LAKELAND, Fla. - For the last time this season the Fire will take the field at home in a three game conference set against Thomas University. The Fire are currently tied for first in the Sun Conference standings while the Night Hawks are just one game back. Southeastern has the ability to separate themselves from the pack while Thomas looks to climb the conference ladder.
Games 42-44: Southeastern University (30-11, The Sun Conference 9-3) vs. Thomas University (28-9, The Sun Conference 8-4)
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Freshman Contribution:
-On both sides of the ball the Fire have had standout play from their freshmen all season long.
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Stef Guercio has knack for getting hitters out. The Park Ridge, Illinois native leads all of the Sun Conference in strikeouts (121) and is second in ERA (1.50). Impressively enough, Guercio possesses a WHIP(walks and hits per innings pitched) of 1.11. She also ranks 17th in all of the NAIA in wins (13).
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Kiah Ferrell has also put together a respectable season thus far. The outfielder is hitting a solid .389 in conference play with one home run and eight RBIs. On the season, Ferrell ranks 44th in all of the the NAIA in doubles (11).
Blaha Blasts:
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Cheyenne Blaha is a cornerstone within the Fire's lineup. The senior from Auburndale, Florida is hitting a team leading .484 with four home runs and a slugging percentage of .766.
- In Sun Conference play, Blaha has amassed a .571 average, two home runs, a slugging percentage of .893, and an on base percentage of .581.
Senior Day:
- Saturday marks senior day where Fire will honor five players who have made a lifelong impact on the program.
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Sydnie Malloy, Blaha,
Cat Maldonado,
Sammy Jacobson, and
Lindsie Scholwinski all helped the Fire achieve a 150-58 record during their tenure. The five also aided the Fire in a third place finish at the NAIA National Tournament.
Meet and Greet:
- Following Friday's game, there will be a "meet and greet" featuring the Fire Softball team. This will be an opportunity to hear from head coach
Anna Welsh and players
Taylor Stoltz and
Lindsie Scholwinski. The event will be held on the softball field and will include the opportunity for fans to run the bases.
The Night Hawks:
- Thomas is comprised of a well-rounded ball club that is able to generate runs and shut down lineups.
- As a team, the Night Hawks contain a .335 batting average and 2.03 staff ERA.
- Lauren West, the Southeastern transfer, is 15-3 on the year with a 1.86 ERA and has struck out 73 batters.
- At the plate, Brittany Daniels always seems to find a way on base. Her .425 batting average is good for 4th in all of the Sun Conference.
- Kelsey Connolly has the ability to drive in runs. The native of Lodi, California leads all of the Sun Conference in RBIs (41) and ranks 14th in all of the NAIA in home runs with nine.
Previous Meetings:
- In last year's two game set against Thomas, the Fire were able to capture 4-3 and 6-3 victories over the Night Hawks.
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Lindsie Scholwinski came away with the win in game one dealing a complete game while striking out nine.
- The two teams squared off once more in the Sun Conference Tournament last year where the Fire were able to come away with a 3-2 win in dramatic fashion. After a leadoff single and an error by the Night Hawks, back-to-back walks allowed for the winning run to score in the bottom half of the seventh.
For updates on all of the action, follow @SEUFireSoftball on Twitter.