LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) has unveiled their Division III Top 25 Poll for the week ending May 16. The Trine University softball team maintained their position in the number five spot after going unbeaten in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) Tournament.
For the tenth consecutive week, Salisbury University is the unanimous number one as the top five spots remained the same from last week. Berry College, Case Western Reserve University and Linfield University stayed put in spots 2-4. East Texas Baptist University made the biggest jump in the top-10 from ninth to sixth after winning the American Southwest Conference (ASC) Tournament Championship.
Trine defeated Adrian College in the opening game of the MIAA Tournament 2-1 thanks to a sixth-inning two-run blast by Debbie Hill to advance to the winner's bracket. The team would go on to beat Calvin University in a pitcher's duel 1-0 in 10 innings and again in the Tournament Championship game by a score of 7-1.
Ashleigh Tranter hit a walk-off homerun for the Thunder in the first game versus Calvin and Alexis Michon secured her ninth win of the season in the circle. Amanda Prather drove in two runs while batting 3-for-4 in the championship game and Cassie Woods was 3-for-4 as well. Hill reached base in all four plate appearances (three walks) and pitched six strong innings without allowing an earned run.
The duo of Hill and Anna Gill each claimed the conference's final MIAA Athlete of the Week awards. Hill was named MIAA Pitcher of the Week for the second time this season and Gill secured her first MIAA Position Player of the Week award.
Looking ahead to the NCAA Tournament, Trine will play host to three other institutions in the regional round: Wartburg College, Millikin University and Waynesburg University. The Millikin Big Blue enter the NCAA Tournament as the 23rd-ranked team in the NFCA Top 25. Millikin was ranked eighth in the NFCA Preseason Top 25 and Wartburg started the year ranked 14th.
The NCAA Tournament kicks off on Thursday, May 18 when Millikin and Wartburg square off beginning at 2 p.m. Trine and Waynesburg will follow at 4:30 p.m. at SportONE/Parkview Softball Field.