Softball Ladies Division 1 Regular Season Wrap-Up: MSG Phoenix vs. Beveren Lions in the Belgian Series

For the second consecutive year, MSG Phoenix came out in front at the end of the regular season due to strong performances from Huybens Nathan, Loux Baileigh, Smith Ellie, Baufays Camille, and Radke Reagen. However, they will have to overcome the Beveren Lions, who have proven themselves time and again. The Lions, last year's champions, are no strangers to high-pressure games and will be looking to win back-to-back titles. Caleen Kaitlyn, Janssen Gitte, De Graeve Sara, and Farigliano Sophie had a great regular season, helping the Lions to secure their spot in the Belgian Series.

CLICK ON 'REGULAR SEASON' TO VIEW THE FINAL STANDINGS

Standings Softball Ladies D1 2024

• Regular season
• Belgian Series

• SLD1

#	Team		W	L	T	PCT	GB
1		MSG MSG Phoenix	31	9	0	.775	0
2		BEV Beveren Lions	28	11	0	.718	2.5
3		HOB Hoboken Pioneers	25	14	0	.641	5.5
4		MER Merchtem Cats	21	19	0	.525	10
5		ANT Antwerp Eagles	12	28	0	.300	19
6		GEN Gent Knights	2	38	0	.050	29

• Belgian Series

#	Team		W	L	T	PCT	GB
1		MSG MSG Phoenix	2	0	0	1.000	0
2		BEV Beveren Lions	0	2	0	.000	2

The 2024 regular season saw some impressive performances at bat, with Donovan Riley of Hoboken Pioneers leading the league in multiple offensive categories. Riley finished first in batting average (.619), RBIs (58), hits (65), doubles (19), triples (12), on-base percentage (.695), and slugging percentage (1.114). To summarize: Riley Donovan dominated the 2024 season.

Nathan Huybens of MSG Phoenix also had a strong season, ranking high in batting average (.481), hits (51), and RBIs (43). Ellie Smith, another key player for MSG Phoenix, hit 7 home runs and drove in 45 runs, while Maya Van Droogenbroeck of Merchtem led the league in home runs with 10.

In stolen bases, Kate Geldof of Antwerp led with 19, demonstrating her speed on the bases. Overall, the season was marked by impressive hitting. The league batting average in 2024 was .320 compared to .307 in the 2023 regular season. In total 81 homeruns were hit, 9 more than in 2023.

The 2024 regular season also saw outstanding pitching performances, with Claudia Banchelli of Hoboken and Camille Baufays of MSG Phoenix leading the league in wins (14 each), complete games (19 each), and games started (20 each). Sara De Graeve of Beveren posted the best ERA at 2.15, while Banchelli led in strikeouts with 129. Despite leading in wins, both Banchelli and Baufays also faced challenges in control, with Baufays ranking third in walks allowed (54).

These outstanding performances are setting the stage for an exciting playoff series!

Belgian Series

Photos by Franz Van Den Brande and Kevin Janssen.