ST. PAUL, Minn. – After complications due to spring weather, the Concordia-St. Paul softball team (11-6) will now be traveling to Emporia, Kansas for their final non-conference tournament of the season. The Golden Bears were originally scheduled to play in St. Joseph, Missouri this weekend, but field conditions changed the team's plans, sending them to Emporia instead.
 
SCHEDULE AND TOURNAMENT DETAILS
Concordia will face off with five different in-region opponents between March 21 and 23. The Golden Bears will first take on Central Missouri on Thursday, March 21 at 4:30. The following day, CSP plays both Washburn and Emporia State at 3 and 5:30 p.m. To cap off the tournament, the Bears face Pittsburg State and Northeastern State at 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.
 
More details about the tournament can be found at the tournament website: https://esuhornets.com/sports/2019/3/18/2019-esu-classic.aspx
 
Live stats should be available for all of Concordia's games, and the links, once available, will be on the softball schedule page.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The last time that the Golden Bears played was in Florida in the beginning of March when the team played ten games over a span of six days. Concordia went 8-2 on the week, outscoring their opponents 62-22 throughout the ten games. The team collected three sweeps on the trip and a pair of run-rule victories.
 
The Bears opened the trip winning their first three games against University of the Sciences, Clarion, and Malone before falling in a close game with Cedarville, 4-3. CSP got back to their winning ways the following day, winning their next five straight, including a 3-1 win over a strong Trevecca Nazarene squad. Concordia dropped their final contest of the trip 6-4 against Seton Hill.
 
Junior Aryka Knoche paced the CSP offense on the trip, leading the team in almost every offensive category, including batting average (.519), hits (14), RBIs (10), total bases (22), and slugging percentage (.815). The Little Canada native also collected three complete-game wins in the circle, with a 1.00 ERA and 25 strikeouts.
 
Kris McIntyre, Amanda Parsons, Carlie Hart, and Hanna Mortenson also had impressive performances at the plate, all hitting over .300 on the week. McIntyre had the second-highest on-base percentage of the trip, at .517 and Parsons hit a team-high six doubles for a .696 slugging percentage. In addition to driving in nine runs, Hart was a force on the base paths, stealing nine bases and Mortenson tallied nine hits on the week, including three doubles and her first career home run.
 
THE OPPONENTS
Central Missouri
The Jennies hold an 8-2 edge in the all-time series history between the two teams, as UCM has taken three of the last four games in the series. CSP last defeated Central Missouri in February of 2016 with a 6-2 win in St. Cloud. Last season, the Jennies defeated the Bears in a tight 9-8 contest in Maryville, Missouri.
 
On the season, the Jennies hold a 10-8 record, most recently splitting a double-header with Missouri Western. Central Missouri will also take on Missouri Southern and Minnesota State before facing the Bears. So far, freshman Jessica Sader has been the most consistent offensive performer, with a team-leading .429 batting average while also pacing the team in RBIs with 14. Senior Jordan Johnson holds the team's lowest ERA (2.62) while also collecting five wins in the circle with a 5-2 overall record.
 
Washburn
The Golden Bears hold an even 4-4 record against the Ichabods and have gone 2-2 in the past five years against this MIAA opponent. The teams met most recently in St. Joseph, Missouri at the HyVee Classic last season, where Concordia scored late in the game to pull out a 4-3 win. Washburn is 12-14 to start the year, most recently splitting a series with Upper Iowa.
 
Their biggest offensive threats are found in seniors Samantha Stallbaumer and Savannah Moore, who are both hitting over .400 and have 36 hits each. In the circle, Raegen Hamm has pitched the most innings for Washburn with an 8-7 record, a 2.54 ERA, and a team-leading 45 strikeouts.
 
Emporia State
The Bears have not met Emporia State since the 2016 season, when CSP won 11-4 in the St. Cloud Dome. Overall, Concordia is 5-9 when facing the Hornets and 3-3 when facing them in Emporia, as they do this weekend.
 
Emporia State has a 6-15 record through their first 21 games. In their last four games, the Hornets have gone 2-2, splitting with Lincoln (Mo.) and Washburn. The Hornets will face Wayne State, St. Cloud State, and Minnesota State before taking on CSP. Senior Kenzie Garvin and sophomore Cassidy Beem are the only two ESU players hitting over .300 on the season. Garvin has stolen nine bases so far on the year and Beem has a team-leading 15 RBIs.
 
Pittsburg State
The Golden Bears own a 3-3 record against PSU, last meeting them in 2017 when the Gorillas came away with a 6-3 decision. Five of the six games in the all-time series have been close affairs, being decided by three runs or less. CSP last defeated Pittsburg State in 2014, winning 3-2 in St. Joseph, Missouri.
 
The Gorillas are 14-13 on the season so far and have won four of their last five games. Most recently, the team split with Fort Hays State, winning 1-0 before falling 9-8. PSU has four players hitting over .300, being led by junior infielder Kala Holder, who is hitting .405 with 32 hits on the season. She also has tallied 22 walks, increasing her on-base percentage to .539. Junior Halle Brin and freshman Shelby Smith have split the pitching duties for PSU. Brin is 8-5 on the year with a 2.93 ERA and Smith is an even 6-6 with a 4.82 ERA.
 
Northeastern State
CSP has only faced the RiverHawks once in program history, falling 12-2 in 2017 in Bentonville, Arkansas. On the season so far, Northeastern State is 16-11, winning their last six games in a row. Before taking on the Golden Bears, the RiverHawks will face four other NSIC opponents in Emporia.
 
NSU has five batters hitting over .300, with their top hitter being found in sophomore Addie Elbon. Elbon is hitting .376 on the year with 32 hits and 21 RBIs. Sophomore Gail Young has pitched the majority of the innings for the RiverHawks, going 10-4 with a 2.66 ERA.