BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The No. 16 nationally-ranked Western Washington University softball team looks to continue the solid start to the 2024 season this week hosting Simon Fraser University in a pair of non-conference doubleheaders at Viking Field.

 

The Vikings are coming off 2-1 road trip in Lacey, sweeping a doubleheader against Saint Martin's to establish the best start in program history and dropped a tight 2-1 contest to Western Oregon for the first defeat of the season snapping the 13-game winning streak.

 

WWU will look to keep their undefeated home record behind a team that is built to win in every category on the field. Head coach Sheryl Gilmore leads the Vikings into a pair of non-conference doubleheaders against GNAC opponent Simon Fraser on March 2-3 at Viking Field. Both doubleheaders will start at 11am.

 

Freshman Maleah Andrews continues to find ways to get on base, reaching base safely in 13 of 14 games this season. Andrews had a 10-game hit streak snapped on the road trip, yet still reached base with a pair of walks against Western Oregon. Andrews now leads the team in walks with nine on the season.

 

Senior Ashley Jacobson leads the team batting .422 (19-for-45) with six doubles, four home runs and 10 RBI in the first 14 games. Sophomore Hailey Rath is also excelling at the plate going 17-for-48 (.354) with two doubles, two triples, one home run and eight RBI.

 

Freshman Kaiana Kong leads the pitching staff going 6-0 with a 0.53 ERA (2 ER, 26.1 IP) and has now allowed an earned run over her last 21.1 innings. Freshman Alli Kimball (4-0, 1.93 ERA) and junior Joie Baker (3-1, 1.72) have joined Kong to form one of the best pitching staffs in the nation ranking 16th nationally in ERA.

 

Through the first 14 games of the season the Vikings have recorded a team batting average of .292, a staff ERA of 1.72 and a fielding percentage of .963, all marks that rank within the top five amongst Great Northwest Athletic Conference teams. WWU also leads the GNAC in runs scored (78) and doubles (22), and is listed second with 13 home runs.

 

Here is a look at the Vikings schedule this weekend with four "non-conference" games against GNAC opponent Simon Fraser on Saturday and Sunday. All the games will stream live online via Vikings TV on YouTube and also feature live statistical updates with links provided below

 

 

WWU returns home to Viking Field to host Simon Fraser in a four-game non-conference series March 2-3, with both doubleheaders scheduled to start at 11 am. WWU will then have an off week on the schedule before opening conference play March 15-16 at home against defending GNAC champion Northwest Nazarene.

 

The Vikings have recorded 39 extra base hits (2B-22, 3B-4, HR-13) with Ashley Jacobsonleading the team with 10 extra-base hits through the first 14 games. Last season, Hailey Rath, set the freshman record for extra base hits by picking up 26 total (2B-17, 3B-2, HR-7).

 

The Vikings have hit 13 home runs through the first 14 games of the season, powered by four homers each by Emma Andrewjeski and Ashley Jacobson, and three by Riley Anderson. The 13 homers are already more than the entire season total in 49 games from last season, with Hailey Rath accounting for seven of the team's 10 homers in 2023. Three Vikings have already record double-digit RBIs this season: Emma Andrewjeski (13), Riley Anderson (11) and Ashley Jacobson (10).

 

Four Vikings have recorded a perfect fielding percentage (1.000) this season with a minimum of 10 put-outs. Ashley Jacobson leads the team with 111 put-outs and no errors. Joining Jacobson in perfection is Laila Carpenter, McKenna Crum, and Taylor Khorrami.  Pitchers Kaiana Kong and Alli Kimball also have perfect fielding percentages with their work within the circle.

 

The Vikings remained at No. 16 in the NFCA Division II Coaches Poll, after jumping into the national top 25 at No. 18 two weeks ago. WWU is ranked for the first in program history since 2011. WWU and NNU (No. 22) are both in the national top 25 to mark the first time in recent history to have two conference teams in the top 25. 

 

Here is more information on the Vikings heading into the four-game slate this weekend vs. SFU in Bellingham:

 

·         The Record – 13-1 record to open the 2024 season, going 2-0 at home, 5-0 in road games and 6-1 neutral.

·         Perfect Start – Best undefeated start in program history going 13-0 to open the season, breaking the previous record of the 12-0 opening to 2011 season.

·         Top 20 Ranking – Listed No. 16 in NFCA Division II Coaches Poll.

·         Power Surge – Hit 13 home runs in first 14 games, after hitting 10 in 49 total games in 2023.

·         How to Follow – Home games feature a live and free webcast via Vikings TV and live statistical updates…all WWU games that have live coverage feature links available at wwuvikings.com/Live.

·         Turn Two – Ranked Tied-No. 18 in NCAA II with six fielding double plays.

·         Nearly Spotless in the Circle – Kaiana Kong is 6-0 with one save and has allowed only two earned runs over of 26.1 innings this season. Leads the GNAC with a 0.53 ERA which also ranks No. 22 in NCAA II.

