Contact: Ashleigh Jones, Sports Information Graduate Assistant
May 2, 2018- Qualifying for the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) Tournament for the sixth-straight season, the North Central College softball team travels to Bloomington, Illinois on Friday, May 4, entering the four-team field as the second seed.
The Cardinals clinched the second seed in their final conference matchup of the season, sweeping the doubleheader over Augustana College (22-16, 7-9) on Apr. 28 and will take on third-seeded Carroll in the tournament opener. Joining the Cardinals in Bloomington, is the regular season champion, Illinois Wesleyan University (27-9-1, 14-2) who claimed its 15th CCIW softball title of the program, as the Titans will face the fourth-seed, Carthage College (19-19, 9-7).
North Central's overall record of 30-8 is a reflection of their dominance at bat, recording over 104 runs more than their opponents and maintaining a 12-game win streak during the regular season.
Despite being swept at home by top-seeded, Illinois Wesleyan, the Cardinals are well deserving of their spot in the CCIW tournament placing second behind the Titans in batting average (.328), slugging percentage (.458) and runs scored (229) to name a few.
Leading the Cardinal offense is Emily Miller, who holds the top spot in more than five categories, including batting average, hitting .507 for the season. Miller also leads the conference in doubles with 23 so far this season, also a North Central single-season record.
Jenna Trojniar has also played a significant role at bat, with a slugging percentage of .580 and ranks second on the team in eight categories.
In the circle, the Cardinals are led by Jennifer Yager, who leads both the team and conference in wins, finishing the regular season 12-4. Yager has also struck out a team-high 31 batters and has an ERA of 2.43.
Sarah Esposito is closely trailing behind Yager in wins, with a record of 10-1 and an ERA of 1.93, giving her the fifth lowest ERA in the CCIW.
The Cardinals will play at 12 pm on Friday, May 4 against Carroll University. If they win, they will play the winner of Carthage and Illinois Wesleyan at 6 pm. If they lose, it would be the loser of the Lady Reds and Titans at 4 pm. Live stats and video can be found HERE.
