Gorloks Earn Third Seed In 2026 SLIAC Softball Tournament; Hosts Blackburn College For Quarterfinals On May 5

ST. LOUIS, Mo. - The Webster University softball team has secured their spot in the 2026 SLIAC Softball Tournament and will be the third-seed in the tournament. The Gorloks earned this seed with a 12-4 conference record and will host sixth-seed Blackburn College on May 5th at 1:00PM at Chesterfield Athletic Complex in Chesterfield, Missouri.

The Gorloks entered the season picked seventh in the SLIAC Softball Preseason Poll that included two All-Conference returners in Madi Stichling and Adriana Rodriguez, a total of seven returners, and 14 first-year student-athletes from eight different states.

This season, the Gorloks opened SLIAC play 6-0 that included sweeps over Principia College, Lyon College, and Blackburn College. Webster then followed up with split series against Westminster and MUW. The Gorloks closed out the final six conference games with a sweep over Eureka College and split series against Spalding University and Greenville University.

As a team, the Gorloks first in the conference with 35 doubles, third with a team batting average of .353, and third with 159 hits. In addition, the Gorloks finished second in the conference with a team ERA of 2.98.

In conference play, first-year pitcher Kailey Rushman finished first in the conference with a 1.56 ERA, tied for first with six wins, tied for first with 10 earned runs, and tied for first with six complete games in 45 innings of work. She recorded 29 strikeouts (eight looking) and had an opponent batting of .231.

First-year outfielder Sophie Errante finished the conference regular season ranked eighth wtih an on-base percentage of .543 and ninth with a .475 batting average that included 19 hits (14 singles and five doubles) and seven RBI's. In addition, she recorded a 1.143 OPS and slugged for .600.

First-year third baseman / catcher Vanessa Saenz finished 13th in league play with a .453 batting average that included 24 hits (19 singles, a team-high three triples, and two doubles) and 16 RBI's. She recorded a 1.067 OPS, slugged for .604, and had an on-base percentage of .463.

First-year Isabelle Loiben finished 16th in the conference with a .436 batting average that included 24 hits (16 singles, six doubles, 2 homeruns), 16 runs, and 14 RBI's. She recorded a 1.139 OPS, finished 10th with a slugging percentage of .655, and had an on-best percentage of .484.

Rodriguez finished first in the conference with three saves, tied for second with 13 allowed runs, tied for fourth in the conference with seven looking strikeouts,

Stichling finished fourth in the conference with a 2.57 ERA and tied for fifth with five wins,

2026 SLIAC Softball Tournament Schedule:
Quarterfinals - Tuesday, May 5
Quarterfinal - #3 Webster vs. #6 Blackburn, TBD
Quarterfinal - #4 MUW vs. #5 Westminster, 1:00 p.m.

Semifinals - Thursday, May 7 (in Louisville, KY)
Game 1 - #1 Greenville vs. Lowest Advancing Seed, 4:00 p.m.
Game 2 - #2 Spalding vs. Second Lowest Advancing Seed, 6:30 p.m.

Elimination Round - Friday, May 8 (in Louisville, KY)
Game 3 – Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 1:30 p.m.
Game 4 – Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 3:30 p.m.
Game 5 – Loser Game 4 vs. Winner Game 3, 5:30 p.m.

Championship Round - Saturday, May 9 (in Louisville, KY)
Championship Game – Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5, 12:00 p.m.
If the second championship game is needed, it will be played 45 minutes after completion of the 12:00 PM game

Ticket Information:
For this game, it is a CASH ONLY payment to get in

Adults: $5
Students (K-12): $3
Students from conference schools: $3
Children 5 and under: Free

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Players Mentioned

#23 Madi Stichling: P/IF; Sophomore; R/R

#4 Adriana Rodriguez: P/1B; 5' 8"; Sophomore

#36 Sophie Errante: OF; 5' 7"; Freshman

#12 Isabelle Loiben: OF; 5' 6"; Freshman

#6 Kailey Rushman: P / INF; 5' 3"; Freshman

#1 Vanessa Saenz: C / INF; 5' 5"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#23 Madi Stichling
: Sophomore; R/R
: P/IF

#4 Adriana Rodriguez
: 5' 8"; Sophomore
: P/1B

#36 Sophie Errante
: 5' 7"; Freshman
: OF

#12 Isabelle Loiben
: 5' 6"; Freshman
: OF

#6 Kailey Rushman
: 5' 3"; Freshman
: P / INF

#1 Vanessa Saenz
: 5' 5"; Freshman
: C / INF