BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Having already cliched a spot in the GNAC Championships, No. 13 Western Washington University softball team is back on the road for the regular season finale against Western Oregon University.

 

The Vikings had their 17-game winning streak snapped in the four-game series against Central Washington, splitting the series 2-2. Three of the games in the series were decided by 1-run, while the Vikings also had a 5-inning 8-0 win.

 

Games will be played Saturday and Sunday in Monmouth, Oregon at WOU Softball Field, with doubleheaders scheduled to start at noon each day. Following Sunday's game, the schedule will be set for the GNAC Championships held May 2-4 at Viking Field in Bellingham.

 

The historic season continues with the final road trip of the season with a chance to still claim the GNAC regular season title. Northwest Nazarene leads the GNAC with a 20-4 record, but they have finished their regular season. The No. 13 Vikings 36 wins are currently tied for the most wins in 32 seasons of program history and a win away from breaking the school record of 36 set in 2011.

 

The Vikings are a perfect 13-0 in true road games, while also going 11-1 at a neutral venue. The Vikings have won 5 of their last 8 road games against Western Oregon. The Vikings (36-6, 16-5 GNAC) and Wolves (20-23, 8-12 GNAC) are facing off for the second time this season. WWU leads the all-time series 79-50 vs. WOU, however the Wolves won 2-1 in the first meeting earlier this season.

 

The Vikings record breaking 17-game winning streak started on March 22 when the Vikings opened a 5-0 showing at the Tournament of Champions in Turlock, California, and continued with three consecutive four-game GNAC sweeps over Saint Martin's (home), Simon Fraser (road) and Montana State Billings (road). The 12-game GNAC winning streak also established a program best for consecutive conference victories.

 

Sophomore Hailey Rath leads the GNAC batting .394 (56-for-142), with a recent surge at the plate going 25-for-58 (.431) during the 17-game winning streak. For the season Rath has 22 extra-base hits (2B-13, 3B-2, HR-7) and ranks 2nd in the conference with a .662 slugging percentage. 

 

Junior McKenna Crum currently leads the team with a 7-game hitting streak, batting .500 (10-20) during that stretch. Third baseman Maleah Andrews is a top candidate for GNAC Freshman of the Year batting .353 (49-for-139) with 11 doubles, three triples, four home runs and leads the league with 38 runs scored and 24 walks. Junior catcher Emma Andrewjeski-Ramirez is 2nd in the GNAC with 13 home runs and leads the conference with 39 RBI.

 

As good as the Vikings have been at the plate, they have been even better in the circle. WWU ranks 2nd in the GNAC and 14th in NCAA II with a 1.88 team ERA, and rank 11th nationally with a 1.06 WHIP. The trio of Kaiana Kong (12-1, 1.42), Alli Kimball (13-2, 1.46) and Joie Baker (11-2, 2.24) have all recorded double-digits in wins.

Western's defense has been another key to the team success with a GNAC-best .971 fielding percentage.

 

The complete 2024 schedule, complete with links to watch games live and follow via live stats, is available at wwuvikings.com/Team32.

 

The Vikings and Wolves will now play the four-game GNAC series Saturday and Sunday in Monmouth, instead of the planned Friday-Saturday schedule. The games were pushed back a day due to expected inclement weather. Doubleheaders are scheduled to start at noon each day on the Western Oregon University campus.

SB🥎 | A reminder that @WWU_Softball will now play Saturday and Sunday at Western Oregon (instead of Friday-Saturday) due to weather. Doubleheaders are scheduled to start at noon each day in Monmouth. pic.twitter.com/S5nsXykhxP
— WWU Athletics (@WWUAthletics) April 25, 2024
 

Here is a look at the Vikings schedule this week with the team closing out the 2024 regular season with a four-game series at Western Oregon in Monmouth, Oregon. WWU enters the four-game set with a 36-6 overall record and in 2nd place in the GNAC standings with a 16-4 league record. Doubleheaders are scheduled for Friday-Saturday with a 1 pm start both days at WOU Softball Field. All four games will feature a webcast produced by WOU TV.

 

 

The Vikings officially clinched one of the four spots in the GNAC Softball Championships that will be held May 2-4 at Viking Field in Bellingham. WWU and NNU have both locked up spots in the postseason with the final two teams to be decided over the final two weeks of the season. More info on the GNAC Championships can be found online at GNACSports.com.

