ST. PAUL, Minn. – Starting this Sunday, Concordia-St. Paul (3-7) will head to Clearmont, Florida to compete in THE Spring Games at Legends Way in the Orlando area.
The Golden Bears will compete in five doubleheaders in seven days, starting Friday, March 3 with the conclusion on Thursday, March 9 against NCAA Division II opposition from around the country.
Live Stats and
Live Video (pay-per-view) will be available for all 10 games.
LAST TIME OUT
The softball team went 2-4 at the Emporia 5-State Classic in Kansas against Central Region teams
The Golden Bears split games with Missouri-St. Louis, falling in five innings in the opening game, 10-2, but were able to shut out the Tritons in their second matchup, 5-0.
A late inning comeback bid by CSP came up short against Northwest Missouri State as the Bearcats held off a sixth-inning three run homer from Danni Sharum to win 5-4.
Concordia defeated Quincy 5-3, powered by back-to-back-to-back home runs by Clara Heislen, Alexus Houston, and Grace Beseman. Pitcher Bryanna Olson threw all seven innings, giving up six hits while striking out 10.
The Golden Bears took the 6-1 loss against #21 Washburn in their first matchup against a ranked opponent. The only CSP run came off of a sacrifice fly by Annalise Scamehorn to bring in freshman Tori Turgeon.
The Golden Bears dropped their final game on the Kansas trip to the event's host Emporia State, 5-3. Errors hurt CSP as the Hornets would score two unearned runs that would end up being the difference in the game.
Danni Sharum was the top batter for the Golden Bears over the weekend, hitting for a .333 average over six games with an .800 slugging percentage and .444 on-base percentage. She went 5-for-15 with two home runs and a double. The sophomore from Marietta, Georgia started four games behind the plate with a .923 fielding percentage.
Concordia ace Bryanna Olson picked up two wins and had a 2.45 ERA in 20 innings pitched giving up 13 hits while striking out 21 batters. She went 2-1 in the three starts as she held opposing batters to a .176 average. She threw a one hit complete game shutout vs. Missouri St. Louis with seven strikeouts. She also had 10 strikeouts in seven innings against Quincy.
GANNON (Pa.) - March 3, 8:00 a.m.
The Golden Knights are 1-5 after competing in Georgia at the NFCA Leadoff classic and have already had one game in Florida, falling to Bridgeport 10-8. Gannon has three more games against Findley, Assumption, and Dominican (NY) before their matchup with the Golden Bears.
Outfielder Abby Girman is the Golden Knights player to watch. The sophomore is batting .385 with a .692 slugging percentage in five games. Her best game came in Gannon's lone win against Shaw University where she was 2-for-3 with two doubles and two RBI.
It will be the third meeting between the teams and first since 2006 when the Knights defeated the Bears twice, 2-4 and 4-6.
BRIDGEPORT (Conn.) - March 3, 10:30 a.m.
The Purple Knights are 3-6 coming into March after a 1-4 start at the NFCA Leadoff Classic and a 2-2 split in their games in Florida. Bridgeport has three more games before they take on Concordia on Friday, including against #1 Rodgers State and #18 Washburn. The Knights are coming off of their 3rd straight East Coast Conference (ECC) Championship win.
Bridgeport's player to watch is 2022 First Team All-ECC and ECC Freshman of the Year, Madison D'Amato. The sophomore finished her first collegiate season with a .421 batting average and led the ECC with 51 runs scored, 34 walks, and a .535 on-base percentage. This season D'Amato is batting .318 with four RBI.
Friday's game will be the first matchup between the Purple Knights and Golden Bears.
TIFFIN (Ohio) - March 4, 12:45 p.m.
The Dragons are 4-5 after five games at the Music City Invitational in Tennessee and for games in Florida. Tiffin will also take on the defending national champion, #1 Rogers State before their game against CSP.
The Dragons player to watch is 2022 First Team All-GMAC second baseman Maddie Woods. The sophomore leads Tiffin with a .474 batting average and .684 slugging percentage. Wood's best game this season came in TU's 2-1 loss to Davenport, going 2-for-4 with a triple, RBI, and a stolen base.
Concordia is 2-0 against the Dragons, including a high scoring 17-9 victory in 2020.
SAINT ROSE (N.Y.) - March 4, 3:00 p.m.
CSP take on their second Golden Knight school on Saturday against Saint Rose. The Knights are 1-1 so far this season, splitting games in a double header against Goldey-Beacom.
