AVE MARIA, Fla. --- The Ave Maria softball team will begin their spring break trip with a doubleheader on Saturday at Edward Waters in Jacksonville before heading to Cocoa, Fla., for the Cocoa Expo Spring Games.
 
In the Cocoa Expo Spring Games beginning on Sunday, the Lady Gyrenes will take on Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College, Waynesburg University, Bloomfield College, Waldorf College (Iowa) and Penn State Hazleton. All games will be doubleheaders.
 
The Blue and Green moved to 7-12 on the season with a 2-3 weekend at the NFCA NAIA Leadoff Classic. The Lady Gyrenes began the weekend with a 7-5, 8-inning win over (RV) Corbin University (Ore.). Ave Maria dropped a 10-0 decision against 19th-ranked William Woods University (Mo.) in game two of pool play on Friday night. The Blue and Green rebounded for a 12-5 win against (11) Belhaven University (Miss.) to finish atop of pool five and advance to the gold bracket.
 
In bracket play, the Lady Gyrenes fell to top-ranked Auburn University Montgomery (Ala.) by a score of 5-2 and third-ranked Reinhardt University, 12-3. The two games concluded a stretch of 11 games in which the Blue and Green played two games against NCAA DI Oakland, four games against NCAA DII opponents (Eckerd and (14) Tampa) and five games last weekend against teams ranked or receiving votes in the NAIA Softball Top-25 Coaches Poll.
 
Sophomore Alyssa Colding was named to the NFCA NAIA Leadoff Classic All-Tournament team after she finished the weekend hitting .437 (7-16) which included the first homerun of her career, three doubles, six RBI, and three runs scored. Colding is hitting .377 on the season with seven doubles, 12 RBI, and 10 runs scored in 53 at-bats.
 
Kingsley Avery and Deanna Stirtzinger also had big weekends for the Blue and Green. Stirtzinger hit a go-ahead three-run home run in the eighth inning to break a 3-3 tie against (RV) Corban and a go-ahead grand slam in the fourth inning against Belhaven to spark the Lady Gyrenes' upset win. Stirtzinger added her third home run of the weekend against Reinhardt. Avery went 9-for-17 with five runs scored a double. She also stole three bases.
 
LADY GYRENES CATEGORY LEADERS
 
Batting Average – Kingsley Avery, .404 BA
RBI – Alyssa Colding, 12 RBI
Stolen Bases – Kingsley Avery, 10 SB
ERA – Cheyenne Benson, 2.60 ERA
Strikeouts – Cheyenne Benson, 53 K
 
2015 Softball NAIA Rankings
 
Team Rankings
 

• Ranks Number 10 in Division I in Total Caught Stealing (6)
• Ranks Number 12 in Division I in Total Stolen Bases (27)
• Ranks Number 12 in Division I in Total Batters Struck Out (88)
• Ranks Number 13 in Division I in Total Putouts (382)
• Ranks Number 13 in Division I in Total Innings Pitched (127.100)
• Ranks Number 15 in Division I in Total Chances (533)
• Ranks Number 18 in Division I in Total Triples (4)
• Ranks Number 18 in Division I in Total At Bats (466)
• Ranks Number 23 in Division I in Errors per Game (2.421)
• Ranks Number 23 in Division I in Putouts per Game (20.105)
• Ranks Number 25 in Division I in Innings Pitched per Game (6.702)
• Ranks Number 26 in Division I in Total Doubles (22)
• Ranks Number 27 in Division I in Total Hits (120)
• Ranks Number 36 in Division I in Total Runs Batted In (60)
• Ranks Number 37 in Division I in Total Runs Scored (69)
• Ranks Number 39 in Division I in Total Assists (105)
• Ranks Number 44 in Division I in Stolen Bases per Game (1.421)
• Ranks Number 45 in Division I in Caught Stealing per Game (0.316)
• Ranks Number 46 in Division I in Steal Attemps per Game (1.737)

 
Individual Rankings
 

• Kingsley Avery Ranks Number 1 in Division I in Fielding Pct (1.000)
• Nikki Woodard Ranks Number 1 in Division I in Fielding Pct (1.000)
• McKayla Jeter Ranks Number 1 in Division I in Fielding Pct (1.000)
• Cheyenne Benson Ranks Number 6 in Division I in Losses (7)
• Emily Lemin Ranks Number 7 in Division I in Saves (1)
• Cheyenne Benson Ranks Number 7 in Division I in Total Batters Struck Out (53)
• Kingsley Avery Ranks Number 7 in Division I in Total Stolen Bases (10)
• Kingsley Avery Ranks Number 8 in Division I in Total Steal Attempts (11)
• Emily Lemin Ranks Number 10 in Division I in Losses (5)
• Kingsley Avery Ranks Number 11 in Division I in Total Triples (2)
• Alyssa Colding Ranks Number 12 in Division I in Total Doubles (7)
• Cheyenne Benson Ranks Number 15 in Division I in Total Innings Pitched (59.100)
• Emily Lemin Ranks Number 19 in Division I in Total Innings Pitched (53.200)
• Alyssa Colding Ranks Number 20 in Division I in Total Chances (111)
• Alyssa Colding Ranks Number 21 in Division I in Total Putouts (101)
• Kingsley Avery Ranks Number 30 in Division I in Stolen Bases per Game (0.667)
• Kingsley Avery Ranks Number 32 in Division I in Steal Attemps per Game (0.733)
• Brandi Griswold Ranks Number 32 in Division I in Total Steal Attempts (7)
• Brandi Griswold Ranks Number 33 in Division I in Total Stolen Bases (6)
• Deanna Stirtzinger Ranks Number 39 in Division I in Home Runs (3)
• Brandi Griswold Ranks Number 41 in Division I in Total Triples (1)
• Alyssa Colding Ranks Number 41 in Division I in Total Triples (1)
• Alyssa Colding Ranks Number 48 in Division I in Total Total Bases (32)
• Cheyenne Benson Ranks Number 50 in Division I in Innings Pitched per Game (5.933)