Softball receives at-large bid to NCAA Tournament
The Muskingum softball team received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament and will play Roanoke on Thursday, May 16, at the Moravian Regional.
The Muskingum softball team received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament and will play Roanoke on Thursday, May 16, at the Moravian Regional. This marks Muskingum's 21st Regional Appearance in program history and its first since 2014.
The Regional will feature top-seed and host Moravian (30-8), two-seed Roanoke (30-14), three-seed Muskingum (28-13), and four-seed Penn College (30-10). The double-elimination bracket is scheduled for May 16-18, with the winner advancing to the Super Regionals scheduled for May 23-24. Muskingum is 2-2 all-time against Roanoke, with the last meeting occurring in 2022. Muskingum is 1-1 all-time against Moravian, with the last meeting occurring in 2010. The Muskies have not played Penn College in program history.
Muskingum will open Regional Play with a .291 team batting average, 2.71 team ERA, and a .969 fielding percentage. The Muskies will be led by its five All-Ohio Athletic Conference honorees. Senior pitcher Madelyn Thomas, senior outfielder Kalie Eshelman, and sophomore outfielder Cara Taylor were all named First Team All-OAC, while sophomore infielder Sadie Smith earned Second Team honors, and freshman pitcher Tareyn Born was named Honorable Mention.
- Thomas, the OAC Pitcher of the Year, led the league in innings pitched with 129.2 and was second in the OAC in wins (13-4) and ERA (1.89). She held hitters to a .217 batting average and registered 13 complete games with seven shutouts. She racked up 110 strikeouts, which ranked second in the OAC and averaged 5.94 strikeouts per seven innings. Thomas was a three-time OAC Pitcher of the Week. Thomas is the first Muskie to be named the John Wells OAC Pitcher of the Year since Erica Hoyt earned the recognition in 2004. This marks Thomas' second All-OAC honor (Second Team 2022).
- Eshelman was second on the team with a .341 batting average. She ranked eighth in the OAC with 11 doubles and 10th in the league with 31 runs. Eshelman logged 43 hits, which included four triples and three home runs. She also tallied 18 RBIs and seven stolen bases. This marks Eshelman's second All-OAC honor (Second Team 2022).
- Taylor led the team and ranked 10th in the OAC with a .418 batting average. On the year, she ranked third in the league with 37 runs and was second in the OAC with 59 hits (10 doubles, two triples, and a home run). Taylor registered 17 RBIs and a career-high 28 stolen bases. This marks Taylor's second All-OAC honor (Honorable Mention 2023).
- Smith hit .308 en route to leading the Muskies and ranking 10th in the OAC with 34 RBIs. She also added 24 runs, 36 hits (14 doubles, two triples, and a home run), and five stolen bases.
- Born ranked fifth in the OAC with a 2.68 ERA and ranked seventh in the OAC in wins (9-5). On the season, she notched 58 strikeouts in 86.1 innings of work. She also registered 11 hits (five doubles) in limited plate appearances with eight RBIs.
During the season, Muskingum outscored its opponents 193-125, including a 54-19 advantage in the first two innings and a 22-9 edge in the seventh inning. The Muskies are 24-13 against right-hand pitchers and 4-0 against left-hand pitchers. Furthermore, Muskingum has an 8-3 mark in one-run games and is batting .300 with runners in scoring position, with 62 two-out RBIs.
Admission to each day of the tournament is $10 for adults and $7 for minors ages 10-17 and senior citizens. Children ages three to nine are charged $3, and children two and under are admitted free of charge. There will be an all-tournament pass for $25. All ticketing will be done online at https://moravian.
Moravian Regional
Thursday, May 16
Game 1 - Moravian 2, Penn College 1 (8 innings)
Game 2 - Muskingum 6, Roanoke 3
Friday, May 17
Game 3 - Muskingum 3. Moravian 1
Game 4 - Roanoke 8, Penn College 0 (5 innings)
Game 5 - Moravian vs. Roanoke - 4:00 p.m.
Saturday, May 18
Game 6 - Muskingum vs. Winner of Game 5 - 11:00 a.m.
Game 7 - Winner of Game 6 vs. Loser of Game 6 - 1:30 p.m. (If Necessary)