Saint Rose's player to watch is first baseman Madison Chandler. The 2022 First Team All-N10 selection led the Golden Knights in batting average (.369), slugging percentage (.475), and RBI (29) in 2022. Against conference opponents, Chandler hit .400 and tallied 32 hits, with her marks respectively ranking third and fourth-best in the NE10 in each category.
The Golden Bears hold a 2-0 advantage in the series history with a 8-4 win in their most recent matchup in 2020.
#8 GRAND VALLEY STATE (Ohio) - March 6, 10:30 a.m.
The Lakers will be Concordia's first top-10 matchup of the season and second game against a ranked opponent. GVSU is 5-0 after going undefeated in the Lewis Dome Tournament in Rosemount, Illinois, including shutouts against NSIC teams Minnesota Duluth (1-0) and Winona State (7-0).
The Lakers player to watch is 2022 GLIAC Pitcher of the Year, Hannah Beatus. The fifth-year senior is off to a fantastic start to 2023 and is yet to give up a run in 15 innings pitched. Beatus is 2-0 and has given up just six hits while striking out 22 batters.
Grand Valley State has split their previous games with CSP, but got the 8-0 shutout victory against the Golden Bears in their most recent matchup in 2020.
LYNN (Fla.) - March 6, 1:00 p.m.
The Fighting Knights already have 14 games under their belts in 2023 going 9-5 in those games. Lynn has five games to play before their matchup with Concordia, including a three-game conference series with Rollins.
The Knights player to watch is pitcher Josey Sumpter. The senior is 2-1 in three starts and seven appearances, pitching to a 4.70 ERA with 16 strikeouts. Sumpter has also been a threat at the plate, leading Lynn with two home runs and .500 slugging percentage.
Monday's game will be the first matchup between the Fighting Knights and Golden Bears.
WHEELING (W.Va) - March 7, 8:00 a.m.
The Cardinals will be looking for their first win in Florida after starting the season 0-6. Wheeling has struggled to put runs on the board so far this season and are yet to score more than three in any game this season.
Outfielder Natalie Stoner is the Cardinals player to watch. The Senior is batting .438 through six games with .563 slugging percentage. Stoner's best game came in the Cardinals' most recent game against Indianapolis where she went 2-for-3 with two doubles.
Concordia is undefeated against Wheeling with a 7-0 record in the series. Tuesday's matchup will be the first meeting between the two teams in the last ten years with CSP winning in 2013, 9-1.
NOTRE DAME (Ohio) - March 7, 10:30 a.m.
The Falcons record is even at 2-2 heading into their games in Florida. Notre Dame picked wins against Kentucky Wesleyan (3-0) and Ashland (7-2) while dropping games to Cedarville University (1-0) and Quincy (3-0) at the Blue Bridge Battle in Indiana.
Center fielder Alexi Maciejowski is the Falcons player to watch. The First Team All-MEC selection led Notre Dame and was second in the MEC with 11 home runs. The grad student's best game so far this season came against Ashland where she sent 3-for-4 with a double and three RBI.
Tuesday's game will be the first matchup between Notre Dame and Concordia.
CEDARVILLE (Ohio) - March 9, 8:00 a.m.
The Yellow Jackets are 3-5 after four games at the Music City Invitational and four games at the Blue Bridge Battle. Cedarville will take on familiar NSIC faces Wayne State and Winona State before Thursday's matchup with CSP.
The Jackets player to watch is 2022 First Team All-G-MAC selection Casey Bertke. The junior had 14-9 record with one save and a 1.94 ERA in 2022. Bertke has a 2-1 record so far in 2023 with a 4.26 ERA in 23 innings pitched and 23 strikeouts.
Concordia is 1-2 in the series history, but got the win in their most recent matchup in 2020 with a 3-0 victory.
FERRIS STATE (Mich.) - March 9, 10:30 a.m.
The Bulldogs are currently 3-7 so far in 2023 including an 0-3 record against NSIC teams. Ferris State dropped their games against MSU Moorhead (8-3), Minnesota Duluth (2-1), and Winona State (7-0) at the Lewis Dome Tournament. They have four more games against NSIC opponents before their matchup with Concordia, taking on Winona State in a rematch before taking on Sioux Falls, Upper Iowa and St. Cloud State.
The Bulldog's player to watch is 2022 All-GLIAC Honorable Mention, Evelyn Blood. The senior first baseman leads the team with five RBI while batting .222 with a triple and five walks.
The teams meet for the first time since 2018 with the Golden Bears holding a 3-1 lead in the all-time series.
