Concordia and Brenau Enter Day Three of Pool Play 2-0, Winner Advances to Double-Elimination on Monday

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Gulf Shores, AL: The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) has officially released the pool play schedule for the 2012 NAIA Softball National Championship, held May 17 - 23 at the Gulf Shores Sportsplex in Gulf Shores, Ala.  There are eight pools of four teams apiece, who will play three games from May 17 - 19.  The winner of each pool will advance to an eight-team double-elimination bracket that will be played out May 21 - 23. The 32nd annual national champion will be awarded on May 23 from the Gulf Shores Sportsplex.

#1 Concordia and #16 Brenau will battle tomorrow at 6 p.m. CDT in the pool championship contest on Field Three.  Concordia staved off upset-minded #25 Bethany (Kan.), 8-2 on Friday.  Concordia's big inning came in the third as its plated five runs. Amanda Fama connected on a grand slam for her NAIA-leading 26th homer of the season.  She finished 2-for-3 from the dish with 5 RBI. The Eagles tacked on three more in the fifth before Bethany got on the board.  Concordia's Courtney Young earned the win by tossing four innings. She allowed just three singles and whiffed two batters. 

Brenau run-ruled Talladega (Ala.), 8-0, in six innings.  Brenau pitcher Anna Maness went the six innings for the victory. She improved to 20-9 on the year thanks to 11 strikeouts and allowing just three hits.  Maness got plenty of support with 13 hits, and Talladega committed seven errors in the losing effort.   Tiffany Schandera scored the winning run in the top of the first on a balk by pitcher Jordan Ray.  The Golden Tigers tacked on two more in the third, three in the fourth and two in the sixth. Jenny Shepard went 3-for-4 for Brenau with 2 RBI.  Ellen Black and Taylor Kelly each compiled a pair of hits.

The #1 Concordia Eagles are headed back for the fourth time in program history, and first time since 2010.  The Eagles are 56-3, the most wins in school history, and are ranked #1 in the nation for the first time.  The Eagles won the GSAC Regular-Season Championship for the second time in program history, and won the inaugural GSAC/Cal Pac Conference Softball Tournament, hosted at Eagles Field.

The event is hosted by the Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Sports Commission, in conjunction with the University of Mobile (Ala.), for the second-straight year.

This is Concordia's fourth trip to the NAIA National Championship Tournament, and the Eagles are 8-7 all-time.  Concordia and Brenau have never met before.

#16 Brenau (39-14) earned an at-large bid into 2012 NAIA National Championship.  This is their second appearance, with the last coming in 2009, and the Tigers enter Saturday with a 3-2 all-time mark.  They finished in fifth place in the Southern States Athletic Conference and lost in the semifinals of the conference tournament, 0-1, to #10 Shorter.

Brenau University is a private university in Gainesville, Georgia.  It was founded in 1878 as the Georgia Baptist Female Seminary, even though they have never been affiliated with the Baptist Church.  They have a student population of around 2500.

The Tigers are eighth in the country with a 1.380 ERA.  They rank ninth with a .191 opponent batting average and 11^th with 361 K's.  They are 29^th with 291 runs and 30^th at 5.491 runs per game.  Brenau ranks 30^th in doubles (84), 38^th in hits (443), and 40^th in RBI (244).  The Tigers are third in the SSAC with a .308 team average and 443 hits.  They rank second with 26^th home runs.  Brenau is fourth in the conference with a 1.380 ERA and are second with 361 strikeouts.

SSAC East-Division Pitcher of the Year Anna Maness is 24^th in the nation with 20 wins and 25^th with 178 K's.  She ranks 34^th with a 1.430 ERA.  All-SSAC East-Division selection Jenny Shepard is 31^st with a .192 opponent batting average.  She is 40^th with a 1.50 ERA and 42^nd with 142 K's.  SSAC All-Conference selection Tiffany Schandera is 36^th in the nation with 17 doubles.  Maness is 10^th in the conference in ERA, while Shepard ranks 12^th.  Maness is third in wins and Shepard is fifth with 15 wins.  Maness ranks second in K's and Shepard is fourth.  Brooke Bryant is 10^th in the SSAC with a .388 batting average and All-SSAC East-Division honorees Lana Lazar, Tiffany Schandera, and Ellen Black are 14^th, 15^th, and 16^th, with a .366, .354, .350 averages respectively.  Schandera is 11^th in the SSAC with 58 hits.    Morgan Smith leads the team, and is ninth in the conference, with 38 RBI.  Smith is fourth in the conference with eight home runs.  They Tigers have stolen 44 bases in 49 attempts.

