MOUNT BERRY, Ga. – The No. 12th-ranked Bethel University softball team is set to clash with No. 10 Berry College in the NCAA Division III Championships Super Regionals May 20-21 in Mount Berry, Ga. The Royals (37-5) and Vikings will clash in the opener, where BU will be the home team, Friday at 2 p.m. EDT with game two taking place Saturday at 1 p.m. EDT. If both teams have one loss a winner-take-all game three will take place following game two on Saturday.
 
After 20 straight games at Ona Orth, this will be the Royals first true road game since April 19, 2022 at Saint Mary's.
 
Bethel is coming off an incredible regional run where they went 4-1 including two come-from-behind victories over WashU on championship Sunday. Needing two wins to advance, the Royals won a marathon game one in 15 innings, 4-3, before taking game two on a walk-off RBI single from Autumn Earney where BU plated two in the seventh.
 
Schedule of Events
Friday, May 20
Game 1: #12 Bethel at #10 Berry • 2 p.m. EDT
 
Saturday, May 21
Game 2: #12 Bethel at #10 Berry • 1 p.m. EDT
Game 3: if necessary appox. 35-40 minutes after game 2.
 
Tickets – Single Session
Adult • $10
Senior Citizen/Veteran • $7
Student & Children • $7
Children under 2 years • FREE
 
SERIES HISTORY
Friday will be just the second all-time meeting between the two squads. The lone meeting came back on March 15, 2011 in Claremont, Fla. where Berry defeated BU 11-2 after a quick start where they plated four runs in the top of the first. The Royals didn't help their cause stranding 11 runners and committing eight errors.
 
SIMACEK FILE
• The Most Outstanding Player of the St. Paul Regional, Kayla Simacek threw all 42 innings last weekend highlighted by the 15-inning win over WashU on Sunday where she gave up three runs, struck out eight and walked none.
• In regionals she issued only two walks and had her first wild pitch since March 12. Her 33 strikeouts were the second most by a pitcher nationally during the regional weekend.
• Her 35 wins leads the nation with the next closes mark being 26 by DePawu's Cami Henry.
• Her 0.99 ERA is 15th nationally while her 337 Ks leads the nation.
 
SCORE EARLY AND OFTEN
• Out scoring its opponents 246-74 this season the Royals have scored a combined 74 runs in the first two innings.
• When scoring first the Royals are 32-0.
 
ABOUT BERRY
• The Vikings enter the weekend 32-11 overall and are in their second Super Regional after accomplishing the same feat in 2018. In 2018 they were swept in the Virginia Beach Super Regional to eventual national champion Virginia Wesleyan.
• Berry won the Greencastle Regional by a combined score of 27-3. Playing as the No. 4 seed, the Vikings topped DePauw to start play, then beat Hiram on Saturday and Sunday to take the regional crown.
• Pitcher Hannah Gore was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Greencastle Regional. Gore won two of the three games in the circle for the Vikings, pitching a shutout against Hiram in the second game of the regional and working 3.1 scoreless innings in relief against DePauw. Joining Gore on the Greencastle All-Regional team were Morgan Frye, Blair Hall, and Sydney Moroney.