Softball Gets First Crack At Conference Slate As Teams Start MAC Play Today
Weekend Matchups
Central Michigan at Kent State
Northern Illinois at Bowling Green
Ball State at Miami
Eastern Michigan at Akron
Western Michigan at Ohio
Toledo at Buffalo (Being played in Toledo)
Central Michigan (13-12) at Kent State (17-7)
Live Stats
(Preview courtesy of Kent State Athletic Communications)
Kent State (17-7) will play its first home games of the 2016 season at the Diamond at Dix and hosts Central Michigan for a three-game series this weekend to kickoff the Mid-American Conference schedule. The Golden Flashes and Chippewas are scheduled to play at 2 p.m. on Friday and return to action Saturday with a doubleheader at 1 p.m.
Flashes Among Nation's Best
Kent State's terrific play early in the season has been recognized nationally. The Flashes received one point in this week'sUSA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Coaches Poll. A week ago, the Flashes received one point in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 poll.
Additionally, Kent State came in at No. 49 in the first set of RPI rankings released by the NCAA on Monday. The Flashes' losses have been to the Nos. 4 (twice), 18, 34, 52, 54 and 120 teams.
Home Run Queen
Junior Maddy Grimm became Kent State's all-time home run leader earlier this season after hitting four round-trippers at the Red & Black Classic to increase her career total to 38. The record-setting blast came against North Dakota State on February 28. Grimm has added two more home runs since and currently has 39 for her career.
Ace in the Hole
Junior Ronnie Ladines (11-1) has been outstanding in replacing 2015 MAC Pitcher of the Year Emma Johnson as the team's ace. Ladines is tied for the MAC lead with 11 victories and has gone the distance in 11 of 12 starts. In 78 innings, she has 74 strikeouts and a 2.60 ERA. Opposing teams are hitting just .219 against Ladines. Fellow junior Janel Hayes has proven capable of having a much bigger role on the pitching staff than in previous seasons and owns a 5-6 record with a 2.94 ERA. Hayes has 34 strikeouts in 64.1 innings and has thrown five complete games.
Scouting Central Michigan (13-12, 0-0 MAC)
• Central Michigan is on a three-game winning streak after sweeping Valparaiso on Tuesday and defeating Winthrop in the final game of the USF Under Armour Showcase on March 13.
• The Chippewas are 1-4 against common opponents. They split a pair of games with Florida Gulf Coast (1, 3-2; L, 1-2) and suffered losses to #11 Washington (0-23 in 5 innings), USF (2-3) and USC Upstate (0-1 in 8 innings).
• CMU earned an impressive 4-1 victory over #9 Arizona behind a stellar pitching performance from Rachael Knapp on February 20. Knapp fanned 12 batters and allowed one unearned run on four hits. Sara Hansen, Maison Kalina and Sydney Heath each collected two hits off the Wildcats' pitching staff.
• As a team Central Michigan has a 3.26 ERA while opponents are hitting .262.
• Rachael Knapp, an All-MAC Second Team selection last season, is the ace of the staff with a 7-5 record and a 2.26 ERA. Knapp ranks 11th in the country in strikeouts per 7 innings (10.1) and 12th in strikeouts (116) while walking only 27 batters in 80.2 innings.
• Hanna Warren has a 4-5 record and 3.96 ERA in the circle for CMU. Opposing batters are hitting .296 off Warren, who has thrown 53 innings. She has just 26 strikeouts and 24 walks on the season
• Reigning MAC Player of the Year Katelyn Rentschler leads the team with six home runs and 21 RBIs. Rentschler has a .342 batting average and is slugging .592.
• Lacy Tolfree sets the table for the lineup and is the team leader with a .370 batting average, 14 runs scored m .493 on-base percentage and 8 stolen bases.
Series History
• Central Michigan leads the all-time series 48-38.
• Last season, the teams split two regular season games played in Mount Pleasant. The Flashes won the first game 7-0, as Emma Johnson threw a one-hitter and Shelbi Tilton drove in three runs on 3-for-4 batting. The Chippewas took the second game, 4-0.
