MCMINNVILLE, Ore.—Lewis & Clark College softball will look to rack up a few more program firsts this week, when they compete in the NCAA DIII Softball Tournament. The Pioneers will be making their first-ever appearance in a National Tournament when they travel to McMinnville for a four-team NCAA Regional. The third-seeded Pioneers will compete against second-seed Chapman University on Thursday, with top-seeded (#6 Nationally) Linfield University playing fourth-seeded Johnson & Wales University (Providence) in the first game of the day. 
 
OPENING MATCHUP 
 
#3 Lewis & Clark College vs. #2 Chapman University
(Lewis & Clark 31-11, Northwest Conference 21-7) 
(Chapman University 31-9, Southern Collegiate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference 15-6) 
 
GAME SCHEDULE – DOUBLE ELIMINATION TOURNAMENT
 
THURSDAY, MAY 15
Game 1: #4 Johnson & Wales vs. #1 Linfield, 2:30 p.m. 
Game 2: #3 Lewis & Clark vs. #2 Chapman, 5:00 p.m.
 
FRIDAY, MAY 16
Game 3: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, Noon
Game 4: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, loser out, 2:30 p.m.  
Game 5: Winner Game 4 vs. Loser Game 3, loser out, 5 p.m.  
 
SATURDAY, MAY 17
Game 6: Winner of Game 5 vs. Winner of Game 4, Noon
Game 7: Winner of G5 vs. Winner of G4 (if necessary), 2:30 p.m.
 
TICKETS
Admission will be charged each day, including students. All tickets may be purchased at the ticket tent behind Del Smith Stadium on game day.
 
Ticket prices are as follows:
Adults (13 and up): $10
Seniors, Active Military, Veterans and Students with ID: $7
Youth (ages 6-12): $3
5-under: Free
 
Northwest Conference passes will not be honored.
 
LIVE COVERAGE 
 
Live stats and video will be provided for every game this weekend. Links will be added on LCPioneers.com as available. 

SERIES HISTORY 
 
Lewis & Clark is familiar with their two potential West Region foes, but they have never played Johnson & Wales in program history.
 
The Pioneers and Chapman have played five games all-time. The Panthers hold a 3-2 edge over the Pioneers with the last meeting coming on March 29, 2012. Chapman won the opener 4-1, before Lewis & Clark claimed a 5-4 win in game two. 
 
Northwest Conference foes Lewis & Clark and Linfield have already played five times this season and six times in 2024. The Wildcats own a 113-10 all-time lead in the series. This season, Lewis & Clark won the finale of their regular-season series against the Wildcats by a 4-2 score at Del Smith Stadium. The win snapped Linfield's 55-game NWC regular-season winning streak and marked the Pioneers first win over the Wildcats since April 10, 2021. The two teams have played three times in the NWC Tournament in the past two years and four times overall (Linfield 4-0). 
 
SCOUTING THE #2 PIONEERS
 
Lewis & Clark earned their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance in program history after claiming one of the 22 at-large bids in this year's field. The Pioneers finished the season ranked 35^th in the NCAA Power Index (NPI) after setting program records for wins (31), conference wins (21), batting average (.357), slugging percentage (.481), hits (389) and runs (284). They also tied the program records for hit by pitches (36) and doubles (68) in a single-season. On Tuesday, the Pioneers received votes in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Poll for the second time this season and in program history. Lewis & Clark received a program-record three votes to tie Chapman for 27^th overall.  
 
Lewis & Clark started the season 14-0 and went 20-2 through their first six weeks of the season. In the month of April, the Pioneers played the other three NWC Tournament Teams and earned splits with #3 George Fox University and #4 Pacific Lutheran University to claim the second seed for a second-straight year. In this past weekend's NWC Tournament, the Pioneers dropped their opener 3-1 to #2 George Fox. Lewis & Clark earned a comeback 4-3 (eight-inning) win over #4 Pacific Lutheran to keep their at-large hopes alive. After rallying from a 2-0 deficit, the Pioneers found themselves down 3-2 heading to the bottom of the eighth inning. Madison Scroggins, Mari Alvarez and Sam Gildersleeve all hit doubles in the bottom of the inning to key the win. The Pioneers came back on Sunday and scored six runs in the second inning to jump all over the #3 Bruins and held on for a 7-5 victory. With the win, the Pioneers earned a trip to their second-straight and second-ever NWC Championship Series. Nationally-ranked (#6) Linfield scored five runs in the first inning, to earn an 8-0 (five-inning) victory and their seventh-straight NWC Tournament Title. 
 
