PELLA, Iowa - The Wartburg Softball team (23-15, 9-6 A-R-C) is set to face off against Luther College in the first round of the American Rivers Conference Tournament. The Knights will play Luther at 4:30 p.m. on Friday May, 10. The winner of Friday's game will play No. 2 Coe in a Semifinal game on Saturday, May 11 at 3 p.m.

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The Series
Luther owns the all-time series lead over the Knights 48-46 as the two teams split the regular season doubleheader. Wartburg split the regular season doubleheader with Luther a year ago and beat the Norse in the championship of the 2023 A-R-C Conference Tournament.

Wartburg
Sydney Fellows leads the Knights with a .356 batting average, followed by Kaylie Springer at .346 and Reagan Hassel at .345. Lili Alvarado (.329) and Ella Link (.302) round out those batting above .300.

Springer is first on the team in hits with 45 and runs scored with 28. Fellows is second in hits with 42 and RBI with 27. Link leads Wartburg with seven doubles, four home runs and 29 RBI.

Ashley Nelson leads all pitchers with 81 strikeouts over 112.1 innings pitched. Nelson has recorded 12 wins and four saves with a team low 3.85 ERA.
 
Career Record Watch
Springer is sixth all-time in hits (177), eighth in runs scored (113), and third in stolen bases (99).

Link is second in home runs (30), second in hit by pitch (31) and fourth in RBI (129).

Nelson is second in most appearances (110), tied fourth for most saves (5), fourth in career wins (47), games started (65), most strikeouts (267), and fifth in most innings pitched (466)

Season Record Watch
Nelson is tied for fourth in saves (4) and Springer is sixth for stolen bases (31).
 
Luther
The Norse enter the Conference Tournament with an overall record of 27-13 and a Conference record of 9-7.

Abby Spore leads the team with a .438 batting average, with 53 hits and 14 doubles this season. Raven Allen and Riley Sauser are second and third in batting average at .383 and .378, respectively. Sauser leads Luther with 39 RBI.

Luther has hit 14 home runs this season. Chloe Wagner and Anna Forari lead the team with three home runs each. Spore and Allen are second on the team with two.

Olivia Engler leads all pitchers with 129 strikeouts over 157.2 innings pitched. Engler has recorded 19 wins and 17 complete games with a team low 1.82 ERA.
 
Possible Matchup
Coe
The Kohawks enter the Conference Tournament with an overall record of 29-9 and a Conference record of 12-4.

Heather Boeckenstedt and Ruby Kappeler lead the Kohawks batting above .400 at .435 and .411, respectively. Bockenstedt leads the team with 48 runs scored at 54 hits. Kappeler leads the team with 13 doubles, three triples, and 46 RBI.

Coe has hit 28 home runs this season, good for first in the A-R-C. Skyler Stookey leads the Kohawks with eight home runs. Madi Parson and Kappeler are tied for second with five.

Ellie Thurow leads all pitchers with 81 strikeouts over 99.2 innings pitched. Thurow has recorded 13 wins and 11 complete games with a team low 2.04 ERA.