Friday, May 3
Riverside, CA
6:00 p.m.
Stephen F. Austin
at
California Baptist University
Lumberjacks to Duel Lancers with Playoff Spot at Stake
5/2/2024 4:53:00 PM | Softball
Stephen F. Austin vs. California Baptist University
Date: Friday, May 3rd Doubleheader & Saturday, May 4th
Times: Friday: 6:00 & 8:30 p.m. CST, Saturday: 6:00 p.m. CST
Live Stream: ESPN+
Stadium: John C. Funk Stadium
Series: SFA Leads 4-0
RIVERSIDE, Calif. - The Stephen F. Austin's Softball Team (15-37, 8-15) closes out their regular season schedule as they travel to the West Coast to square off with the host California Baptist Lancers (28-22, 15-6) in a critical three-game weekend series for SFA as the Lumberjacks playoff hopes rest on the outcome of this weekend.
Last Weekend at a Glance for SFA:
The Lumberjacks hosted the WAC-leading Grand Canyon University Lopes and fought valiantly all weekend long as they held the Lopes two or fewer runs in two of the three games but were unable to secure a win against GCU to close out their home schedule for the season. Following the series finale on Saturday, the Lumberjacks honored their eight graduating seniors in Madison Nguyen, Emily Land, Aydenne Brown, Brittany Coe, Lexi Benson, Alex Dubose, Mallory Webb, and Sydney Blakeman.
What's At Stake:
The Lumberjacks ticket to the WAC Tournament in Seattle will hinge on the results of this three-game series against the Lancers in addition to various other outcomes across the WAC as the Lumberjacks 8-15 conference record has them tied with both ACU and Southern Utah for the final two playoff spots in the WAC. However, the Lumberjacks will enter the weekend on the outside looking in as they currently sit in the ninth spot and will need to finish in the top eight in the WAC in order to punch their ticket to Seattle.
This weekend will be must-watch softball not just for the Lumberjacks but also the rest of the WAC as there are two playoff spots still open and four teams battling for them. The Southern Utah Thunderbirds, currently tied for the seventh and eighth spots with ACU, will play the Tarleton State Texans this weekend, as Tarleton is not trailing by much in the standings either as they have seven conference wins and could find their way into the WAC Tournament with a sweep or possibly even a series win over Southern Utah as Tarleton will play host to the Thunderbirds. Meanwhile, the ACU Wildcats will have their work cut out for them as they travel to Phoenix for a three-game weekend series with the same GCU Lopes the Lumberjacks just faced, while the Lumberjacks will play the number two overall ranked CBU Lancers in Riverside.
The Lumberjacks will need to finish with more conference wins than both ACU and SUU as both schools hold the better head-to-head record over SFA, however, SFA holds the head-to-head record over Tarleton. Thus, SFA can punch their ticket to Seattle in one of the following scenarios:
Stephen F. Austin clinches playoff berth with:
Middle Infield Partners in Crime:
Ellie Vance and Chloe Reneau continue to showcase their talent on both sides of the diamond this season for the Lumberjacks. Vance has been a constant force in the Lumberjacks lineup as she is the only SFA player with an average over .300 this season while ranking second on the team in hits (42) and leading the team in total bases (47). However, the most impressive aspect of Vance's game this season has been her incredible ability to consistently make contact in the batter's box as she has struck out just five times this season in 135 at-bats. Reneau has started to find her groove at the plate recently as she will carry a three-game hitting streak into Riverside, and has recorded a hit in six of her last seven games, while reaching base safely in seven straight contests. Reneau is fresh off an exceptional senior day performance as she recorded a pair of singles against the Lopes, while making a gold-glove caliber play from her usual shortstop position as she showed off her hops by making a sensational leaping snag on a line drive to rob the Lopes of a hit.
Walk O'Clock:
The Lumberjack batting order has shown incredible patience and discipline at the plate this season as they have tallied 124 walks as a team this season, which is good for third-most in the WAC this season. More impressively is the fact that every Lumberjack batter to record a walk this season has recorded multiple walks this season as each batter has at least two walks this season. Lexi Benson spearheads the free pass department for SFA this season as she has drawn 19 walks on the year to lead all Lumberjacks. Mikaelah Burkland has shown equally impressive discipline as she has 12 walks this season, while Mallory Webb has been equally patient in the box this season as she has 11 walks on the year. Chloe Reneau rounds out the top batters for SFA as she is the fourth Lumberjack with double-digit walks this season with 10 on the year.
