OKLAHOMA CITY – The MACU Softball team is set to compete in its second of three non-conference tournaments to start the season this weekend as the Evangels will be participating in the inaugural NAIASB Tournament hosted at FireLake Ball Fields in Shawnee, Oklahoma from Feb. 21-23.

MACU opens its slate of games on Saturday as the Evangels take on No. 7 Central Methodist (Mo.) at 10 am before facing off against No. 17 Benedictine (Kan.) at 12:15 pm with both games being played on Field 4. The Evangels close out the tourney against Montreat (N.C.) on Sunday with first pitch taking place at 2:30 pm on Field 5.
 
SEASON REPORT

• Record: 0-5
• Last Game: Lost vs. British Columbia (Canada) – 6-2 – Feb. 8, 2025 – Mesquite, Texas (NAIA Invitational)
• Top Performers (Hitting):
  • Kisbel Vizcaya – SR – SS/3B
    • .556 BA (10-18), 4 2B, 3 RBI, 2 R, .556 OB%, .778 SLG%
  • Hallie Wilson – SR – OF
    • .357 BA (5-14), 1 HR, 4 RBI, 1 R, .357 OB%, .571 SLG%
  • Kenzie Thurman – SR – 1B
    • .357 BA (5-14), 1 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R, 1 SB, .357 OB%, .429 SLG%
• Top Performers (Pitching):
  • Chana Wolfe – JR – RHP
    • 0-2 W-L, 0.00 ERA, 2 APP, 1 GS, 10.2 IP, 4 H, 6 R, 0 ER, 6 BB, 9 SO, .105 OBA
  • Gia Reynosa – SO – RHP
    • 0-1 W-L, 4.67 ERA, 2 APP, 1 GS, 1 CG, 9.0 IP, 11 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 1 BB, 8 SO, .289 OBA
• Team Notes:
  • Mid-America Christian's season got off to a rocky start at the Southern Collegiate Sports NAIA Invitational at the Mesquite Girls Softball Complex in Mesquite, Texas two weeks ago. The Evangels went 0-5 in the tournament, closing it out with a 6-2 defeat to British Columbia.
  • Even though MACU was able to hit for a solid .291 batting average as a team in that tournament, it struggled to generate runs as the Evangels crossed home plate 14 times, averaging 2.8 runs per game compared to its opposition that finished with 29 runs on a 5.8 run per game clip.
  • Despite the offensive struggles, three of MACU's seniors put together strong hitting numbers as the trio of Kisbel Vizcaya, Hallie Wilson and Makenzie Thurman combined to go 20-for-46 (.435) with five doubles and a homer for nine of the team's 13 RBIs and five of its runs.
  • Junior pitcher Chana Wolfe suffered a pair of tough luck losses as she ended up wrapping up her weekend with a 0.00 ERA, allowing six unearned runs while allowing just four hits and six walks while striking out nine batters over 10.2 innings of work.

SCOUTING REPORT
Central Methodist

• Record: 4-0
• Last Game: Won vs. (RV) Bellevue (Neb.) – 3-2 – Feb. 8, 2025 – Branson, Mo. (Branson Bash)
• Series vs MACU (2009-): CMU leads 3-0
• Last Game vs MACU: CMU won 2-0 – Mar. 5, 2021 – Oklahoma City (Red Dirt Classic)
• Series Streak: CMU won 3
• Players to Watch:
  • Maddie Holly – FR – UTL
    • .750 BA (9-12), 1 HR, 6 RBI, 3 R, .750 OB%, 1.000 SLG%
  • Elizabeth Palumbo – JR – 1B
    • .538 BA (7-13), 2 2B, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 4 R, 3 BB, .625 OB%, 1.154 SLG%
  • Joely Crider – JR – 1B
    • .500 BA (6-12), 2 2B, 4 RBI, 3 R, 3 BB, 1 HBP, .625 OB%, .667 SLG%
• Pitchers to Watch:
  • Haley Cotter – JR – P
    • 2-0 W-L, 2.33 ERA, 2 APP, 2 GS, 9.0 IP, 17 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 6 SO, .415 OBA
  • Cassidy Brent – SR – P
    • 1-0 W-L, 3.94 ERA, 2 APP, 1 GS, 1 SV, 5.1 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO
• Team Notes:
  • Much like MACU, Central Methodist opened its season with a classic hosted in Branson, Missouri at the Branson Bash from Feb. 7-8. In that tournament, the Eagles picked up a pair of blowout 11-3 and 13-4 wins over Ecclesia (Ark.) and Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) while grinding out a pair of hard-fought 9-7 and 3-2 victories over Sterling (Kan.) and Bellevue (Neb.).
  • CMU is one of the elite softball programs in the NAIA as the Eagles were ranked No. 7 in the first NAIA Top 25 Poll after wrapping up the year with a 52-7 record and making it all the way out to the NAIA Tournament final site.
  • From the plate, Central Methodist has been one of the best hitting teams in the NAIA in the early season, posting the nation's fourth-best batting average (.409) behind the big bats of Maddie Holly, Elizabeth Palumbo and Joely Crider pacing the Eagles. All three hitters are posting a .500 or better batting average while Holly and Palumbo are smacking for a 1.000 or better slugging percentage. In the circle, junior Haley Cotter has been the most effective of the CMU pitchers, posting a 2.33 ERA and a 2-0 record through a pair of starts this season.
  • Mid-America Christian and Central Methodist will be squaring off for just the fourth time in the two programs histories and just the second time in the last 15 years. The last time the two teams met, it was an epic pitching battle between MACU's Katie Long and CMU's Madison Love as both pitchers finished with 12 strikeouts, but a two-run homer for the Eagles proved to be the difference in a 2-0 win at the Red Dirt Classic on Mar. 5, 2021.

