CMS Softball Vaults to No. 15 in Latest NFCA National Rankings

CLAREMONT, Calif. - The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps softball team entered the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Top 25 for the first time this season, debuting all the way up at a tie for No. 15, the organization announced today.

CMS currently has a 7-2 overall record (7-1 against Division III competition with a loss to NAIA Vanguard included) and jumped into the poll after a key doublheader sweep of No. 11 Pomona-Pitzer on Saturday. The Athenas won the first game 3-2 in 10 innings and then took the nightcap 2-0 to take over sole possession of first place in the SCIAC at 6-0. Pomona-Pitzer stayed in the poll at No. 14, thanks to a win and a tie over then No. 4 Linfield, which is currently No. 13, giving the West Region three teams in a row in the latest poll. 

Strong pitching and timely hitting has been a catalyst in the current six-game win streak for the Athenas. CMS has had the last three SCIAC Pitcher of the Week honors, with freshman Lauren Richards winning two of them, sandwiched around one from senior Chloe Amarilla. Richards is now 4-0 with a 0.00 ERA in league games, after throwing the tenth inning to get the win in the opening game against Pomona-Pitzer, and then throwing a four-hit shutout in the nightcap. 

Sophomores Maddie Valdez and Megan Perron, meawnhile, have come through with some big swings at the plate in key moments. Valdez has twice broken ties in the sixth inning with home runs in SCIAC games, a solo shot in a 4-1 win over Chapman and a big two-run shot with two outs in Saturday's 2-0 nightcap win over Pomona-Pitzer. She also tripled to lead off the seventh inning down 1-0 to Pomona-Pitzer before being driven in by a one-out RBI double from Perron, who added the game-winning RBI hit in the bottom of the tenth to give CMS the win. Sophomore Kawai Scanlan also had a clutch two-out RBI single in the eighth to tie the score 2-2 after the Sagehens had gone ahead in the top of the inning. 

CMS will be back in action this weekend for another key home SCIAC doubleheader against La Verne, beginning at 12 p.m. The Leopards are currently 6-2 overall and 3-1 in the SCIAC, one game behind CMS in the loss column. La Verne won the regular season SCIAC title last year by three games, before ending as the runner-up to CMS in the SCIAC Tournament. 

NFCA Division III Top 25 Poll – March 6, 2019

Others receiving votes: Lynchburg 15, Wisconsin-Stout 14, Geneseo 13, Pacific 12, The College of New Jersey 12, St. John Fisher 10, Muskingum 6, Tufts 5, and Hendrix 1.
Dropped out: Southwestern and Texas Lutheran.