Lewis & Clark has put together their best two seasons in program history in back-to-back years in part due to the depth of their lineup. As a team, the Pioneers are hitting .348 and nine regulars are hitting .330 or higher. The Pioneers rank in the top-50 in NCAA DIII in: hit by pitches (12^th - 36), fielding percentage (23^rd - .971), batting average (32^nd), runs per game (39^th - 6.76), slugging percentage (46^th), on-base percentage (47^th - .410) and total sacrifice bunts (50^th – 35). 
 
Gildersleeve leads the team with her .390 batting average, 48 hits, 42 runs scored, 37 RBI, four triples, six home runs and 19 stolen bases. Junior Lacey Marglin (.386), sophomore Makena Dahir (.378), juniors Emily Patton (.377) and Scroggins (.376) are all hitting .375 or higher. Junior Gina Ozuna is hitting .343 with 13 extra-base hits and a team-high 18 walks. Graduate student Mari Alvarez has posted a .330 batting average with 29 RBI and a team-high 13 hit by pitches. Marglin (12), Dahir (11) and Alvarez (11) have all posted double-digit doubles. 
 
Junior Maggie O'Leary leads the Pioneers three-woman pitching staff. The junior has won a program record 20 games (20-8) this season and reached the 100-strikeout milestone over the weekend. She leads the team with her 3.30 ERA in 146.1 innings and a .240 opposing batting average. Junior Charlize Pope and sophomore Ryan Jurischk have both provided a ton of quality innings. Pope has started 17 of her 21 appearances and posted a 9-3 record in 74.1 innings. Jurischk has been the team's go-to reliever this year. She is 2-0 in 20 appearances and has registered a 4.07 ERA in 44.2 innings pitched. 
 
SCOUTING #2 CHAPMAN 
 
The Panthers earned their 15^th NCAA Tournament appearance and third in four seasons, after winning the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Championship Tournament. Chapman won the 1995 NCAA DIII Title in their first year after moving down from NCAA DII. The Panthers also made the College World Series in 1996, 1998-2000 and 2004-05. In 2022, Chapman traveled to Texas Lutheran University for a best-of-five NCAA Regional and lost the first three games to the Bulldogs. Last year, Chapman traveled back to Texas for a four-team pod. They defeated Simmons University 5-1 in an elimination contest but fell twice to Texas Lutheran University (4-0 and 3-1). This year's team earned their second-ever SCIAC Tournament Title and likely would have been in the tournament field either way. They sit 23^rd overall in the final NPI. 
 
Chapman finished second in the SCIAC Standings (15-6) this Spring. In this past weekend's SCIAC Tournament, the Panthers opened with a 5-0 win over #3 Pomona-Pitzer. After falling 7-0 to #4 Claremont-Mudd Scripps (CMS), Chapman won their final three games of the weekend to punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament. The Panthers defeated regular-season SCIAC Champion Redlands University 7-5 in an elimination game and then defeated CMS 3-2 and 4-0 to claim the SCIAC Tournament Title. Junior ace Rose Malen was named SCIAC Tournament MVP after earning the win in three of the team's four games and throwing shutouts against Pomona Pitzer and CMS In the deciding game. Senior Miranda Murphy added a go-ahead, two-run single in the seventh inning of the first game of the SCIAC Championship Series and finished the tournament with six hits, four RBI, three runs scored. 
 
The Panthers are a team that wins with their pitching and defense. They rank seventh in NCAA DIII in strikeout-to-walk ratio (4.04), 16^th in Walks Plus Hits Per Inning Pitched (1.07), 32^nd in Earned Run Average (2.06), 48^th in shutouts (nine) and 52^nd in fielding percentage (.966). Malen ranks in the top-25 in NCAA DIII in strikeouts per seven innings (4^th - 12.44), walks allowed per seven innings (5^th – 0.46), WHIP (14^th – 0.86) and ERA (21^st – 1.23). The junior owns a 15-4 record with seven shutouts in 136.2 innings pitched. She has struck out 112 and walked nine batters. Senior southpaw Jillian Kelly has thrown 85.1 innings and sports a 12-2 record with a 2.30 ERA and 69 strikeouts.
 
