Behind six-straight North Coast Athletic Conference victories, the Big Red earned its 13th berth into the NCAC Softball Tournament which is set for May 1-2 in Greencastle, Ind.
Heading into the final week of the regular season, Denison needed to sweep its final three NCAC doubleheaders to secure a spot in the 2015 postseason tournament. The Big Red did just that, which included home sweeps of Wooster and rival Ohio Wesleyan. DU also took a pair on the road at Hiram.
Denison will enter the NCAC Tournament as the No. 4 seed after going 10-6 in conference play. DePauw University earned the right to host the double-elimination tournament for the third-consecutive after posting a 14-2 mark. Wittenberg earned the second seed with an 11-5 record, while Allegheny secured the No. 3 seed at 10-5-1.
Last year's NCAC Player of the Year Julie Rooney ranks in the top-3 in the NCAC in seven offensive categories. She leads the league in batting average (.454), doubles (16) and on-base percentage (.500). Rooney is second in runs (39), hits (54) and total bases (73), and third in slugging percentage (.613). Freshman Lauren Secaras has also provided an offensive charge in her rookie season. Secaras currently ranks second in the conference in doubles (12) and slugging percentage (.691). She is also fourth in batting average (.423) and on-base percentage (.474), and fifth in RBIs with 32. Secaras has also done a solid job inside the circle this season. As a pitcher, she is tied for second in the NCAC in shutouts with four and ranks third in both earned-run average (2.26) and opponent batting average (.224).
Over the course of the last six conference games, five Big Red hitters posted an average of .500 or better. Secaras led the way by going 15-for-22 (.682) down the stretch with four doubles, a triple, 10 RBIs and seven runs. She also posted a .955 slugging percentage. Reigning NCAC Hitter of the Week Ryan Lee was 12-for-21 (.571) at the dish with two doubles, eight RBIs and five runs, while Kerry Hager posted a .545 average (12-for-22). Hager scored nine times and drove in six during that six-game span. Freshman Mckinly Vazquez and senior Emily Lipsitz rounded out the quintet of DU hitters. Vazquez hit .524 (11-for-21) with four extra-base hits, eight RBIs and eight runs, while Lipsitz went 9-for-18 (.500) with a triple, seven runs and four RBIs. Rooney scored a team-high 12 runs during that stretch.
As a team, the Denison offense ranks second with a .320 batting average. The DU pitching staff as a whole is third in shutouts (5) and owns the fourth-best ERA in the conference at 3.44. They have also allowed the second-fewest earned runs in the NCAC.
The fourth-seeded Big Red will take on top-seeded and tournament host DePauw at 12 p.m. on Friday in Greencastle, Ind. Friday's tournament opener between Wittenberg and Allegheny will start at 10 a.m.
