WINGATE, N.C. --- The Tusculum University softball team begins its postseason journey this weekend against No. 23 Lenoir-Rhyne in the South Atlantic Conference Tournament.
The double-elimination 2024 SAC Softball Championship will begin on April 26-28, with seeds 1, 4, 5, and 8 playing at the Wingate Softball Complex in Wingate, N.C., and seeds 2, 3, 6, and 7 heading to the Softball Complex in Anderson, S.C. The two remaining teams after the opening round will meet for a best-of-three series at the highest remaining seed on May 3-4 to determine the 2024 SAC Softball Champion.
Wingate and Anderson are the two host sites thanks to finishing as the top pair, with the Bulldogs winning the regular season title for the second-straight season. Carson-Newman and Lenoir-Rhyne round out the top half of the seeding. Tusculum is fifth, followed by Newberry, Lincoln Memorial, and Catawba, who all finished in a tie.
RECAPPING THE SEASON
Tusculum (29-20-15-9 SAC) wrapped up the regular season winning five of its last six games, collecting an 11-3 mark across April.
Both Emily Sappington and Natalie Spaitis pitched complete games in the regular season finale against Belmont Abbey on Monday (Apr. 22). Sappington enters this weekend as the winner in her last eight starts, while Spaitis tossed her first complete game in college. At the plate, Tusculum plated six runs in each game of the sweep, led by four hits from Danielle Jason and Brooke Smith.
On the season, Claire Smeltzer has been the Pioneers' top offensive threat much of the campaign, averaging a .410/.475/.667 slashline. The senior outfielder leads the team in hits (64), RBI (49), and doubles (15), while adding 37 runs, two triples, seven homers, and 20 walks for 104 total bases. Jason (.419) and Ellie Alvarez (.413) are just ahead of Smeltzer in average, narrowly followed by Smith's .393. Sammy Jimenez now holds the program's single-season home run record with 13, while also leading the team in walks with 23.
As a team, Tusculum leads the SAC in double plays (20), double plays per game (0.41), stolen bases per game (1.63), sacrifice bunts (35), and steals (80). The defensive figures are ranked 18th and 33rd across Division II. Additionally, the Pioneers are third in the conference with a .330 batting average, good for 28th nationally.
Individually, Sappington, Spaitis, Jason, and Gabi Nicholson rank highly for their performances. Sappington is tied for the league lead in complete games (15), and is second with 9.3 strikeouts per seven innings (14th nationally), 172 strikeouts (24th nationally), and three saves (32nd nationally). Spaitis has a conference-leading four saves, good for 15th in DII, which is also a TU single-season record. Nicholson has been credited with five sacrifice flies, which ranks tops in the TU record book for a season. It is also second across the SAC and ninth in the nation. Jason has been a prolific base stealer, ranking first in the conference in percentage (0.885) and second in both total (23) and per game rate (0.50).
LOOKING AHEAD
For the second time in three years, Tusculum will open the postseason with No. 23 Lenoir-Rhyne. The Bears have been in the top-25 much of the season behind a powerful offense and shutdown pitching, highlighted by Lauren Rakes and Julia Mardigian. LR is in the top-3 in the SAC in 14 categories, leading the way in hits (463), home runs (72), homers per game (1.38), slugging percentage (.564), and runs (336). They are ranked across the top-25 in batting average, doubles, doubles per game, fielding percentage, hits, homers, homers per game, slugging, runs, and strikeouts per seven innings by the pitching staff.
As for Rakes and Mardigian, the former is tied for first in complete games pitched with 14 and third in shutouts (4), slugging percentage (.800), and strikeouts (168). The latter is good for 27th nationally. Mardigian leads the SAC in doubles (23), doubles per game (.44), hits (82), total bases (138), and is the toughest to strikeout. She is also second with 57 runs batted in. All six categories are within the top-25, including four in the top-5 across DII.
Links to live stats and video for Tusculum University athletic events can be found through tusculumpioneers.com.
2024 SAC Softball Championship
Friday, April 26 (Wingate, N.C.)
Game 1: #1 Wingate vs. #8 Catawba, 1 p.m.
Game 2: #4 Lenoir-Rhyne vs. #5 Tusculum, 3:30 p.m.
Friday, April 26 (Anderson, S.C.)
Game 1: #2 Anderson vs. #7 Lincoln Memorial, 1 p.m.
Game 2: #3 Carson-Newman vs. #6 Newberry, 3:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 27 (Wingate, N.C.)
Game 3: Winner Gm 1 vs Winner Gm 2, 10:30 a.m.
Game 4: Loser Gm 1 vs Loser Gm 2, 1:00 p.m.
Game 5: Loser Gm 3 vs Winner Gm 4, 3:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 27 (Anderson, S.C.)
Game 3: Winner Gm 1 vs Winner Gm 2, 12 p.m.
Game 4: Loser Gm 1 vs Loser Gm 2, 2:30 p.m.
Game 5: Loser Gm 3 vs Winner Gm 4, 5 p.m.
Sunday, April 28 (Wingate, N.C.)
Game 6: Winner Gm 5 vs Winner Gm 3, 12:00 p.m.
Game 7: Loser Gm 6 vs Loser Gm 6, 2:30 p.m. (if necessary)
Sunday, April 28 (Anderson, S.C.)
Game 6: Winner Gm 5 vs Winner Gm 3, 1:30 p.m.
Game 7: Loser Gm 6 vs Loser Gm 6, 4 p.m. (if necessary)
Friday, May 3-Saturday, May 4 (TBD)
Championship Series
