MONTGOMERY, Ill. – The Edgewood College softball team will head to Aurora University this week for the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) softball tournament. The Eagles, the eighth seed, will play the fifth-seeded Benedictine University Eagles on Thursday.

THE BASICS
- No. 8 Edgewood College (20-20, 11-13 NACC) vs No. 5 Benedictine University (24-16, 14-10 NACC)
- Montgomery, Ill. (Bedrosian Stadium)
- 11:00 a.m.
- Live Links

EDGEWOOD COLLEGE ROSTER | EDGEWOOD COLLEGE SCHEDULE | EDGEWOOD COLLEGE STATS

BENEDICTINE ROSTER | BENEDICTINE SCHEDULE | BENEDICTINE STATS

2024 NACC SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT PAGE

HOW THEY GOT HERE
- Edgewood College clinched their spot in the NACC Tournament with a game one win over Wisconsin Lutheran on Sunday, May 5. The Eagles went on to earn the Senior Day sweep over the Warriors with a walk-off victory in game two. The Eagles earned crucial splits with MSOE, Concordia Wisconsin, Lakeland and Marian in the 2024 season.

- Edgewood College last faced Benedictine in Lisle, Illinois on Saturday, April 20. Benedictine took both games by scores of 6-2 and 3-2. Edgewood College battled in an extra-inning game two and falling just short on a single to right center field by the fellow Eagles.

- Benedictine finished the NACC regular season with a record of 14-10 to earn the fifth seed in the tournament. Benedictine swept Wisconsin Lutheran, St. Norbert, Marian, and Alverno. They earned doubleheader splits with Rockford, Concordia Chicago, MSOE, and Concordia Wisconsin.  

THE LINEUPS
- Olivia Hebert leads the Edgewood College bats with a .425 average. She has recorded 54 hits, 15 doubles, and seven home runs during the 2024 regular season. Hebert added 13 stolen bases. She locks down Edgewood College from behind the dish, recording 104 putouts and 14 runners caught stealing.

- Grace Ott and Gracie Halfman are two key members of the Edgewood College attack. Ott owning a .400 average, while Halfman bats .395 following the regular season. Ott owns 36 RBI, while Halfman adds 45 hits.

- Haley Barnes leads Benedictine with a .469 batting average. She has totaled 46 hits, 13 doubles, a triple, and eight home runs during the 2024 regular season. Morgan Bruno leads Benedictine with 62 hits.

- Carlie Odejewski led Edgewood College with 15 stolen bases on the season.

- Natalie Fields posted a perfect fielding percentage as a key member of the Edgewood College outfield. In 30 games played in the outfield, she recorded 36 putouts and four assists.

- Bruno posted a .988 fielding percentage on the season, only making two errors in 154 putouts.

- Grace Pustina leads the Eagles pitching staff with a 3.80 ERA. The senior owns 27 strikeouts on the season and has pitched seven complete games. Tatum Duff leads Edgewood College with 31 strikeouts. Pustina, Duff, and newcomer Grace Baugnet each own five wins for Edgewood College in 2024.

- Bella Lodico owns 15 wins in the circle for Benedictine. She posted a 2.90 ERA on the season, striking out a whopping 91 batters.

THE FIELD
- Top-seeded Dominican University spent seven weeks ranked in the top-25 of Division III. Finishing the season with a 35-5, 20-4 NACC record, they won the NACC regular season. Kayla Faber-Cournane leads the conference with a 1.32 ERA and adds 52 strikeouts. She finished the regular season with 20 wins and four losses on the season. Donatela Sommesi leads the Stars at the plate, batting .432 on the season. Sommesi ranks ninth in Division III with eight triples.

- Lakeland University had a breakout year in the conference, finishing as the second seed with a record of 32-8, 19-5 NACC. The Muskies last appeared in the NACC Tournament in 2022. The Muskies finished second in the conference in batting average, a team mark finishing at .362 at the end of the regular season. Maddie Raske led Lakeland with a batting average of .450. She totaled 54 hits and 39 RBI on the season. Skylar Hall led the Muskies in the circle, earning 13 wins on the season. She closed out the regular season with a 2.20 ERA and 69 strikeouts.

- Third-seeded Concordia Wisconsin recorded a record of 25-11, 19-5 NACC. The Falcons produced the third best hitting team in the conference and second-best fielding. Jess Pozezinski led the conference with a .488 batting average. She totaled 60 hits, 12 doubles, 15 home runs and 42 RBI. Adrianna Martinez and Jasmine Freeze locked down the Falcons in the circle. Martinez recorded a 2.76 ERA with a 7-1 record, while Freeze posted 57 strikeouts and a 9-1 record.

- No. 4 Aurora led the conference in hitting and fielding at the end of the 2024 regular season. The Spartans bats hit a collective .372 on the season, blasting a conference-best 17 home runs and a whopping 240 RBI. The Spartans only made 30 errors on the season, collecting a .971 fielding percentage. Aubrey Ortiz and Tyler Chambers both hit a team-best .465. Rylee Campbell posted a 1.93 ERA, third best in the conference. Campbell struck out 56 batters on her way to a 17-4 record.

- The Benedictine University Eagles clinched the fifth seed with a record of 24-16, 14-10 NACC. Haley Barnes leads the Benedictine bats with a .474 average. She totaled 46 hits, including 13 doubles and eight home runs in 2024. Bella Lodico posted 15 wins in the circle in 2024. She finished the season with a 2.22 ERA, owning 88 strikeouts.

- Marian University earned the sixth seed in the NACC Tournament with a 20-18, 12-12 NACC record. The Sabres season was fairly balanced on all fronts, with three players batting above .350 on the season. Evelynn Spaeth leads the way with an average of .386. Erin Cowe started 39 games for Marian, adding 44 hits, while Katelyn Matanear recorded a team-best 47 hits and five home runs. The Sabres relied on three main pitchers, with McKenna Repovich posting a 6-0 record, with a 2.93 ERA. Sabrina Di Vito led the Sabres pitchers with 46 strikeouts.

- MSOE earned the seventh seed in the NACC Tournament behind a 17-23, 12-12 NACC record. Jocelyn Clodi posted a team-best .386 batting average with 44 hits. Faith Matta recorded a team-high 45 hits and led the team with her speed on the base paths with 12 stolen bases. Katie Pollock led the conference with 106 strikeouts. She posted a 3.06 ERA on the season with a record of 13-10.

NACC TOURNAMENT HISTORY
- Concordia Wisconsin won the last two NACC Tournaments, taking down MSOE in both seasons. Benedictine owns the most NACC Tournament tiles with seven, their last title coming in 2018. Aurora has collected four tournament titles, while MSOE owns two to their name.

- Edgewood College has reached the tournament on three occasions (2007, 2008, and 2015). This season will be the first tournament appearance under head coach Allie Taylor.