GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.—The No. 2 seeded and No. 19 nationally ranked William Woods University softball team will look to win its first NAIA Opening Round game since the 2011 season in Michigan, as the Owls will take on host and No. 3 seed Davenport University. First-pitch will be thrown at 11:00 a.m.

The Owls (39-15; 20-2 AMC), earned an automatic bid to the 2014 NAIA Opening Round, after winning the American Midwest Conference regular season title. The team improved its seeding for Nationals, after taking home its second consecutive AMC Championship, as WWU defeated Columbia College 6-0 in the title game.

The team closed out the 2014 season, winning 22 of its final 23 games, including finishing the year on a 13-game winning streak.

During that span, the offense batted .364 and were led by honorable mention all-conference member Emily Murphy, as the sophomore batted a team-high .576 (19-for-33), with 11 runs scored, three home runs, 12 RBI and a .939 slugging percentage. The impressive final weeks at the plate, upped the Tulsa, Oklahoma, natives, season average up to .477 (42-for-88), which is a career-high for Murphy.

Catcher Macy Wierschem batted .357 on the year, after hitting .414 (12-for-29) during the 13-game winning streak. The power in the lineup came from junior Caroline Sicht, as the Ashland, Missouri, native, totaled 17 RBI in 13 games and hit two home runs to go along with her .406 average. On the season, she is third on the team in RBI (33) and fifth in average (.330 avg).

Also contributing at the plate throughout the 2014 season includes senior Lindsey LeCuru, who batted .360 on the year, while leading the team in hits (58), doubles (13), home runs (5) and RBI (38). Junior Kacey Scharnhorst has also played a major impact at the dish, batting .336, with 36 runs scored, four home runs, 38 RBI and a .406 on-base percentage.

On the mound, the trio of Julie Scheer, MacKenzie Bowden and Becca Schemmer, have shut down opposing offenses all season, as hitters have batted .197 against the WWU pitching staff.

Scheer, a transfer from East Central Community College, went a perfect 7-0 in her first season with the Owls, earning a 0.89 ERA in 39.1 innings pitched and totaled 32 strikeouts.

Bowden, a Hartsburg, Missouri, native, was named AMC Pitcher of the Year, after hurling a career-best 0.90 ERA, totaling 20 wins in 31 appearances and struck out 261 batters, which is second-best in the NAIA.

Schemmer also had a career-year on the mound, totaling 12 wins in 22 starts, while striking out a career-high 75 batters in 141.0 innings pitched.

Joining the Owls and Davenport in Michigan for the NAIA Opening Round are the No. 1 seeded and No. 4-ranked Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) and the No. 4 seed Huntington University.

The Davenport Bracket offers three NAIA top 25 teams and arguably some of the best pitching and hitting the nation has to offer.

The Owls opponent on Monday, Davenport University (36-8; 16-2 WHAC), is ranked 22^nd in the NAIA and will be the No. 3 seed in the Opening Round, after winning the regular season and tournament title in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference.

Like the Owls, the Panthers closed out its season on an impressive note, as the team won 15 out of their final 17 games.

Offensively, they hold a .349 batting average as a team, and are led by KC Dunnes' .482 line in 44 games played. Dunne leads the Panthers in hits (68), runs scored (54), doubles (17), RBI (44) and slugging percentage (.794).

Also batting over the .400 mark is Amber Getty (.417 avg), while totaling 50 runs scored, 11 doubles, four home homes and 28 RBI. Alyssa Eastman and Karli Myers provide the home run threat in the lineup, as the duo has combined for 14 home runs and 63 RBI.

Paige Sant'angelo and Ashleigh Blovsky are the other two Panthers having at least 40 RBI on the season, while combining for 10 home runs and 50 runs scored.

On the mound, the staff has a 2.07 ERA and opposing hitters are batting just .208 against the staff. Leading the way for the Panther hurlers is likely game one hurler Emily Maves, who is 18-4 on the season, with a 1.74 ERA in 137.0 innings pitched and has struck out 168 batters.

Alyssa Eastman has also been stellar on the mound, earning a 16-2 record in 21 appearances, while holding a 2.04 ERA in 109.2 innings pitched and struck out 87 batters.

The winner of this game on Monday, will play the winner of No. 1 seed Olivet Nazarene and No. 4 seed Huntington (Ind.), on Tuesday at 11 a.m. The loser of each game will play in an elimination game at 2 p.m. on Tuesday.

To view the Davenport and all other brackets for the 2014 NAIA Opening Round please click HERE. Fans also note that all the games in Michigan are noted in Eastern Time.

To catch the live stats from the game click HERE, while to watch live video follow along HERE. To watch the live video, there is a charge of $7.95 for the game. For an NAIA Opening Round pass, the charge will be $19.95.

Fans make sure to stay updated on wwuowls.com tomorrow afternoon for a full recap and score from Grand Rapids, Michigan.

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