Benedictine

• Record: 2-2
• Last Game: Won vs. Concordia (Neb.) – 7-3 – Feb. 17, 2025 – Sioux Center, Iowa
• Series vs MACU (2024-): BC leads 1-0
• Last Game vs MACU: BC won 8-2 – Feb. 10, 2024 – Mesquite, Texas (NAIA Invitational)
• Series Streak: BC won 1
• Players to Watch:
  • Megan Forsman – SO – C/OF
    • .400 BA (4-10), 2 2B, 6 RBI, 2 R, 1 BB, .455 OB%, .600 SLG%
  • Ryan Cooper – SO – C/OF
    • .333 BA (4-12), 1 RBI, 3 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 3 SB, .429 OB%, .333 SLG%
  • Alma Garcia – FR – UTL
    • .300 BA (3-10), 1 R, 2 BB, .417 OB%, .300 SLG%
• Pitchers to Watch:
  • Lacey Foster – JR – P
    • 2-0 W-L, 1.24 ERA, 2 APP, 1 GS, 1 CG, 11.1 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 6 BB, 5 SO, .205 OBA
  • Bailey Selvage – JR – P
    • 0-2 W-L, 1.87 ERA, 3 APP, 2 GS, 2 CG, 1 SV, 15.0 IP, 12 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 4 BB, 23 SO
• Team Notes:
  • Benedictine had mixed fortunes in its four-game slate in Sioux Center, Iowa from Feb. 16-17 as the Ravens split a pair of games against Concordia (Neb.) and Bellevue (Neb.). In the contests on the 16^th, BC won and lost a pair of extra-inning games after dropping a 4-3 result in nine innings to Concordia, the Ravens topped Bellevue 3-2 in eight frames. The Monday games had a reversal of results as the Ravens dropped a 1-0 game to Bellevue before coming away with the 7-3 win over Concordia.
  • Through the first four games, Benedictine has been one of the best pitching teams in the NAIA, entering the weekend with the 19^th-lowest ERA at 1.91, but have struggled from the dish so far, posting just a .198 team batting average while scoring 3.3 runs per game.
  • Sophomore catcher and outfielder Megan Forsman has been the Ravens best hitter so far this season, hitting for a .400 batting average with two of her four hits going for extra bases while notching six of the teams RBIs. In the circle, the starting tandem of juniors Lacey Foster and Bailey Selvage have been excellent with both pitchers posting a sub-2.00 ERA. While Foster is a pitcher that tosses to contact, Selvage has been aggressive in attacking the zone as she has struck out 23 batters while issuing only four walks.
  • Saturday's meeting will mark just the second time in history that the two programs will face off against each other. The last time the two teams met, it came in last year's NAIA Invitational in Mesquite, Texas as the Ravens pulled away with an 8-2 victory after MACU jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first on a Brooklyn Wilson 2-RBI double.

Montreat

• Record: 8-2
• Last Game: Lost at Milligan – 6-2 – Feb. 18, 2025 – Milligan, Tenn.
• Series vs MACU: First Meeting
• Last Game vs MACU: N/A
• Series Streak: N/A
• Players to Watch:
  • Amayia Hernandez – SR – OF
    • .462 BA (12-26), 1 2B, 4 HR, 10 RBI, 12 R, 4 BB, 2 HBP, 3 SB, .545 OB%
  • Abigail Wyatt – FR – OF
    • .423 BA (11-26), 2 2B, 3 RBI, 10 R, 2 BB, 4 SB, .464 OB%
  • Haley Fehtke – SR – OF
    • .348 BA (8-23), 4 HR, 12 RBI, 9 R, 5 BB, 1 HBP, 3 SB, .452 OB%
• Pitchers to Watch:
  • Rebecca Carson – JR – P
    • 4-0 W-L, 2.51 ERA, 5 APP, 5 GS, 2 CG, 2 SHO, 22.1 IP, 20 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 1 BB, 15 SO, .238 OBA
  • Carter Thornton – SR – P
    • 2-2 W-L, 3.45 ERA, 5 APP, 5 GS, 22.1 IP, 28 H, 12 R, 11 ER, 2 BB, 9 SO, .329 OBA
• Team Notes:
  • Competing out of the Appalachian Athletic Conference, Montreat has been able to log quite a few games in the early season slate as the Cavaliers have posted an 8-2 record thus are and are coming off a doubleheader split at Milligan as MC picked up a 6-5 win before dropping a 6-2 decision in the finale on Feb. 18.
  • Montreat has been outstanding from both the plate and the circle so far as the Cavaliers currently own the 24^th-best batting average (.349) in the NAIA while its pitching staff is allowing just a 3.32 ERA.
  • Impressively, six of MC's regular hitters are batting above a .340 batting batting average while Amayia Hernandez and Haley Fetke have been swinging the big bats for the Cavaliers, combining four eight homers and 22 RBIs thus far. In the circle, junior Rebecca Carson has been the most effective of the starters with a 2.51 ERA with an impressive 15.0 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
  • Sunday afternoon's meeting will mark the first time Mid-America Christian and Montreat will face off.