Who: No. 1 Capital, No. 2 John Carroll, No. 3 Mount Union, No. 4 Marietta
What: 2013 Ohio Athletic Conference softball tournament
When: May 3-5
Where: Clowson Field – hosted by Capital University in Bexley, Ohio
Why: To determine which OAC team advances to the NCAA Tournament
2012 Champion: John Carroll University

Tickets:
- Adults: $10 (Friday/Saturday/Sunday games); $7 (Saturday/Sunday only)
- OAC Students with valid ID: Free
- Non-OAC Students 18 years and under: $2 per day
- Seniors 62 years and older: $5 per day

Coverage:
- Live stats and live video will be available for all games
- Click here for the OAC Tournament page, hosted by Capital


No. 1 Capital Crusaders (32-8 overall, 16-2 OAC)
- Last season: 21-17 overall, 6-10 OAC
- vs. John Carroll this season: 1-1 overall (Lost 5-0, won 11-4)
- vs. Marietta this season: 1-1 overall (Won 6-5, lost 6-4)
- vs. Mount Union this season: 2-0 overall (Won 2-1, won 6-2)
- Current streak: W15

Capital comes into the 2013 OAC Tournament having won 15 straight contests, with their last loss coming on April 14. Now, with momentum and home field advantage on their side, the Crusaders will look to capture a conference championship.

The Crusaders are led on offense by senior Devan Boggs, who leads the conference in home runs (11), RBI (47) and is third in batting average (.482). Sophomore Kelsey Swain (. 430), freshman Brooklyn Staten (.387) and senior Lexi Majoy (.350) all bat above .350 and are key factors towards the Crusaders' offensive success.

In the circle, the Crusaders depend upon the sophomore duo of Alyssa Patznick and Brooke Billings, who have each pitched 137.2 and 120.1 innings, respectively. Furthermore, Patznick has an earned run average of 2.90 while Billings has a mark of 2.27, giving Capital two lethal arms for opposing hitters to deal with.


No. 2 John Carroll Blue Streaks (25-9 overall , 14-4 OAC)
- Last season: 31-15 overall, 12-6 OAC (Won OAC Tournament with a 10-6 win over Ohio Northern)
- vs. Capital this season: 1-1 overall (Won 5-0, lost 11-4)
- vs. Marietta this season: 2-0 overall (Won 3-0, won 6-5)
- vs. Mount Union this season: 1-1 overall (Won 9-0, lost 6-5)
- Current streak: W1

The Blue Streaks come into the 2013 OAC Tournament having lost just once in their last 10 games, with the lone loss coming to conference-worst Heidelberg. However, the Blue and Gold rebounded from a 2-1 loss to Heidelberg in game one with a 6-3 win in game two, reassuring themselves before the start of the postseason. After defeating Ohio Northern, 10-6, in the OAC Championship game last season, the Blue Streaks will be more than ready to defend their crown.

Senior Mackenzie Griffin leads the Blue Streaks – and the conference– with a whopping .586 batting average, a mark which is more than .100 points better than the next best OAC hitter. However, the Blue Streaks' lineup is far from a solo act. Junior Samantha Becker and sophomore Ally Kleinhans have respective batting averages of .397 and .373 this season while also clubbing a combined six home runs.

Replacing Brittany Danilov from one year ago, sophomore Rachel Byrnes has made a smooth transition for the Blue Streaks moving from one ace to another. Byrnes is second in the OAC with 155 innings pitched this season while leading the conference with 18 wins. Byrnes also has an ERA of 1.94 on the season, good for third in the OAC.


No. 3 Mount Union Purple Raiders (22-11 overall, 12-6 OAC)
- Last season: 21-20 overall, 10-8 OAC
- vs. Capital this season: 0-2 overall (Lost 2-1, lost 6-2)
- vs. John Carroll this season: 1-1 overall (Lost 9-0, won 6-5)
- vs. Marietta this season: 2-0 overall (Won 9-0, won 9-3)
- Current streak: W6

After losing six straight games from April 13 through April 17, the Purple Raiders ended the regular season on a strong note, winning each of their last six games. Now, with a first round match-up against the defending OAC Champion John Carroll Blue Streaks, Mount will need to continue its winning ways.

Senior Kristen Gromes is the catalyst on offense for Mount Union, leading the team with a .410 batting average, as well as 43 hits and 22 RBI. Other than Gromes, senior Alex Mayo (.303) and freshman Andi Vansickle are the only other two Purple Raiders to have batting averages north of .300.

While not being known for their offense, the Purple Raiders lead the OAC with a combined team ERA of 2.16. Mount Union's pitching staff allowed only 67 runs in 33 gamess this season, a mark that is 25 runs better than the next best team. Furthermore, Mount allowed only eight home runs on the season, proving that they can keep their opponents at bay and themselves in the ball game.



No. 4 Marietta Pioneers (21-15 overall, 11-7 OAC)
- Last season: 20-18 overall, 8-10 OAC
- vs. Capital this season: 1-1 overall (Won 6-4, lost 6-5)
- vs. John Carroll this season: 0-2 overall (Lost 3-0, lost 6-5)
- vs. Mount Union this season: 0-2 overall (Lost 9-0, lost 9-3)
- Current streak: W1

The Pioneers' season ended with five consecutive losses before a 2-1 win over Baldwin Wallace to conclude the campaign. With five losses in their last six games, Marietta has little time to get back on track as they face No. 1 seed Capital University.

If the Pioneers are to have any success in the OAC Tournament, they will need to rely on the lethal bat of senior Trayla Liles, who leads the team with a .418 batting average and 10 home runs. Liles is supported on offense by fellow senior Ris McDaniel, who has a .326 batting average and 10 home runs this season.

Freshman Lauren Larrick led the Pioneers with 10 wins in 2013, good for seventh in the OAC. Larrick also has an ERA of just 3.02 on the season, 11th in the OAC and an impressive mark for a rookie.