Griffins Ready To Begin Its Quest For Its 10th SLIAC Championship

May 1, 2018

Story written by SLIAC Director of Athletic Communications, Brian Lovellette

One year ago Fontbonne University, Greenville University, Webster University, and Westminster College met in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) Softball Tournament. This weekend the same four teams will meet once again to claim the conference's automatic qualifier spot in the NCAA Division III Championship. Westminster College is the top-seeded team in the tournament after winning their second straight regular season title. Greenville University is the #2 seed and are the two-time defending tournament champions. Fontbonne has a conference-best nine tournament titles and will be playing at their home field while #4 seed Webster clinched their playoff spot on the last day of the regular season.

Tournament at a Glance
This year's tournament will be at ABC Park in St. Ann, Missouri and is hosted by Fontbonne University. The three-day, double-elimination tournament is set for games on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. For directions to ABC Park click HERE

Thursday, May 3
Game 1 - #1 Westminster vs. #4 Webster, 5 p.m.
Game 2 - #2 Greenville vs. #3 Fontbonne, 7 p.m.

Friday, May 4
Game 3 - Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2, 1 p.m.
Game 4 - Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2, 3 p.m.
Game 5 - Winner of Game 4 vs. Loser of Game 3, 5 p.m.

Saturday, May 5
Game 6 - Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 5, 1 p.m.
Game 7 - If Necessary, immediately following Game 6

Broadcast Information
The 2018 SLIAC Softball Championship game will be streamed on live video courtesy of College Casts. To watch the championship game click HERE
Live stats will also be available for all games of the tournament.

Overall Record: 13-21 SLIAC Record: 13-5 Tournament Trips: 19 Tournament Titles: 9 Last Championship: 2015			Fontbonne University 'GRIFFINS' First-year head coach Casey Cromwell challenged the Griffins early this season and it has paid off down the stretch. After going winless in conference play the Griffins responded by finishing with a 13-5 record in conference play, good for third place in the standings. They come into the tournament off a doubleheader sweep against Eureka that helped them clinch their playoff spot. The Griffins are hitting .316 as a team and averaged 5.9 runs per game. While they hit just 17 home runs as a team the Griffins still led the conference in extra base hits including 13 triples. Maddy Strickland has been at the forefront for the team this spring; hitting .347 with 7 home runs and 36 RBI while also recording 7 wins and 59 strikeouts in the circle. Diamond Thomas is another factor at both the plate (.300 average) and in the circle (36 strikeouts). Courtney Kedroski leads the team with a .396 average including 14 doubles while driving in 21 and stealing six bases. Two-time All-Conference player Emelia Modglin hit .333 with 3 home runs and 22 RBI this spring while throwing out nine base runners. Strickland and Thomas are the team's pitching combo, accounting for all but one win and 166 combined innings.

Overall Record: 15-3 SLIAC Record: 18-15 Tournament Trips: 14 Tournament Titles: 3 Last Championship: 2017			Greenville University 'PANTHERS' The Panthers come into the tournament as the hottest team, having won 10 straight games. They are hitting .322 as a team and average 6.2 runs per game this season. The Panthers led the league in stolen bases with 85 and finished second in home runs with 25. Their offense is anchored by shortstop Kate Jolliff Rosado who is hitting .453 with 9 home runs, 44 RBI, and 16 stolen bases. Becca Oldham provides punch as well; hitting .362 with 6 home runs while Jordyn Wieland sets the table with her .349 average and SLIAC best 23 stolen bases. In the circle, Greenville has used a combination of four pitchers with Maegan Stone and Caitie Opp tying for the team lead with 7 wins. Cayla Speaks and Kendall Farr could also see some action.

Overall Record: 17-15 SLIAC Record: 12-6 Tournament Trips: 13 Tournament Titles: 4 Last Championship: 2009			Webster University 'GORLOKS' With their backs against the wall, the Gorloks won their final six games of the regular season to clinch a tournament spot. Webster is hitting .298 as a team and finished 3rd in the conference with 20 home runs. They averaged 5.6 runs per game this spring and finished with the 2nd best team E.R.A. in the league. Tessa Johanning leads the team with a .378 average and has driven in 28 runs. Terri Dearth is the power source for the Gorloks with 8 home runs while hitting .348 this year. Taylor White is hitting .311 and is 2nd in the SLIAC with 22 stolen bases. Morgan Mansur has thrown nearly half of her team's innings this spring and holds a 2.42 earned-run average while striking out 62. Kaitlyn Johnson and Chelsea Thornley give the Gorloks depth with each throwing over 45 innings this spring.

Overall Record: 20-16 SLIAC Record: 16-2 Tournament Trips: 15 Tournament Titles: 3 Last Championship: 1993			Westminster College 'BLUE JAYS' Westminster comes in with a conference-high 222 runs scored this year while hitting .329 as a team. The Blue Jays do their damage the old fashioned way, by putting the ball in play. They hit just 10 home runs but also struck out a league-low 78 times this season. Brooke Laidley (.414) and Madison Washington (.400) give the Blue Jays two hitters over .400 this spring. Amber Tepen is hitting .375 and has a team-high 36 RBI while Emily Holloway has stepped in during her first collegiate year to hit .369 and record a team-high 13 stolen bases. Katie Price is a dual threat, hitting .365 with 26 RBI and tallying 111 strikeouts with 13 wins in the circle. Madison Ingram is the team's second option with the ball, working 81 innings this spring and picking up 7 wins.