Senior shortstop Whitney Wendel leads the Lions with four home runs, 56 total bases, and a .622 slugging percentage this season. (Photo courtesy Lindenwood Athletics)

by Cedric Williams
Senior Editor

As it heads into the final weekend of the 2021 spring regular season, the Lindenwood University women’s softball team finds itself just one game away from clinching a spot into the Great Lakes Valley Conference postseason.

The Lions, who have a 22-10-1 overall record this season, are currently in a three-way tie for fourth place in the league standings with a 15-9 conference record. To qualify for the GLVC Tournament, Lindenwood needs to have one of the top eight records in the conference.

Lindenwood is in a pretty good spot, with just nine league losses. The teams at the bottom of the standings that have the best shot at possibly catching the Lions, all have 12 or 13 losses. That means at least two of those teams would have to win all of their remaining four games and have Lindenwood lose all of its remaining games to pass by the Lions and take their spot.

The Lions will play a doubleheader against one of those teams, the University of Southern Indiana, this Saturday in Evansville. If Lindenwood can win just one of those games, it would assure itself a spot in the GLVC Tournament.

And even if they were to lose both games that day, the Lions would still have two more games on Sunday, of which they’d still only need to win one. Or they could make the postseason if Southern Indiana, Missouri-St. Louis, or Illinois-Springfield lost any of its games this weekend.

The easiest way to qualify is to simply win at least one game themselves this weekend. And that’s what Lindenwood will look to do.

Should the Lions make the GLVC Tournament, they will begin play Thursday, May 13, in East Peoria.