APPLETON, Wis. -- Rarely in recent Midwest Conference softball history has
there been so much balance headed into the league’s championship tournament.
When Lawrence University, Beloit College, Illinois College, and Lake Forest
College take to the diamond at Whiting Field this weekend, all four teams have
a great chance to walk away with the championship and the automatic bid to the
NCAA Division III Tournament that goes along with it.
For nearly a decade, a dominant team has emerged during the course of the season.
In the late 1990s, it was Lawrence, which won three consecutive league titles
from 1997-99. After that, it was Carroll College, which won the next two championships
(2000-01), and then followed Lake Forest, which has won the last three titles
(2002-04).
That hasn’t been the case this season, as parity and upsets have abounded
across the conference.
Lawrence(17-16, 9-4 MWC), serving as the host for the second consecutive time
as North Division champion (the tournament alternates between North and South
Division champions, and Lawrence hosted in 2003), has had a rollercoaster season.
After starting 2-8, the Vikings won 12 of their next 15 and propelled themselves
into the North Division title race. Lawrence clinched the North Division and
the right to host the tournament with a doubleheader sweep of Carroll last Saturday.
The Vikings are led by senior pitcher Lauren Kost. She has compiled a 15-8 record
with a 1.10 earned run average. Kost has thrown a league-high 184 innings, while
posting a league-high seven shutouts. She has struck out 105 while walking 30.
While Lawrence leads the league with a 1.57 team earned run average, the Vikings
are last in the conference with a .206 batting average. Lawrence’s offense
is paced by junior shortstop Becca Reason, who is batting .351 and leads the
league with 25 stolen bases. Junior catcher Loni Philbrick-Linzmeyer is batting
.300 and provides the pop for the Vikings with a team-high 19 runs batted in.
Illinois College (16-17, 9-4) won the South Division and is making its first
appearance in the tournament since 1999. The Lady Blues, in the tournament for
the sixth time in school history, are still searching for their first title.
If there is a favorite on paper, it has to be Illinois College. The Lady Blues
are 4-0 against teams in the tournament. Illinois College swept Lake Forest
and defeated Beloit and Lawrence by the same 8-7 score at the MWC Classic.
The Lady Blues are paced by junior shortstop Courtney Allen, who boasts a .340
batting average. Third baseman Keena Canevit has a .327 average and a team-high
18 RBIs.
Lindsay Stauder has been the pitching mainstay for the Lady Blues with an 11-10
record and a 2.56 ERA. Stauder has struck out a league-high 149 while walking
54 in 144 innings.
Lake Forest (20-13-1, 9-4) is going for its fourth consecutive title, which
hasn’t happened since Coe College won four straight from 1992-95.
The Foresters have the top offense in the league with a .303 team batting average.
Sophomore outfielder Erin Watts is second in the league in hitting at .412 and
she is tied with junior shorstop Melissa Wegner (.324) for the team lead with
28 RBIs.
Ashley Clossen and Kendra Grant have seen the bulk of the pitching action for
the Foresters. Clossen is 9-5 with a 2.59 ERA, and Grant is 7-3 with a 3.81
ERA.
Beloit (16-15, 8-5), the 1996 conference champion, is back in the tournament
for the first time since 1997. The Bucs ensured themselves of a spot in the
tournament with a doubleheader split at Ripon College last Saturday and knocked
the Red Hawks out of the tourney at the same time.
The Buccaneers are second in the league in hitting with a .282 batting average,
and sophomore outfielder Tiffany Nelson has a robust .390 batting average. Katelynn
Rynders (.310, 13 RBIs), Katie Algrem (.306, 18 RBIs), and Amanda Splan (.300,
17 RBIs) have been the run-producers for Beloit this season.
The top pitcher for the Bucs is junior Dani Meehan. She boasts a 12-9 record
with a 3.17 ERA. Meehan has struck out 88 and walked 31.