BRACKET
St. Louis, Mo. – The Washington University in St. Louis softball team has earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, starting Friday, May 13. The Bears head to Bethel University in St. Paul, Minn. and will face off with Buena Vista in the first round at 2 p.m.
The four-team regional will feature WashU, Bethel, Buena Vista and Bethany Lutheran.
It is the first NCAA Tournament appearance for the Bears since 2017 and the 15th bid in program history.
The winner of this regional will advance to face the winner of the DePauw regional (DePauw, Berry, Hiram, Piedmont) next weekend in the Super Regional.
WashU Bears
WashU is currently 30-10 overall, having notched the most program wins since 2016 (35). The Bears wrapped up the UAA slate with a 14-6 mark, finishing second behind Case Western Reserve University.
Reigning UAA Position Player of the Year Maggie Baumstark has a .379 average with a team-leading 50 hits including 13 doubles, two triples, a team-high five homers and 37 RBI. Her 37 RBI ranks first among UAA players while her .379 average ranks fourth. The Bears boast three of the top five players for RBI in the UAA with Baumstark (37), Tami Wong (35) and Natalia Pilpil (30).
In addition to her 35 RBI, Wong ranks fifth in the UAA with a .377 average. She has recorded 46 hits, 12 doubles, two triples, four homers and 34 runs scored. In left field, Wong has a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage, having made no errors.
In the circle, Madison Denton leads the team and the conference with a 1.25 ERA. She has pitched 67.1 innings, making 15 appearances with 13 starts and notching an 11-2 record. Denton has allowed just 12 earned runs and pitched five complete games.
The Bears have three of the top five best ERA in the UAA, as Jamie Burgasser sits at 1.98 and Holly Stoner is at 2.05. Burgasser has made 15 appearances with 10 starts for a 7-4 record, with six complete games and two saves. She's recorded 67.1 innings pitched, 19 earned runs and a team-high 54 strikeouts. Stoner leads the team with 78.2 innings pitched and has made 16 appearances with 15 starts for a 10-4 record, four complete games and one save. She's allowed 23 earned runs and struck out 48 batters.
Scouting Bethel
The Royals are making their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance and are currently 33-4 on the season. Bethel won the MIAC to earn the automatic bid after defeating St. Catherine University 5-2 in the semifinal and St. Olaf College 5-0 in the final.
Lexi DeBace leads the Royals at the plate with a .495 average after starting 32 of 34 games. She has recorded 53 hits, 27 runs, four doubles and 18 RBI. Additionally, she has stolen 25 bases in 27 attempts. Allie Fauth has a .385 average with 50 hits, 39 runs, four doubles, three triples and 16 RBI.
In the circle, Kayla Simacek has pitched the majority of the innings for the Royals this season, compiling a 31-2 record with 211.1 innings pitched. She has faced 763 batters with an opponent average of .193 and 295 strikeouts. This season, she became the program's single-season strikeout leader.
Scouting Buena Vista
The Beavers earned an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament after winning the regular-season American Rivers Conference Title but falling in the conference tournament semifinal 4-0 to Wartburg. Buena Vista is currently 26-13 overall and finished the conference sate 10-6.
The Bears and the Beavers have two common opponents this season in Millikin and Wartburg. WashU lost to Millikin 8-3, 9-4 while the Beavers fell in a single game 7-1. The Bears swept Wartburg 7-2, 9-3 while the Beavers won the regular-season doubleheader 8-3, 7-5 but lost in the semifinal of the conference tournament 4-0.
Carlee Guyett leads the team with a .426 average and has started all 39 games this season. She has recorded 55 hits, 36 runs, 16 doubles, two triples, one homer and 17 RBI. Nataliah Murllo sits at a .392 average with 49 hits, 14 runs, eight doubles, one triple, six homers and 33 RBI.
Ashtyn Miller leads the team with a 2.33 with a record 12-6. She has made 21 appearances with 16 starts and leads the team with 118 strikeouts and an opponents' batting average of .234.
Scouting Bethany Lutheran
The Vikings won the UMAC Championship to earn the automatic qualifier after defeated University of Northwestern (Minn.) 2-1 in the opening round, the University of Minnesota Morris 11-2 (five innings) in the semifinal and the University of Wisconsin-Superior 1-0 in the final. Bethany Lutheran is currently 29-14 overall and finished out the conference slate 16-5.
Kaija Mork leads the Vikings with 43 starts and a .431 average. She has recorded 59 hits, 16 doubles, three triples, four homers, a team-leading 46 RBI and 37 runs. Katelyn Halbach has started in 34 games in 36 appearances and has a .413 average with 45 hits, three doubles and 39 runs.
In the circle, Kayla Senne leads the team with a 2.54 ERA and a 20-10 record. She has made 33 appearances with 23 starts, pitching 160 innings with 178 strikeouts and one shutout. Her opponents' batting average is 2.37.
GAME SCHEDULE
Friday, May 13
Game 1: #2 Buena Vista vs. #3 WashU • 2 p.m.
Game 2: #1 Bethel (MN) vs. #4 Bethany Lutheran • 4:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 14
Game 3: Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2 • 12 p.m.
Game 4: Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2 • 2:30 p.m.
Game 5: Winner of Game 4 vs. Loser of Game 3 • 4:30 p.m.
Sunday, May 15
Game 6: Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 5 • 12 p.m.
Game 7: If necessary played if team with one loss wins game six
Tickets
Single-Session Tickets (good for all games played that day)
Adult $10
Senior Citizen/Veteran $7
Student & Children 2+ $7
All-Session Tickets (good for all games of the weekend)
Adult $25
Senior Citizen/Veteran $15
Student & Children 2+ $15