Aces in Their Places:
The Lumberjacks pitching rotation continues to boast one of the best trios of starters in the WAC as they stymied a GCU offense this past weekend that averaged a WAC-leading 6.56 runs/game by holding them to under six runs in all three games and to two or fewer runs in two of the three games. As a pitching staff, the Lumberjacks sport the third-best era in the WAC as they hold a solid 3.63 mark this season which only ranks behind GCU and CBU who rank first and second respectively. All three Lumberjack starters own an era under 3.40 this season as they are led by Brooke Gainous who has a team-low 3.20 era on the year and has allowed just four runs in her last 20 innings pitched. Gainous continues to showcase unparalleled control in the circle for SFA as she has issued just 13 walks in 85.1 innings pitched this season while pitching two complete game shutouts. Alexis Telford continues to be a true workhorse for the Lumberjacks this season as in addition to being able to play first base, Telford has been just as effective in the circle as her era is just a hair behind Gainous at 3.21 for the season while she leads the team in complete games pitched (nine) and innings pitched (111.1). Meanwhile, Aydenne Brown continues her fantastic first season with the Lumberjacks as she holds a 3.38 era this season, while generating plenty of swings and misses in the circle for SFA as she has struck out a team-high 87 batters in 109.2 innings pitched for the 'Jacks, while limiting opposing hitters to a mere .234 batting average on the season.
Benson's Bat:
Lexi Benson has been the source of power for the Lumberjacks hitting in the middle of the order for SFA as she leads the team in ops (.736) and slugging percentage (.378) this season. Benson has gone triple crazy this season as she leads the team in triples with six on the year. Benson's six triples have her tied for fourth most in the nation this season while her 0.13 triples per game average ranks her at 15th in the entire nation. Benson has 10 extra-base hits this season to lead all Lumberjacks as she has four doubles in addition to her six triples this year.
Sneaky Sources of Stolen Bases:
Speed is the name of the game with the SFA lineup as nine different Lumberjacks have swiped at least one base this season. Madison Nguyen continues to be a catcher's worst nightmare on the basepaths as she is a perfect 10-10 on stolen bases this season while Ellie Vance and Mallory Webb have been partners in crime on the basepaths this season as both have seven stolen bases this season. Chloe Reneau should not be overlooked in the SFA lineup as she has swiped four bags of her own, while Lexi Benson and Kaylee Paul have formed a dynamic duo of their own as they each have three stolen bases on the campaign. Meanwhile, Brittany Coe, Kylie Bishop, and Ja'Aira Fletcher have formed a fearsome trio of their own as they each have a stolen base this season as well.
Track the WAC Stats:
Ellie Vance, Madison Nguyen, and Chloe Reneau have been the model of consistency for SFA in conference play this season as all three have started in 19 of 20 conference games this season and rank one, two, and three in hits in conference play on the team respectively. Vance has been raking in conference as she has recorded a team-high 24, while Reneau's recent hot stretch of hitting has seen her record 20 hits in conference play good for second most on the team. Madison Nguyen continues to be a solid leadoff hitter for SFA as her 18 hits in conference play rank her third on the team in that category. Mikaelah Burkland has brought the pop in conference as she has four doubles, while Hope Lusk, Mikaelah Burkland, Lexi Benson, Alexis Telford, and Ellie Vance all have driven in five runs in conference play. To top it all off, all three Lumberjack starting pitchers have pitched to the tune of an era under three so far in conference play.
Keeping Up with the 'Jacks: Season Stats Edition:
Ellie Vance continues to torment opposing pitchers as she leads the team in batting average with her impressive .311 mark this season as she has recorded 42 hits on the year good for second most on the team. Madison Nguyen continues her strong senior season from the leadoff spot as she leads the team with 44 hits on the year, while Vance leads the team with 47 total bases. Benson's extra-base hits this season have given her plenty of opportunities for RBIs as she leads the team with 14 RBIs this season. Meanwhile, Nguyen has been just as effective as a fielder for SFA as she has recorded 90 putouts on the season and sports a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage, while Alex Dubose continues her fantastic senior defensive season as she leads the team with 148 putouts on the year.
