New-Look CAC Softball Tournament Begins Thursday
Fresh faces from two new California teams will be among the four competitors for the 2025 Continental Athletic Conference Softball Championship when tournament action begins Thursday, May 1, at Georgia Gwinnett College's Grizzly Softball Complex in Lawrenceville, Georgia.
Top-seeded and tournament host GGC will open postseason play against No. 4 seed Westcliff University (California), starting at noon on May 1. That will be followed by No. 2 seed Simpson University (California) facing No. 3 seed Florida National University at 2:30 p.m.
Three games are scheduled Friday, May 3, before the championship round begins Saturday, May 4, at noon. The tournament champion receives the league's automatic bid to the NAIA Opening Round of the national tournament.
GGC (40-8) won all nine games against CAC opponents this spring, is ranked No. 6 nationally and enters the postseason with a 13-game winning streak. Casey Beaver leads the Grizzlies' balanced offensive attack with a .385 batting average, 52 runs and 34 stolen bases. Savannah Jenkins has connected on four homers and has a team-leading 33 RBI. Angelica Gallegos, Summer Hickson and Sophie Sisk are each batting .341 or better for the season. In the pitching circle, GGC leads all NAIA teams with a 1.23 earned run average. Annalise Jarvis has a 20-2 record, with five saves, and a 0.78 ERA. Kailynn James has a 0.90 ERA and a 14-3 mark.
Simpson (24-19) compiled an 11-5 mark in CAC games this spring. The Red Hawks have won seven of their last 10 games. Brianna Lopez-Cortez leads the team's offensive attack with a .415 batting average, 1.165 OPS, seven home runs, and 36 RBI. Nicolena Holen is batting .361 with 33 RBI and 11 stolen bases. Jacquelyn Lujan leads the pitching staff with a 1.99 ERA and 132 strikeouts across 126.1 innings. Lily Rojas also has thrown 73.2 innings while having a 2.47 ERA and 25 strikeouts.
Florida National (22-25) won four of its five conference games and has an 8-7 record on the road this season. Alyssa Julien leads the Conquistadors' offense, batting .349 while having 18 RBI and one home run. Alissia Vega is a threat on the base paths, with 31 steals and a .414 on base percentage. The team's pitching staff has combined for a 3.43 ERA. Sophia White has a 2.81 ERA and 53 strikeouts across 102 innings. Annissa Quinonez leads the team with a 2.30 ERA after 51.2 innings.
Westcliff (21-21) is riding an eight-game winning streak, including a sweep against No. 18-ranked Hope International University (California) to end the regular season. The Warriors went 7-9 in CAC play this spring. The team has a .279 batting average and Alyssa Patlan leads the way with a .416 batting average and 15 RBI. Rachel Varela has added a team-best 24 RBI while hitting .357 for the season. Madison Mendez anchors of the pitching staff with a 2.34 ERA, 91 strikeouts and only 56 walks across 179.2 innings. Avery Mytnik has contributed 58.2 innings, with a 4.53 ERA.