Lawrence’s baseball and softball teams had a busy reading period finishing out their respective regular seasons.
Baseball started off strong on Saturday, May 4, completely sweeping a doubleheader against the Monmouth College Scots at Glasgow Field in Monmouth, Ill.
The Vikings dominated from the beginning of the opening game, scoring 9 runs in the first 4 innings. Standout junior Taylor Freeman completed the first home run early into the match, later completing another home run back-to-back with teammate junior Parker Knoll. Runs from seniors Zach Leslie and Jacob Charon and sophomore William Zatkowski, along with 12 combined strikeouts from pitchers senior Quinn Berglin and junior Cam Ruth had the Vikings cementing a 10-2 victory over the Scots.
Monmouth came back with a vengeance in the second game but was still overcome by Lawrence’s 3 runs at the beginning of the seventh inning. Freeman was once again a top point-scorer for the Vikings, going 3-for-5 with 3 runs scored and 1 run batted in. Leslie and junior Nick Heerde locked it down with 2 doubles and 2 runs scored. Pitcher senior Elden Santana earned 12 strikeouts and didn’t allow any runs over 7 innings. Winning 6-1, the Vikings sealed their Midwest Conference Championship victory (29-9, 19-3 MWC) before the last game of the series.
On Sunday, May 5, Lawrence took a victory lap, beating the Scots in the series finale 16-6 to close the regular season with 17 hits and 4 home runs. There was no shortage of fantastic performances and players, including junior Edan Perez (2 home runs, 4 RBIs, 2 runs scored), Knoll (1 home run, 4 RBIs, 2 runs scored), Freeman (1 home run, 2 RBIs, 2 runs scored) and first-year CJ Filipek (2 doubles, 2 RBIs). Pitchers first-year Nate Leonard, junior Nathaniel Johannes and sophomore Conner Robertson clinched the victory, only allowing 3 runs over the course of the game to boost the Viking’s record to 30-9, 20-3 MWC.
Pitcher Santana and outfielder Charon were honored as MWC Pitcher of the Week and MWC Player of the Week, respectively, following the series.
With a championship victory under their belt, Lawrence is set to host the Midwest Conference Tournament — the winner of which receives an automatic berth to the NCAA DIII Tournament — at the Whiting and Don Hawkins Fields on Friday, May 10 and Saturday, May 11. Games will begin on Friday at 10 a.m. and Saturday at 9 a.m., continuing on Saturday until a winner has been crowned. Teams from the University of Chicago (17-22), Beloit College (21-15), and Cornell College (23-16) will be competing. Full tournament schedules and information for spectators can be found on the Lawrence Athletics website.
Lawrence’s softball team finished out their regular season as well on Monday, May 6 with a long-awaited non-conference doubleheader against the Marian University Sabres. Originally scheduled for Monday, April 1 but stopped at the start of the second inning of the first game due to inclement weather, the game was completed on Monday on Lawrence’s Whiting Field. Losing 2-14 in the first game, Lawrence players ventured for a comeback in the second. Junior Mattigan Haller went 2-for-4 with a triple and a home run, with sophomores Adrie Villa and Zoe Doherty securing 4 runs. The highlight of the game was junior Khayla Santiago’s right-field diving catch into foul territory. Ultimately, the Vikings would lose 6-10, rounding out their season 14-24, 5-11 MWC.