MCMINNVILLE, Ore.—Lewis & Clark College softball is aiming to win their first-ever Northwest Conference Tournament Title this weekend, when they take part in the 2025 NWC Tournament. The whole tournament will be hosted by top-seeded Linfield University at Del Smith Stadium. 
 
OPENING MATCHUP 
 
#3 George Fox University vs. #2 Lewis & Clark College
(Lewis & Clark 29-9, NWC 21-7) 
(Pacific Lutheran 25-15, NWC 19-9)
 
GAME SCHEDULE – DOUBLE ELIMINATION TOURNAMENT
 
FRIDAY, MAY 9
Game 1: #4 Pacific Lutheran at #1 Linfield 11 a.m.
Game 2: #3 George Fox vs. #2 Lewis & Clark, 1:30 p.m.
Game 3: Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2, 4 p.m. (loser eliminated)
Game 4: Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2, 6:30 p.m.
 
SUNDAY, MAY 11
Game 5: Winner of Game 3 vs. Loser of Game 4, 11 a.m. (loser eliminated)
Game 6: Winner of Game 5 vs. Winner of Game 4, 1:30 p.m.
Game 7: Winner of G5 vs. Winner of G4 (if necessary), 4 p.m.
 
TICKETS
 
Admission will be charged at all games.  It is recommended fans purchase tickets in advance using the HomeTown Tickets. Fans may also purchase tickets at the gate on game day.
 
Ticket prices are as follows:
 
Adults (13 and up) $6
Seniors and Veterans $3
Youth (ages 6-12) $3
Students of competing institutions with school ID Free
5-under Free
Northwest Conference passes will be honored.
 
Follow Live
 
Video and live stats will be available through the links at lcpioneers.com.
 
PREVIOUS MEETINGS 
 
Lewis & Clark and George Fox met this past weekend, with both teams earning a sweep on their home fields. The Bruins notched wins of 5-2 and 3-0 on Friday, behind two-run homers from Brooke Riggins and Kiley Harris in the bottom of the first of both games. First year Nicole Ledendecker threw nine shutout frames, including a complete-game in game two.
 
The Pioneers responded by defeating George Fox in Portland 5-1 and 13-8 on Sunday. Maggie O'Leary threw a three-hitter in game one and Lewis & Clark scored 11 runs in their final three at-bats of game two to secure the number-two seed. Graduate student Mari Alvarez finished the day 6-6 with two runs, three RBI, a double and a walk. 
 
SERIES HISTORY 
 
George Fox leads the all-time series 78-58-2. Lewis & Clark has won five of the past seven contests, including winning the final three games of the 2024 series. The Pioneers had not earned three-straight wins over the Bruins since April 2009. Lewis & Clark has tied or won the series against George Fox in back-to-back years for the first time this century. Before last year, the Pioneers had won one game or fewer against the Bruins in every series since 2017 (2-2). Friday's matchup will mark the first-ever postseason matchup between the two sides. 
 
SCOUTING THE PIONEERS
 
This year's team comes into the Northwest Conference Tournament as the program-record holders for wins (29) and conference wins (21). The Pioneers came into Sunday's doubleheader against George Fox needing one win to tie last year's record marks and two wins to set both records. The doubleheader sweep of George Fox helped Lewis & Clark not only set the records for overall and conference wins, but finish their home schedule with a perfect 16-0 record. The Pioneers own the fifth-longest, home winning streak in NCAA DIII at 17 games. Lewis & Clark has the 32^nd-best winning percentage (.763) in all of DIII and is ranked 34^th in the NCAA DIII NPI. The NPI (NCAA Power Index) is the new standard to rank teams that the NCAA will use to determine at-large berths for the NCAA Tournaments. Lewis & Clark will be making their third-ever NWC Tournament appearance (2021, 2024) and are hoping to earn their first-ever trip to the NCAA Tournament.  
 
Lewis & Clark posted their best-ever start in program history. The Pioneers won their first 14 games and earned wins in 20 of their first 22 games. The schedule got harder in the middle of April, as Lewis & Clark faced the other three NWC Tournament Teams in three of their final four conference series. Lewis & Clark went 5-7 against the NWC Tournament Field with splits against #3 George Fox and #4 Pacific Lutheran University and a 1-3 mark against #1 Linfield University. Overall, Lewis & Clark won or tied six of their seven conference series. The Pioneers handed the nationally-ranked Wildcats their first regular-season conference loss since 2023, when they earned a 4-2 win in McMinnville. It snapped a 21-game losing streak for Lewis & Clark against Linfield.  
 
This year's team has been powered by their offense. They sit first in program history in batting average (.357) and slugging percentage (.499) and are second all-time in runs (272), RBI (244), hits (365), stolen bases (66) and triples (12). All nine regulars in the Pioneers lineup are hitting .282 or better. Juniors Madison Scroggins (.404) and Emily Patton (.402) are each hitting over .400 and junior Lacey Marglin (.397) and senior Sam Gildersleeve (.396) are less than five points away from joining them. Gildersleeve leads the Pioneers this season with a single-season record 40 runs, to go along with the team-high in RBI (35), home runs (six), total bases (78) and stolen bases (19-20). Patton paces the Pioneers with 45 total hits and Marglin (11), graduate student Mari Alvarez (10) and sophomore Makena Dahir (10) have all posted double-digit doubles. Gildersleeve, junior Gina Ozuna, Patton and Dahir have all recorded 40+ hits and 25+ runs and RBI. 
 
