WINONA, Minn. – The Winona State University softball team hadn't endured back-to-back losses all year. That trend, along with the Warriors' season, came to an abrupt end on Friday night at Maynard R. Johnson Field in the NCAA Division II Central Regional to Arkansas Tech in a 4-0 season-ending loss.
Prior to Thursday's opening round loss, Winona State's last setback came on April 13th and was followed by a 15-game winning streak that propelled the No. 5-ranked team in the country into the Central Regional as the host and top seed.
The Warriors' season reaches its conclusion with a record of 45-7. Winona State won its fourth NSIC regular season championship, and first in over a decade, along with its seventh conference postseason title. The 2018 campaign marked just the second time in program history WSU won both in the same year. The Warriors' .865 winning percentage is a new high-water mark in program history.
"It's a tough way to finish, but nobody can take away the championships that [our team] has won and what our seniors have collectively meant to this program. I'm so proud of our kids," head coach Greg Jones said after the gut-wrenching loss.
The regional tournament mirrored the Warriors' season in that inclement weather and schedule uncertainty posed a daily obstacle. Overnight showers into Friday morning pushed the start the elimination game back three hours as coaches and tournament personnel scrambled to get the field playable. The glaring difference in Winona's short-live regional run was the lack of offensive production.
Arkansas Tech handed the Warriors only the third shutout of their 52-game season while holding WSU to just three hits. In total, Winona State was limited to just one run on nine hits in the regional tournament. WSU entered the tournament averaging nearly seven runs per game with a balanced lineup that batted .343 and slugged .501 this season.
Friday's elimination tilt nearly swung in the complete opposite direction in favor of the Warriors in the bottom of the first frame, but in a game of inches, it just wasn't meant to be for Winona State. WSU loaded the bases with a trio of walks around the first two outs of the inning to bring Rylee Stout to the plate. The rookie, whose 12 homers are the second-most in program history by a freshman, blasted a ball to deep left field only to see it land in the defender's leather for the final out of the inning one step in front of the wall.
After surrendering the loud out which ended the first frame, the Golden Suns' starting pitcher Megan Goodnight cracked the scoring seal in the top of the second with a two-run homer to left center and that proved to be all the run support the junior needed when she returned to the circle with a 3-0 advantage in her back pocket.
Goodnight (17-5) tossed her fourth shutout of the season while lowering her ERA to 1.40. Winona's Jordyn Kleman (19-2) suffered just the second loss of her sophomore season and uncharacteristically didn't record a single strikeout. The NSIC Pitcher of the Year ends the season with a league-best 165 punchouts.
Arkansas Tech turned two double plays and recorded a trio of web gems in the field, including an opposite field shot off the bat of Katelyn Kolb in the fifth frame that again found the left fielder's glove with her back against the wall.
NSIC Player of the Year Lani Van Zyl went 1-for-3 in the loss and finishes the year with a .473 batting average – a new Winona State single-season record.
Senior Samantha McLean recorded the Warriors' other two hits in the ballgame. She leaves the program along with Paige Keegan, McKenna Larsen, Jamee Schleis and Mariah Schultz. The senior group posted a 178-51 record over the past four seasons at Winona State.
"The impact this group of five seniors has had on our program is remarkable. They've set the bar so high and I can't thank each and every one of them enough for their contributions," Jones added.
Keegan's .991 fielding percentage ranks seventh all-time in program history. Schleis' 215 career games at Winona State rank 12th all-time. Schultz has worn the most bruises in Warrior softball history with 51 hit-by-pitches in her career.
Larsen has permanently etched her named in the Winona State record books both offensively and in the circle. She recorded career bests in nearly every offensive category as a senior – including a career-high .408 batting average. In the circle, she graduates with an .800 winning percentage (56-14) which is fifth-best in program history to go along with the seventh-best ERA in Warrior history (1.56 ERA – 98 ER/439.1 IP) and the third-most shutouts (18).
"This team and this season are something I'll never forget, and my teammates and coaches will forever hold a special place in my heart," Larsen said.