Lancers at a Glance:
The CBU Lancers will enter this weekend series closing out both their regular season and home schedule against SFA. The Lancers are fresh off a sweep over ACU on the road and have won five of their last six games. The Lancers have been a tough opponent to beat at home this season as they hold a 20-11 home record this year, a 28-22 overall record, and a 15-6 conference record. The Lancers are led by Head Coach Mike Smith who owns the program's all-time wins record with an all-time 525-96 record at CBU, while over his 21-year coaching career he has recorded over 1,000 career wins.
The CBU offense has no shortage of hitting ability as six of their starters this season hold a batting average over .300. Merissa Borkowski leads the CBU offense as she is hitting a solid .389 average and has started in all 50 games this season for CBU. Kayla Lyon and Kelena Burns have formed a dynamic hitting duo as they each have eight homeruns this season while combining for 75 RBIs on the year, while Burns has drawn a team-high 18 walks. Matti Severns leads the team with six stolen bases on the year, while striking out just six times in 45 games.
Presley Hosick leads a Lancer pitching rotation that features five pitchers with an era under 3.50 this season. Hosick sports a 2.33 era this season while winning a team-high 10 games this season pitching in 111.1 innings this year. Morgan McConnell has thrown 110.0 innings while tossing a team-leading eight complete games this season, while Jazmine Castaneda rounds out the pitching staff for CBU with a 3.21 era and seven wins this season.
Let's Keep it Rolling:
This weekend's series will feature the first time SFA has traveled to Riverside to play the Lancers in softball. SFA has won the previous four meetings between the two schools as they will look to keep their undefeated streak against the Lancers going. The most recent meeting saw SFA claim a 7-6 extra-innings win over the Lancers in the WAC Tournament, which saw Gaby Garcia break the career homerun record at SFA. SFA has allowed one or less runs in three of the four games played against CBU and has scored four or more runs in three of the four games.
Date: Friday, May 3rd Doubleheader & Saturday, May 4th
Times: Friday: 6:00 & 8:30 p.m. CST, Saturday: 6:00 p.m. CST
Live Stream: ESPN+
Stadium: John C. Funk Stadium
Series: SFA Leads 4-0
RIVERSIDE, Calif. - The Stephen F. Austin's Softball Team (15-37, 8-15) closes out their regular season schedule as they travel to the West Coast to square off with the host California Baptist Lancers (28-22, 15-6) in a critical three-game weekend series for SFA as the Lumberjacks playoff hopes rest on the outcome of this weekend.
Last Weekend at a Glance for SFA:
The Lumberjacks hosted the WAC-leading Grand Canyon University Lopes and fought valiantly all weekend long as they held the Lopes two or fewer runs in two of the three games but were unable to secure a win against GCU to close out their home schedule for the season. Following the series finale on Saturday, the Lumberjacks honored their eight graduating seniors in Madison Nguyen, Emily Land, Aydenne Brown, Brittany Coe, Lexi Benson, Alex Dubose, Mallory Webb, and Sydney Blakeman.
What's At Stake:
The Lumberjacks ticket to the WAC Tournament in Seattle will hinge on the results of this three-game series against the Lancers in addition to various other outcomes across the WAC as the Lumberjacks 8-15 conference record has them tied with both ACU and Southern Utah for the final two playoff spots in the WAC. However, the Lumberjacks will enter the weekend on the outside looking in as they currently sit in the ninth spot and will need to finish in the top eight in the WAC in order to punch their ticket to Seattle.
This weekend will be must-watch softball not just for the Lumberjacks but also the rest of the WAC as there are two playoff spots still open and four teams battling for them. The Southern Utah Thunderbirds, currently tied for the seventh and eighth spots with ACU, will play the Tarleton State Texans this weekend, as Tarleton is not trailing by much in the standings either as they have seven conference wins and could find their way into the WAC Tournament with a sweep or possibly even a series win over Southern Utah as Tarleton will play host to the Thunderbirds. Meanwhile, the ACU Wildcats will have their work cut out for them as they travel to Phoenix for a three-game weekend series with the same GCU Lopes the Lumberjacks just faced, while the Lumberjacks will play the number two overall ranked CBU Lancers in Riverside.
