Eureka Ready for Another Webster Challenge in Postseason
ST. LOUIS, Mo. – For the second straight year, the Eureka softball team is opening the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament against the same opponent.
On Tuesday at 4 p.m., the sixth-seeded Red Devils (10-28-1, 4-14 SLIAC) will take on third-seeded Webster (19-18, 13-5) in the SLIAC Tournament quarterfinals.
A year ago, the Gorloks ended Eureka's posteason with a 6-0 two-hitter. The 2022 SLIAC Player of the Year, Raelyn Payne, had both hits for the Red Devils.
Second-year Eureka coach Juell Hodges says that a lot has changed since last year's matchup. The biggest difference, however, is her roster size and makeup.
Whereas last year, the maroon and gold were grinding through the season with a small squad; this season the numbers have grown, depth has been developed and, consequently, there's more left in the tank for the postseason.
"Honestly, I think last year we were running out of gas, with the number of athletes that we had," Hodges said, "but this year, it's different. I think the girls are excited. We continuously have something to prove."
The last time Eureka and Webster clashed, the Gorloks picked up a pair of strong wins on their home field. The home team blanked the visitors 8-0 in five innings in the first game and notched a 9-2 victory in Game 2 to seal the sweep.
If you look closer, though, you'll notice both games turned on a big rally.
With freshman No. 1 pitcher Claire Wuethrich in the circle, Eureka held the Gorloks to one run on two hits in the first four innings, then Webster broke open the first game – and ended it early – with seven runs on six hits and an EC error in the fifth.
In Game 2, the Red Devils were within a run after four innings, but Webster managed to make it a two-run game in the fifth and pulled away with a five-run sixth.
Hodges believes that those competitive early and middle innings show that the Red Devils could be much closer to the Gorloks than the final scores might suggest.
"The last time we played Webster, the first couple of innings we played pretty well, so I know that we can hang with them," Hodges said. "It's just all about getting in the right mindset, and we've talked a lot about that over the course of the last couple of weeks."
Webster had a strong run through SLIAC play, finishing 13-5 and tying with Fontbonne for second by record, but getting the third seed by head-to-head tiebreaker.
The Gorloks also finished the season strong, winning five of their last six games. They lead the league in batting average, hitting .357 as a team while also ranking first in doubles (86) and total bases (524).
With 12 home runs, they've shown they can hit with power, but they're also tough on the basepaths, swiping 24 bases on the season and averaging 6.7 runs per game.
The Gorloks have three of the top five hitters in the conference by average. Junior Jaelin Holdaway has a program-record 63 hits while hitting .460 (second in the SLIAC), driving in 36 runs (fifth in the SLIAC) and collecting 16 doubles (tied for first in the SLIAC).
Paige Thomas follows with a .421 batting average (third in the SLIAC), 36 RBI (fourth in the SLIAC) and a team-high four home runs (fifth in the SLIAC). Freshman Kaley Adzick ranks fourth in the SLIAC in batting average at .419 and Katie Croxall is also above .400 while tying with Holdaway with a league-high 16 doubles.
Webster also has depth in its pitching staff. Junior Reese Waggoner has a team-low 2.74 ERA with a team-high 48 strikeouts over 58 2/3 innings. Adzick, meanwhile, has logged a team-high 79 2/3 innings and posted a 4.22 ERA with 42 strikeouts. Ainsley Hinz (4.33 ERA in 53 1/3 innings), another freshman, has provided a strong third pitching option as well.
Eureka has been anchored by a young pitching staff led by Wuethrich. Since becoming the Red Devils' top arm early in the season, she has stepped up and become a dependable No. 1 in her first season in maroon and gold. This spring, Wuethrich has recorded a 4.80 ERA over 93 1/3 innings. She is fifth in the SLIAC with 49 strikeouts.
Another freshman, Mady Bultemeier, has emerged as the No. 2., logging 58 1/3 innings. After a handful of quality starts, she finally came away with her first career against Blackburn last week.
Fellow freshmen Kloe Norris (37 2/3 innings) and Rachel Dawson (13 innings) have had their moments, and even outfielder Kloey Wheeler (20 1/3 innings) has come through when needed as well.
At the plate, the Red Devils have fought inconsistency all year, but they've shown flashes of potential throughout the lineup along the way.
Sophomore transfer corner infielder KayLee Hohlbauch enters the tournament batting a team-high .319 on the season and is tied for the most RBI (18) with junior Bria Wessel. Wessel, a first baseman, ranks third in the league with six home runs and has a team-high nine extra-base hits.
Freshman shortstop Gada Bryant is hitting .303 and ranks fourth in the SLIAC with 16 stolen bases. Wessel, freshman middle infielder/outfielder Lexi Liptak, senior utility player Christine Mepham, sophomore utility player Bri Tanksley and junior center fielder Macey Whisker are all hitting between .284 and .296.
"Our bats have to come alive, and I believe that will happen," Hodges said. "All in all, we've learned a lot about each and what we're capable of this season. We've hung with good teams, and we have proven that they're not going to go down without a fight."