WAVERLY, Iowa-- The Wartburg softball team (20-16 overall) will face Loras (21-14) Friday at 2 p.m. to open the American Rivers Conference Tournament. Coe will serve as host.

Tournament bracket
Friday, May 12
Game 1 - No. 4 Wartburg (H) vs. No. 5 Loras (A) @ 2:00 p.m.
Game 2 - No. 3 Central (H) vs. No. 6 Nebraska Wesleyan (A) @ 4:30 p.m.
 
Saturday, May 13
Game 3 - Winner Game 1 vs. No. 1 Coe (H) @ 11:00 a.m.
Game 4 - Winner Game 2 vs. No. 2 Luther (H) @ 1:30 p.m.
Game 5 - Championship Game @ 4:00 p.m.

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Wartburg in the tournament
Wartburg is 16-7 all-time in the conference tournament, and won the title in 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2022. The Knights have not faced the Duhawks in the tournament since 2007.

Wartburg
Reegan Deputy leads the team with her .407 batting average. Lauren Frerichs follows at .340, Sydney Fellows at .339, Ella Link at .330, Sydney Illg at .319, and Kaylie Springer rounds out those above .300 at .316.

Fellows has a team-best 32 RBIs, while Deputy and Link both have 30. Illg leads the team with 23 stolen bases.

Avery Mull leads the starting pitchers with her 3.60 ERA and Ashley Nelson has a team-best 76 strikeouts and nine wins.

National Stat Rankings
Wartburg ranks in the top 100 of seven national stat categories. The Knights are: fifth in doubles plays/game (0.50), sixth in double plays (18), 11th in home runs/game (0.81) and stolen bases/game (3.06), 12th in home runs (29), 13th in stolen bases (110), and 59th in slugging percentage (.460).

Individually, four players rank in the top 100. Link is 48th in home runs (8), Nelson is 58th in appearances (26), Illg is 61st in stolen bases (23), and Frerichs is 79th in triples (4).

Career record watch
Illg ranks first in runs scored (168), assists (462) and stolen bases (116), second in double plays (36) and games started (166), third in home runs (26), tied for third in games played (164), tied for fourth in RBIs (108), and fifth in hits (177).

Link is fourth in home runs (24), and eighth in RBIs (94).

Frerichs is sixth in stolen bases (47). Nelson is tied for seventh in games started (49), ninth in appearances (69), and 10th in innings pitched (320.1).

Season record watch
Illg is third in assists (112). Links is tied for ninth in home runs (9).

Loras
Grace Houghton leads her team with her .380 average and 37 RBIs. Ashlyn Hemm leads the starting pitchers with her 2.29 ERA, 134 strikeouts, and 11 wins.