BELLEVUE, Neb. -- The Bellevue University softball team, by virtue of their 17-3 record in conference play, will host the upcoming Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament this Thursday and Friday at Hall of Fame Fields on Harlan Lewis Road in Bellevue. It will be the first time that Bellevue has hosted the MCAC Tournament since 2011 when that year's team won the MCAC regular season title, sporting an unblemished 12-0 mark in league action.
This season's Bellevue squad sports an overall record of 36-11-1 and clinched the MCAC Regular Season Championship for the 10th time in program history. The Bruins are seeking their third straight MCAC Tournament title and trip to the NAIA National Tournament.
The second seed for the tournament belongs to Oklahoma Wesleyan University (28-22/14-5 MCAC). Central Baptist College (21-14/13-5 MCAC) secured the number three seed ahead of fourth-seeded College of Saint Mary (21-13/13-5 MCAC) by virtue of their 2-0 head-to-head record against the Flames.
Bellevue looks to continue its strong season. The Bruins are 35-5-1 after a slow start to the season and have been receiving votes in the NAIA Top 25 Coaches' Poll for the majority of the season.
Offensively, the Bruins are paced senior middle infielders Shelby Kindelin and Ashley Gigax. Kindelin has been a table-setter for the bruins all year with a .456 on-base percentage, 20 stolen bases, and 42 runs scored. In addition to being a .383 hitter Kindelin boasts a .643 slugging average on the strength of seven doubled, six triples, and seven home runs and ranks second on the team with 47 runs batted in. Gigax is BU's top power threat with 30 extra base hits on the season, including a single-season record-tying 19 home runs to go along with 45 runs scored and 50 driven in. She is tied for the NAIA lead in home runs and ranks eighth with a .902 slugging percentage.
Time in the circle has been shared evenly between senior strikeout artist Taylor Mohler and sophomore ground ball specialist Kelli Fisher. In 151.1 innings Fisher (16-4) has posted a 1.80 ERA and is allowing less than a base-runner per inning. Mohler (19-6) has logged 142.2 innings on the year, striking out 206 batters against just 47 walks while posting the nation's fifth-best ERA at 1.29. Mohler also ranks fifth in batters struck out per seven innings with a mark of 10.11.
The winner of the championship will receive the conference's automatic bid to the 2015 NAIA National Tournament, culminating with the 35th Annual NAIA Softball World Series May 22-28 at the Elizabeth and Irving Jensen Softball Complex in Sioux City, Iowa.
2015 Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference Softball Tournament
(Double Elimination)
Tournament Seeds
1. Bellevue (36-11-1); 2. Oklahoma Wesleyan (28-22); 3. Central Baptist (21-14); 4. College of St. Mary (21-13)
Thursday, April 30
Game One: Central Baptist vs. Oklahoma Wesleyan – 11:00 a.m.
Game Two: College of Saint Mary vs. Bellevue – 1:30 p.m.
Game Three: Loser of Game One vs. Loser of Game Two – 4:00 p.m.
Game Four: Winner of Game One vs. Winner of Game Two – 6:30 p.m.
Friday, May 1
Game Five: Winner of Game Three vs. Loser of Game Four – 12:00 p.m.
Game Six: Winner of Game Five vs. Winner of Game Four – 2:30 p.m.
Game Seven: Same teams as Game Six (If Necessary) – 5:00 p.m.
Saturday, May 2
Rain Make-up (If Needed)
