IRVINE, Calif. – The 2024 GSAC Softball Tournament gets underway this Monday from OC Great Park in Irvine, Calif. Following the program's second GSAC regular season championship, the Warriors enter the postseason as the top-seed and are poised to clinch an automatic bid into the NAIA Opening Round.
Jessup (35-7, 15-5 GSAC) is one of four teams to qualify for the 2024 conference tournament. Joining the Warriors in Irvine will be Vanguard (37-11, 14-6 GSAC), Hope International (32-13, 10-10 GSAC), and OUAZ (29-21, 9-11 GSAC).
The Warriors will square off with the Spirit of OUAZ first, following OUAZ clinching a postseason spot on the final day of the regular season. OUAZ finished tied with Arizona Christian, and it came down to the second tiebreaker to determine which team would continue their year in Irvine.
OUAZ and Jessup split their four regular season meetings. All four games finished in Arizona, as a rainout two innings into the opener pressed pause on the action until the two teams met up two weeks later in Surprise.
In their last meeting, Jessup scored a program-record 26 runs.
Against the other two teams in the tournament, Jessup went 2-2 against Vanguard and swept all four games with HIU.
The Warriors and Spirit will square off at noon on Monday from the softball stadium at OC Great Park. Vanguard and Hope International will then meet up in the second game of the day. Monday's two winners will battle on Tuesday for a spot in the conference championship, while the two losers will play in the first elimination game of the week.
A second elimination game will follow at the conclusion of Tuesday's action, as just two teams will remain entering Wednesday.
Jessup has been on both ends of the conference tournament in recent years. Two years ago, the Warriors entered the postseason as the top seed and proceeded to go 3-0 and leave as champions of the tournament. A year later, Jessup was the first team eliminated, as they went 0-2.
At 35-7, there is strong optimism that the Warriors will at the least receive an at-large bid into the NAIA Opening Round, but the winner of the conference tournament does receive an automatic berth.
The Warriors are led by
Sarah Giles, who leads the NAIA in batting average (.571) and RBI (64). Her 17 home runs are one shy of matching the national lead, but she has claimed the triple crown as the GSAC's leader in all three categories.
Jessup also features a potent combination at the top of the order, starting with
Madisyn Leffle, who pairs a .414 average with 48 stolen bases.
Maddy Ybarra follows Leffle in the order with a .397 clip, 13 home runs, 49 RBI, and 18 stolen bases. Both Giles and Ybarra have surpassed the previous single-season record for home runs (12).
In the circle, veteran
Katie Blankenheim is in the midst of another great year. Blankenheim features a 13-3 record, paired with a 2.33 ERA.
Serena Navarrete adds to the rotation with a 7-1 season to combo with a 2.98 ERA. Jessup's pitching staff comes into the postseason with a team ERA of 2.76.
All games from OC Great Park will be streamed for free on the
GSAC Sports Network. Fans are also encouraged to subscribe to @JessupAthletics on YouTube or @Jessup_SFT on all major social platforms for detailed coverage and a behind-the-scenes look at the 2024 GSAC Tournament.
The NAIA Opening Round will begin on May 13. Host sites for the Opening Round will be revealed on May 1.
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Jessup University is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), and the Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC). For additional information regarding Jessup Athletics, visit www.jessupathletics.com; visit www.jessup.edu for more information on Jessup University. Follow Jessup Athletics on social media: Jessup University Athletics (Facebook) and @JessupAthletics (Twitter & Instagram).