The Vikings are 16-4 in GNAC play, ranking 2nd in the standings behind Northwest Nazarene. NNU has finished their GNAC slate, ending with a 20-4 conference record. The Vikings would need a 4-game road sweep against Western Oregon to match NNU in the GNAC standings.

 

The Vikings hold an all-time record of 79-50 against the Wolves dating back to the first meeting in 1995. WWU is 10-6 against WOU since 2021, including a 5-3 record in Monmouth, Oregon. The Vikings lost 2-1 in Lacey against Western Oregon earlier this season to snap the 13-game winning streak to open the season. WWU went 3-2 vs. WOU last season, splitting the regular-season four-game series in Bellingham and eliminating WOU from the GNAC Championships in Burnaby, BC.

 

The Vikings hold the top spot in the West Region in the first ranked edition of the NCAA DII Softball rankings. WWU and NNU are No. 1 and No. 2 in the West Region, likely marking the first time that has happened in GNAC history. Eight teams advance to the West Regional Championships held at two campus sites (four teams each) May 9-11. 

Here is an up-to-date look at the GNAC Softball standings through Saturday's games with the Vikings in 2nd place in the standings with a 16-4 record. The top four teams in the conference standings at the conclusion of the regular season will qualify for the GNAC Championships May 2-4 in Bellingham at Vikings Field. All updated stats, standings and schedule from the conference are available online at GNACSports.com.

 

 

WWU has equaled its program record for wins in a season with 36, matching the 36 wins achieved by the 2011 squad (36-16/.692). The Vikings picked up their 36th win in the 41st game of the season. This is the 10th 30-victory season in program history.

 

 

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

 

 

If you don't read anything past this portion of the preview on the Vikings, you should find out everything you need to know on the Vikings in the following bullet points:

 

·         The Record – 36-6 overall through 42 games, going 12-5 at home, 13-0 in road games and 11-1 neutral.

·         30 Wins – Reached the 30-win mark for the 10th time in program history and one win away from setting the program single-season wins record. 

·         West Region Ranking – Ranked No. 1 in the West Region in first official listing by the NCAA.

·         National Ranking – Listed No. 13 in the NFCA Coaches Poll.

·         Standings – 2nd in the GNAC with a 16-4 record in conference games.

·         Winning Streak – Had a 17-game winning streak, breaking the record for the longest winning streak in program history following 13-0 start to the season…5th-longest winning streak by a GNAC team and longest since 2006 by Cal Poly Humboldt.

·         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.

·         Pitch Perfect – Vikings rank 2nd in the GNAC and 14th in NCAA II with a 1.88 ERA…also 11th with 1.06 WHIP.

·         Top 15 Ranking – Listed No. 13 in NFCA Division II Coaches Poll…ranked in all nine polls this season.

·         Extra Innings – 6-1 record in extra-inning games.

·         Power Surge – Hit 36 home runs in 42 games, after hitting only 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.

·         Nearly Spotless in the Circle – Kaiana Kong is 12-1 with four saves and has allowed only 16 earned runs over 78.2 innings this season…4th in the GNAC with a 1.60 ERA.

·         Rath Raking – Hailey Rath is batting .394 (56-for-142) to lead the GNAC while also leading the conference with 56 hits…career .382 hitter (115-for-301) during her collegiate career at WWU (2B-30, 3B-4, HR-14, RBI-75).

·         Joltin' Jacobson– Ashley Jacobson ranks 4th on the team batting .347 (42-for-121) with 10 2B, 7 HR and 27 RBI…recorded a 13-game hitting streak, the second longest streak of the season for the Vikings.

·         Power Bats – Emma Andrewjeski-Ramirez leads the team and is 2nd in the GNAC with 13 homers. Ashley Jacobson (7) and Hailey Rath (7)round out the top three home run hitters on the team.

·         Always Hitting – Maleah Andrews owns the team's longest hitting streak this season, including a 15-game hitting streak from Mar. 29-Apr. 20 (.472/25-for-53), while also recording a 10-game hitting streak earlier in the season…Andrews is batting .353 in 42 games (49-for-139) and has reached base safely in 36 of 42 games…Leads the GNAC with 24 walks.

·         Silver Sluggers – Hailey Rath (2nd, .662), Ashley Jacobson (3rd, .622) and Emma Andrewjeski-Ramirez (4th, .603) all rank in the top five in the GNAC in slugging percentage.

·         Freshman in the Circle – WWU freshman pitchers Alli Kimball (13-2, 1.46 ERA) and Kaiana Kong (12-1, 4 SV, 1.42 ERA) have combined to go 25-3 in the circle this season.

