SHAWNEE — Kristi Bredbenner couldn’t help but be fidgety in the post-game interview.
She knew how this worked. Win the conference championship, then...
“I know what you’re doing, Jessie,” the ESU coach said, watching as her outfielder, Jessie Wiard, tried to reposition the Gatorade cooler a little bit closer.
The coach finally surrendered. After her team’s 4-0 victory over Missouri Western in the MIAA championship game Saturday, it was time for a little fun.
At least for her players.
Bredbenner received a celebratory water-cooler drenching courtesy of the Hornets, as she tried to duck under the water but was only about half successful.
It still felt nice for the coach — especially after ESU played its most consistent softball of the season in sweeping the four-game conference tournament and taking the title for the fourth consecutive year.
“We kind of got into a flow this weekend, especially in hitting,” Bredbenner said. “We did everything right today.”
It all started in the championship game with starter Samantha Sheeley, who had lost on Wednesday to the same Missouri Western team, 4-1.
“I wanted to redeem myself,” Sheeley said, “and show them what I could really do.”
Sheeley did that and more on Saturday, tossing a two-hit shutout while striking out eight.
The junior said she felt more comfortable after creating a change with her teammates. During the tournament, Sheeley finally convinced her team to start some cheers from the dugout — a part of softball she had become accustomed to growing up in Iowa.
“I’ve always been one to lead cheers, and this team was kind of iffy about that,” Sheeley said. “I knew that would help us stay up in the dugout. We all did them together and even made our own. It makes it that much more fun.”
Leadoff hitter Chelsea McClernon also helped the ESU enthusiasm early on, banging a home run of the scoreboard in left to give ESU a 1-0 lead after its first at-bat.
Jennifer Dace provided more fireworks in the seventh, homering to center to build the Hornets’ lead to 4-0.
It would be more than enough for Sheeley, who walked none and dropped her earned-run average to 1.87.
Megan Davison helped ESU advance to the championship game and made some history of her own earlier Saturday in the Hornets’ 6-1 victory over Western.
The senior — needing just one home run to tie the MIAA home run record of 51 set by Truman’s Elizabeth Economon — didn’t waste any time.
With a 3-2 count and two outs in the first, she lifted a towering shot to left-center, watching as it sailed over the fence for a 2-0 ESU lead.
Davison raised a single index finger while rounding first, sprinting all the way around the basepaths before being mobbed at home by her teammates.
“It was nice to get one out,” Davison said, “and not be one short.”
Campbell, Morgan Viola and Courtney Stevens all provided singles in a four-run sixth, and starter Courtney Reed was once again dominant, striking out 11 and allowing just a single run in her complete-game effort.
The senior improved her career mark to 6-0 in MIAA Tournament games.
Campbell led ESU with four hits in the two games, while Davison, Viola and Stevens all added three.
The Hornets (45-10) will travel to Mankato, Minn., for their Regional beginning Thursday. The seedings will be released today, with ESU most likely earning the No. 2 seed behind Mankato.
The six Hornet seniors finished with a combined 16-0 record in conference tournament play.
“It’s really nice to get four trophies in four years,” Davison said. “It lets us know we really left our mark on this program.”
MIAA Tournament
Championship Game
Saturday at Shawnee
ESU 4, MWSU 0
Emporia State 200 010 1 — 4 12 0
Mo. Western 000 000 0 — 0 2 2
W — Sheeley. L — Warneke.
E — MWSU: Nocita; Pivovar. LOB — Hornets 11; Griffons 2. 2B — MWSU: Pivovar. HR — ESU: McClernon; Dace. SH — ESU: Huddleston; Dace; Pfautsch. SB — ESU: McClernon; Viola; Pfautsch.
Game One
ESU 6, MWSU 1
Emporia State 200 004 0 — 6 7 0
Mo. Western 000 001 0 — 1 2 2
W — Reed. L — Predovich.
E — MWSU: Nocita; Pivovar. LOB — Hornets 6; Griffons 1. HR — ESU: Davison; MWSU: Christensen. HBP — ESU: Huddleston 2; Davison. SH — ESU: Wiard. SB — ESU: Stevens.