The Brock Badgers women's softball team have their eyes on the prize as they compete at the Ontario University Softball Championships this weekend (Oct. 21-22) in Paris.
Coming off two straight bronze medal finishes in 2021 and 2022, this year's edition of the Brock Badgers is hunting for more and is hoping they are peaking at the right time.
In 2023, the Badgers finished just above .500, ending up with an 11-9 regular season record. After dropping their first two games of the year to the TMU Bold, the Badgers responded in a major way, sweeping the Toronto Varsity Blues the next day.
That same Varsity Blues squad (16-4) will be the first opponent the Badgers face this weekend in the quarter-finals. The winner heads to the championship semifinal, while the loser has to fight through the consolation bracket in the double elimination tournament.
The Badgers will play again on Saturday at 3:30 p.m., regardless if they win or lose. On the same side of their bracket are the Windsor Lancers (No. 2 West Division) and the Queen's Gaels (No. 3 East Division).
The Badgers are led by their two aces in the circle, juniors Megan Morrow and Reagan Lalande. If one starts, the other will close, providing a formidable 1-2 punch for head coach Raegan Turner.
Morrow leads the team with 55.2 innings pitched on the season, starting eight of the 14 contests she has appeared in. The third-year education major led the team with five wins and possesses a 2.77 earned run average, while striking out 38. Lalande is not far behind, pitching 50.1 innings on the year and starting eight games as well. The fellow third year has four wins of her own, with an ERA just over three and 21 strikeouts.
At the plate, the Badgers have a balanced lineup. With hitters Raquel Gomes and Brielle Greenslade providing power at the dish and speedsters like Mackenna Nagy and Victoria Jeffery causing havoc on the basepaths, Turner is hoping this mix will be a recipe for success at the OUS Championships.
Gomes and Greenslade bat in the heart of the order, with the former notching seven runs batted in (RBIs) on the year, while the latter has an impressive .975 on-base percentage plus slugging (OPS) to go with 13 RBIs and seven doubles.
Other hitters the Badgers rely on are sophomore Alexis Simpson and junior Emma Andres. Simpson has a team-high 18 RBIs and two home runs, while Andres has contributed 20 runs scored and a 1.016 OPS.
Simpson and Andres don't just help out at the dish as they will also be key members of the Badgers' defence. Simpson is the leader at shortshop, while Andres controls the outfield. Sophomore Isabella Miller is a defensive catcher that provides stability behind the plate. At second base, first year Emma Young has been a welcome addition, making an immediate impact in a position that is new for her.
"I have high hopes and expectations for this weekend. We do have a great chance at medaling if not winning at provincials. It's just going to take a whole team effort. Every player on the team has a role and we have to ensure we are all executing those roles when called upon. Having a positive bench and team atmosphere will help us be successful at the OUS championships this weekend," said Turner.
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