Softball | 2/6/2019 9:21:00 PM

BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Western Washington University softball team continues its preseason schedule with six games this week at the Dixie State Courtyard Classic.

The 14-team tournament will be played over three days (Thursday-Friday-Saturday) at the Canyons Softball Complex in St. George, Utah. WWU will begin play in the tournament with two games on Thursday, facing Western New Mexico (12:30 pm MT/11:30 am PT) and MSU Denver (3 pm MT/2 pm PT). All games during the tournament will feature live statistical updates with links available at the tournament central website atDixieStateAthletics.com.

WWU opened the 2019 season last week at the rain-shortened Desert Stinger in Las Vegas, going 1-2 in what was scheduled to be a five-game tournament. The Vikings defeated Cal State Dominguez Hills 8-0 in a run-rule-shortened 5-inning contest, and then dropped a pair of games to nationally ranked opponents, No. 7 Chico State and No. 10 Concordia Irvine. Western was the only team in the tournament to play a pair of ranked opponents.

The Vikings will get a chance to face two more nationally-ranked teams this week, facing No. 21 Colorado Mesa (48-5 in 2018) and tournament host No. 17 Dixie State (42-10 in 2018).

Here is a look at WWU's schedule at the 2019 Dixie State Courtyard Classic played at the Canyons Softball Complex in St. George, Utah:

The Vikings combined to bat .273 (18-for-66) at the Desert Stinger, including a .381 mark (8-for-21) with runners in scoring position and .714 (5-for-7) with a runner on 3^rd base and less than 2 outs…Jackie Lucido leads the Viking offense with a .571 batting average (4-for-7) and has reached base safely in all three games…Makinlee Sellevold started all three games in the circle for the Vikings (1-2, 3.18 ERA)…Paityn Cyrhit WWU's lone home run, the 12^th homer of her career to tie for 8^th-most in WWU history…Cyr, Lucido and Sellevold are all tied for the team lead with 2 RBI each…the Vikings scored 10 of their 13 runs in the 5^thinning, including an 8-run 5^th inning vs. Cal State Dominguez Hills.

The Dixie State Courtyard Classic begins Thursday, with games against Western New Mexico (12:30 pm MT) and MSU Denver (3 pm MT). 

Tournament Info » https://t.co/qAAw2rZ7pt pic.twitter.com/zKIcFBg0bK
— WWU Softball (@WWU_Softball) February 7, 2019

Several Vikings dot the offensive record book in program history, with Emily Benson WWU's all-time leader with 31 career home runs…Benson is also tied for 10^th in GNAC history in career home runs…seniorShearyna Labasan is WWU's all-time leader in career batting average at .373 (123-for-330), but has yet to appear this season due to a knee injury…here is a look at current players in several offensive categories of the WWU all-time record book:

Senior Makinlee Sellevold has made 84 career pitching appearances (6^th in WWU history) and 69 starts (tied for 5^th in WWU history). Sellevold and Shearyna Labasan (currently out with an injury) are two names that are present in several pitching categories in the WWU record book:

The Vikings were voted to finish 4^th in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference in the annual preseason coaches poll. WWU received 32 points, with Northwest Nazarene picked first (61) narrowly edging Central Washington (59) for the top spot in the preseason poll. Western Oregon is listed No. 3 with 41 points ahead of the Vikings and Simon Fraser is No. 5 with 29 points. The top four teams in the conference standings following the 28-game GNAC schedule will advance to the GNAC Championships May 2-4 in Billings, Montana.

The Vikings are led by senior pitcher/third baseman Shearyna Labasan (Mililani, HI/Maryknoll) who earned First Team All- GNAC honors for her efforts at the plate. Labasan batted .421 with 11 doubles, four home runs and a .586 slugging percentage. As the Vikings' No. 2 pitcher, Labasan compiled a 3.48 earned run average and 102 strikeouts. 

