LAKELAND, Fla.—The Southeastern Fire softball team will head north to Alabama to take on five separate opponents, four of which are ranked in the top 25.
The Fire's first pair of games will be held in Mobile, Ala. on Wednesday, with a game against #10 William Carey University followed by a game versus the University of Mobile.
William Carey comes into their game with the Fire with a 13-1 record, the best mark in the Southern States Athletic Conference. The Crusaders are led by Macy Monk on the offensive side of the field. Monk has recorded 25 hits on the season and has tallied a team-high 16 RBIs, which rank her 6
th and 15
th in the country, respectively.
The University of Mobile (10-3) has been on a tear as of late. The Rams have won each of their last six games, and have been victorious by at least six runs in their four most recent contests. Mobile doesn't give up many runs. The Rams have only given up more than two runs once this season, which is one reason why they rank 8
th in the NAIA in ERA (1.26). A solid pitching unit has contributed to that total, as three Rams pitchers are ranked nationally in the category: Mackensie Williams (33
rd, 1.02 ERA), Sydney O'Connor (34
th, 1.04 ERA), and Hope Cain (46
th, 1.25 ERA).
After these two matchups, the Fire will head to Gulf Shores, Ala., where they will participate in the Gulf Coast Invitational. Before the tournament begins, Southeastern and William Carey will square off on Friday at 11am.
To kick off the Gulf Coast Invitational, the Fire will take on #18 University of Houston- Victoria on Friday at 5pm. The Jaguars have had a solid season thus far, registering 12 wins compared to only three losses, while going 6-2 in Red River Athletic Conference play. Pitcher Haley Beam is one of the main reasons for the Jaguars' success. Beam has recorded seven wins on the year, ranking her 2
nd in the nation, and has only surrendered three earned runs through 45 innings pitched, giving her an impressive 0.47 ERA.
The third ranked opponent the Fire will play on their road trip is #14 Martin Methodist College. Caylee Porter captains the Red Hawks on offense. Porter is currently on an eight game hitting streak, while recording a hit in nine of ten contests this season. She leads the country in triples with five, ranks 7
th in the country in total bases (38) and ranks 9
th in batting average (.657). The outfielder provides a notable offensive threat, as she has positioned herself in the top 15 in the NAIA in total RBI (17) and total hits (23). First pitch for this game is scheduled for Saturday at 9am.
Southeastern will wrap up tournament play by facing #20 Central Methodist University on Saturday at 1pm. The Eagles, who currently have a 4-4-1 record, have driven in a multitude of runs this season. In five of their nine games, including all four wins, Central Methodist has put up at least eight runs. Their most recent offensive showings involved wins against William Woods by scores of 15-1 and 13-7. Alyssa Lilly leads the offensive charge for the Eagles. Not only does Lilly have a team-highs in slugging percentage (.813) and hits (14), but she also leads the Eagles in total RBI (17), ranking her 11
th in the country in that category.
The Fire:
Southeastern, who has a 10-3 record and is outscoring their opponents 86-25 this season, will start their road trip to Alabama after splitting a doubleheader with #15 Davenport University. The last game against the Panthers showed Southeastern's potential offensive firepower, as the Fire shutout Davenport 9-0 in a six inning competition. In the game, senior
Cat Maldonado blasted a homer and tallied three RBIs, which put her in a tie for the team lead with
Cheyenne Blaha and
Kiah Ferrell, who all have ten.
Taylor Stoltz also poses an offensive threat for the Fire. Stoltz leads the team in batting average (.517) and stolen bases (7).
The Fire pitching staff has proven extremely effective, as well. Freshman
Stef Guercio picked up the win against Davenport, giving her a team-high of five wins on the season. Guercio fanned three more batters in the contest, for a total of 36 strikeouts this year, contributing to her impressive 7.41 strikeout average.
The first pitch of the road trip is scheduled for 4pm on Wednesday in Mobile against #10 William Carey.
