A-R-C Tournament on docket for Simpson softball

INDIANOLA, Iowa -- After ending the regular season with eight wins in its last 10 games, the Simpson College softball team enters the American Rivers Conference Tournament as the fifth seed, which begins Thursday.

"The team is playing really well," said head coach Brent Matthias. "Our pitching has been very efficient and we have been playing clean defense along with timely hitting. We are excited since we are playing our best softball heading into the tournament."

This year's tournament features a two-pod format, with the top two teams, Coe and Wartburg, serving as the hosts for each group. The Storm (16-16, 13-11 A-R-C) will compete in Cedar Rapids, Iowa after the Kohawks won the regular season championship and claimed the NCAA Automatic Qualifier bid over the Knights last Saturday.

Simpson takes on fourth-seeded Luther in a 10 a.m. contest Thursday morning. The teams last met on April 30 and May 2 for a three-game set, with the Norse taking two of three in Indianola.

Joining the Storm, Luther and Coe in pod one will be the winner of the eighth-seeded Buena Vista and ninth-seeded Loras play-in game. The Beavers and Duhawks will square up Wednesday afternoon in hopes of remaining in the tournament.

With the cancellation of last year's tournament due to COVID-19, Simpson returns to postseason play for the first time since reaching the A-R-C Tournament Semifinals in 2019 after defeating Wartburg in the opening round.

The Storm enter the tournament after sweeping Dubuque over the weekend. Simpson outscored the Spartans 12-4 to sweep its third league opponent this spring. Emily Bell, Taryan Barrick-Wessels and Brooke Tucker all pitched complete games to carry the Storm.

At the plate, Simpson ended second in the league in batting average (.328), doubles (63) and slugging percentage (.497), third in homers (29) and fourth in hits (299). Against conference competition, the Storm batted .319 to pace the league and were second with 216 hits and 28 home runs.

Sara Trent tallied a .418 batting clip for fifth in the conference, while Randie Richmond was third in doubles (12) and fourth in hits (42). During A-R-C play, Maddie Luderman showcased her power by tying for second with seven home runs.

Visit SimpsonAthletics.com for links to live video, statistics and audio during the tournament. Todd Guessford will have the call for each contest.

To view the complete A-R-C Tournament schedule, click HERE.