NAIA Release & Poll | Schedule/Results | Season Stats
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Bellevue University softball team, on the heels of their excellent play of late, are receiving votes in the NAIA Coaches' Top 25 poll, released Wednesday morning.
The 17 points the Bruins received in the poll represent the first time this year that the softball program has been considered for a national ranking.
Offensively, BU has been led by a fearsome foursome that features pair of .500 hitters in Reese Floro (.519, 20 XBH, 24 RBI) and Lauren Jurek (.500, 15 XBH, 22 RBI) along with Ashley Young (.333, 14 XBH, 33 RBI) and Maricela Egan (.348, 14 XBH, 26 RBI).
In the circle, all four Bruin pitchers with enough qualifying innings rank in the top five of the conference ERA race. Cory Carrillo (4-2, 1.59), Savannah Gunn (6-0, 2.54), and Katie Cunningham (7-6, 3.07) hold down the 1-2-3 spots while Lauren Jurek (4-2, 3.53) ranks fifth. Emily Rochford (1 save, 2.93) would also find herself among the leaders with more innings.
Bellevue has won 13 of their last 15 games, dating back to Mar. 11, which featured a season-high 10-game winning streak. Most recently, BU is coming off a 3-1 series victory over last year's conference regular-season champion, Valley City State.
The Bruins stand at 22-10 overall on the season and 7-1 in conference play, two games ahead of second place.
Bellevue travels to Dickinson, N.D. this weekend for a four-game series against last year's NSAA Tournament Champion, Dickinson State. The action begins with Saturday's double-header at 2 p.m. and concludes with another double-header on Sunday at 1 p.m.
