Softball Tuesday, May 2, 2023 NWC Athletic Communications

PREVIEW: 2023 GPAC Softball Tournament

Raider softball to host tournament pod in Orange City

ORANGE CITY, Iowa – After winning the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) regular season title and securing the top seed in the conference tournament, No. 12-ranked Northwestern (43-6, 18-4 GPAC) is set to chase another title on their home field. The 2023 GPAC tournament will be played on May 3-4, with (RV) Dordt (35-11, 16-6 GPAC), Briar Cliff (32-14, 14-8 GPAC), and Mount Marty (17-20, 10-12 GPAC) coming to town.

NEED TO KNOW
Dates: Wednesday-Thursday, May 3-4 (Championship series, Saturday, May 6)
Location: Orange City, Iowa
Ballpark: MOC-FV HS Softball Diamond
Live Stats: nwcraiders.com
Livestream: nwcraiders.com

TEAM NOTES

Northwestern has 119 stolen bases as a team.
They are first in the GPAC and 14th in the NAIA in stolen bases.
Ashtyn Billings (13) and Gwen Mikkelsen (11) are both on double-digit hitting streaks.
Billings holds the longest streak at 13 games.
Six NWC players have double-digit multi-hit games this season.
NWC has three of the top five RBI leaders in the GPAC in Mikkelsen, Emily Strasser, and Kameryn Etherington.
Mikkelsen leads the conference in batting average (.463) and RBIs (54).
Northwestern has reached their first 40-win season since 2002.
This year's squad is now third in program history for wins in a season with 43.
The single-season record for wins is 45, in 2002.

SEASON IN REVIEW

NWC set multiple program records in their 43-win regular season.
The Raiders started the year 16-0 and put together a 19-game winning streak in the season.
They finished as GPAC regular season champions.

TOURNAMENT TIME

The Raiders are hosting the GPAC tournament for the second consecutive season, this time as the No. 1 seed.
This is the sixth season in a row that NWC has made the GPAC tournament (exc. 2020 COVID-canceled tournament).
NWC holds a 28-33 all-time GPAC tournament record.
The Raiders last won the tournament title in 2018.

FORECAST
Day one of the tournament in Orange City has a high of 73 degrees with sunny skies and winds at seven mph out of the southwest. Thursday will see highs reach 78 degrees with a nine-mph southerly wind.

RECORD WATCH
Kameryn Etherington is currently sitting second in program history for career strikeouts, hitting a mark of 453 through three seasons. The Raider record is 480 held by Megan McHugh (2004-07), a mark that Etherington could be in reach of depending on Northwestern's postseason fortunes. Etherington also sits in fifth all-time in single-season strikeouts (164), just one behind teammate Kate Kralik, who reached 165 last season.

Madysn Grotewold is only two steals from becoming the fifth Raider to reach 30 stolen bases in a season, and she is fifth in career steals (71), three behind Lizz Swanson's (2005-08) 74 career steals.

Gwen Mikkelsen has also had a historic season at the plate, putting herself in the single-season record books. She is third in season batting average (.463), sixth in RBIs (54), and tied for third in doubles (17).

SCOUTING MOUNT MARTY

The Lancers (17-20, 10-12 GPAC) earned the No. 8 seed in the GPAC tournament, facing Northwestern in the first round.
Kayla Bryant's squad enters the tournament after dropping six of their last eight outings.
Elisabeth McGill paces the Mount Marty lineup with a .398 average, driving in 21 runs and hitting one out of the park.
Autumn Porter leads the team with 25 RBIs, also hitting eight home runs, which is fourth in the GPAC.
Mount Marty throws the duo of McKenzie Gray and Makayla Graunke in the circle.
Graunke has a record of 7-10 with 76 strikeouts and a 3.40 ERA, and Gray is 7-9 with a 4.26 ERA and 62 punchouts.
The Raiders swept the Lancers in the regular season series on April 25.

POTENTIAL OPPONENTS
Dordt Defenders

Dordt (35-11, 16-6 GPAC) has improved themselves to a top-four spot in the conference this year after finishing eighth last season.
The Defenders finished the season winners of seven of the last eight.
Head coach Jeff Zomer is in his 14^th season at the helm.
Abby Kraemer has been one of the GPAC's top pitchers this year, posting a 0.94 ERA, which is the best in the conference, winning 19 games, and striking out 171 batters.
Chandler Schemper leads the league in stolen bases with 29.
Emma Groen and Ella Koster have driven in the most runs on the team, each with 33 RBIs.
Koster has the best average on the team (.422), also sitting third in the GPAC.
Dordt leads the GPAC in team ERA (1.88).
The Defenders and Red Raiders split the regular season series on April 18.

Briar Cliff Chargers

Briar Cliff finished the season with a record of 32-14 overall and 14-8 in the GPAC.
Their one-two punch in the circle causes issues for opponents, as Maddi Duncan is one of two GPAC pitchers with over 200 strikeouts (204), and Katelyn Kotlarz has 174 Ks with an opponent batting average of .151.
Duncan has won 18 games this season and has eight shutouts.
The Charger lineup is headed by Karis Gifford with a .376 batting average and 17 steals.
Kylee Lukes leads the team in RBIs (37) and home runs (6).
Northwestern won a pair of exciting 4-3 contests against the Chargers on April 4.

TICKET INFORMATION
The conference office sets the ticket prices for the league's conference tournaments. The prices are as follow:
Adults: $10
K-12: $3
GPAC Students: Free with showing of current (2022-23 institutional ID)
Stay up to date with Raider softball throughout the GPAC conference tournament on nwcraiders.com. Live stat and livestream links are listed above.

Don't forget to follow Northwestern College Athletics on Facebook @nwcraiders, Twitter @nwcraiders, and Instagram @nwcraiders! #RaidersStandOut

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Players Mentioned

#20 Kameryn Etherington: P; 5' 5"; Junior

#8 Madysn Grotewold: SS; Junior

#33 Kate Kralik: P; 5' 7"; Sophomore

#4 Emily Strasser: INF; Senior

#13 Ashtyn Billings: P/OF; 5' 4"; Freshman

#25 Gwen Mikkelsen: INF; 5' 8"; Junior

Players Mentioned

#20 Kameryn Etherington
: 5' 5"; Junior
: P

#8 Madysn Grotewold
: Junior
: SS

#33 Kate Kralik
: 5' 7"; Sophomore
: P

#4 Emily Strasser
: Senior
: INF

#13 Ashtyn Billings
: 5' 4"; Freshman
: P/OF

#25 Gwen Mikkelsen
: 5' 8"; Junior
: INF