Oregon Tech (44-14) opens the NAIA Softball World Series with an 8 a.m. (Pacific time) game against Dickinson State (44-11) of North Dakota. The Owls roster includes senior pitcher Jessi Duncan (Prairie), junior catcher Ariel Fulkerson (Battle Ground) and junior utility player Ashley Sfetku (Hudson’s Bay).
No pressure.
That was the attitude that Concordia University’s softball team took into last week’s NAIA Softball National Championship Opening Round tournament in Oklahoma City.
After following a 39-14 regular season by dropping two games at the Cascade Collegiate Conference tournament, the Cavaliers were selected as the fourth of just five at-large bids to play in the national tournament . They were then sent to a four-team site hosted by Oklahoma City University, ranked No. 1 in NAIA with 23 consecutive appearances in the NAIA Softball World Series.
“That was our mentality. We had a saying going into the opening round of nationals that we had nothing to lose, especially facing the No. 1 team in the nation,” said sophomore shortstop Taylor Bussey, a Prairie High School graduate. “If you lose, you lost to the No. 1 team in the nation. You have to go in knowing that you have nothing to lose, because we’re definitely a team that plays better when we just have fun.”
The fun started last Monday with an 8-5 win over Grand View College of Iowa in nine innings, and continued Tuesday with a 3-1 upset of OCU. The Stars won to reach a rematch against Concordia in Wednesday’s final, winning 9-2 to force a second championship game. The Cavaliers took a 7-3 lead with a five-run second inning, and won 7-5.
“Even in that last game when they took us to a second game because we lost the first one, we weren’t pressing or anything,” Bussey said. “We had no pressure on us. It was meant to happen.”
By stunning the Stars, Concordia (43-17) claimed one of 10 spots in the NAIA Softball World Series that begins Friday at Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa.
The Cavaliers open against No. 10 William Carey University (41-17) of Mississippi, last year’s runner-up, at 11 a.m. Pacific time. The double-elimination tournament continues through May 28, with no games Sunday.
Clark County’s Cavaliers
The Columbian’s selection as All-Region Player of the Year as a Prairie senior in 2013, Bussey is one of five Concordia players from Clark County, including senior Mariah “Mo” Jimenez, an All-CCC selection at first base and a Camas High School graduate.
Also on the roster are three freshmen: Traci Crollard (first base, Hudson’s Bay), Megan Settje (catcher, Skyview) and Lauren Warner (outfield, Mountain View).
After playing in 12 games as a freshman and 11 as a sophomore, Jimenez played in 47 games last year, starting 44 at first base.
Bussey stepped right into the Cavaliers lineup as a freshman, playing in all 52 games and starting 51 at second base while garnering All-CCC honors.
Moved this season to shortstop, where she played as a Prairie senior after three seasons at second, Bussey is one of three Cavaliers who have started all 60 games this season. Jimenez has started 59.
Jimenez is batting .363 with eight home runs and 37 RBI this season. Bussey is batting .317 with 16 doubles and team highs of 14 homers and two triples, driving in 47 runs — including a school-record nine in one game April 4 at Oregon Tech.
“I remember seeing Mo my freshman year in high school, and I remember, ‘Oh my gosh, she’s such a great player’ — and honestly, she was very intimidating,” Bussey said. “She’s a great hitter. We always played against each other. That was always fun. It was great competition. I knew when I was going to Concordia that Mo is on the team, and my freshman year when I came in, we didn’t know each other on a personal level, but we clicked just like that.
“She’s one of the funniest, most personable people I’ve ever met. It’s been a great experience to play with her, especially being from the Clark County area.”
Jimenez was impressed with Bussey back then, as well, so it has been a mutual admiration society.
“She was always somebody I envied, even though she was younger than me,” Jimenez said of Bussey. “I always wanted to actually play alongside her, and it’s really awesome that I get to.
“She’s hilarious, but she’s also very quiet. She’s a leader in that she shows by example. She doesn’t have to be the one to hype everybody up, but when she does say something, it’s like: ‘Oh, whoa. Obviously, something needs to change,’ because if Bussey’s saying something, she’s just that kind of person. She can put smile on anybody’s face. She’s an awesome teammate, and I love playing with her.”
Crollard has appeared in 24 games this season, Settje in 22 and Warner in 15. Settje and Warner have each started three games.
“They were all impact players for their (high school) teams, and they have definitely brought things to our team that we needed,” Jimenez said of Clark County’s newest additions to the program, each in line to compete next year a lineup spot now held by a senior.
World Series approach
Bussey and Jimenez both said this Cavaliers team is extremely close and selfless, with none of the drama that can disrupt team chemistry.
Each expects those qualities to serve them well.
“Getting this far has been such an accomplishment, and you know what? I feel like now that we’ve become so close as a team, that it’s really just important to make sure you keep the game fun,” Bussey said. “That’s just how we play. We have a lot of fun together, so just make sure that we go in together with that mentality of staying together as a team rather than trying to push too hard.”
Jimenez — who earned her Concordia degree last month in interdisciplinary studies with an emphasis in psychology and a minor in history, and aspires to a career in law enforcement — said the Cavaliers just need to keep playing their game.
“This last week, we played some of the best ball we’ve ever played,” she said. “Those were some of the best games I’ve ever seen Concordia play. I think we just need to take it game by game, pitch by pitch and out by out, and not think of the big picture. If you’re thinking about winning a ring or winning that tournament, you lose focus on what’s in front of you.”
