Kelsey Ackerman | Sports Co-Editor
The Beaver softball team has put their season into overdrive in the past couple weeks. The team has moved up in both conference and regional rankings.
One huge accomplishment for the team came on April 13, when the Beavers swept the Central Dutch in their double header for the first time since 1996.
Beating Central is something senior pitcher Jenna Falline has looked forward to for the past four years.
“It felt great,” Falline said. “We finally got the job done, and it is something that I will always remember.”
The Beavers have also made their way into the weekly IIAC player of the week honors. The first came from sophomore third-baseman Jeanne Bramhall, and the second one came just last week for sophomore Keely Bycroft.
Bycroft’s four home runs this season put her in the top five in the IIAC.
“I was very humbled when I saw the announcement. However, this award is nothing to settle for. In fact, it only pushed me to be a stronger contender on and off the field,” Bycroft said.
Head coach Mandie Berneking was not surprised when the honors came for Bramhall and Mycroft.
“I’m so focused on what we are doing as a team that the individual recognition was almost expected. Jeanne and Keely are two very deserving individuals for these accomplishments and have proven to be major components in our team’s success,” Berneking said.
The Beavers currently sit at 7-5 (20-15 overall) in the IIAC conference. This puts them in third, and just two wins away from sitting at second. For a team picked fifth in the preseason poll, it is no small accomplishment to be in the top three and remain there all season long.
However, the teammates agree that the biggest accomplishment comes from the fifth-place regional ranking.
“I don’t think our team and our fans truly realize how major of an accomplishment this is,” Berneking said. “There are 40 teams in our region, and to be the fifth best in one of the most respected regions in the nation is an incredible feeling.”
This season marks the highest finish in the conference for BVU since 1998.
The Beavers are no where near done this season, and start conference tournament play this Friday at 4:30 pm against Wartburg College.
