On Sunday night the Lady Bisons found out where their journey to a National Championship would begin—Tuscaloosa, Ala.
The Lady Bisons clinched a berth in the NCAA tournament after winning the Atlantic Sun Tournament earlier that weekend, defeating USC Upstate 11-0. The team was also the A-Sun regular season champions.
Lipscomb was on the winning side of the scoreboard a remarkable 48 times this season. At the end of the regular season their final record stood at 48-11 overall and 18-2 in the Atlantic Sun.
While the team dominated the Atlantic Sun, the voters for postseason awards took notice. Six players were all conference, and head coach Kristin Ryman was named coach of the year.
The Lady Bisons were lead on the mound this year by sophomore Whitney Kiihnl. Kiihnl went 31-3 on the season, posting an ERA of 0.74. That ERA was good enough for the best in the nation. In 41 appearances (213 innings), Kiihnl only gave up 22 earned runs. Kiihnl also ranks 14th in strikeouts per seven innings with 10.5.
The Lady Bisons were also a force from the plate. Kellie Sirus finished the season ranked 17th in home runs with 17. As a team, Lipscomb finished the season ranked twelfth in the nation in batting average and 27th in slugging percentage.
With those types of numbers, Lipscomb has caused a stir in the NCAA Softball polls. Lipscomb cracked the top 25 in a few polls this season, getting the national recognition that the team deserves.
After Selection Sunday Lipscomb found themselves in the the very top group along with number one ranked Alabama, Alcorn State and a familiar opponent in the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Lipscomb played UAB earlier this season twice, splitting a double-header with the Blazers. The Lady Bisons took game one 1-0 before losing the nightcap 7-5.
When Lipscomb heard that their first NCAA tournament game would be against a team that they had already played that season, they were pleasantly surprised.
In a recent interview with LipscombSports.com, head coach Kristin Ryman commented on the upcoming game.
“We are two pretty evenly matched teams,” Ryman said. “We both hit well. We both pitch well. I would say we are excited with the familiarity of having played them. I’m sure they feel the same way.”
While the Lady Bisons are anxious to get back to playing, they know they have to remain focused and take the games one at a time.
“I am a little nervous and a little excited,” said Kellie Sirus, the A-Sun tournament’s most valuable player. “I think it is going to be awesome to go to Alabama. We have nothing to lose. We will just go down there and give it our best. It is not going to be easy.”
The first round of the tournament is double elimination, followed by a three game series for the teams that advance.
If Lipscomb can get past the number one ranked Crimson Tide in the first round, the Lady Bisons will likely face another team that they played this season, Hawaii.
Lipscomb opens up the tournament against UAB at 3:30 on Friday in Tuscaloosa. For ticket information visit RollTide.com or call the Alabama Ticket office at 205-348-BAMA (2262).