COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio Dominican softball team will begin the 2023 NCAA Division II Midwest Regional on Thursday afternoon with Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) tournament champion, Saginaw Valley State University.

The Panthers grab the six-seed in the NCAA Midwest Regional that will take place in Allendale, Michigan. The other members in the pod include #2 Grand Valley State, #3 Saginaw Valley State, and #7 University of Missouri-St. Louis.

The regional tournament will take place from Thursday, May 11 to Saturday, May 13.

ABOUT THE PANTHERS

ODU will appear in their third consecutive National Tournament and their fourth in the Division II era. The Panthers have compiled an overall record of 34-20 with a conference mark of 20-4, claiming the regular season title in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference.

Senior Braxton Downs (Louisville, Ky.) leads the team with a .396 batting average and 53 runs batted in. Downs has collected a career-high 20 doubles this season and has recorded eight home runs. The Kentucky native was name G-MAC Player of the Year and First Team All-Conference this season.

Another First Team All-Conference winner was sophomore Kaleigh Golden (Thornville, Ohio). Golden follows Downs with a .370 batting average and is tied for the team lead in hits with 68. The outfielder has recorded three triples and eight stolen bases.

Juniors Alexis Stevens (Marion, Ohio) and Alli Madden (Cincinnati, Ohio) were also selected to the G-MAC All-Conference teams. Stevens was the lone Panther on the Second Team with Madden collecting Third Team honors. Stevens has accounted for 45 runs this season, accumulating 14 doubles and 33 RBIs. Madden has swiped 31 bases and has a .351 batting average.

In the circle, Marlee Jacobs (Plain City, Ohio) holds a 21-6 record with five shutouts and a save. The freshman has recorded 133 strikeouts and a 1.89 earned run average in 173.2 innings pitched. Jacobs received First Team All-Conference honors for her stellar freshman campaign.

Senior Addison Smodilla (Terre Haute, Ind.) also grabbed All-Conference accolades in her final season with the Black and Gold. The Indiana native joined Madden on the Third Team after going 10-9 on the rubber with 64 strikeouts and a 3.55 ERA in 134.0 innings pitched.

ABOUT THE CARDINALS

Back on March 20, the Panthers took two games from the Cardinals, 2-1 and 8-1, on Sunbury Road. Since then, SVSU has compiled a 35-14 overall mark with a 14-7 record in the GLIAC. Saginaw Valley went undefeated to collect back-to-back conference tournament championships and automatic bids to the NCAA tournament.

GAME SCHEDULE

Ohio Dominican will start the regional off with Saginaw Valley State on Thursday at 2:30 PM at GVSU Softball Field.

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