In the circle, Lewis & Clark has relied upon the trio of juniors Maggie O'Leary and Charlize Pope and sophomore Ryan Jurischk. O'Leary leads the team with her program-record 18 wins (18-6) in a single-season., She has notched a team-best 3.07 ERA in 127.2 innings pitched and struck out 96 batters. The junior is four strikeouts away from becoming the first pitcher in program history to record multiple 100-strikeout seasons. Pope has served as the team's number two starter this year and owns a 9-3 record with a 4.87 ERA in 73.1 innings pitched. She earned a pair of wins on the road against Pacific Lutheran University. Jurischk has been the team's go-to reliever. The sophomore has registered a 2-0 record with a 4.02 ERA in 17 appearances. Jurischk pitched three times this past weekend against George Fox and allowed two earned runs in 7.1 innings. 
 
SCOUTING THE BRUINS 
 
George Fox is making their 10^th NWC Tournament appearance in program history, after missing the playoffs last Spring. The Bruins are 12-18 all-time in NWC Tournament play and have never hoisted the NWC Title. They have made it to the NWC Championship Series four times (2015, 2016, 2018 and 2023). In their most recent playoff appearance, #2 George Fox upset #1 Linfield in the winner's bracket, but the Wildcats earned wins of 3-1 and 8-0 to defeat the Bruins in the 2023 NWC Championship Series. George Fox is looking to make the NCAA Tournament for the third time in program history. They made it to NCAA Regionals in 2016 and 2018. This year's team sits 44^th in the NPI. 
 
After finishing the 2024 season with a 19-12 overall record and 12-16 mark in conference, the Bruins took a huge step forward this Spring under first-year head coach Nathan Ohta. George Fox challenged themselves in non-conference play and earned wins over #6 Virginia Wesleyan and #16 Pfeiffer at the Cross Bay Bash in Virginia. The Bruins won or tied all seven of their NWC series, including splits with all three of the other NWC Tournament Teams. George Fox posted wins of 11-3 (five innings) and 6-5 over Linfield on April 26 and 27. George Fox finished 11-4 this season at home and went 14-11 in road and neutral site contests. 
 
The Bruins are led offensively by senior first baseman Sharon Tomei. Tomei paces the Bruins with her .472 batting average, 59 hits, 37 runs scored, 44 RBI, 10 doubles and 19 home runs. Sophomores Kiley Harris (17 extra-base hits and 20 stolen bases) and Makayla Noone (13 and 18) have both posted double-digit extra-base hits and double-digit stolen bases. The trio are the lone Bruins regulars to hit .300 or higher this season. George Fox has a deep pitching staff with four pitchers throwing 29 innings or more this year. Ledendecker has a been a revelation in her first season. She is 10-4 with a 3.83 ERA in 82.1 innings pitched. The first year is 4-0 this year against the NWC Tournament Field and has posted wins against all three tournament teams. In her most recent outing, Lewis & Clark scored seven runs (five earned) against Ledendecker over four innings. 
 
#4 Pacific Lutheran vs. #1 Linfield 
 
Linfield has been ranked in the top-10 in NCAA DIII all-season long. The Wildcats are coming off a second-consecutive trip to the College World Series and eighth in program history. This year's team is 35-5 and finished 25-3 in conference action. After starting NWC play 17-0, the Wildcats dropped three of their final 11 conference contests. Linfield is ranked seventh in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Poll and also in the NPI. They rank first in all of DIII in runs per game (9.38), batting average (.408), home runs (80) and slugging percentage (.699). Sophomore ace Tyler McNeley ranks in the top-25 in DIII in wins (21 – 4^th overall), shutouts (8 – 7th), strikeouts (141 – 22^nd) and innings pitched (139.1 – 25^th).
 
Pacific Lutheran is making their fourth-consecutive NWC Tournament appearance and eighth in program history. The Lutes earned their lone NWC Title in 2012. Last year, PLU went 1-2 in the NWC Tournament - as they fell 8-3 and 8-7 to Lewis & Clark. The Lutes are 27-13 overall and went 17-11 in conference play. The Lutes started the year 10-2 before losing or tying conference series against the top-five teams in the conference (Linfield, L&C, George Fox and Willamette University). Sophomore Paige Wilson has led their three-woman pitching staff. Wilson is 12-5 with a 2.66 ERA and 110 strikeouts in 110.1 innings pitched. She has posted three no-hitters this Spring. Zoe Smithson (.429), Bri Sarae (.426) and Kamalani Doctor (.408) are all hitting over .400 and have combined to record 62 extra-base hits. 
 
WHAT'S NEXT 
 
Lewis & Clark will play a second game on Friday. If they win their opener, they will play the winner of game one (#4 PLU vs #1 Linfield) at 6:30 p.m. If the Pioneers lose game in their opener, they will play directly afterwards at 4 p.m. against the loser of Linfield and PLU. This year's tournament schedule was adjusted due to Lewis & Clark having their graduation on Saturday.