| MIAC Championship Preview |
ST. PAUL, MINN. – For the second straight year, the St. Catherine University softball team once again finds itself in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Playoffs. Just like last season, the Wildcats will face a familiar foe in the quarterfinal round of the conference tournament, as they face Hamline at 5 p.m. Friday afternoon at the University of St. Thomas.
There are several things that will feel eerily similar to St. Kate's fans at this year's MIAC Tournament. Like last year, St. Thomas will host the tournament, as it won the conference for the second consecutive year to earn the No. 1 seed. Unlike last season, the Wildcats will be the No. 2 seed in the tournament, having finished second in the conference standings, and Hamline and Saint Ben's will be the No. 3 and 4 seeds respectively.
Here is a special playoff edition of the five facts to know before the MIAC playoffs:
2 – This is the second consecutive year St. Kate's has qualified for the MIAC postseason after recording its highest finish in the conference standings. Thanks to a 5-1 finish against conference opponents at the end of the season, the Wildcats finished the season with a 17-5 record to finish in second place, one game behind the Tommies. The 17-5 record is St. Kate's best record in MIAC play in program history.
7 – Last season, the Wildcats played all seven games of the MIAC playoffs, forcing St. Thomas to play game seven to decide the MIAC Playoff Champion. St. Kate's defeated Gustavus, Hamline, and the Tommies at least once during the tournament last season, including the dramatic 5-4 game six win over St. Thomas.
6 – The Wildcats broke six single-season records in 2017, the most in program history. Junior ace Krista Flugstad (Bloomington, Minn. / Jefferson) broke her own school record for single season wins (20) and the long standing school record for single season ERA (1.08). Jenna George (Ellsworth, Wis. / Ellsworth) broke the school records for single season RBI (50) and single season walks (24) four days after teammate Anna Hinderaker (Rosemount, Minn. / Rosemount) broke the walks record. George also tied the record for single season home runs (10) and broke the record for single season slugging percentage (.851).
2012 – On Tuesday, St. Kate's swept Hamline for the first time since 2012 to qualify for the MIAC playoffs. The Wildcats won game one 9-3 behind a huge offensive surge in the fourth and fifth innings, then won game two 9-8 in extra innings thanks to a Jenna George home run over the left field fence.
2013 – On Thursday, Kylie Macziewski (Bloomington, Minn. / Jefferson) became the first St. Kate's student-athlete since 2013 to be named to CoSIDA's Academic-All District team. The junior shortstop ranks second on the team in multiple statistical categories, including batting average (.395), slugging percentage (.622), runs (38), hits (47), home runs (7) and RBI, and currently leads the MIAC in runs (27) and hits (33) versus conference opponents. Macziewski is also a two time Academic All-Conference and NFCA All-Scholar recipient, and was the first student-athlete in St. Kate's history to earn the MIAC Elite 22 Award last season.
Final Notes:
As the No. 1 seed, St. Thomas will host the MIAC playoffs at its home field on the north side of campus. They will open the tournament with a 2:30 p.m. game against the fourth seeded Saint Ben's. Tickets are $8 for adults and $3 for children each day of the tournament, and 2016-17 MIAC passes will be accepted as well.
Video and live stats will be available through St. Thomas sports information, and updates will also be posted to Twitter at @stkateswildcats.
For a full tournament schedule, be sure to check out the MIAC Softball Playoff page.
