DEARBORN, Mich. -- The University of Michigan-Dearborn softball team heads down to Lawrenceville, Ga., to play in the Opening Round of the NAIA National Championship. The Lawrenceville bracket is hosted by Georgia Gwinnett College and will be played from May 16-18. 

Scouting the Bracket

The Lawrenceville bracket consists of four teams, including the fourth-seeded Wolverines. The Wolverines take on the no. 1 seed Southeastern University Fire out of The Sun Conference on Monday (May 16). SEU went 46-10 overall and 23-4 in conference play. SEU bolsters a potent attack at the plate with a team batting average of .355. The Fire are led by fifth-year senior Jamie Mead, who was named Player of the Year in The Sun Conference after hitting .432 with a 1.132 OPS in the regular season. In the circle, the Fire are led by freshman ace Claire Sekinger. Sekinger was named to the All-Sun Conference First-Team after amassing 20 wins during the regular season. Sekinger struck out 141 batters in 149.1 innings pitched and finished with a 1.55 ERA. 

The other contest will feature a matchup between No. 2 Georgia Gwinnett College and the No. 3 Saint Xavier University Cougars. Georgia Gwinnett enters the regional with a 35-18 record and coming off Continental Athletic Conference Tournament Championship. Piper Wagner paces the Grizzlie offense with a .452 AVG and a 1.354 OPS. Wagner was named the CAC Player of the Year as she clubbed 12 home runs and 53 RBIs. The Grizzlies come into the contest with a .321 team avg and have five players batting .330 or above. In the circle, the Grizzlies are led by CAC Pitcher of the Year Alexa Good. Good enters the regional with a 22-9 record and a 2.17 ERA. Good struck out 198 batters in 200.1 innings and has an impressive seven shutouts to go with her 21 complete games. 

Their opponent, the Saint Xavier Cougars, comes to Lawrencvile from Chicago, Ill. The third-seeded Cougars enter the NAIA National Championships with a 36-6 record and an impressive 21-1 record in CCAC play. The Cougars captured the CCAC tournament championship with a 12-0 victory over Olivet Nazarene University. The Cougars .377 team average is the highest among teams in the Lawrenceville bracket. SXU has five players hitting .400 or above and is led by Brittany Schultz. Schultz leads the cougars in home runs, RBIs, and slugging percentage. The senior catcher clubbed 14 home runs and 58 RBIs during the 2022 campaign. The Cougars have a litany of arms led by Julianne Claas in the circle. Claas owns a record of 15-2 and struck out 81 batters in 106.2 innings. Opponents are hitting .223 against her, while she has surrendered just 19 walks. 

Tournament Central

All information regarding the Lawrenceville bracket can be found here:https://ggcathletics.com/sports/2021/5/3/naia-opening-round-central.aspx.