TUCSON, Ariz. – The Nova Southeastern University softball team (7-2) travel cross country to participate in the 2013 NFCA Division II Leadoff Classic. The Sharks’ tournament run begins on Friday, Feb. 15 and ends Sunday, Feb. 17 in Tucson, Ariz. This tournament will prove to be the toughest test for the NSU this season.
The Sharks open up against the Albilene Christian Wildcats on Friday at noon, followed by a matchup with the Grand Canyon Antelope at 2 p.m. NSU follows that with two more games on Saturday, when they take on the Texas Women’s Pioneers at 1 p.m., followed by a date with the New Haven Chargers at 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 17 is when the semi-finals and finals begin, so times for that game are still to be determined. All game times are set for Mountain time. For those fans following along on the east coast, the times will be two hours later.
The Sharks have started hot this season at 7-2 overall and going 4-1, good enough for a second-place finish, in the Eckerd College Spring Invitational. The Sharks won their first four games before heading into the fifth and final game of the tournament, with a championship on the line. However, Columbus State bested the Sharks on the final day, on a walk-off home run.
Newcomer
Jennie Von Doellen (Jr., Hudson Bay, Canada) (5-2), has pitched lights out for the Sharks this season. Von Doellen averages 1.33 runs per nine innings and has struck out 45 batters in 40.2 innings pitched. She will look to build on these numbers against some of the biggest bats from around the country.
Ashley Silveira (Sr., Miami, Fla.) and
Chrissy Tabulov (Fr., Palm Harbor, Fla.) have led the team in RBI this year, combining for 13.
Albilene Christian
The Wildcats (5-3) will be playing its third tournament in a row. In its first tournament, at the St. Mary’s Spring Invitational, ACU finished with a 2-2 record. The following weekend, the Wildcats hosted a tournament of its own, the ACU/Whitten Inn Classic, where they finished the weekend with a 3-1 record.
Junior Lyndi Smith has been the big bat for the Wildcats up to this point, hitting a whopping .400 batting average, with two homeruns and six RBI.
Grand Canyon
The Antelope (9-2) should be the toughest opponent the Sharks face in round robin play. GCU is ranked just outside the top-25, according to NFCA Division II Top-25 Poll. The team comes into this tournament losing its last game against Sonoma State, 4-0. Prior to that, the Antelope posted an eight game winning streak over its first two tournaments. GCU has allowed one run or fewer in five of its eleven games this season
Lauren Regester leads the way for the Antelope, registering 15 RBI and two home runs, with a slugging percentage of .595 so far this season.
Texas Women’s
The Pioneers (5-3) enter the weekend’s tournament coming off a three-game sweep against Newman, outscoring the Jets, 25-4. Prior to the series with Newman, TWU took part in the St. Mary’s Division II College Classic, finishing the tournament with a 2-3 record.
So far this season, Brandie Lander, the pitcher for the Pioneers, has posted a 3-0 record with an ERA of 1.87, striking out 15 batters. She has allowed only four earned runs in the three games that she has started this season.
New Haven
The Chargers (0-0) come into this tournament without a game under its belt. Last season, New Haven finished the year with a 29-21 record, before falling short in the Northeast-10 Conference Championship, losing to Assumption.
Senior Lucy Francisco enters this season looking to build on last year, where she had a .340 batting average and led the team with seven home runs.
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