On the heels of a first-inning home run from designated hitter Brenna Walek, the St. Thomas softball team jumped out to an early lead in its third and final game of the MIAC playoffs to earn a 7-2 victory against Bethel University and claim its 11th consecutive conference championship Saturday at Macalester Stadium in St. Paul.

Walek’s three-run home run gave the Tommies (36-5, 21-1) yet another early lead in a MIAC playoff game, and they led for the rest of the game to earn the conference championship. St. Thomas never trailed throughout the conference playoffs, and will now earn an automatic bid to the NCAA playoffs as the MIAC champions.

“It’s pretty exciting. Playoffs last year was probably the highlight of the season. There’s always more energy in the playoffs and it’s really fun to play for the chance to win a national championship,” Walek said.

After Walek’s first-inning home run, the Tommies scored in the next three innings for a total of seven runs in just four innings of play. St. Thomas led 7-1 after four innings, allowing the Tommies to play with a comfortable lead, something left fielder Brooke Selisker said helps the team settle into games.

“You feel more comfortable, that’s for sure. And it gets (the other team) nervous. They get on edge and a little more uncomfortable, and it makes us feel more secure,” Selisker said.

Though Bethel (25-18, 14-8) trailed early, they battled back into the game. In the fifth inning, the Royals tallied one run, and later in the inning had the bases loaded. However, they could not capitalize on their opportunity and ended the fifth inning trailing 7-2.

Neither team would score for the rest of the game as the Tommies claimed their 11th straight MIAC championship.

“I think it means more this year because I’m a senior, but it also means a lot because our team’s really close,” Selisker said. “For me, this is the closest our team’s ever been, and because everyone is working and contributing to this championship, it means that much more.”

As conference champions, St. Thomas earns an automatic bid to the NCAA regional tournament, where it will play for a chance to advance to the Division-III Women’s College World Series.

“There are about 25 teams that are in a position to win a national title. That’s the nice thing about Division-III, there’s a little more parity, so if you’re in the top 25 you have a shot,” coach John Tschida said. “Now you just have to keep knocking on the door before you eventually get there, and we’ve been (to the world series) I don’t know how many times, but it’s just about timing. You need your big stars to be stars at the right time.”

St. Thomas has the means to compete for a national title, it just needs to utilize the talent on its roster, Selisker said.

“It’s the mental game. We have the physical ability, we have so much talent on this team,” Selisker said. “Hard work comes with any team. Every team works hard, but it’s winning that mental game and knowing that we can beat this team or that team … that definitely makes us more successful.”

The Tommies will find out their regional tournament fate at 9 a.m. Monday in the online selection show on NCAA.com.

Jacob Sevening can be reached at seve8586@stthomas.edu.