SIOUX CITY, IOWA (KCAU) – Just five years ago, the Briar Cliff Chargers softball team had a total of five teams. But this season, BCU has recorded 30 tallies in the win column, giving the team one of the best seasons in recent memory as they have totaled at least 25 wins for the first time since 2005.

The Chargers are just one of three teams in the GPAC with at least 30 wins on the season. Plenty of Briar Cliff players have been instrumental toward the team’s success.

At the plate, sophomore Karis Gifford leads the team with a .377 batting average while she’s recorded a hit in 15 of the team’s last 16 games. Freshman Maddi Duncan has made an immediate impact in the circle, as she has recorded seven shutouts this season. Her seven shutouts puts Duncan at sixth all-time in program history.

But for Briar Cliff, they feel the recent success was earned, not given.

“We’ve worked very hard in practice and just really working on both defense and offense. We spent a lot of time on offense and have been having a lot of good team chemistry this year and it feels really good to have everybody play together as one,” Gifford said.

Up next, the Chargers have a big doubleheader as they will take on Morningside. These two teams split last season’s regular season series at Morningside. This is an important series for both teams as Morningside is in a tie for third in the conference, sitting 1.5 games ahead of Briar Cliff. A sweep for the Chargers would push Briar Cliff past Morningside in the standings.

Game One is scheduled to start at 3:00 p.m. while Game 2 is slated for 5:00 p.m. at Briar Cliff on April 27th.