As a team, the Panthers hit .290 and have recorded just 53 extra-base hits (35 doubles, 16 triples and two home runs). Murphy leads the team offensively with a .402 average, 43 hits, 35 runs scored, 34 walks and six triples. Her 11 extra-base hits are tops on the team. Mia Reyes, Samantha Kennedy and Ilianna Serna are the only other regulars in the lineup to hit over .300. Serna paces Chapman with 28 RBI and is tied for the team lead in doubles with five. 
 
SCOUTING #1 LINFIELD
 
The Wildcats are making their 20^th NCAA Regional Appearance and seventh in a row. Linfield has made the College World Series in each of the past two seasons and last year fell in the Semifinals to runner-up Bellhaven University. Linfield has made eight trips to the College World Series since 2006 and won the NCAA DIII National Title in 2007 and 2011. This year's team is ranked sixth in both the NPI and NFCA National Poll. The Wildcats are 38-5 overall and finished 25-3 in Northwest Conference play. They won all three of their NWC Tournament games and outscored their opponents by a combined 23-1 margin. 
 
Linfield is strong in most facets of the game, but the team's offense and their ability to belt extra-base hits stands out. They rank first in NCAA DIII in runs per game (9.26), batting average (.406), slugging percentage (.696) and home runs (85). They also sit second overall with a .468 on-base percentage. Six regulars are hitting .404 or bettee and the entire lineup has posted at least a .327 batting average. Senior center fielder Claire Seats sits second in NCAA DIII in home runs (20) and leads the team in batting average (.476), hits (70), runs scored (56), RBI (72) and doubles (22). First Team All-American second baseman Brynn Nelson is hitting .462 with 67 hits and 50 runs driven in. Junior Cydney Hess (54) and senior Jacey Leyvas (45) have combined to record 99 RBI. 
 
In the circle, reigning NCAA DIII Rookie of the Year Tyler McNeley has taken a big step forward. She leads the team with her 25-2 record, 2.45 ERA, 162 strikeouts in 160 innings pitched and she has posted 10 shutouts. Graduate student Tyler Warden sits second on the team in every category and has notched an 11-3 record and 3.09 ERA in 77 innings. 
 
SCOUTING #4 JOHNSON & WALES (PROVIDENCE)
 
Johnson & Wales had one of the longest journeys to get to a DIII Regional this week. They flew over 2,500 miles to get to the Pacific Northwest. The Wildcats are making their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2022 and their sixth overall. They made an NCAA Regional in four-straight years from 2015-18 and again in 2022. The Wildcats are 4-10 all-time in NCAA Regionals and have won one game in four of their first five appearances. This year's team earned a spot in the field after winning five of their six games during the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Tournament. The Wildcats dropped the first game of the best-of-three GNAC Championship Series to the University of Saint Joseph's (Conn.) 5-2, before storming back to earn 5-4 and 7-0 victories. They are the third-lowest ranked team in the entire field, as they sit 131st in the NPI. 
 
Johnson & Wales is 29-15 and went 15-3 in GNAC competition. They only played two other NCAA Tournament Teams this Spring and went 0-2 in Florida against Husson University (7-2) and Eastern University (7-1). They do several things well but don't dominate in any one area. They rank in the top-75 in NCAA DIII in: double plays turned (13^th -18), shutouts (19^th -12), home runs (24 – 27^th), WHIP (48^th – 1.27), runs per game (60^th – 6.50), batting average (71^st - .332) and ERA (74^th – 2.77). 
 
Senior right fielder Mackenzie Clee was named the GNAC Player of the Year to a lead a group of 10 Wildcats who were honored earlier this week. Clee paces the team with her .446 batting average, 50 runs scored, 18 walks and 12 stolen bases out of the leadoff spot. She has pitched just four times all season, but threw a complete game shutout in the deciding game of the GNAC Championship Series. Junior Mady Lyons has belted 13 of the team's 27 home runs. She is hitting .438 with a team-high 60 hits, 14 doubles, 54 RBI and 113 total bases. Three other regulars have posted a batting average of .322 or higher. 
 
Katie Scheid and Jillian Reed are the Wildcats' two aces. Scheid is 14-7 in 22 starts and owns a team-best 3.05 ERA in 129.2 innings pitched. Scheid has struck out 75 and held opponents to a .244 batting average. Reed is 12-3 with a 3.17 ERA in 108 innings and has held foes to a .227 average.
 
WHAT'S NEXT 
 
The winner of this weekend's four-team regional, will take on the winner of the Illinois-Wesleyan Regional, in the Super Regionals next week on May 22-23.