LYNCHBURG, Va. – The eighth-seeded Shenandoah University softball team opens the 2023 ODAC tournament on Friday afternoon against top-seeded Roanoke College in a double-elimination pod hosted at Liberty University.
 
The Hornets (15-23) and the Maroons (24-10) play in a four-team pod with Lynchburg and Guilford joining the schools down at Liberty's Kamphuis Field.
 
Roanoke clinched the number one seed in the tournament field after earning the head-to-head advantage over Randolph-Macon by sweeping them in the regular season.
 
Shenandoah got into the field with conference wins this season over Bridgewater, Eastern Mennonite, Averett, and Ferrum. SU swept pod partner Guilford on April 16 at home with 6-3 and 5-2 victories.
 
This season is the best season the team has had under fourth-year head coach Courtney Allen. Helping them hit the mark was a 6-2 mark in the middle of the season, with three sweeps during that stretch.
 
Offensively the Hornets are led by Brenna Snyder, Arlene Miller, and Tiffany Bower. Snyder's .278 batting average leads the team of players that hit the minimum requirements, she also leads the squad in home runs and RBI.
 
Miller, a senior, took 110 at-bats and garnered a team-leading 30 hits and started all 38 games this season for Shenandoah.
 
Bower, the team's starting shortstop, also started in all 38 games and led the team in total bases and doubles. In the field the shortstop assisted on 92 defensive outs, leading the team.
 
In the circle, Kayla Stephenson, Savannah Thorne, and Taylor Smith are the three pitchers for SU. Stephenson leads the team for wins and ERA, while also leading the team with 11 complete game performances.
 
Smith has come in the circle to get four saves this year in 23 relief outings. In the one start the pitcher had this season, she pitched a complete game.
 
Meri Bostic, Lilly Burns, and Adriana Rivera are the top-three batters at the plate for RC. The trio has combined for 85 hits, 30 of which have been for extra bases. 
 
The Maroons have seven hitters with at least 10 RBI with Burns leading the way with 22.
 
Jada Karnes and Lindsay Gedro are the team's top pitchers with the pair pitching 15 and 12 complete games, respectively. The duo has a combined record of 23-10 for the Maroons.
 
Roanoke swept Shenandoah in a doubleheader this season two weekends ago. The sweep helped Roanoke reach 17 conference wins this season.
 
The winner of the game faces the winner of Guilford and Lynchburg. The two non-advancing teams in Saturday's opening game.

###