SPOKANE, Wash. – Whitworth softball will be at home for the regular season finale and its senior weekend, hosting Pacific in a four-game Northwest Conference series. The Pirates still have a mathematical chance of clinching a spot in the conference tournament in McMinnville, but it starts with a four-game sweep of the Boxers this weekend.

Check the scheduling page for live links to stats, scores, and streaming services.

The Pirates: Whitworth (13-23, 9-15 NWC) came into Tacoma last weekend winning six of eight and looking to compete with Pacific Lutheran for third place; but they left Tacoma with their chances at the conference tournament in serious jeopardy after taking a sweep. The Lutes (19-17, 14-10 NWC) left no doubt, shutting down a Pirate offense that had been picking up steam. Whitworth lost 5-0, 2-0, and 8-0 before losing a more competitive 4-3 game in the finale. The Pirates posted just 22 hits in the entire weekend and did not manage a run for the first 24 innings of the series before managing three runs in the late innings of game four. All in all, it was a forgettable weekend that left Whitworth with lots to think about heading into the regular season finale against last-place Pacific.

The Pirates are fifth in the NWC in average (.265) and hits (259), but seventh in on-base percentage (.316) and runs per game (3.6). Defensively they're fifth in ERA (4.56), fourth in average against (.309), and third in fielding percentage (.963).

Whitworth's path to the tournament: It's not simple, but it's possible. Going into the final week of the regular season Whitworth (9-15), George Fox (11-13), and Willamette (11-11) are all in play for that fourth and final spot. Both George Fox and Willamette control their own destiny, Whitworth will need to handle its own business and rely on some losses from the other two schools. Below is the clinching scenarios for each team.

Whitworth is in with…  

-          A sweep of Pacific + Willamette loses four of six + George Fox loses two of four.

-          This would leave all three teams at 13-15 in conference, and with a three-way tie the Pirates own the tiebreaker with a 5-3 record against the other two.

-          Whitworth also holds head-to-head tiebreakers over both individually, so if George Fox or Willamette lose more, the Pirates still hold tie breakers.

Willamette is in with…

-          Five wins

-          Three wins + George Fox loses two of four.

George Fox is in with…

-          Four wins against Lewis & Clark + Willamette loses three of six.

-          Three wins against Lewis & Clark + Willamette loses four of six.

-          Three wins against Lewis & Clark + Willamette loses four of 6 + Whitworth loses 1.

The Opponent: Pacific (7-27, 3-19 NWC) enters its last series of the season in last place for the second straight season, and amid a 14-game losing streak dating back to March 24. Whitworth is 7-1 against Pacific in the last two seasons.

The Boxers have struggled in many areas; offensively they're last in batting average (.230), hits (193), slugging percentage (.303). The Boxers' pitching staff is seventh with a 7.03 ERA, 3.4 walks per game, and an allowed batting average of .326. Nonetheless, they've had some bright spots including taking undefeated Linfield (36-0) to extra innings just two weeks ago. Sophomore Chloe Knepp has been another bright spot, batting a team-leading .370 with a 1.098 OPS, 27 hits, 10 doubles, four home runs, 17 RBIs and a .671 slugging percentage in just 73 at bats. On the mound, Haleigh Colfelt (2-6) has made 19 appearances but started just five games and has a 5.16 ERA allowing 41 earned runs over 55.2 innings. Pacific is coached by interim Shelly Prochaska who's been in that role since November of 2023.

Senior Power: Seniors Jessica Rusconi, Haley Montoya, Corinne Vasiloff, Jazz Johnson, Julia Dillon, Kaleigh Bauerle, Kylie Koszykowski, and Kennedy Robison will all be honored this weekend in their last home games on Sunday at Diana Marks Field.

Rise of Nine: Sophomore Mackenzie Nine, number 99, from Nine Mile Falls… Has been on a tear in recent weeks, she's become an important part of Whitworth's offensive lineup. In 47 at bats on the season, Nine is batting .362 with an OPS of .926 on 17 hits (including seven doubles). In a poor offensive showing from the team last weekend at PLU, Nine finished 5-12 with three doubles and a pair of RBIs (the Pirates only runs batted in the whole series).

The 3-run rule: Offensive production has made all the difference for the Pirates this season, they average 3.6 runs per game this season, but whether they score above or below that average has been a big factor in wins and losses. When Whitworth scores four or more runs this season, they're 13-7, but when they manage just three or less, they are 0-15.

Streaks on the line: The Pirates' NWC tournament hopes are on the line this weekend, if they miss out it'll be the first time since 2012 (aside from the shortened 2020 season). The Pirates have racked up 12 or more conference wins in each season since 2009.

The Coach: Bob Castle took over as Whitworth's head coach in 2019 after serving as an assistant on staff from 2015-2018 where he was apart of three Northwest Conference titles. Castle earned his first winning season as head coach in 2022 with a 25-17 record, he's looking to guide Whitworth to it's eleventh straight conference tournament appearance (excluding the shortened 2020 season).