p.m.
Game 3 – Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 4 p.m.
Game 4 – Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser, 6 p.m.
Friday, May 3
Game 5 – Game 4 winner vs. Game 3 loser, 12 p.m.
Game 6 – Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 2 p.m.
Game 7 – If necessary (Game 6 winner/loser), 4 p.m.
Saturday, May 4 – GPAC Championship Series
Midland Bracket winner vs. Morningside Bracket winner (highest seed hosts)
*Best 2 of 3 format
*Game 1 – 11 a.m. | Game 2 – 1 p.m. | Game 3 – 5 p.m.