ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – The College of Saint Benedict softball team has been in plenty of high-pressure situations this season.
The team has played – and beaten – several teams ranked in the top 25 in Division III. It was victorious in two must-win games at the MIAC Championships this past weekend, and earned a spot in the conference championship game for the first time in more than a decade. This weekend, the team faces another high-pressure situation – this one new to everyone on the team.
Saint Benedict makes its 2018 NCAA Tournament debut with a 4:15 p.m. game Friday, May 11. This marks the first appearance in the NCAA Tournament for CSB softball – which takes on Cornell College – since 1994. The team earned back-to-back appearances in the regional tournament in 1993 and 1993, and hasn't been back since. This year's team earned a spot in the tournament thanks to a runner-up finish at the MIAC Tournament, a 34-8 overall record and a No. 13 ranking in the latest Division III poll.
CSB heads to Decorah, Iowa, Thursday afternoon to start its tournament journey. The team is part of the four-team Decorah, Iowa Regional hosted by Luther College. Lake Forest, Cornell, Luther and Saint Benedict make up the regional, with games starting at noon Friday between Luther and Lake Forest. CSB is the top seed in the regional, followed by Luther, third-seeded Lake Forest and Cornell. The double-elimination regional continues with three games on Saturday at 11 a.m., 1:30 and 4 p.m. and the championship game at noon Sunday, with a 2:30 p.m. game to follow if necessary.
This marks the first tournament appearances for the Rams since 2013. Cornell won the Midwest Conference Championship title to earn the league's automatic bid. Cornell, which entered the conference tournament as the No. 4 seed, went 4-1 at the tournament, including three straight shutouts to wrap up the tournament and win the title. Cornell is 26-19 heading into the tournament, and won its last two regular season games to make it way into the MWC Tournament.
Leading the way for Cornell on the mound is junior pitcher Haley Harmon. She threw four complete-game shutouts, including a five-inning perfect game, to help her team win the conference title. She has won her last six starts, has seven shutouts this season and enters the tournament with a 1.97 ERA and 107 strikeouts. Cailynn Wichman (63 hits), Melissa Orton (58 hits) and Jana Froehle (56 hits) all passed the previous school record for hits in a season, and Orton's 36 RBIs are one shy of the program record.
CSB's pitching staff heads into the tournament with a combined ERA of 2.16. Leading the way is first year Ally Hjort, who ERA of 1.26 is top 25 in Division III, and Alex Smith also carries a 2.12 ERA. Hjort has 87 strikeouts and Smith has 44 to her name. Smith also has three saves so far this season, and earned a spot on the MIAC All-Tournament Team last weekend after big performances on the mound and at the plate.
Senior Megan Toninato continues to lead CSB at the plate with a .399 ERA, but Emilie Antony (.383) and Kate Deming (.359) aren't far behind. All three have at least 50 hits, and Antony has a team-high 36 RBIs. Antony and Deming both have a team-high 11 doubles, Deming leads the team with six triples and Claire Boatman has five home runs – including two at the MIAC Tournament.
Lake Forest enters the tournament 29-11 overall and earned an at-large bid to the tournament from the Midwest Conference. Luther won the IIAC and is 35-8 overall. The Norse were ranked in the top 25 in the nation for much of the season.
The winner of the Decorah Regional advances to the Super Regional May 18-19 against the winner of the St. Thomas Regional, which includes the Tommies, Northwestern, UW-Oshkosh and Central.