·         GWRBI – Emma Andrewjeski-Ramirez leads the team with 8 game-winning RBI…also paces the team with nine multi-RBI games…39 RBI on the season lead the GNAC.

·         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.

·         GNAC Championships – WWU will host the GNAC Softball Championships May 2-4 at Viking Field.

·         The Head Coach – Sheryl Gilmore is in her sixth season as the WWU head coach…owns 151-97 (.611) record at the helm of the Vikings.

·         Team 32 – 2024 is the 32nd season in program history…WWU has an all-time record of 784-626-1 (.556).

 

The 2024 GNAC Softball Championships will be played May 2-4 at Viking Field on the campus of Western Washington University in Bellingham. The four-team double-elimination tournament will determine the recipient of the conference's automatic berth in the NCAA Championships. Tickets for the championship event are currently on sale at GNACSports.com. 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.

The Vikings recorded a program record 17-game winning streak, the team's second double-digit winning streak this season. Western opened the season with a school-record 13 consecutive wins for the best undefeated start in program and GNAC history and have surpassed the school-record winning streak with the current run of consecutive wins. The Vikings outscored opponents 108-37 in the 17-game stretch, including four shutouts

 

The Vikings had its program-record 17-game winning streak snapped with the 3-2 loss in the opener last weekend vs. CWU, the first defeat since March 16. WWU also had a 13-0 start to the season to mark the best undefeated start in program and GNAC history. 

 

 

The 17-game winning streak was the longest by a GNAC team not named Humboldt State (now goes by Cal Poly Humboldt). WWU's current streak is 5th-longest in conference history and the longest since the 2006 season when CPH had winning streaks of 29 and 19 games.

 

 

Through 42 games of the season, the pitching staff has posted a 1.88 team ERA, allowing 80 earned runs in 298.0 innings pitched. The Vikings rank 14th nationally and 2^nd in the GNAC in ERA, while also ranking 11th in NCAA II with a 1.06 WHIP (Walks + Hits/Innings Pitched). Freshman Kaiana Kong (12-1, 1.42, 4 SV), freshman Alli Kimball (13-2, 1.46) and junior Joie Baker (11-2, 2.24) have logged the vast majority of the Vikings innings this season combining to form one of the best pitching performances in the nation. 

 

Nearly as impressive to the pitching stats this year has been the defensive team performance. The Vikings lead the GNAC and rank 31st in the nation with a team fielding percentage of .971, making only 36 errors in 42 games. The team has played error free in 19 of 42 games, boasting an 15-4 record in those contests. Over the last 27 games (since March 3) the Vikings have made just 18 errors with 15 games playing error free in the field. The team single season record for fielding percentage is .970 by the 2011 team.

After their 2-1 win in game one of the doubleheader on April 20 against Central Washington, the Vikings tied the program record for wins in a season with 36 wins. The record was initially set by the 2011 Vikings team that went 36-16 and made an appearance in the NCAA II West Regional. 

 

The Vikings are ranked at No. 13 in the NFCA Division II Coaches Poll after splitting the four-game series against Central Washington. WWU has moved up gradually during the 2024 season to its current top 15 ranking, after debuting at No. 18 on February 14. This season marks the first time WWU has ranked in program history since 2011. WWU and NNU (No. 14) 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 a look at the national week-by-week national rankings for the Vikings in 2024:

 

 

WWU is 36-6 on the season having played extremely well in close games going 11-4 in 1-run games and 6-1 in games decided by two runs. The Vikings are also 6-1 in extra-inning contests.

 

When hitting a home run the Vikings are 23-1 this season. WWU tied the single-game program record with five homers in the third game of the series at MSUB and hit a longball in every game of the four-game set in Billings. Through the first 42 games, the Vikings have hit 36 home runs to rank 5th-most in program history. Here is a look at WWU's top home run hitting seasons in 32 years of program history:

 

 

The Vikings have already hit 36 home runs in 42 games this season, after belting just 10 longballs in 49 games last season. The 36 home runs rank 2nd in the GNAC and rank in the top 50 in the nation for home runs per game. The season total home runs have also cracked the program top five for a single season. Junior catcher Emma Andrewjeski-Ramirez leads the team and is 2nd in the GNAC lead with 13 home runs, followed by seven homers from both Ashley Jacobson and Hailey Rath, four from Maleah Andrews, three from Riley Anderson, and two from Kanilehua Pitoy. 

