TOURNAMENT LINKS --
NCAA DIVISION II MIDWEST REGIONAL
Thursday-Saturday, May 10-12, 2018
Land of Lincoln Junior Olympic Softball Complex -- Springfield, Ill.

REGIONAL BRACKET
REGIONAL RANKINGS
UIS TOURNAMENT PAGE
LIVE STATS

McKENDREE GAME NOTES
McKENDREE SEASON STATISTICS
MISSOURI-ST. LOUIS SEASON STATISTICS
ILLINOIS SPRINGFIELD SEASON STATISTICS
SAGINAW VALLEY STATE SEASON STATISTICS

(LEBANON, Ill., May 9)—The McKendree University softball team will make its NCAA Tournament debut on Thursday when the Bearcats take on the University of Missouri-St. Louis in the opening game of the 2018 NCAA Midwest Regional 2. First pitch is scheduled for 11 a.m. The four-team, double-elimination event is hosted by the University of Illinois Springfield at the Land of Lincoln Junior Olympic Softball Complex in Springfield, Ill.
 
The Bearcats punched their ticket into the 64-team national field thanks in part to a 38-16 overall record and a 20-8 mark in Great Lakes Valley Conference play this season. McKendree is the No. 3 overall seed in the Midwest Region. Host Illinois Springfield is the No. 2 seed, while Missouri-St. Louis holds the No. 6 seed. Saginaw Valley State University rounds out the four-team field as the No. 7 seed.
 
McKendree brings a team batting average of .299 into regional play. The Bearcats have belted 47 home runs this season, which is just three off the school record of 50 round-trippers set back in 2006. Senior Brooke Gajewski (Kronenwetter, Wis./D.C. Everest) leads the way with 15 homers, which is second among all GLVC players and just one behind the McKendree single-season mark. Angie Maue hit 16 homers during the 2006 campaign. In addition to her lofty home run total, Gajewski has drawn a school-record 36 walks in 2018, and her on-base percentage of .498 is second in the league.
 
Senior Rebecca Franke (Trenton, Ill./Wesclin) ranks among the GLVC top 10 in six different statistical categories. Franke leads the Bearcats – and is third in the conference – with a .404 batting average entering Thursday's play. She is also right behind Gajewski in on-base percentage at .497 and is tied for the team lead with 13 doubles. Franke's 37 RBI are also second on the squad in 2018, and her 26 walks are tied for the second most in program history.
 
Miranda Gajewski (Kronenwetter, WI/D.C. Everest) has been a contributor both in the circle and at the plate for McKendree in her freshman season. Gajewski is tied for the GLVC lead with 21 victories this year, entering the weekend with a 21-6 record. Her 1.79 earned-run average leads all qualified pitchers in the conference. At the plate, Gajewski has posted a .359 average, which is third on the squad. She is tied for the team lead with 13 doubles and has driven in 33 runs.
 
Sophomore shortstop Caitlyn Lowry (St. Louis, MO/Notre Dame) is second on the team with six home runs and is third with 35 RBI. Freshman third baseman Haegen Boyer (Eddyville, IA/Eddyville) is tied with Franke and Miranda Gajewski (Kronenwetter, WI/D.C. Everest) with 13 doubles while she lead the team with 11 stolen bases.
 
Junior Maci Ingram (Woodlawn, Ill./Nashville Community), who set a program mark with seven saves in 2017, is approaching that mark again this season. Ingram enters the weekend with six saves, and her 13 career saves are the most McKendree history.
 
ABOUT UMSL
Missouri-St. Louis brings a 33-22 overall record into Thursday's game against McKendree. The Tritons reached the GLVC Tournament championship contest, falling to the University of Southern Indiana by a score of 4-2. As a team, UMSL is hitting .300, with five regulars hitting above that mark. Reagan Osborn shows the way at .365 while also leading the team with 45 runs scored and 22 walks. Serena Olson is the top home-run hitter in the GLVC with 17, while she has added 52 RBI and a .358 batting average. Jennah Perryman has posted a .456 average with 13 homers and a team-best 53 RBI for the Tritons.
 
In the circle, Carly Kingery has registered a team-leading 16 victories and 207 strikeouts in 2018. Kingery is tied for the GLVC lead in strikeouts, while she has tossed 18 complete games to go along with a 2.38 ERA. Andee Tiffee has a 13-8 record with a 13-8 record and 172 strikeouts for UMSL.
 
McKendree opened its GLVC schedule back on March 10 with a doubleheader split at UMSL. The Bearcats rolled to a 10-2 victory in game one before the Tritons won the nightcap 7-5 on a walk-off two-run homer from Olson. McKendree had overcome an early 5-0 deficit and tied the game in the top of the seventh thanks to a three-run homer from Brooke Gajewski (Kronenwetter, Wis./D.C. Everest).
 
THE REST OF THE BRACKET
Thursday's other opening-round game will feature Illinois Springfield (36-16) and Saginaw Valley State (28-25). The winners of the opening round contests will play Friday at 1:30 p.m., while the losers will meet in an elimination contest Friday at 11 a.m. The winner of the Midwest Regional 2 bracket will advance to super regional play May 17-18.