APPLETON, Wis. — The Lawrence University softball team is hoping the third time is the charm.
Lawrence makes its third consecutive trip to the Midwest Conference Tournament, and the Vikings will have the benefit of some home cooking as they host the event at Whiting Field. The tournament starts at 10 a.m. Friday, and the title game is at noon on Saturday.
“Our team, especially this year but in the last five years, we play best when we’re relaxed and having fun,” Lawrence coach Kim Tatro said. “They know the task at hand. We don’t have to talk about that, but they know the quality of of our opponents. If we play up to our ability, then whatever happens, happens. As long as we do that, we have nothing to feel bad about.”
The tournament champion gets an automatic berth in the NCAA Division III Tournament, and Lawrence is looking for its third trip to the national tournament and first since 1999.
The Vikings (26-10) won the right to host the tournament by winning their first North Division title since 2005. Lawrence, which has won three MWC titles, defeated Carroll University last Saturday to claim first in the North Division.
“It was nice to play well in a pressure situation and win the ability to host the tournament and be the North Division No. 1 seed,” Tatro said. “We also know we have our work cut out for us because everyone in the tournament is solid in every aspect of the game.”
Solid describes the Vikings quite well, especially the pitching staff. Lawrence doesn’t have a flamethrower on the staff, but the Vikings do have three very good pitchers.
Senior Liz Barthels is 12-5 with a 2.02 earned run average, and senior Kara Vance is 10-5 with a 3.16 ERA. While Barthels and Vance have combined to strike out 69 this season, they average just 0.7 walks per seven innings. Junior Jessica Demski has been outstanding in her spot starts and has a 4-0 record and a 3.00 ERA. It was Demski who won the division-clinching game against Carroll.
“We’re not relying on one big strikeout pitcher,” Tatro said. “We really rely on three pitchers that all have different strengths. It gives us an opportunity to do different things with that kind of flexibility.”
The Lawrence offense and defense is paced by senior shortstop Amanda Jaskolski, the reigning MWC North Division Player of the Year and a first-team All-Great Lakes Region selection.
Jaskolski enters the tournament hitting .472 with eight doubles, one triple, a school-record 12 homers and 40 runs batted in. She has a .588 on-base and .906 slugging percentage. Lawrence also has clean-up hitter Sam Belletini, a sophomore catcher. She is hitting .388 with 12 doubles, four homers and 23 RBIs.
“With the quality of the teams in the tournament, everyone is going to have to rise to the occasion for us to be successful,” Tatro said. “We’ve talked all year about not having to rely on the big boppers because if others get on base, it makes it hard to work around them. You can’t take away those players if others are getting it done.”
The Vikings have some great table-setters, starting with No. 9 hitter Tierney Duffy, who is hitting .398. Lead-off hitter Anna Wawiorka is at .315 and hasn’t been thrown out attempting to steal in 16 tries this season. Three more Lawrence starters, left fielder Kori Looker (.347), designated player Taylor Dodson (.333) and first baseman Katie Schumacher (.321) are all hitting above .300.
“Across the board, people have stepped up their game,” said Tatro, whose team has won 10 of its last 11. “I think one of the things that has made us difficult to beat at times is the balance. Different people coming through at different times.”
The Vikings face a challenging tournament field that features South Division champion Lake Forest College, which is at 28-8. South Division runner-up Cornell College has the best record in the conference at 30-6, and Carroll is at 21-15. Lake Forest is the defending champion, and Cornell won the title at Whiting Field in 2013.
“I really wouldn’t be surprised if any of the four teams won it,” Tatro said. “It’s whoever is playing well at the right time and making critical plays when they count.”