The Championship stage is set as the two-seed Muskingum softball team hosts four-seed Ohio Northern on Saturday, May 15, at Donna J. Newberry Field for a chance to be crowned OAC Tournament Champions and receive the OAC's automatic qualifier for the NCAA Division III Tournament.
The Basics
• The two-seed Muskingum softball team defeated the three-seed Baldwin Wallace Yellow Jackets in the OAC Semifinals 4-0 to advance to the tournament championship.
• The four-seed Ohio Northern softball team defeated five-seed Capital 1-0 in the quarterfinals and beat the one-seed 16th-ranked Mount Union, 5-4, to advance to the tournament championship.
• The last time these two teams played each other in the Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament Championship was in 2014 when the then two-seed Muskies defeated the one-seed Polar Bears, 7-2, to advance to the NCAA Tournament.
The Series
• The tournament contest will mark the third meeting of the season between Muskingum and Ohio Northern, with Muskingum winning the four-game regular-season series, 3-1. The Muskies won the first doubleheaders in Ada, 4-3 and 2-0. The Muskies dropped game one in New Concord, 1-0, but won game two, 3-2.
Inside the Numbers – Muskingum
• Senior Karsyn Shaffer leads the Muskies with a .414 batting average and a team-high 58 hits. She has 10 stolen bases and notched six doubles and two triples.
• Senior Shaena Mayer has a .355 batting average and has a team-high 18 stolen bases. She has 44 hits, with two doubles and two triples, and has eight RBIs.
• Junior Katie Osburn has a .313 batting average and has a team-high 12 doubles. She has 41 hits, one triple, and tallied 23 RBIs.
• In the circle, junior Hannah Smith carries a 12-3 record and has a 2.16 ERA. She has pitched a total of 103.2 innings, notching 60 strikeouts. She was also awarded OAC Softball Pitcher of the Week twice for her outstanding performances against then 21st-ranked Mount Union and Marietta.
• Senior Hannah Duff carries a record of 12-6, with an ERA of 2.81. She leads the Muskie pitchers in innings pitched with 109.2 and has fired 70 strikeouts.
• The Muskies carry a team batting average of .314 and a fielding average of .957.
• Muskingum has tallied 343 hits, 55 doubles, seven triples, and nine home runs.
• The Muskie pitching staff has an ERA of 2.92.
Inside the Numbers – Ohio Northern
• Sophomore Sydney Motylinski leads the Polar Bear offense with a .365 batting average and a team-high 42 hits. She has eight home runs and eight doubles, and a team-high 28 RBIs.
• Senior Abby Davis has a .339 batting average and has 41 hits. She has two doubles, one triple, and 13 RBIs.
• Junior Abby Elliott has a .325 batting average registering 38 hits. She tallied nine doubles, a team-high three triples, and collected 20 RBIs.
• On the mound, junior Stacey Walters carries a 13-5 record with an ERA of 3.12. She has pitched a total of 130 innings and has tallied 97 strikeouts.
• Sophomore Allie Bican has a 4-7 record with an ERA of 3.73. She has pitched a total of 82.2 innings and has registered 85 strikeouts.
• The Polar Bears carry a team batting average of .304 and a fielding average of .957.
• Ohio Northern has tallied 337 hits, 53 doubles, 10 triples, and 22 home runs.
• The Polar Bear pitching staff has an ERA of 3.64.
How to watch
• Fans can follow all the live action at fightingmuskies.com and through the OAC TV app. The first pitch of the doubleheader is slated for 1:00 p.m. If the teams split the twinbill on Saturday, the final contest of the series will be Sunday at 1:00 p.m.
NCAA Tournament
• The winner of the three-game series receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