The Lumberjacks will need to finish with more conference wins than both ACU and SUU as both schools hold the better head-to-head record over SFA, however, SFA holds the head-to-head record over Tarleton. Thus, SFA can punch their ticket to Seattle in one of the following scenarios:
Stephen F. Austin clinches playoff berth with:
- Series win 2/3 games over CBU + GCU series win 2/3 games over ACU + Tarleton series win 2/3 games over SUU (SFA finishes the season with 10 conference wins, ACU and SUU finish with nine conference wins)
- Win 1/3 against CBU + GCU sweep of ACU + Tarleton sweep of SUU (SFA finishes with nine conference wins, ACU and SUU finish with eight conference wins)
- Sweep of CBU + ACU losing one game to GCU + SUU losing one game to Tarleton (SFA finishes with 11 conference wins, ACU and SUU finish with 10 conference wins)
Middle Infield Partners in Crime:
Ellie Vance and Chloe Reneau continue to showcase their talent on both sides of the diamond this season for the Lumberjacks. Vance has been a constant force in the Lumberjacks lineup as she is the only SFA player with an average over .300 this season while ranking second on the team in hits (42) and leading the team in total bases (47). However, the most impressive aspect of Vance's game this season has been her incredible ability to consistently make contact in the batter's box as she has struck out just five times this season in 135 at-bats. Reneau has started to find her groove at the plate recently as she will carry a three-game hitting streak into Riverside, and has recorded a hit in six of her last seven games, while reaching base safely in seven straight contests. Reneau is fresh off an exceptional senior day performance as she recorded a pair of singles against the Lopes, while making a gold-glove caliber play from her usual shortstop position as she showed off her hops by making a sensational leaping snag on a line drive to rob the Lopes of a hit.
Walk O'Clock:
The Lumberjack batting order has shown incredible patience and discipline at the plate this season as they have tallied 124 walks as a team this season, which is good for third-most in the WAC this season. More impressively is the fact that every Lumberjack batter to record a walk this season has recorded multiple walks this season as each batter has at least two walks this season. Lexi Benson spearheads the free pass department for SFA this season as she has drawn 19 walks on the year to lead all Lumberjacks. Mikaelah Burkland has shown equally impressive discipline as she has 12 walks this season, while Mallory Webb has been equally patient in the box this season as she has 11 walks on the year. Chloe Reneau rounds out the top batters for SFA as she is the fourth Lumberjack with double-digit walks this season with 10 on the year.
Aces in Their Places:
The Lumberjacks pitching rotation continues to boast one of the best trios of starters in the WAC as they stymied a GCU offense this past weekend that averaged a WAC-leading 6.56 runs/game by holding them to under six runs in all three games and to two or fewer runs in two of the three games. As a pitching staff, the Lumberjacks sport the third-best era in the WAC as they hold a solid 3.63 mark this season which only ranks behind GCU and CBU who rank first and second respectively. All three Lumberjack starters own an era under 3.40 this season as they are led by Brooke Gainous who has a team-low 3.20 era on the year and has allowed just four runs in her last 20 innings pitched. Gainous continues to showcase unparalleled control in the circle for SFA as she has issued just 13 walks in 85.1 innings pitched this season while pitching two complete game shutouts. Alexis Telford continues to be a true workhorse for the Lumberjacks this season as in addition to being able to play first base, Telford has been just as effective in the circle as her era is just a hair behind Gainous at 3.21 for the season while she leads the team in complete games pitched (nine) and innings pitched (111.1). Meanwhile, Aydenne Brown continues her fantastic first season with the Lumberjacks as she holds a 3.38 era this season, while generating plenty of swings and misses in the circle for SFA as she has struck out a team-high 87 batters in 109.2 innings pitched for the 'Jacks, while limiting opposing hitters to a mere .234 batting average on the season.
Benson's Bat:
Lexi Benson has been the source of power for the Lumberjacks hitting in the middle of the order for SFA as she leads the team in ops (.736) and slugging percentage (.378) this season. Benson has gone triple crazy this season as she leads the team in triples with six on the year. Benson's six triples have her tied for fourth most in the nation this season while her 0.13 triples per game average ranks her at 15th in the entire nation. Benson has 10 extra-base hits this season to lead all Lumberjacks as she has four doubles in addition to her six triples this year.
Sneaky Sources of Stolen Bases:
Speed is the name of the game with the SFA lineup as nine different Lumberjacks have swiped at least one base this season. Madison Nguyen continues to be a catcher's worst nightmare on the basepaths as she is a perfect 10-10 on stolen bases this season while Ellie Vance and Mallory Webb have been partners in crime on the basepaths this season as both have seven stolen bases this season. Chloe Reneau should not be overlooked in the SFA lineup as she has swiped four bags of her own, while Lexi Benson and Kaylee Paul have formed a dynamic duo of their own as they each have three stolen bases on the campaign. Meanwhile, Brittany Coe, Kylie Bishop, and Ja'Aira Fletcher have formed a fearsome trio of their own as they each have a stolen base this season as well.
