Related Links:
2013 NCAA Tournament Angola Regional Page
2013 NCAA Division III Softball Tournament Bracket
Team Reaction to NCAA Bid (Video)
The Capital University softball team will make its fourth-ever appearance in the NCAA Division III Softball Tournament after earning an at-large bid to the 62-team national championship tournament, which begins this Thursday, May 9.
The Crusaders (34-10 overall), who claimed the Ohio Athletic Conference regular season title for the first time since 2002 and finished as the OAC Tournament runner-up, are the No. 2 seed in the eight-team regional at Trine University in Angola, Ind. The team earned one of 21 available at-large bids to the NCAAs.
Capital will take on Thomas More (Ky.) on Thursday at 4 p.m. to open the double-elimination regional. The winner of that contest will take on the winner of the No. 3 John Carroll/No. 6 Allegheny (Pa.) matchup on Friday at 4 p.m. The losers of the opening-round games play Friday at noon.
The Crusaders last appeared in the NCAAs in 2002, when the team was eliminated after three games. Capital also received a berth to the tournament in 1997 and 1991.
The Saints (24-17) are making their fifth-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Thomas More earned the seventh seed in the region after receiving an automatic bid following the team's Presidents' Athletic Conference Tournament championship.
Entering postseason play with 15 consecutive victories, the Crusaders extended that streak to 16 with a 3-2 walk-off victory over Marietta in the team's first OAC Tournament game. Capital, which hosted the four-team tournament over the weekend as the No. 1 seed, was knocked off in its next game, 9-5, by eventual champion Mount Union.
After a sound 10-2 triumph over John Carroll to begin play Saturday, the Crusaders let a one-run lead slip away in the championship round, falling 5-3 to the Purple Raiders. Following conclusion of play, senior shortstop Devan Boggs (West Jefferson, Ohio), sophomore centerfielder Kelsey Swain (Pickerington, Ohio) and sophomore pitcher Alyssa Patznick (Newark, Ohio) were named to the All-Tournament team.
The league's All-OAC and special awards honorees were also announced Saturday. Boggs became the program's first-ever Gayle Lauth OAC Player of the Year, while freshman second baseman Brooklyn Staten (Grove City, Ohio) was selected OAC Rookie of the Year. Boggs earned first team accolades, while Staten, Swain and sophomore pitcher Brooke Billings (Newark, Ohio) were tabbed second team. Patznick garnered honorable mention.
Boggs enters the NCAA Tournament batting .487 with 16 doubles, five triples, 12 home runs and 51 runs batted in. The 2012 All-America took over the league's all-time lead in career doubles earlier this season and was recently named to the Capital One Academic All-District 7 first team by CoSIDA for the second consecutive season.
Swain is hitting .437 with seven doubles and a team-high 14 stolen bases, while sophomore catcher Maura Rose (Williamsport, Pa.) boasts nine doubles, nine homers and 40 RBIs in the middle of the Capital order.
Billings and Patznick enter NCAA play as one of the region's top pitching duos. Billings is 16-4 with a 2.39 earned run average and five shutouts in 134 2/3 innings. Patznick has struck out 118 in 150 1/3 frames to go along with her 18-6 mark and 3.07 ERA.
For full information on the regional, visit the link at the top of the page.
