COLUMBUS, Miss. – The Owls softball team prepares for their third appearance in the USCAA Small College World Series in DuBois, Pa. Sunday, May 16 – Thursday, May 20. The W enters the field as the number two seed and will take on the seventh-seeded Penn State – DuBois on Monday, May 17 at 6:30 p.m.
The Owls enter the championship tournament 16-12 for its third appearance in four years. During its 2021 run, The W defeated Rhodes College, Westminster College (MO), and Xavier University to grab its highest postseason seed since the program's reinstatement in 2017.
"We are really excited about the opportunity," said head coach and interim athletic director
Buddy Foster. "We are pleasantly surprised to be two-seed. We were just happy to hear our name called, and we are going to go out there and give it our best shot."
Leading the Owls pitching staff, senior
Mackenzie Denton holds a 7-6 record in the circle. Denton has maintained a 3.49 ERA on a 17-11 appearance for 80.0 innings pitched, 63 strikeouts, and a .245 batting average against. The Pontotoc, Miss. native, has also proven herself at the plate, leading the team with a .462 batting average.
Heading the Owls offense,
Lauren Duckworth has played in 21 games with 18 starts. The senior outfielder holds a .352 batting average with a .407 slugging percentage and a team-high .444 on-base percentage. During the 2021 season, she has tallied 54 at-bats, 19 runs, 19 hits (three doubles), and nine RBIs.
Austyn Holden has also been a significant part of the Owls offensive success. The senior shortstop leads the team in RBIs with 18, at-bats with 90, and ties for a team-high 26 hits. She has also collected a team-high eight doubles to be second on the team in slugging percentage at .422.
Other standouts for The W are
Megan Cummins with 26 hits and 16 RBIs and
Hannah Hurdle with a .424 slugging percentage with two home runs.
Penn State DuBois enters the Small College World Series with a 25-11 record after losing in the Penn State University Athletic Conference championship tournament semifinal round. Due to the pandemic, PSUAC played a self-contained schedule, and Penn State DuBois did not face any teams outside of its conference.
Sophomore outfielder Aspen Bishop leads DuBois offense with 48 RBIs. The Woodland, Pa. native, holds a .488 batting average and a .780 slugging percentage. She has played in 36 games with 123 at-bats, 44 runs, and 60 hits (21 doubles, three triples, and three home runs).
In the circle, Lizzy Scott leads DuBois pitching staff with a 17-4 record. She has pitched 19 complete games with 121.0 innings pitched, 1.50 ERA, and 164 strikeouts.
Owls softball will begin its trek to DuBois, Pa. tomorrow, Friday, May 14, at 9 a.m. Join The W Athletics as it sends the team off at 8:45 a.m. in front of Pohl Gymnasium. Bring your Welty Blue, signs, pom-poms, and well wishes.
For the latest on the tournament, go to the SmallCollegeWorldSeries.com.
