By Justin Zackal
Kelly Flaherty hit a two-out double and later scored the only run in Saint Vincent’s title-clinching win over Bethany in the 2016 PAC Softball Championship Tournament. The trophy three years ago remains the Bearcats’ only PAC title and Flaherty, as her team’s lone senior, is the only player remaining from that team. Metaphorically speaking, Saint Vincent is looking to bring home another title after two “outs” the last couple years, as the Bearcats host the 2019 PAC tournament.
Four teams will compete in the double-elimination tournament May 2-3 at the SVC Softball Field in Latrobe.
Top-seeded Saint Vincent (25-13, 13-3 PAC) doesn’t look that far in the past or the future, according to 13th-year head coach Nicole Karr. And that’s just how the Bearcats got to this point.
“Everyone works hard and they have great attitudes,” Karr said. “We never looked ahead and we focussed on that day, and that has helped us make sure we were getting our work done.”
The results are steady throughout, as the Bearcats lead the PAC in batting average (.343), slugging percentage (.438), on-base percentage (.397), runs (240) and RBI (220), as well as earned-run average (2.61), opponent batting average (.264) and pitching strikeouts (244).
“We’ve had timely hitting as well as pitching and our defense has come around,” Karr said. “We are balanced and try to work on everything and it reflects the nice mix of players we have.”
Freshman pitcher Celia Knappenberger accounts for much of the Bearcats’ pitching success, providing the stopper that teams rely heavily on in tournament play.
“It all comes down to pitching and each team has their top pitcher,” Karr said. “Whoever’s ‘on’ that day is going to get the job done, with the defense backing up their pitchers and timely hitting, but the pitching is the main thing.”
At 13-6, Knappenberger leads the PAC in wins and her league-best 1.79 ERA is 0.66 better than anyone else.
The remainder of the field includes:
No. 2 THIEL (17-23, 10-6 PAC) has three of the seven PAC hitters batting better than .400 in junior OF Leah Woytek (.468), senior P/OF/1B Jessica Kelley (.438) and junior IF Vanessa Falce (.425). Kelley (10-11, 3.97 ERA) is also the Tomcats’ top pitcher. The Tomcats are seeking their first-ever PAC title with perhaps their best shot since advancing to the PAC title game in 2012.
No. 3 WESTMINSTER (18-16, 9-7 PAC) has appeared in the tournament four straight seasons, including as host in 2016, but the Titans won their lone PAC title in 2005. They handed Saint Vincent two of the Bearcats’ three PAC losses this year with a 4-2, 7-6 doubleheader sweep last Saturday. The Titans’ top two pitchers are freshmen, Madison Brown (10-8, 2.92 ERA) and Krystyna Burdelski (8-8, 2.99 ERA).
No. 4 GENEVA (19-17, 9-7 PAC) is back in the PAC tournament for the first time since 2014, which ended a three-year run that began with its lone title in 2012. Junior Bobbi Ann Theiss (9-2, 2.45 ERA) is the Golden Tornadoes’ top pitcher. Geneva makes a lot of noise on the basepaths, as senior Haley Sainato (30) and freshman Sarah Johnson (26) have combined for 16 more stolen bases than any other team in the league.
The tournament opens Thursday at 10 a.m. when Thiel plays Westminster, followed by Saint Vincent and Geneva at noon, with additional games at 2 and 4 p.m., and games Friday at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and, if necessary, 3 p.m. Coverage of the entire tournament will be provided by the PAC Sports Network. The PAC champion will secure the league’s automatic qualifying bid (Pool A) to the NCAA Division III Championship. Team and site selections for the Division III Softball Championship will be announced at 1 p.m., May 6.