 

The Vikings closed out the regular-season home portion of the schedule hosting Central Washington in a four-game series at Viking Field. WWU's four seniors were celebrated during the series with a special pregame recognition prior to Saturday's doubleheader. The Vikings four seniors are center fielder Taylor Khorrami, catcher Emily Paulson, first baseman Ashley Jacobson and pitcher Hanako Hirai.

SB🥎 | As @wwu_softball gears up for the final series of the regular season this weekend, we look back at a fantastic Senior Weekend from a sunny Viking Field (with a few highlights from the season!). Thank you to four amazing seniors! GO VIKS🤘

🎥: Nate Barber & Storm Hedman pic.twitter.com/dq8DS8jV8s
— WWU Athletics (@WWUAthletics) April 24, 2024
 

Junior catcher Emma Andrewjeski-Ramirez is second in the GNAC with 13 home runs, already the second-most homers in a single season by a Viking in 32 years of program history. Only program all-time home run leader Emily Benson has hit more homers in a single season than Andrewjeski-Ramirez 13 home runs, recording 14 homers in 2019 for the single-season record. Here is a look at the WWU single-season HR leaders, with the Vikings 36 homers this season tied for 5th-most in program history:

 

 

Sophomore shortstop Hailey Rath leads the GNAC batting .394 (56-for-142) through the first 42 games of the season. Rath is also 2^nd in the GNAC with a .662 slugging percentage with 13 doubles, two triples and seven home runs. She also leads the conference with 56 hits and is tied for 2^nd with 38 RBI. In 91 games as a Viking, Rath is batting .382 (115-for-301) with 30 doubles, four triples, 14 home runs and 75 RBI.

 

Senior first baseman Ashley Jacobson currently ranks 7th in the GNAC with a .347 batting average (42-for-121), while also 10th in the conference with a .412 on-base percentage and 4th with a .603 slugging percentage. Jacobson has belted seven home runs and driven in 26 runs in her first season as a Viking. The Snohomish native spent her first three collegiate seasons at Division I Stony Brook, combining to bat .298 (67-for-225) with 11 home runs and 40 RBI in 81 games. Her mother, Margaret, played softball at WWU during the program's inaugural season in 1993.

 

The Vikings have recorded 100 extra base hits this season (2B-57, 3B-7, HR-36) with sophomore Hailey Rath leading the team lead with 22 extra-base hits through 42 games. Last season Rath set the freshman record for extra base hits by picking up 26 total (2B-17, 3B-2, HR-7), which was one-off the all-time record of 27 set by Emily Benson in 2019. 

 

The Vikings combined to go 14-0 this season in games played in California, recording a 4-0 record at the CUI Kickoff Classic, 5-0 in the North Bay Challenge and 5-0 in the Tournament of Champions. The Vikings out-scored opponents 76-30 when playing in California.

 

WWU has a pair of players listed on the 2024 Tucci/NFCA DII Player & Pitcher of the Year Watchlist. Freshman pitcher Kaiana Kong and sophomore shortstop Hailey Rath were among 120 players across the nation to be included on the first edition of the list, with 15 players selected from each of the eight regions across the country in NCAA Division II. Kong is 12-1 with a 1.42 ERA on the season and Rath is batting .394 with 13 doubles, two triples, seven home runs and 38 RBI.

 

The Vikings are perfect at 13-0 in true road games this season, while going 24-1 combined when playing away from Bellingham. The 36-6 overall record also includes a 12-5 record in home games, going 10-5 at Viking Field and 2-0 at Sehome High School. Western's remaining regular-season schedule concludes with a four-game road series against Western Oregon in Monmouth, OR.

 

Here is a look at the GNAC Player and Pitcher of the Week selections from the 2024 season, with the Vikings winning six awards, including all three pitchers winning the Pitcher of the Week award:

 

 

The Western Washington University softball team has been successful on the field this season earning a top 15 national ranking and has also performed well as student-athletes with seven players earning a spot on the 2024 GNAC Softball All-Academic Team. Senior center fielder Taylor Khorrami highlighted the seven selections with her fourth career GNAC Academic All-Star award with a 3.62 GPA as a finance major. Junior pitcher Joie Baker, junior outfielder Lexi Barcomb and senior catcher Emily Paulson were repeat selections to the GNAC All-Academic Team, presented by Barnes and Noble College.

 

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

 

 

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!

 

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 282-201 and won a pair of GNAC Tournament titles in 2017 & 2021.