HILLSBORO, Kan. – The field and bracket for the 2024 Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference Softball Championship has been set. The Lady Bluejays have earned a trip to Great Bend to extend their season and come into the tournament as the No. 8 seed and will face No. 1 seeded Evangel in first round action.
 
Bluejay Softball wrapped up their season with a trip just down the road to face bitter rivals Bethel College on Tuesday, where they swept the two-game series with the Threshers. The Bluejays took game one in spectacular fashion, winning 10-2, and took the second game to earn the series sweep, 9-8.
 
The top eight teams in the conference standings at the conclusion of the regular season have earned a trip to Great Bend to compete for an automatic bid to the NAIA Softball Opening Round. The tournament will be contested in a double-elimination format.
 
Tabor will face a seemingly tall task in No. 1 seeded Evangel, although the Bluejays handed the Valor one of their only seven losses back on March 30^th in Springfield, winning by a score of 5-2. Cheyenne Washington highlighted that game with a homer to left field in the 4^th Inning, paving the way for the Bluejays to secure the come from behind win. The Bluejays ultimately split the series with the Valor, dropping the second game, 3-0. 
 
Evangel comes into the tournament as the No. 1 seed with an overall record of 31-7 and a KCAC record of 22-4. The Valor split their home doubleheader with Saint Mary last Tuesday, taking game one, 4-1 and dropping game two, 7-2. 
 
The Bluejays are currently second in the KCAC in hitting, with a batting average of .338. Tabor leads the conference in slugging percentage at .505 and sits third in the conference in on base percentage at .401. The Bluejays have launched a total of 35 homeruns on the season, good for second in the KCAC.
 
Darcy Gillen leads Tabor on offense with a .479 batting average and 44 RBIs and ranks second on the team in homeruns with nine on the season. Laura Savage sits in second with a .386 batting average. Washington leads the team in homeruns with 10 on the season. On the defensive side, the Bluejays are led by Marisa Carranza with a 3.71 ERA. Carranza currently owns a record of 9-7 and one save in 130.1 innings pitched and has recorded 44 strikeouts so far this season.
 
Evangel comes into the tournament with a .294 batting average, a .359 on base percentage, and a .412 slugging percentage. The Valor lead the KCAC in the circle with an efficient 2.02 ERA. Kenna Mayfield leads the Valor on offense with a .391 batting average and a .451 on base percentage. On the defensive side Maddy Meierer is Evangel's ace in the circle with an extremely efficient 1.35 ERA.
 
First pitch will take place at 12pm and the game will be broadcast live on the KCAC Network and the tournament bracket will be available here. For fans that plan on traveling to watch the tournament, all games will take place at Langrehr Park (also known as the Great Bend Sports Complex) in Great Bend, Kan.
 
Be sure to stay up to date with all information regarding Bluejay Athletics by following us on X at @gotaborbluejays, on Instagram and Facebook @taborbluejays, and on our official athletic website, taborbluejays.com.
 
Tabor College is a Christ-centered institution located in Hillsboro, Kansas. The Bluejays are members of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and compete in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC).