2017 NAIA Softball Championship Opening Round

Softball 5/10/2017 6:00:00 PM

OCU vies for World Series berth in NAIA Championship Opening Round OKC Bracket

Top-ranked Stars face Kansas Wesleyan at 3 p.m. Monday

OKLAHOMA CITY – Top-ranked defending national champion Oklahoma City University will aim for an NAIA Softball World Series bid in the NAIA Championship Opening Round Oklahoma City Bracket beginning Monday at Ann Lacy Stadium.
No. 1 Oklahoma City, 16th-rated Simpson (Calif.), No. 23 Bellevue (Neb.) and Kansas Wesleyan will play for a World Series berth in a double-elimination tournament Monday through Wednesday. The championship game is set for noon Wednesday with the if-necessary game 3 p.m. that day.
Bellevue plays Simpson at noon Monday, followed by Oklahoma City vs. Kansas Wesleyan at 3 p.m. Tickets to the Oklahoma City Bracket cost $10 for adults and $7 for students 18 and under. Fans can watch the games via live video stream at a cost of $8.95 per game with a $20.95 tournament pass. The forecast during the tournament includes high temperatures in the upper 80s with winds between 15-25 mph. The chance for precipitation is 20 percent on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The top-seeded Stars (61-1) feature Sooner Athletic Conference player of the year Kali Pugh, SAC pitcher of the year Georgia Wall and SAC freshman of the year Jaden Shores.
Pugh, a senior shortstop from Vista, Calif., tops the NAIA in total bases (198), runs scored (89), RBIs (84) and at-bats (223) and ranks second nationally with 22 home runs, 106 hits and 3.19 total bases per game this season. OCU landed 11 on the all-SAC team as Madison Ellis, a senior third baseman from Yukon, Okla., and Abby Meador, a junior pitcher from Midwest City, Okla., became three-time all-conference performers.
The Stars captured both the SAC regular-season and tournament championships. OCU opened the season 47-0 and reeled off an NAIA-record 52-game winning streak. OCU leads the NAIA in runs scored (499), RBIs (446), hits (670), stolen bases (160), runs scored per game (8.05), at-bats (1,749), earned run average (0.74) and opponents' batting average (.144). Oklahoma City has been the No. 1 ranked team in the NAIA for the previous 13 polls.
Phil McSpadden reached 1,600 wins April 25 at USAO, running his career record to 1,606-367 to lead college softball in victories vs. four-year competition. OCU has won national championships in 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2007 and become NAIA runner-up in 1986, 1993, 1999, 2010 and 2012. OCU leads the NAIA with 29 appearances and 120 victories in the World Series. The NAIA Softball World Series will be May 26-June 1 in Clermont, Fla.
Simpson (43-8) enters the Opening Round as California Pacific Athletic Tournament champion. Simpson's Paris Hallums snagged her fourth Cal Pac pitcher of the year accolade, while Madison Wright took Cal Pac player of the year. Wayne Stower is the six-time Cal Pac coach of the year.
Bellevue (49-14) took the fifth at-large bid into the Opening Round. Bellevue reached the North Star Athletic Association Tournament title game after winning the conference regular-season crown. NSAA pitcher of the year Kelli Fisher has set school records with 29 victories this season and 88 career wins, while league player of the year Erin Sharpe has produced Bellevue marks with 28 home runs and 78 RBIs this year.
Kansas Wesleyan (34-14) accrued the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament title. Jordyn Parsons collected unanimous first-team all-KCAC acclaim while ranking seventh nationally with 209.2 innings pitched and 10th among the NAIA with 23 victories.

NAIA Championship Opening Round
Oklahoma City Bracket
At Oklahoma City
Ann Lacy Stadium
All Times CDT
Monday's Games
Game 1: Bellevue (Neb.) vs. Simpson (Calif.), noon
Game 2: Kansas Wesleyan at Oklahoma City, 3 p.m.
Tuesday's Games
Game 3: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, noon
Game 4: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 3 p.m.
Game 5: Winner Game 4 vs. Loser Game 3, 6 p.m.
Wednesday's Games
Championship
Game 6: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 5, noon
Game 7: If necessary, 3 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

#16 Madison Ellis: INF; 5' 8"; Senior; R/R

#12 Abby Meador: P; 5' 7"; Junior; R/R

#19 Kali Pugh: INF; 5' 5"; Senior; R/R

#18 Georgia Wall: P; 6' 1"; Sophomore; R/R

#15 Jaden Shores: P; 5' 9"; Freshman; R/R

Players Mentioned

#16 Madison Ellis
: 5' 8"; Senior; R/R
: INF

#12 Abby Meador
: 5' 7"; Junior; R/R
: P

#19 Kali Pugh
: 5' 5"; Senior; R/R
: INF

#18 Georgia Wall
: 6' 1"; Sophomore; R/R
: P

#15 Jaden Shores
: 5' 9"; Freshman; R/R
: P