NSAA Softball Tournament Preview

ABERDEEN, S.D. -- The Bellevue University softball team is heading off to Aberdeen, S.D. for the North Star Athletic Association Tournament.

Four teams comprise each Bracket A and Bracket B. Both brackets will play a double-elimination tournament with the winners meeting in a best-of-three championship series to determine the league's lone automatic berth to the NAIA National Tournament Opening Round.

Despite finishing in second place in the regular season, the Bruins are seeded fourth in the tournament and will take on fifth-seeded Presentation College in their first game.

Bracket A Field:

No. 4 Bellevue (32-18/19-5 NSAA) is chasing their 14^th conference tournament championship and their 16^th NAIA post-season appearance. The Bruins won 13 titles in the now-defunct MCAC (1998-99, 2001-03, 2005, 2007-08, 2010-11, 2013-15). BU is playing as well as any team in the league right now with wins in eight of their last nine games.

No. 5 Presentation (23-27/11-13 NSAA) has successfully turned their season around. Following a slow 12-22 start, the Saints have won 11 of their last 16 ballgames to jump to fifth place in the league standings.

No. 1 Dickinson State (40-19/19-3 NSAA) claimed the conference's regular-season championship after losing just three games (Bellevue, Jamestown, Waldorf). The Blue Hawks are ranked No. 16 in the latest NAIA Top 25 Coaches' Poll.

No. 8 Dakota State (8-28/4-20 NSAA) nabbed the final place in the conference tournament despite stumbling a bit down the stretch. The Trojans lost their final seven games to close the regular-season.

The Series:

Bellevue and Presentation played a four-game set to wrap up the regular-season earlier this week with the Bruins taking three of four at the Lied Center. All four games were tightly contested affairs with BU winning by scores of 1-0, 3-0, and 2-1. The Saints picked up a 2-0 win the series' second game.

Bellevue and Dickinson State split at two-game series at Dakota State. The Blue Hawks eked out a 1-0 win in the first game but the Bruins came back a day later to hand Dickinson State a 7-3 loss.

Bellevue and Dakota State played a two-game set back in March with the Bruins coming away victorious in both games. BU won 9-1 (5 Inn.) in the first game and held on for a tight 4-3 victory in game two.

Fun Fact:

Offense could be at a premium in this one. The nine runs scored between Bellevue and Presentation in their regular season series were the fewest in any four-game North Star this season.

Players to Watch:

Bellevue –

• Jr. RHP Kelli Fisher (21-11, 1.17 ERA, 167 SO, 31 BB, 202.2 IP, 5 Saves)
• Jr. OF Kaitlyn Goney (.301 AVG, .431 OBP, 20 Runs Scored)
• So. SS Emily Gigax (.279 AVG, .399 OBP, .544 SLG, 21 XBH, 33 RBI, 25 Runs Scored)
• So. 1B Alex Tooley (.290 AVG, .397 OBP, 6 XBH, 12 RBI, 16 Runs Scored)
• So. OF Sarah Zeleny (.330 AVG, .361 OBP, 12-12 SB, 18 Runs Scored)
• Fr. 3B/RHP Erin Sharpe (.339 OBP, .413 SLG, 12 XBH, 33 RBI, 22 Runs Scored)
• Fr. IF Emily Miller (.342 AVG, .428 OBP, .492 SLG, 12 XBH, 22 RBI, 25 Runs Scored)

Presentation –

• Sr. 3B Shelby Anderson (.323 AVG, .555 SLG, 20 XBH, 30 RBI, 24 Runs Scored)
• Jr. OF Haylee Hemmert (.338 AVG, .407 OBP, 11 XBH, 21 RBI, 31 Runs Scored)
• Sr. RHP Kayla Reynolds (11-12, 2.45 ERA, 114 SO, 154.1 IP)
• Fr. 1B Kassandra Orozco (.336 AVG, .407 OBP, 11 XBH, 24 RBI, 21 Runs Scored)
• Fr. OF Cortni Mendoza (.297 AVG, .333 OBP, 12-13 SB, 31 Runs Scored)

Dickinson State –

• Sr. SS Alex Vargas (.488 AVG, .900 SLG, 37 XBH, 69 RBI, 53 Runs Scored)
• Jr. IF McKenzie Bassett (.358 AVG, .507 SLG, 13 XBH, 35 RBI, 23 Runs Scored)
• Jr. C/OF Brianna Grayson (.388 AVG, .544 SLG, 18 XBH, 33 RBI, 33 Runs Scored)
• Jr. OF McKenzie Kenobbie (.424 AVG, 13-15 SB, 7 XBH, 12 RBI, 54 Runs Scored)
• So. RHP Alex Watson (20-2, 1.51 ERA, 205 SO, 143.1 IP, 6 Saves)
• Fr. RHP Amanda Flores (8-2, 2.11 ERA, 36 SO, 66.1 IP)

Dakota State –

• Sr. C Elizabeth Rubalcava (.354 AVG, .566 SLG, 16 XBH, 19 RBI, 16 Runs Scored)
• Jr. Peyton Brokiewicz (.280 AVG, 398 SLG, 9 XBH, 14 RBI, 21 Runs Scored)
• Fr. RHP Audrey Kosman (.349 AVG, .462 SLG, 9 XBH, 16 RBI, 12 Runs Scored)
• Fr. OF Tatum Ronke (.337 AVG, .436 SLG, 7 XBH, 14 RBI, 20 Runs Scored)

What's Next?

The winner of the Bellevue-Presentation game advances in the winner's bracket to play the winner of the Dickinson State-Dakota State game while the loser drops into the loser's bracket against either the Blue Hawks or Trojans.

The winner of Bracket A meets the winner of Bracket B in a best-of-three championship series. Bracket B is comprised of No. 2 Valley City, No. 3 Jamestown, No. 6, Waldorf, and No. 7 Mayville State.

Bracket A Schedule:

Friday, May 6
Bracket Game 1: No. 8 Dakota State (8-28/4-20 NSAA) vs. No. 1 Dickinson State (40-19/19-3 NSAA), 10 a.m.
Bracket Game 2: No. 5 Presentation (23-27/11-13 NSAA) vs. No. 4 Bellevue (32-18/19-5 NSAA), Noon
Bracket Game 3: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2 (Loser Eliminated), 2 p.m.
Bracket Game 4: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 4 p.m.

Saturday, May 7
Bracket Game 5: Winner Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4 (Loser Eliminated), 11 a.m.
Bracket Game 6: Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5 (Bracket Championship Game One), 1 p.m.

Sunday, May 8
Bracket Game 7: Same Teams as Game 6 (If Necessary), Noon
Championship Game #1: Bracket A Winner vs. Bracket B Winner, Noon or 2:30 p.m.
Championship Game #2: Bracket A Winner vs. Bracket B Winner, 2:30 p.m. (Only when If Necessary games are not required)

Monday, May 9
Championship Game #2: Bracket A Winner vs. Bracket B Winner, 11 a.m.
Championship Game #3: Bracket A Winner vs. Bracket B Winner, 1:30 p.m. (If Necessary)