Devon Thomas is in his ninth year with the Brenau Golden Tigers.  He has been with the program since its inception in 2003.  His team  finished as SSAC regular season co-champions in 2009, qualifying for the NAIA National Championships as the #11 ranked team.   Furthermore, in 2011, Thomas and the Golden Tigers received their highest national ranking ever when they were named as the #5 softball team in the NAIA. While at Brenau, Thomas has coached 35 SSAC All-Conference Team Selections, 47 SSAC All-Academic Team Selections, 18 SSAC All-Conference Freshman Team Selections, 2 SSAC Players of the Year (2009, 2011), 3 SSAC Freshman of the Year (2009, 2010, 2011), 2 NAIA All-Region Selections, 2 NFCA All-Americans, and 4 NAIA All-Americans.   In 2009, Thomas was named SSAC Coach of the year, and recorded his 200th collegiate win, in 2011, against LSU-Alexandria. After this milestone victory, he was inducted into the NFCA Easton Victory Club for 200+ wins.

The #1 Eagles are second in the NAIA in runs (482) and slugging percentage (.641).  They are third in RBI (431) and batting average (.385). They rank fourth in ERA (1.27) and hits (601).  The Eagles are fifth in the nation in runs per game (8.1) and strikeouts (417).  They are sixth in doubles (105) and seventh in triples (21).  They rank 11^th in stolen bases with 125.

GSAC Player of the Year Amanda Fama leads the nation in home runs (26) and slugging percentage (1.045).  She is 11^th in RBI with 71, and 12^th in batting average (.462) and runs (65).  GSAC Pitcher of the Year Katie Cotta leads the NAIA in opponent batting average (.125) and strikeouts per nine (16.88).  She is seventh in ERA (.97) and ninth in K's (232).  She is 14^th after only allowing 17 earned runs all year.  Fama owns the Concordia record in home runs in a season and career home runs.  Cotta is the single-season leader in K's.

All-GSAC selection Katie Carson, is 10^th in the country in home runs with 17.  She is 11^th with 67 runs scored and 14^th with a .823 slugging percentage.  She is 15^th in the nation with six triples.  She is fifth in the GSAC with a .427 batting average.  She leads the conference with 82 hits and is second with 61 RBI's.  Her six triples lead the conference and she is second with 17 bombs.  She is the CU career-leader in games played, at-bats, runs, hits, doubles, triples, RBI, extra-base hits, and total bases.  She is ranked all-time in home runs, walks, batting avg., and stolen bases. 

All-GSAC choice Courtney Young is second in the NAIA with only 16 runs allowed and a .142 opponent batting average.  She is sixth with a .95 ERA. 

Sophomore All-GSAC honoree Jenna Jorgenson is sixth in the GSAC with a .412 average.  She is second in hits with 75 and fourth in runs scored (51).  Jorgenson is first in triples (6), sixth in home runs (9), third in total bases (129), and second in doubles (15).  In the NAIA, Jorgenson is 11^th in triples, 19^th in total bases, and 25^th in hits.  She was selected All-GSAC in 2011.

Four-year senior Ashlee Leon has not made an error in the outfield all season and is also All-GSAC.  She is ranked all-time in games played, runs scored, walks, and stolen bases.

Junior All-GSAC choice Bryana Simpson is 11^th in the GSAC with a .349 avg.  She is fourth in runs scored (52) and third in home runs with 11.  Nationally, she is 29^th in home runs and 30^th in runs scored.

Senior All-GSAC selection Jennifer Simons is ninth in the conference with a .388 avg and is fifth with a 1.75 ERA.  Nationally, Simons is 22^nd in earned runs allowed (18) and opponent batting average (.185).  She was also tabbed All-GSAC in 2011.  She is on the CU career rankings in batting avg, doubles, triples, home runs, RBI, extra-base hits, total bases, walks, pitching appearances, games started, complete games, shutouts, innings pitched, strikeouts, wins, and ERA.  She won one GSAC Player of the Week award in 2012.

Sophomore All-GSAC catcher Emily Craig directs the pitchers.  In her fourth season, head coach Crystal Rosenthal, GSAC Coach of the Year, has led the Eagles to the most wins in school history (56), their first #1 NAIA ranking, and first GSAC title in 20 years.  Her team is led by seven four-year seniors who have made the journey with her.  Her squad won a NAIA-record 44 straight games this season.

NeuLion, the NAIA's digital media partner and official video-streaming company of 10 select NAIA National Championship events, will be broadcasting select softball games from May 21 - 23. Once competition has pared down to six teams, starting with Game 9 at 5:30 p.m. on May 21, live streaming will be available for $9.95 per day or $29.95 for the whole event.