The fifth-seeded Mount Vernon Nazarene baseball team went on an incredible run to get to the Crossroads League championship game, as three of the four teams they defeated were higher seeds in No.2 Taylor, No.3 Huntington and No.4 Saint Francis.
But top-seeded and host Indiana Wesleyan was just too much to handle in the title game. Tye Thixon gave the Wildcats the lead with a single in the seventh inning, and MJ Stavola and Nick Coy added RBI singles in the eighth to lift the Wildcats to a 4-2 win on Wednesday, May 12, in Marion, Indiana.
Chris Kline led MVNU at the plate with a 2-for-4 performance. He also added an RBI.
Noah Gleason went 5 2/3 innings in relief for the Cougars. The freshman allowed three earned runs and five hits while striking out six batters.
The Cougars secured an automatic bid to the NAIA National Tournament with wins over the Trojans and the Foresters on Tuesday, May 11.
Hogan worked a walk, stole second and scored the game-winning run on a Chris Kline single to lift MVNU to a 3-2 win over Taylor to open the day.
The late-inning heroics weren’t over yet, as the Cougars rallied for three runs in the ninth inning to beat Huntington 4-2 to reach Wednesday’s final.
Adam Goodpaster pitched a strong game for the Cougars against Taylor. He went 6 2/3 innings, allowing only one run on six hits and striking out four.
Cruz McFadden got the win for MVNU. He was able to come in and get the last two outs of the ninth inning.
Aaron Saal went 2-for-4 with a run scored to lead the Cougar offense against the Trojans.
Saal added another multi-hit game for MVNU against the Foresters. He had two hits in four at bats and scored two runs for the Cougars.
Jake Glover went the distance on the mound for MVNU, allowing two unearned runs on only five hits. He also struck out three and did not walk a batter in the win.
MVNU softball’s Howald named Crossroads League Coach of the Year
MVNU’s Jeana Howald was named the 2021 Crossroads League Softball Coach of the Year, and three players were named to the first team, the league reported on Wednesday, May 12.
Sheridan Sullivan, Kylee Matern and Macee Marcum earned First Team All-Crossroads League honors; Kaycee Ollis and Mackenzie Hancock were named to the second team, and Courtney Knepper earned honorable mention for the Cougars.
Howald, who just wrapped up her 32nd season as head coach of the MVNU softball program, led the Lady Cougars to a 28-12 record and a 24-10 record in Crossroads League play. MVNU’s 28 wins were its most since the 2008 season, and its winning percentage of .700 was its highest since 1992. MVNU’s 24 Crossroads League wins were its most in school history.
Due to the success on the field, Howald’s team made an appearance in the NAIA Coaches’ Top 25 Poll as MVNU started receiving votes for the first time in program history.
Sullivan finished near the top of the league in multiple pitching categories. She finished the season with 17 wins and only four losses in 25 games pitched. She finished the season with a phenomenal 1.68 ERA, which ranked second in the league.
Sullivan was also able to grab two saves for the Cougars. She pitched a total of 133 innings and set an MVNU softball single-season record with 170 strikeouts. Of the 25 games, Sullivan recorded seven or more strikeouts 16 times.
Matern, a sophomore from North Vernon, Indiana, was excellent at getting on base out of the lead-off spot and forcing the defense to make plays, oftentimes forcing errors on stolen-base attempts. She hit .451 (second in the Crossroads League) for MVNU this season and had a slugging percentage of .660. Matern finished the season with 65 hits, five doubles, 11 triples (most in the nation) and one home run.
Marcum was stellar on both sides of the ball. She was strong on offense, finishing with a .388 batting average. She had 54 hits and drove in 29 runs. The sophomore from Mount Vernon High School also gave MVNU 14 great outings in the circle. She finished with a record of 8-3 with a 3.18 ERA.
Ollis turned it on in the second half of the season, recording a hit in nine of her last 10 games. She also hit four of her six home runs in that ten-game stretch. She finished the year with a .394 batting average and a .638 slugging percentage.
Hancock helped the Cougars in the middle of the lineup this season, finishing with a .363 batting average. She homered four times, which helped her drive in 17 runs.
Knepper, a senior third baseman, batted .315 on the year and slugged .480. She finished with 40 hits, seven walks and 21 runs scored this season.
Orecchio earns All-American recognition
The NAIA released its list of All-Americans on Thursday, May 13, and defender Joshua Orecchio received honorable mention recognition.
The senior from Marysville, Ohio, was the top defender in the Crossroads League, having been named the Defensive Player of the Year after a very strong 2020-21 season for MVNU men’s soccer.
Along with his outstanding defensive performance, Orecchio also finished with his best offensive season, scoring three goals on 11 shots.
With his new honor, Orecchio becomes the first men’s soccer player to land himself on the NAIA All-American list since Kemar Jackson in 2010.
