Wooster Set to Face No. 22 Wittenberg in NCAC Tournament Opener
UPDATE: Wooster's opening game vs. Wittenberg has been moved from Friday, May 5 to Saturday, May 6 at 12 p.m.
This Week's Outlook: The College of Wooster (19-21, 10-6 North Coast Athletic Conference) travels to No. 22 Wittenberg University (29-5, 15-1 NCAC) to face off against the top-seeded Tigers in the first round of the double-elimination tournament on Saturday, May 6 at 12 p.m. The double-elimination tournament continues on Friday afternoon with the winners of the days' first two games squaring off at 2 p.m. for a spot in the championship round, while the losers of the opening-round games will meet on Friday at 4:00 p.m. in an elimination game.
Media Coverage: Live stats and an audio broadcast will be available through Wooster Athletic's homepage. Additionally, fans can follow the softball team's Twitter handle @CoWSoftball for periodic score updates, as well as visit the NCAC's Tournament Central webpage for updated standings.
Ticket Information: Ticket prices are set by the conference office and are $7 for adults and $3 for children 18-years-old and under. College of Wooster students are admitted free of charge but must present a student identification card. Additionally, NCAC guest passes and lifetime passes are valid for complimentary admission at the NCAC Tournament. No discounts or senior prices are to be given at any NCAC Championship Event.
Championship Gear: Family members and fans of the Wooster lacrosse program can check out the NCAC Tournament store at https://ktforms.com/and use the access code ncacsb. The store will be open through May 11, and orders will be shipped approximately three weeks after the store closes. Please note you must select Wooster in the drop-down to ensure orders are shipped to the correct location. All orders associated with Wooster will be shipped to head coach Victoria Rumph, and you will need to arrange pick-up with him. There are no on-site championship merchandise sales at the NCAC Tournament.
NCAC Tournament History: The Fighting Scots will look for their first-ever NCAC Tournament title after making it to the postseason for the first time since 2012. Up first, the Black and Gold are pitted against the defending-champion Tigers, who have twice been crowned conference tournament champions since its inception in 2001. Friday's match-up marks the first-ever postseason meeting between the two sides, as Wittenberg maintains a 29-11 edge in the all-time series. Meanwhile, Wooster enters with a 4-8 all-time record in conference tournament play through four appearances.
A Look Back at This Year's Regular-Season Meeting: Wooster split decisions against Wittenberg at home on April 25, snapping the Tigers' 14-game winning streak and delivering Wittenberg's only conference loss of the regular season in 6-2 fashion after posting six runs on Tigers' ace Chelsea Zang, who came in with a 17-1 record and 1.15 ERA.
In the opening game victory, first-year Marina Roski (Diamond Bar, CA/Diamond Ranch) went yard for the first time in her collegiate career with a three-run shot to overcome an early deficit and help the Scots earn the momentous win. In looking ahead to Friday's meeting, the Scots are an even 17-17 against right-handers and are 4-8 on the road while going 6-10 in neutral site games.
How We Got Here: The aforementioned momentous win was not an understatement, as the Scots arrive winners in three of their last four games, highlighted by a must-win doubleheader sweep over Ohio Wesleyan University in the season finale to clinch a spot in the conference tournament. Clutch late-game runs clinched the series against the Battling Bishops. With runners in scoring position, the Scots hit .306 to knock in the game-winning run in the seventh inning of Game 1 and in the fifth inning the Game 2. Worth noting was sophomore Chelsea Copley's (Bidwell, OH/River Valley) .714 performance, as she went 5-for-7 with three doubles and one run scored.
Best of Both Worlds: Senior Jenna Kendall (Marshallville, OH/Smithville) has homered four times on the year, matching a career-high set back during the 2015 season as part of a Black and Gold squad that eclipsed the program's single-season home run record with 14. From the circle, Kendall is 4-1 in conference play while going .356 from the batter's box for a team-high 17 RBI. It turns out, Kendall herself has been one of her own best supporters, as the Scots are 3-1 in those four home run outings – three of which she started as a pitcher. In addition, career-wise, the senior is tied for third all-time in program history with eight home runs.
Chase-ing History: There's something about junior Maddy Chase (Pleasant Praire, WI/St. Joseph's) that neither opposing hitters nor pitchers can figure out. Sporting the league's fourth-lowest ERA, the standout pitcher has won 10 games this year and ranks fifth all-time in the program records book with 28. Only three other players in program history had as many wins through their respective junior seasons as Chase currently has.
In stepping up to the plate, however, it only gets better. Chase has had a record season, eclipsing the previous single-season hits record of 53 during the final weekend to currently sit at 58. In batting leadoff with a .446 batting average – which currently ranks as the best single-season average in the Black and Gold's record books – the junior has also accrued 32 runs scored this year, another program season best.
149: Senior Linea Brouse (Milton, PA/Milton Area) has played in 149 games during her career, starting in 148, and with two games guaranteed in the double-elimination tournament, will have the opportunity for at least a share the record for career appearances. The everyday senior currently ranks eighth in program history in both hits (122) and runs (66), while her 29 career doubles are the third-most in Black and Gold history.
6-3 Putout: Roski's defensive efforts stand alone atop the conference charts as she leads the league with 101 assists through 40 starts from the shortstop position. Typically listed second in the batting order, the first-year has shown her contact capability and speed with a .311 average in addition to a co-team-high 10 doubles.