Biola softball finishes season as NCAA DII national runner-up
Biola’s softball team poses with their NCAA Division II Regional Championship trophy. (Photo courtesy Biola University)
LA MIRADA – Biola who?
That question was quickly answered in the NCAA DII softball postseason on the Biola University softball program in 2021.
The Eagles made a historic run this past season that came just one game short of the national title last month in Denver, Colorado.
After the 2020 season was cut short due to the pandemic, Biola was making its first-ever appearance in its first season eligible for NCAA Division II postseason.
And did they ever make an appearance.
Biola, which finished with a 26-16 overall record, won the NCAA DII West Region title, advanced to the national tournament, defeated the No. team in the country and made it to the championship final.
With those accomplishments alone, the Eagles made a name for them and finished the season as the No. 2-ranked team in the country.
“I’m obviously proud of my team for making history today (June 1),” said third-year Biola Softball Coach Nikki Udria, in the post game press conference. “Making it this far in the season is an accomplishment in and of itself. “I think it’s a blessing for these seniors (Kayla Neff, Haley Martinez and Ruth Munoz) sitting to the left and to the right of me and to finish their careers in the national championship game. I don’t think a lot of people can say that they’ve done that.
“I’m proud of them and the success they’ve had and all that they have poured into the program. I’m very proud of my team and their performance.”
The Eagles, who had a 7-3 postseason record, won the West Region title with a 3-1 record and defeated No. 1 seed Concordia University, 2-1, in the championship game.
Biola pitcher Paige Austin makes a pitch in a game during their run to the NCAA Division II championship game. (Photo courtesy Biola University)
Biola advanced to the Regional title game with wins over No. 3 seed Northwest Nazarene (4-3) and No. 5 seed Hawaii-Hilo (9-0, 6 Inn.).
Biola lost to Concordia in the first of two games in the championship, 3-2, but came back in the second game with the win.
They advanced to the National tournament against seven other Regional Champions, which included top-ranked Augustana (South Dakota).
Biola opened up its first-ever NCAA National Finals with a 4-0 shutout over No. 4 seed North Georgia. That win was historical for the Biola program.
“I think nerves are natural,” said Udria, after the win. “I tell the girls, you are going to be nervous. We were nervous, obviously. But it’s just how we channel it. Being able to make plays that we practice all the time.”
The second game of the national finals was just as big, as the Eagles faced the Vikings (Augustana), who entered the NCAA Division II postseason for the 27th time in school history. They have two NCAA Division II national titles (1991 & 2019) and this is their ninth national tournament appearance under current head coach Gretta Melsted.
Biola defeated Augustana, 3-0, behind the four-hitter by junior pitcher Paige Austin. Austin, who led the team in wins with 16 in the season, added to her finals shutout inning total with 14 after the first two games.
Austin would continue her dominance in the circle in her five innings of work against North Georgia once again, extending her scoreless streak to 19 innings. The Eagles defeated NGU, 5-2, to advance to the best two of three national championship final.
Biola continued to shock the DII softball world, but not themselves, with a 5-0 victory over West Texas A & M in the opening game of the final series.
West Texas took the second game, 7-4, to even up the series at 1-1, setting up the dramatic final game.
Behind a solo home run by Neff to left field gave the Eagles a 1-0 lead heading into the sixth inning.
However, that was the end of the run for the Eagles, as North Texas first baseman Gabriella Valforte hit a grand slam to give them a 4-1 lead in the bottom of the inning.
Biola came up empty in the seventh and finished as the 2021 National Runner ups.
Neff, who started all 42 games for the Eagles this season, finished with the most hits (41), which included seven home runs, four doubles, a triple and a team-leading 31 RBIs.
Neff said it best on the accomplishments of the 2021 team – “It’s awesome to be able to come here and play, you know, on the biggest stage,” she said. I’ve been telling my teammates I’m just so proud of where we’ve come. This is it - the nerves are there, but this is as far as we have come and I’m proud no matter what happens.”
Finishing tied with the second most hits on the team with 36 was senior outfielder Jennifer Morinishi. She scored 17 runs and had five doubles.
Jennifer Morinishi, starting outfielder for Biola’s NCAA Division II Western Regional Champion Softball team, sits underneath her dugout bin at Biola University. (Photo by Keith Durflinger)
Morinishi, who stopped by the Biola softball complex recently, had this to say about what the Eagles have been building towards these past few seasons.
“It’s just a testament to what we’ve been trying to cultivate here at Biola,” Morinishi said. “I feel like we’ve had the talent in past years and just have not quite gotten the opportunity to showcase that on a national level.
“Being able to finally show other people in the nation what we can do here, even though we are a small Christian school, what we’re still capable of achieving.”
Morinishi was also on the team in 2018 that was runner-ups in the National Christian College Athletic Association
On getting to the championship series, Morinishi said, “We had nothing to lose going out there,” she said. “No one ever expected us to get this far. We were kind of the underdog going into all of it. We didn’t feel like our backs were pushed against the wall. We just wanted to go out there and play.
“Now people know us and now we’re on the map and we just have to continue to show them what Biola softball is all about.”
Named to the All-NCAA DII Tournament team were: Austin (P), Neff (C), Ruth Munoz (IF) and Morinishi (OF).
Three players from Biola were awarded first team in the PacWest – Neff , Morinishi and Austin. Coach Udria was named PacWest Coach of the Year.
Coach Urida on being the first NCAA appearance for the players –
“I think nerves are natural,” she said. “I tell the girls, ‘you are going to be nervous’. We were nervous, obviously. But it’s just how we channel it. Being able to make plays that we practice all the time.”
Sports Information Director, Angelina Staumont: “I’ve been a little spoiled. It started this year with basketball going to regionals, tennis going to regionals and then softball going all the way to the final game.
“You can’t ask for anything more, coming into a new school, to experience this. I think the coolest part of all of it was seeing the team and how bonded everyone was from the players to the coaching staff. Everyone was bonded for the main purpose.
“At the end of the day, you want to win a championship, but the bigger purpose for them was they want everyone that was watching this game knowing who they were playing for. But, at the end of the day, we play this game for God.
“This is a culmination of a couple of years of hard work. When Nikki came in she wanted to make a championship program and she’s done that at two different levels.”