GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Davenport softball team will start their NAIA National Championship run as they begin the tournament in the Auburn Montgomery Bracket in the Opening Round. Davenport will face Georgia Gwinnett in the first game of the bracket in Montgomery, Ala. The Panthers and Grizzlies will faceoff on Monday afternoon at 4:30 EDT.
 
NAIA National Championship – Opening Round (Game 1)
Vs. No. 21 Georgia Gwinnett
Date: Monday, May 11, 2015
First Pitch: 4:30 p.m. EDT
Live Coverage: Live Stats
 
A Quick Look at Georgia Gwinnett – 36-14
The Grizzlies are making their first appearance in program history at the NAIA National Championship - Opening Round. Georgia Gwinnett received their bid as winning the Independent league tournament championship. Leading the way for head coach Kat Ihlenburg this season has been Cassidy Littlefield as she has hit .469 on the season, while hitting seven homeruns and driving in 33 runs. In the circle, the Grizzlies have had three pitchers appear in at least 20 games, and the pitching staff has compiled a 2.66 ERA, while striking out 201 batters on the year.
 
A Quick Look at Auburn Montgomery – 39-8, 24-2 SSAC
The Warhawks are the defending national champions after they won their first ever title in program history last season. Auburn Montgomery earned their bid into the tournament after being selected as one of ten schools to host an opening round bracket. The Warhawks have a 39-8 record and are coming into the tournament after they went 1-2 in the SSAC Tournament last week. Leading the Warhawks this season has been Cassie Jones in the circle as she has a 28-4 record on the year, and she has a 1.00 ERA, while striking out 302 batters in 182 innings.
 
A Quick Look at Tennessee Wesleyan – 31-7, 16-4 AAC
Tennessee Wesleyan is making their first ever appearance in the NAIA National Championship - Opening Round after they won the AAC Tournament Championship to earn their automatic bid. The Bulldogs are receiving votes in the NAIA polls heading into the tournament and the duo of Amy Lokker and Kayla Stevens have led the way as they are the top two on the team in batting average, and Stevens leads the way with nine homeruns on the season. Brittany Kilduff has appeared in 24 games for the Bulldogs to put together a 1.70 ERA, while going 15-3 on the season.
 
The Panthers
Davenport is making their third appearance in the Opening Round, where they hold a 3-4 record all-time in the NAIA National Championship - Opening Round. The Panthers won their third straight WHAC Tournament title and fourth overall to lock up their bid to the national tournament. KC Dunne leads the DU offense with a .477 average, while hitting 11 homeruns and driving in 51 runs. In the circle, Emily Maves has posted a 24-4 record on the year and has an ERA of 1.81. Maves has also struck out 199 batters on the season.
 
Softball Contact: Rick Hoskin | 616-871-6180 | rhoskin@davenport.edu
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