TLU Softball departs for Division III World Series

SEGUIN, Texas – With the bases loaded in the bottom of the sixth inning and TLU nursing a 4-2 lead over Linfield College in the decisive Game 3 of their Super Regional, Kelly Jurden seized a tremendous opportunity. The sophomore outfielder took off from third and stole home, adding a critical insurance run and increasing the lead to three.

"Coach Wilson and I noticed that the pitcher was walking out of the back of the circle in between her pitches, so he told me just to keep an eye on it and see if I had a chance to go," Jurden said. "Thankfully, on the pitch that I did do it, the second baseman came up to talk to the pitcher. She had her back turned towards me -- not worried at all -- and she was outside of the circle, so as soon as I saw that, I took off."

The Bulldogs survived a late rally to win the game 5-2 and the series two games to one, punching their ticket to TLU's first ever College Softball World Series.

"It's awesome knowing that I was able to produce for my teammates in that moment," Jurden said. "We were able to string some hits together, and it was just a lot of fun."

"I think it's still kind of sinking in a little bit," junior pitcher Lauren Myers explained. "I would have never thought that this would have happened, but now that it's here, I'm super excited about it and excited for our team."

Less than 48 hours removed from their program-defining victory, the Bulldogs have already hit the road for Tyler. Last week, the team was flying around trying to prepare for a trip to Oregon, so keeping their travel plans in-state has been a welcome surprise.

"We've got this whole packing thing down," Jurden said. "We know what we need, we know how to do it and we're just really excited."

TLU's first-round opponent is Williams College, winner of the Ithaca Super Regional. While the Bulldogs don't know much about the Ephs, they do have plenty of previous experience playing at Suddenlink Field, the host venue.

"I think it's huge," said head coach Wade Wilson. "We get to go back to a place that we've played quite a bit. We've played a lot of games there. We're familiar with the town, the layout and the hotel, so there's some comfort there for sure."

"We can have all of our home crowd and all of our fans there," Myers said. "Other schools are coming to support us, too, and since we're more acclimated to the weather down here, it's going to be really awesome for us. Whatever happens, we know that we're ready and we're going out there and play our best."

First pitch between TLU and Williams College is scheduled for this Thursday at 1:30 p.m.