·         Hitting Streak – Maleah Andrews recorded a 10-game hitting streak, and in that span batted 15-for-38 with 9 runs scored. Andrews has also reached base safely in 13 of the 14 games this season.

·         Rath Racking – Hailey Rath is batting .354 (17-for-48) this season and is a career .367 (76-for-207) hitter in games during her collegiate career at WWU (2B-19, 3B-4, HR-8, RBI-45).

·         Leading Hitter – Ashley Jacobson leads the team batting .422 (19-for-45) with 4 HR, 6 2B and 10 RBI.

·         Power Bats – Emma Andrewjeski and Ashley Jacobson are both tied for the lead in the GNAC with four home runs each. 

·         Comeback Wins – Have recorded a comeback win in 7 of 14 victories this season.

·         Extra Innings – 3-0 record in extra-inning games, including 3-2 win in 12 innings over nationally-ranked CUI.

·         GWRBI – WWU has had nine different players record a game-winning RBI this season, with Kanilehua Pitoy leading the team with three GWRBI including a walk-off home run.

·         Freshman in the Circle – WWU freshman pitchers Alli Kimball (4-0, 1.93 ERA) and Kaiana Kong (6-0, SV, 0.53 ERA) have combined to go 10-0 this season.

·         Free Admission & Parking – All WWU home games offer free fan admission and there is no charge for parking in the C lots on south campus beginning one hour prior to first pitch.

·         The Head Coach – Sheryl Gilmore is in her sixth season as the WWU head coach…owns 128-92 (.581) record at the helm of the Vikings.

·         Team 32 – 2024 is the 32nd season in program history…WWU has an all-time record of 761-621-1 (.550).

 

The 13-0 start entered the record books as the best undefeated start in the 32-year history of the program, and also the best winning streak by a GNAC program to start a season. WWU passed the 12-0 perfect start by the 2011 team that finished 36-16 to earn a spot in the NCAA II West Regional Championships. The 13-game winning streak also matched the program record set in 2001.

 

 

Here is a look at the Vikings record breakdown for the 2024 season:

 

 

Through the first 14 games of the season, the Vikings pitchers have posted a 1.72 ERA (22 ER, 82.0 IP) to rank 2nd in the GNAC and No. 17 in NCAA II. Kaiana Kong (6-0, 0.53, 1 SV), Alli Kimball (4-0, 1.93) and Joie Baker (3-1, 2.23) have combined to form one of the best early-season pitching performances in the nation (ranked No. 16).

 

Here is a look at WWU's all-time record against Simon Fraser:

 

• Simon Fraser: The Vikings are 46-64-1 all-time against the Red Leafs…the Vikings have won 7 of the last 10 matchups against SFU (and 5 of the last 6)…WWU is 25-24-1 at home all-time against SFU Fraser, outscoring them 22-17 in the five matchups in Bellingham during the 2023 season.

 

The 2024 schedule features a 51-game regular-season slate with 24 games in GNAC play and 27 non-conference games. Following the shortened nine-game trip to California, the Vikings return to the Northwest for a non-conference doubleheader hosting the University of British Columbia in the home opener on Saturday, February 17 at Viking Field. WWU is scheduled to begin its GNAC season on March 15 at home against defending conference champion Northwest Nazarene. The complete 2024 WWU Softball schedule can be found online at wwuvikings.com/SB_24 complete with information on how to follow the team on the road and in home games with direct links to available webcasts and live stats.

 

Here is a look at the GNAC Softball team records through the first four weeks of the 2024 season:

 

The Western Washington University softball team had four players selected to the CUI Kickoff Classic All-Tournament Team helping lead the Vikings to a perfect 4-0 start to the season. Sophomore shortstop Hailey Rath, junior pitcher Joie Baker, senior first baseman Ashley Jacobson and freshman pitcher Alli Kimball each earned a spot on the 24-player All-Tournament team. WWU's four selections equaled Colorado Christian, which also finished with a 4-0 record in the tournament.
 

Up-to-date season information, including season statistics, bios, roster, schedule and historical information can be viewed online at WWUVikings.com/Softball. WWU Softball also has a strong social media presence on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, so give them a follow!

 

Western Washington University will host the 2024 GNAC softball conference championships at Viking Field between May 2-4. The Vikings have reached the GNAC Championship Game twice in the last three seasons, winning the championship in 2021 and finishing as the runners-up in 2023.

 

Here is a complete look at the 2024 GNAC Softball Preseason Coaches Poll:

 

 

The WWU softball program enters its 32nd season in 2024 while coming off a 26-23 campaign in 2023 while advancing to the GNAC Championships Finals. WWU advanced to the NCAA Division II Championships for the fifth time in program history in 2021 after winning the GNAC Tournament. WWU has posted a winning record 20 times during the 31-year history of the program, which won the 1998 NAIA National Championship in only its sixth season to record the school's first ever team national title. During the 10-season span from 2014-2024, the Vikings have combined to go 263-196 and won a pair of GNAC Tournament titles in 2017 & 2021.