NCAA Tournament Bracket
 
Indianapolis, Ind.----For the seventh time in program history, the Wingate University Bulldogs have earned a bid to the NCAA Division II softball tournament. Wingate is the number seven seed in the NCAA Southeast Regional and will face second-seeded Lenoir-Rhyne in the opening round this Thursday at 2 p.m. This is Wingate's first trip to the NCAA Tournament since the 2019 season. The Bulldogs enter NCAA Tourney play at 35-17 overall, after going 17-7 in league play. The double-elimination tournament will run Thursday through Saturday in Hickory.

Anderson and Lenoir-Rhyne are the top two seeds in the region, with each team earning hosting duties. Top-seeded Anderson will host eight-seeded Francis Marion, while fourth-seeded King and fifth-seeded Lincoln Memorial will also meet in Anderson. Lenoir-Rhyne will host Wingate in Hickory in the opener Thursday at 2 p.m., while third-seeded North Georgia will face sixth-seeded Carson-Newman at 4:30 p.m. in Hickory.

The Bulldogs made their first NCAA Tournament appearance in the 2003 season, while returning to the big dance in 2006 and 2009. The 'Dogs made back-to-back trips for the first time in program history in 2013 and 2014, while the most recent trip came in 2019. The Bulldogs have a 6-12 NCAA Tournament record all-time, winning a pair of games in 2006 while also picking up two victories in 2014.

The Bulldogs have gotten it done with an explosive offense and a solid pitching staff this season. Wingate has blasted a program-record 66 homers this year, leading the SAC and ranking eighth in the nation. The Bulldogs rank 24th nationally in slugging percentage, while the pitching staff is eighth in the nation in strikeout-to-walk ratio.

It has been a balanced offensive attack for the 'Dogs, with 12 different players connecting on at least one homer this year and seven Bulldogs blasting five or more bombs. First team All-SAC honoree Sydney Kale leads the 'Dogs with a .394 average, connecting on four homers while driving in 20 runs and scoring 20 times. Fellow first team All-SAC selection Heaven Maness is hitting .355 with nine homers, 12 doubles and 40 RBI, scoring 41 runs while stealing 20 bases in 20 attempts.

Third team All-SAC selection Sara Stroud is tied for the team lead with 11 homers this season, adding five doubles and six triples while stealing 29 bases and scoring 56 runs. She ranks in the top 20 in the nation in runs and triples. Freshman Savanna Brooks has also blasted 11 homers, hitting over .300 on the year while driving in a team-best 52 runs to rank third in the SAC in in the top 30 in the nation.

Hannah Reeves and Laney McLaurin have connected on eight homers apiece, with McLaurin driving in 34 runs and Reeves adding 24 RBI. Like Kale, freshman Hali Scott earned All-SAC accolades at the Utility/Pitcher spot, hitting .288 with five homers and 16 RBI while picking up nine wins in the circle.

Kale has thrown a team-high 117 innings on the season, posting a 2.92 ERA with 10 wins while striking out 125 and walking just 11, ranking third nationally in strikeout-to-walk ratio. Raechel Cutcher is 10-0 on the year with a 2.90 ERA and 63 strikeouts in 82 innings of work. Danielle Kirchhofer has battled through injuries to go 5-1 with a 1.87 ERA in 49 innings of work, striking out 52. Scott has struck out 72 in her 71 innings of work while compiling a 3.91 ERA.

The winner of the Wingate-LR contest will face the winner of the North Georgia-Carson-Newman contest Friday at noon. The loser of the first contest will face the loser of game two Friday at 2:30 p.m.

NCAA Southeast Region Softball Tournament

Thursday, May 12 (Hickory, N.C.)
2 p.m. | #7 Wingate at #2 Lenoir-Rhyne
4:30 p.m. | #6 Carson-Newman vs. #3 North Georgia

Friday, May 13 (Hickory, N.C.)
12 p.m. | WU-LR Winner vs. CN-UNG Winner
2:30 p.m. | WU-LR Loser vs. CN-UNG Loser
5 p.m. | Loser of noon game vs. winner of 2:30 game

Saturday, May 14 (Hickory, N.C.)
1 p.m. | Winner of Friday noon game vs. Winner of Friday 5 p.m. game
3:30 p.m. | If Necessary game

Thursday, May 12 (Anderson, S.C.)
12 p.m. | #8 Francis Marion at #1 Anderson
2:30 p.m. | #5 Lincoln Memorial vs. #4 King