WWU also returns a pair of superstars in senior first baseman Emily Benson (West Richland, WA/Kamiakin) and senior pitcher/infielder Makinlee Sellevold (Everett, WA/Cascade) who sat out the 2018 campaign. Benson earned All-GNAC and All-West Region honors in 2017, hitting .418 with 44 runs, 12 homers, 37 RBIs and a blistering .733 slugging percentage. Sellevold batted .390 in 2017 and finished with 67 hits, 8 homers and a .628 slugging percentage. Both players are listed several times in the WWU career record book, with Benson holding top program marks for home runs (31) and Sellevold recording top 10 offensive listings in home runs (15), extra-base hits (52) and doubles (35). 

Two additional starters from the 2017 GNAC Championship squad return after sitting out the 2018 season due to injury. Senior shortstop Cylie Richards (Kennewick, WA/Kamiakin) has appeared in 82 career games (54 starts) in the middle infield and batted .250 (14-for-56) with 4 home runs in 2017. Sophomore outfielderMackenzie Palmer (Federal Way, WA/Todd Beamer) hit .304 (34-for-112) in 38 starts in 2017.

The Vikings feature six newcomers that have joined the program for the 2019 season, including junior college transfers middle infielder Tamia Hirano (Mililani, HI/Maryknoll/Edmonds CC) and pitcher/utility Seli Aholelei(Honolulu, HI/Henry J. Kaiser/Edmonds CC) who both played under Sheryl Gilmore at Edmonds Community College. Freshmen catcher/utility Sam Mutolo (Bothell, WA/Jackson), third baseman Brooke Fesenbek(Olympia, WA), catcher/outfielder Rachel Christensen (Everett, WA) and infielder Ciara Ortiz (Edmonds, WA/Edmonds-Woodway) will be making the transition to collegiate softball after standout prep careers.

The 2019 roster features four seniors, five juniors, eight sophomores and four freshman. WWU returns 12 starters (min. 20 games), including four players from 2017 that did not play last season, and 15 total letterwinners. WWU went 15-32 overall (9-19 GNAC) in 2018, but is just one season removed from winning the 2017 GNAC Championships and earning the first NCAA Tournament victory in program history.

WWU will play its first games of the season at Viking Field with a pair of doubleheaders against Montana State Billings in GNAC games March 2-3 (both start at noon). The Vikings first 15 games of the season will be on the road at the Desert Stinger (Las Vegas, NV), Dixie State Courtyard Classic (St. George, UT) and Cavalier Classic (Portland, OR). There are 14 home games on the 2019 schedule, all GNAC contests, with 10 in the month of March, and only four in April. The complete 2019 home schedule can be viewed at WWUVikings.com/Softball.

Sheryl Gilmore was hired as the fifth head coach during the 26-year history of the WWU Softball program, beginning her new position on Sept. 1, 2018. Gilmore returns to her alma mater after a successful four-year tenure as the head softball coach at Edmonds Community College, leading the Tritons to a 106-60 (.639) record, including a 66-42 (.611) mark against Northwest Athletic Conference (NWAC) North Division opponents. She guided Edmonds to the NWAC playoffs in three of her four seasons at the helm of the program (2016-18), including the North Region title in 2018 and a 3rd-place finish at the NWAC Tournament. Gilmore is a graduate of WWU, holding an bachelor of science degree in kinesiology and master of science in human movement and performance.

The WWU softball program is in its 27^th season, with the Vikings posting a winning record in 16 seasons and made four trips to the NCAA Division II Championships. WWU won the 1998 NAIA National Championship to record the school's first ever team national title. Over the last five seasons leading up to the 2019 season, the Vikings recorded a 135-104 (.565) record and won the 2017 GNAC Tournament to advance to the NCAA II West Regional in Monterey, California. In the first game of the regional, the No. 8-seed Vikings beat top-seed and regional host Cal State Monterey Bay for the program's first NCAA Championships victory. Head coach Sheryl Gilmore is in her first season at the helm of the program.

-- WWU Softball --