The Queens Are Crowned Again!

MONTGOMERY, Ill. – The 14^th-ranked Concordia Wisconsin softball program defended its crown on Saturday afternoon. After finishing the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) season undefeated at 23-0, the Falcons backed up their regular season title and 2022 NACC Tournament title with a 5-3 victory against MSOE in the NACC Tournament finals.

The victory sends Concordia to 37-3 on the season, breaking the program record for victories in a single season.

MSOE scored a pair of unearned runs in the first inning to take an early lead on Saturday.

The Falcons earned their first base runner of the day in the third inning when sophomore Jasmine Freeze (Bolingbrook, Ill.) earned a walk to get the ball rolling.

After a pair of outs, senior Sydney Erdmann (Geneva, Ill.) reached on the second walk of the inning.

Junior Madi Wheat (Coweta, Okla.) smacked the ball to center field and lipped off the glove allowing freshman Rylie DuVal (Elgin, Ill.) and Sydney Erdmann to score on the play.

Wheat then scored when sophomore Jess Pozezinski (Lake Villa, Ill.) singled through the right side of the infield.

Sophomore Megan Bloyer (Oregon, Wis.) cleared the bases with a single to left field that scored senior Claudia Utz (Lockport, Ill.) and Jess Pozezinski.

The Raiders filled the bases in the fourth inning, but senior Gina Followell showed why she is the NACC Pitcher of the Year and struck out a pair of batters to cool the comeback effort.

The Red and White added another run in the fifth inning, but that was the final run of the comeback.

For the second-straight game, senior Nicki Becker (Brodhead, Wis.) put the final nail in the coffin with a 1-2-3 seventh inning to earn another save.

Jess Pozezinski led the Concordia bats with two hits and Claudia Utz stole the lone base in the victory.

This is the second-straight season that the Falcons claimed both the regular season and tournament titles. CUW also earned the Lake Michigan Conference Tournament title in 2006 and the NACC Tournament title in 2009.

With the victory, the Falcons earn the automatic bid from the NACC for the NCAA Division III Tournament. This will be the fourth NCAA Tournament appearance for CUW with appearances in 2006, 2009 and 2022. Concordia is 3-6 all-time in the NCAA Tournament with victories over St. Norbert, Roanoke and Case Western Reserve.

The Falcons will find out their destination and opponents on Monday afternoon at 12:00 central time, during the NCAA Selection Show.