Track the WAC Stats:
Ellie Vance, Madison Nguyen, and Chloe Reneau have been the model of consistency for SFA in conference play this season as all three have started in 19 of 20 conference games this season and rank one, two, and three in hits in conference play on the team respectively. Vance has been raking in conference as she has recorded a team-high 24, while Reneau's recent hot stretch of hitting has seen her record 20 hits in conference play good for second most on the team. Madison Nguyen continues to be a solid leadoff hitter for SFA as her 18 hits in conference play rank her third on the team in that category. Mikaelah Burkland has brought the pop in conference as she has four doubles, while Hope Lusk, Mikaelah Burkland, Lexi Benson, Alexis Telford, and Ellie Vance all have driven in five runs in conference play. To top it all off, all three Lumberjack starting pitchers have pitched to the tune of an era under three so far in conference play.
Keeping Up with the 'Jacks: Season Stats Edition:
Ellie Vance continues to torment opposing pitchers as she leads the team in batting average with her impressive .311 mark this season as she has recorded 42 hits on the year good for second most on the team. Madison Nguyen continues her strong senior season from the leadoff spot as she leads the team with 44 hits on the year, while Vance leads the team with 47 total bases. Benson's extra-base hits this season have given her plenty of opportunities for RBIs as she leads the team with 14 RBIs this season. Meanwhile, Nguyen has been just as effective as a fielder for SFA as she has recorded 90 putouts on the season and sports a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage, while Alex Dubose continues her fantastic senior defensive season as she leads the team with 148 putouts on the year.
Lancers at a Glance:
The CBU Lancers will enter this weekend series closing out both their regular season and home schedule against SFA. The Lancers are fresh off a sweep over ACU on the road and have won five of their last six games. The Lancers have been a tough opponent to beat at home this season as they hold a 20-11 home record this year, a 28-22 overall record, and a 15-6 conference record. The Lancers are led by Head Coach Mike Smith who owns the program's all-time wins record with an all-time 525-96 record at CBU, while over his 21-year coaching career he has recorded over 1,000 career wins.
The CBU offense has no shortage of hitting ability as six of their starters this season hold a batting average over .300. Merissa Borkowski leads the CBU offense as she is hitting a solid .389 average and has started in all 50 games this season for CBU. Kayla Lyon and Kelena Burns have formed a dynamic hitting duo as they each have eight homeruns this season while combining for 75 RBIs on the year, while Burns has drawn a team-high 18 walks. Matti Severns leads the team with six stolen bases on the year, while striking out just six times in 45 games.
Presley Hosick leads a Lancer pitching rotation that features five pitchers with an era under 3.50 this season. Hosick sports a 2.33 era this season while winning a team-high 10 games this season pitching in 111.1 innings this year. Morgan McConnell has thrown 110.0 innings while tossing a team-leading eight complete games this season, while Jazmine Castaneda rounds out the pitching staff for CBU with a 3.21 era and seven wins this season.
Let's Keep it Rolling:
This weekend's series will feature the first time SFA has traveled to Riverside to play the Lancers in softball. SFA has won the previous four meetings between the two schools as they will look to keep their undefeated streak against the Lancers going. The most recent meeting saw SFA claim a 7-6 extra-innings win over the Lancers in the WAC Tournament, which saw Gaby Garcia break the career homerun record at SFA. SFA has allowed one or less runs in three of the four games played against CBU and has scored four or more runs in three of the four games.
Players Mentioned
OF/P
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INF
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OF
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P
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OF
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C
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C/IF
/ Softball
OF
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P
/ Softball
C/3B
/ Softball
C/3B
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OF/IF
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OF
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IF
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P
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OF
/ Softball2.1.24 | Axe 'Em Insider Ep. 24 x Softball
Friday, February 02
Softball - Stephen F. Austin - 02/22/2017: Stephen F. Austin
Wednesday, February 22
Softball - Stephen F. Austin - 02/22/2017: Stephen F. Austin
Wednesday, February 22
SFA Completes Epic Comeback: SFA Softball
Thursday, May 12
