GREENCASTLE, Ind. - May 13, 2021 – Coming off of a 24-15 (11-1 NCAC) regular season, Hiram Terriers softball will gear up and get ready to play in the 2021 NCAC Softball Championship Series. The Terriers will play at DePauw University in Greencastle, Ind. in a best-of-three series against the DePauw Tigers beginning on Thursday, May 13, with game one at 5:30 p.m. Game two will be the following day, Friday, May 14, at 12 p.m., and should a game three be necessary, it will be played following the conclusion of game two at approximately 2:30 p.m.
 
Hiram clinched the NCAC East Division and a spot in the NCAC Championship Series on April 17 after a sweep of Allegheny. The team finished an abbreviated conference season with a record of 11-1. The 11 wins ties the program record for most conference wins in a season set in 2011.

The Terriers also went on a 13-game winning streak this season, breaking the previous record of 12-straight wins set in 1989. Within those 13 games, Hiram notched five shutouts and scored more than ten runs three times. Hiram started the season at 5-8 headed into conference play, but finished the year strong on a 19-7 stretch.

"Throughout the season, we have been down a number of times late in games and we found ways to come away with a win," Head Coach Scott Pohlman said. "This never give-up attitude should help us as we face DePauw later this week."

Freshman Abriana Schwartz, and seniors Kaitlyn Hager, Giselle Bahena and Mariah Sheffield all have been mainstays atop the Hiram lineup this season. Schwartz leads the squad with a .409 batting average with Hager and Bahena right behind her batting .367 and .364, respectively. Sheffield leads the team in home runs with five, and RBI with 37. Sheffield's home run total gets her into the top ten in a single season in program history.

Schwartz has also made her way into the record books after her first collegiate season. The San Marcos, Calif. native ranks in the top ten in a single season in program history in slugging percentage, on-base percentage, doubles and hits.

As a team Hiram, hit .312 with a .370 on-base percentage and a .441 slugging percentage. All three categories are in the top five in program history in a single season.

Six different Terriers have made appearances in the circle this year. Leading the pitching staff has been sophomore Jeskari Rodriguez. The left-handed pitcher posted a 1.70 ERA in the regular season, which ranks in the top five record in a single season in program history. Rodriguez also had a team-high in both wins and strikeouts with ten and 61.

Behind Rodriguez is freshman Angel Santellan, who made the same number of appearances as Rodriguez, 16, to go along with eight starts. Santellan has a 3.72 ERA with 37 strikeouts heading into the NCAC Championship Series.

This is the first time since 2011 that Hiram has advanced to the NCAC Tournament and is the first time under Head Coach Scott Pohlman. The 24 wins this season are the most in a season since 2011 when the team won 29 games.

Hiram and DePauw did not face off in the regular season this year, but DePauw leads the all-time series 15-3.

"Our expectations are no different for this series than any other series of this season," Pohlman said, "We expect to win."

DePauw heads to the NCAC Championship Series with a record of 32-2. The NCAC West Division champions went undefeated in conference play with a record of 12-0 and are currently on a 16-game winning streak.

Cami Henry and Riley Magoon lead the Tigers pitching staff. Both Henry and Magoon are first and second on the team and in the NCAC in ERA.

Henry comes into the three-game series with a 0.89 ERA in 102.2 innings pitched. Magoon has logged the second-most innings for the Tigers with 54.1 IP, and carries a 1.03 ERA.

At the plate, Becca St. Germain is atop the DePauw leaderboard in batting average. The senior has a .443 average with a .464 on-base percentage and a .709 slugging percentage. Two others members of the team hit above .400 among those with at least 40 at bats. Abby Pyburn hit .500 and Kelsey Bernard hit .400.

As a team, DePauw hit .329 with 211 runs scored. In the circle, the Tigers logged a conference-best 1.77 ERA and 212 strikeouts. 

Fans can watch the NCAC Championship Series and follow live stats at the following link: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/depauw/.

The Terriers will face the DePauw University Tigers in the best-of-three NCAC Championship Series beginning on Thursday, May 13, with game one at 5:30 p.m. in Greencastle, Ind. Game two will be the following day, Friday, May 14, at 12 p.m., and game three, if necessary, will be played following the conclusion of game two at approximately 2:30 p.m.