KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The MACU softball team saw its phenomenal 2023 season come to a tough end on Wednesday in the NCCAA World Series Semifinal at the Kansas City Urban Youth Academy as the Evangels fell to Concordia-Ann Arbor (Mich.) 5-0 in a rematch of the 2021 NCCAA National Championship game.

Despite suffering the loss, the Evangels put together one of its best seasons in program history, finishing with a record of 38-19 after also putting together a third-place finish in the NAIA powerhouse Sooner Athletic Conference with a 20-12 league mark.

The game will go down as the final one for longtime MACU Head Coach Robert Wakefield, who will be retiring following a 45-year high school and collegiate coaching career. In 12 seasons at MACU, Wakefield amassed a record of 322-294 (.523) while winning multiple coaching awards, including three straight NCCAA Central Region Coach of the Year awards, the 2021 NCCAA National Coach of the Year, the 2021 SAC Coach of the Year while also winning the program's first ever NCCAA National Championship in 2021.

On top of the departure of Coach Wakefield, the Evangels will be graduating the winningest class of seniors in program history as the seven consisting of Mikaylee Allen, Adyson Bradley, Rachel Humburg, Janessa Larman, Cailey Parsells, Hannah Robbins and Olivia Roberts accomplished the highest level of success the program has ever achieved over a four-year stretch.
 
SCORE

• Concordia-Ann Arbor 5, Mid-America Christian 0
  • Mid-America Christian (38-19)
  • Concordia Ann-Arbor (43-17)

PITCHING DECISION

• Win: Paige Anderson (23-8)
• Loss: Rachel Eggleston (21-8)

TOP PERFORMERS

• Rachel Humburg – 1-3
• Aurelia Holguin – 0-1, BB
• Rachel Eggleston – L, CG, 6 IP, 4 ER, 5 H, 1 BB, 2 SO

SCORING SUMMARY

• BTM 4^th – CUAA – Katie Tobias homered to center, 2 RBI; Shannon McAlinden scored – CUAA 2, MACU 0
• BTM 6^th – CUAA – Shannon McAlinden bunt singled to p, RBI; Payton Lewis scored – CUAA 3, MACU 0
• BTM 6^th – CUAA – Elyse Brittain singled to right-center, 2 RBI; Shannon McAlinden scored; Katie Tobias scored – CUAA 5, MACU 0

GAME NOTES

• Concordia-Ann Arbor scored five runs on five hits while Mid-America Christian tallied just one hit and committed one error.
• The Cardinals put together an early threat in the bottom of the first as Payton Lewis led off the frame with a double to deep center before getting moved to third on a sacrifice bunt. However, MACU starter Rachel Eggleston was able to leave her stranded after inducing a popout to second and a flyout to center to end the inning.
• Unfortunately, a pair of mistakes by Eggleston in the bottom of the fourth proved costly, as Shannon McAlinden reached first on a bunt and errant throw down to first before Katie Tobias slugged the go-ahead two-run homer over the center field fence to make it a 2-0 game.
• The Cardinals all but put the game out of reach for MACU in the bottom of the sixth as a bunt single by McAlinden plated one more insurance run before Elyse Brittain hit a two-RBI single to right center to bring the score to 5-0.
• The Evangels struggled to get base runners against CUAA ace Paige Anderson, as the Evangels only got four runners aboard on Rachel Humburg's lone single, a pair of walks by Olivia Roberts and Aurelia Holguin along with a Cailey Parsells hit-by-pitch.
• Rachel Eggleston suffered another tough luck loss in the circle, allowing five runs, four earned on just five hits with a walk and two strikeouts. Eggleston wrapped up an immaculate season in the circle for the Evangels, as her 21 wins is the most by any MACU pitcher ever in a season while her 166 strikeouts and 1.52 ERA are the second-best marks in the MACU record book, both sitting behind Katie Long's 2021 season.

CAREER CAPSTONES

• Of the seven MACU seniors playing their final game for the Evangels, several are wrapping up immaculate careers with the program.
• In 173 games, outfielder Cailey Parsells is ending her stellar MACU career with a .310 batting average while holding multiple career program records, including: on-base percentage (.440), runs (144), stolen bases (142) and hit-by-pitch (37) while also tallying the second-most triples (11) and second-most walks drawn (64). Parsells has also been one of MACU's most reliable outfielders in program history, committing the second-fewest errors by any player in the program with more than 200 chances with five while posting the fifth-best fielding percentage in the program (.980). The Oklahoma City product has won multiple awards in her MACU career, including earning two All-SAC First Team honors (2021, 2023) while also being named an NCCAA All-American in 2021.
• A four-year starter, first baseman Olivia Roberts has started in 178 of 179 games since the 2020 season. Ending her career with the 10^th-highest batting average in program history at .329, the Mustang, Oklahoma native is wrapping up as the program's all-time leader in RBIs (121) and doubles (41) while also holding top five marks in hits (169, 2^nd), total bases (231, 2^nd), at-bats (513, 3^rd) and hit-by-pitch (11, 5^th). Roberts also made her impact felt on the defensive end as she is MACU's all-time leader in putouts (925) and double plays (43) while posting the fourth-best fielding percentage in MACU history (.983). Over the course of her career, Roberts has earned two All-SAC First Team honors, including garnering the 2020 SAC Freshman of the Year honor.
• Another impact player both offensively and defensively, Mikaylee Allen closes the final chapter of her MACU career in the record books in multiple statistical categories as well. In four seasons, Allen is the program's all-time triples leader (15), to go along with top five marks in stolen bases (114, 2^nd), runs (127, 3^rd), walks (50, 3^rd), total bases (202, 5^th), at-bats (469, 5^th), hit-by-pitch (11, 5^th) as well as top 10 marks in hits (138, 7^th) and RBIs (80, 7^th). The Moore, Oklahoma native will also go down as the program's all-time leader in assisted putouts with 263. Allen has earned two All-SAC Second Team honors in her four seasons with the program.
• In just two seasons with the program, Janessa Larman put up unprecedented hitting numbers over 111 games. While tying former teammate Kassie Martin for the eighth-best batting average at .344, the Choctaw, Oklahoma product will best be known for her power bat as she closes out a career with the program's second-highest career slugging percentage (.549), second-most home runs (13) and eighth-most doubles (26) while her 91 RBIs make her one of just three MACU players to ever eclipse the 90 RBI mark. Larman has earned All-SAC accolades in each of her two seasons, including First Team honors in 2023.
• Another highly accomplished senior in the outfield, Rachel Humburg worked her way into the MACU starting lineup over the last two seasons as she is closing out her career with a stellar .311 batting average with 23 doubles and 50 RBIs. The Oolagah, Oklahoma native will best be known for her sensational junior campaign, when she posted a career-best .320 average while her 18 doubles marked the fourth-most in a single season at MACU.

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