MWSU Season Stats | MIAA Standings | MIAA Softball Bracket
Live Stats | Audio

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – With the MIAA Regular Season Championship already in tow, the Griffon Softball team will look to sweep the conference championships this weekend at the MIAA Softball Tournament played at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Missouri Western opens as the top seed against eighth seeded Southwest Baptist, April 28 at 5 p.m. The Griffons split a doubleheader at Southwest Baptist on March 12, losing the first game 4-1 before a 14-6 win in game two.

The Griffons will play two games April 28 in the double-elimination tournament. The second game will begin at approximately 7:30 p.m. Should the Griffons win their first game, they will play the winner of the Pittsburg State (4) and Northeastern State (5) game. A loss against Southwest Baptist will pit the Griffons against the loser of the Pittsburg State and Northeastern State game.

Previewing Missouri Western
Missouri Western won its second conference championship, and first outright, by four games. The Griffons entered the final weekend of the regular season with a two-game lead, winning all four of its final games. Losses by Northwest Missouri State and Pittsburg State helped extend the Griffons' lead and allowed the team to clinch the outright title with two games still remaining.

Head coach Jen Bagley Trotter is a combined 28-16 in her previous 14 appearances with Missouri Western in the MIAA Tournament. Over the past two seasons, she has led the Griffons to a 7-2 record in the tournament, including the 2014 MIAA Tournament Championship when the team went a perfect 4-0.

Offensively, the Griffons have outscored their opponents 306-156 this season and have a .321 batting average. Missouri Western has also hit 51 home runs on the year, ranking them second in the MIAA. As a team, the Griffons have an on base percentage of .388 and have picked up 151 walks. Five Griffons have started and played in all 50 games this year.

Morgan Rathmann leads a group of seven Griffons hitting over .300 this season. Rathmann is hitting .399, tallying a team-high 73 hits. She has also recorded 23 stolen bases and nine triples. Kailey Green has tallied 14 home runs this year and Katie Klosterman is second on the team with 10 home runs. Freshman Taylor Hamilton is hitting .348 this season and has a team high 48 RBIs.

In the circle, the Griffons have been led by two seniors. Janie Smith has a 20-8 record this year and a 2.67 ERA. She has pitched 188.2 innings and recorded 128 strikeouts. Smith has also pitched seven shutout games this year. Shyanne Saladino is 19-3 overall and has a 2.13 ERA. Saladino has pitched 154.1 innings this year and has struck out 89 batters.

Previewing Southwest Baptist
Southwest Baptist owns a 22-33 overall record and a 12-16 MIAA record. Southwest Baptist earned the eighth seed in the MIAA tournament and comes into the weekend with a four-game winning streak. They earned a win over Missouri Baptist on Monday, swept Lincoln this past weekend and won the final game against Lindenwood.

Rachel Ray has led the team offensively this season, reporting a .391 batting average and picking up 59 RBIs this season. Four different Bearcats have at least 10 steals this season, Ray leads the team with 16 stolen bases. Dana Graves has team-highs in home runs (9) and RBIs (46). Three other Bearcats have recorded at least 20 RBIs this season.

Pitcher Kacey Ayers has appeared in 39 games this year with a 14-17 overall record and has pitched 212.1 innings this season. She has accumulated 122 strikeouts and allows opponents to a .275 batting average. Hunter Middleton is 8-16 this year and has pitched 140.1 innings for the Bearcats.

Last Meeting against SBU
Box Score – Game 1 | Game Recap
Box Score – Game 2 | Game Recap

ASA Hall of Fame Stadium
This will be the first year for the MIAA playing at the ASA Hall of Fame Stadium. It is widely regarded as one of the finest softball facilities in the nation. The stadium has played host to the best softball competition in the world.

MIAA Tournament Schedule
Thursday, April 28, 2016 
Game 1: #1 Missouri Western vs. #8 Southwest Baptist (Stadium)        5 p.m.
Game 2: #4 Pittsburg State vs. #5 Northeastern State (Fld 2)                5 p.m.
Game 3: #3 Central Oklahoma vs. #6 Central Missouri (Fld 3)               5 p.m.
Game 4: #2 Northwest Missouri vs. #7 Fort Hays State (Fld 4)              5 p.m.
Game 5: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2 (Field 2)                              7:30 p.m.
Game 6: Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4 (Field 3)                              7:30 p.m. 
Game 7: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2 (Field 4)                          7:30 p.m. 
Game 8: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4 (Stadium)                        7:30 p.m.   

Friday, April 29, 2016 
Game 9: Winner Game 5 vs. Loser Game 8 (Field 4)                             11 a.m.
Game 10: Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 7 (Stadium)                         11 a.m.
Game 11: Winner Game 9 vs. Winner Game 10 (Field 4)                        1:30 p.m.
Game 12: Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8 (Stadium)                       4 p.m.
Game 13: Winner Game 11 vs. Loser Game 12 (Field 4)                        6:30 p.m.

Saturday, April 30, 2016 
Game 14: Winner Game 12 vs. Winner Game 13 (Stadium)                  11 a.m.
Game 15: Winner Game 14 vs. Loser Game 14 (Stadium)                    1:30 p.m. (If neccessary)