DC gears up for HCAC Tournament
Nick Williams, Assistant SID

DEFIANCE, Ohio – After struggling early in the regular season then cruising through the HCAC schedule to the tune of a 13-2 record, DC’s up-and-down season has culminated in a berth in the HCAC Tournament as the #1 seed.

The Jackets got out of the gate on a slow start, beginning the season with a 2-6 record, but found a bright spot in the emergence of Aarika Davis, who was named HCAC Player of the Week during the first week of the season. After returning home from their spring break, in which they compiled a 4-4 record, the Jackets experienced up-and-down play from the team, enduring a five-game losing streak before taking the next three.

Although DC has dropped two of its last six games, the offense is peaking at the right time, as the team is hitting a blistering .423 over the last seven games. A large part of the Jacket success can be attributed to sophomore centerfielder Amanda Auzins, who batted .545 in the month of April with 18 RBIs and 19 runs scored.

DC is also getting solid pitching from its staff, including Justine Johnston and Robin Diers. Johnston is 11-7 with a 3.81 ERA and has won eight in a row. Robin Diers is 10-6 with a team-leading 3.69 ERA.

DC’s first round opponent will be Bluffton University (14-15, 9-6 HCAC), who earned the final tournament seed with a 3-2 win over the Jackets Wednesday evening. Bluffton is getting solid contributions from sophomore captain Lindsay Miller, sustained a potential season-ending injury in October 2006. She persevered through the setback and has playing in all 29 of the Beavers’ games this year and has recently began to heat up. Over the last 21 games, Lindsay has hit .468 and has driven in 11 runs during that stretch with a .645 slugging percentage. DC will look to cool her bat off in the opener.

No. 2. seed Anderson (20-12, 13-3) will square off against No. 3 seed Transylvania (23-12, 10-6) at noon. Anderson holds the season series edge, having swept the Pioneers in late March in their lone contest of the season. The Ravens’ strength lies in their pitching, as the staff holds a 1.92 ERA, tops in the HCAC. They are led by Larry Holloway, who is in his 29th year with the program and 24th overall. Last season, he named HCAC Coach of the Year, making him the oldest softball coach in NCAA history to win the award at 70. Transylvania will look to repeat history, as the Pioneers won last year’s Heartland Conference Tournament championship and advanced to the NCAA tournament for the first time in school history. Transy has won 20 games or more in a season for nine straight years. One of the players primed for the occasion is Claire Lanham, who leads the HCAC in batting, (.438), on-base percentage (.495) and slugging (.755).

Defiance and Bluffton will play the first game of the tournament at 10:00 a.m., with Transy and Anderson to follow at noon.