2015 NCAA Division II Women's College World Series
No. 24 Shorter vs. No. 7 St. Mary's (TX)
Thursday, May 21, 2015
1 pm ET

OKLAHOMA CITY – A three-year wait for Shorter University's softball program has finally come to an end.

After two seasons spent in NCAA postseason limbo while transitioning to full NCAA Division II membership –during which Shorter led the Gulf South Conference in league wins in 2013 and won the outright GSC regular season title in 2014 – veteran head coach Al Thomas and his Lady Hawks are where they belong.

On Thursday at 1 pm ET, No. 24-ranked Shorter makes its much anticipated debut in the NCAA Division II Women's College World Series at famous ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, Okla., when it squares off with seventh-ranked St. Mary's (Texas).

The Lady Hawks, champions of the brutal GSC and knock-down, drag-out South Region, are the first team in Shorter's NCAA era to advance this far into postseason play and will vie for the school's first NCAA national championship.

History may be in their favor, too. The South Region representative has appeared in the national championship game in five of the past six seasons. Each time, that representative has been a member of the Gulf South Conference.

"We are excited and ready to play," said Thomas, a two-time national champion in the NAIA and National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA). "Our players and our staff have worked so hard to make this a reality and I couldn't be more proud of what they have accomplished so far. What a great opportunity for Shorter Softball and a great honor to be here competing with the best programs in the country."

Shorter (41-15) hopes to make the most of its opportunity and enters the WCWS with plenty of firepower at the plate and in the circle.

Offensively, freshman centerfielder Niki Cook sets the table, pacing Shorter with a .390 batting average and an impressive .490 on-base percentage. The GSC Freshman of the Year and tournament Most Outstanding Player, Cook ranked second in the NCAA in stolen bases at the end of the regular season and has swiped 59 bags in 61 attempts.

Also an NFCA first team All-South Region selection, Cook displayed her exhilarating speed last weekend, kick starting Shorter's 5-3 Super Regional clinching win over Florida Tech with an inside-the-park home run, her first career round tripper.

All-GSC and NFCA first team All-South Region performers Kendall Johnson and Paige Rowland bolster the middle of Shorter's lineup, each having enjoyed her share of heroics this postseason.

Johnson, a junior shortstop that has posted career-highs in batting average (.387), homers (9) and RBI (52), hit two homers, including the go-ahead, game-winner in the seventh, in Shorter's first South 1 Region victory over No. 2-ranked and top-seed Valdosta State. Johnson owns a team-high 13 doubles and has reached safely in nine of the Lady Hawks' 11 postseason contests.

Rowland, the South Region's top backstop, has found her groove at the right time for Shorter. Since the senior's dramatic walk-off, two-run bomb in the 11th inning against Alabama Huntsville in the South 1 Region opener, Rowland has gone 5-for-15 with a pair of homers and three RBI. In the Super Regional against Florida Tech, Rowland hit .500 (3-for-6) and is now batting .333 with seven homers and 28 RBI.

The Lady Hawks possess plenty of depth at the plate with the likes of senior outfielder Maggie Meacham (.335 BA, 4 HR, 37 RBI), sophomore first baseman Ericka Bynum (.312, 6, 48) and sophomore third baseman Kameron Carter (.294, 10, 39), who provided the knock-out punch against Florida Tech with a 250-foot blast into the trees in straight-away center in the Game 2 clincher.

Freshmen Carson Carriker, Hannah Draper and Abi Valdes and sophomore Tori Etheridge have also stepped up for Coach Thomas in the postseason.

In the circle, the Lady Hawks have unleashed a three-headed monster to keep several hot-hitting opponents off-balance.

Leading the way for Shorter's staff is senior Maddie Bray, the lone remaining player from Shorter's 2012 NAIA national championship team, who has solidified her legacy as one of the best big-game hurlers in program history.

Bray (15-9, 2.01 ERA) has earned the win in all three of Shorter's closeout games this postseason, allowing just two earned runs and 11 hits in 14 innings in wins over No. 19 North Alabama, No. 2 Valdosta State and Florida Tech. A second team All-GSC selection, Bray turned in one of the most impressive outings of her career against the Blazers in the South 1 Region championship, three-hitting one of the nation's most powerful offenses in over six innings of work.

Freshman Amanda Blanchard (18-4, 2.40) posted a regular season worthy of GSC and South Region second team nods and won Game 1 of the South Super Regional, allowing one unearned run on four hits and fanning four in a 3-1 victory.

The third piece of the pitching puzzle for Shorter, sophomore Kalei Kimbrell (8-2, 2.46), has embraced her closing role and leads all of NCAA Division II with nine saves. Kimbrell is 3-0 with five saves in the postseason, having allowed just three earned runs in 21 innings.

"Everything has come together for us at the right time," Thomas said. "From the offense to pitching and even making big plays in key moments defensively, the girls have responded well to every challenge each step of the way and are finding ways to win."

The Lady Hawks will have their hands full, however, with St. Mary's and its senior duo of third baseman Nicole Sardelich and ace Vianna Gutierrez-Touchtone, the Heartland Conference's newly crowned Player and Pitcher of the Year, respectively.

St. Mary's all-time leader in hits, a two-time league Player of the Year selection and an NFCA first team All-South Central Region choice, Sardelich enters the WCWS batting a sizzling .464 with 26 doubles, five triples, seven homers and a team-high 50 RBI. With the Rattlers facing elimination in the South Central 2 Regional, Sardelich delivered, going 6-for-8 with a pair of doubles and an RBI as St. Mary's took two from No. 18 Metro State to advance to the Super Regional.

Gutierrez-Touchtone, a finalist for NFCA National Player of the Year, comes to Oklahoma City sporting a 28-5 record with 22 complete games and a 1.33 earned-run average. The San Antonio native has struck out 166 batters in 211 innings while holding opposing teams to a .196 average. A dual threat, Gutierrez-Touchtone hits .429 with a team-high 13 homers. Gutierrez-Touchtone has tallied four home runs and driven in eight runs since the start of regional play.

"St. Mary's is a great team, and when you get to this point, every team has great pitching and great hitting," Thomas said. "You have to be at your best every time you step on the field. We tell the team all the time that we have to play the ball, not a team. We must win the battle of the ball, no matter who we play. We have to bring our 'A' game every day."

The 2015 WCWS marks the first time in the event's history that it will be held at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium, the famous, long-time home of the NCAA Division I WCWS. While the Division I programs head to Oklahoma City next week, Shorter and the rest of the Division II representatives are looking forward to breaking in the pristine facility.

"This is definitely a thrill for our players and coaches to compete in this venue," said Thomas. "It's a tremendous experience that they have earned, but we are also here to win. Now, it's up to us to make the most of it."

Live, in-game coverage of all Women's College World Series games is available at NCAA.com. Continue to check Shorter's official athletics webpage, goshorterhawks.com, for updates.