• The teams met in the second round of the MAC Tournament with CMU coming away with a 1-0 victory in the rubber match.
Northern Illinois (19-7) at Bowling Green (12-15)
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(Preview courtesy of NIU Athletic Communications)
DEKALB, Ill. - The Northern Illinois University softball team travels to Bowling Green, Ohio for its Mid-American Conference series opener against East Division foe, Bowling Green Friday.
NIU (19-7, 0-0) and Bowling Green (12-15, 0-0) will face off three times this weekend, thanks to the scheduling change the MAC implemented this season. All MAC teams will face eight conference opponents, all five division foes and three crossovers, three times. Following Friday's single game (2 p.m. CT; ESPN3), the pair will play a doubleheader on Saturday (12 p.m. & 2 p.m. CT).
"We're pretty excited about opening up conference play," said NIU head coachChristina Sutcliffe. "We obviously played well over our spring break trip. We got rolling on all three facets of our game at times. We just want to carry that into conference play."
Led by reigning MAC West Player of the Week Emily Naegele (Oak Forest, Ill./Oak Forest), NIU enters Friday's contest looking to extend its season-long winning streak to 12. The Huskies have won their last 11 games, including a five-game sweep at the Blue/Gold Challenge.
Naegele is batting .452 with 10 home runs and 32 RBIs and is part of a potent Huskie line up. Kali Kossakowski(Elgin, Ill./St. Edward) is right behind her with a .408 batting average and 32 runs scored as NIU's leadoff hitter. Junior Kayti Grable (Santee, Calif./Santana) is batting .393 with 23 runs driven in from the three hole. As a team, the Huskies are batting .308 through the first 26 games of the season.
"There isn't pressure on one or two players," Sutcliffe said. "Because we're able to contribute, 1-9, we're all able to relax in the box and not have to carry load of doing it themselves. It frees everybody up to contribute.
"There's games where it's the top of the line up. There's games where it's the middle of the line up. There's games where it's the bottom of our line up. They're just figuring out how to put the ball in play and make things happen."
While the Huskie offense has put up big numbers, the NIU pitching staff has kept their numbers down of late. During the 11-game winning streak, NIU pitchers have allowed two or less runs in seven games, including three shutouts.
Freshman Alex Frenz (Oakville, Mo./Oakville) has been the workhorse of the staff, logging 64 innings pitched with a 3.61 ERA. She's 7-2 on the season with a team-high 48 strikeouts. Keegan Hayes (Naperville, Ill./Naperville Central) is a team best, 5-1 with a 2.79 ERA in 10 appearances.
"It makes it tough to prepare because you don't know who you're going to face," she said. "Our four pitchers are completely different, which makes it really hard to prepare for what you're going to face. I think that helps us from becoming to static on the mound. If one pitcher starts to get hit, we have more arms on the bench and we're not afraid to use them."
In addition to Frenz and Hayes, Tara Thacker and Emma Ray have contributed solid innings of work. Thacker is 5-4 with a 4.65 ERA in 43.2 innings pitched and 15 appearances, while Ray is 2-0 with a 1.77 ERA having toed the rubber in eight games.
The Falcons enter Friday's contest looking to snap a five-game losing streak. The two teams have split the last four meetings. NIU swept Bowling Green in 2013 at Mary M. Bell Field.
Ball State (14-15) at Miami (14-11)
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(Preview courtesy of Miami Athletic Communications)
Oxford, Ohio – The Miami University softball team is ready to begin Mid-American Conference play when it hosts Ball State for a three-game weekend series. The RedHawks and Cardinals will play a single game on Friday at 3 p.m. and a doubleheader Saturday starting at 1 p.m. All games will air on Miami College Sports Live for those who have a subscription.
Prior to taking on Ball State, head coach Clarisa Crowell sat down with MiamiRedHawks.com to preview the series as well as assess the team’s performance so far throughout the non-conference season. The entire video can be seen above.
Opponent Preview
ABOUT BALL STATE: The Cardinals are 14-15 on the season. They were able to get two games in last weekend at the rainy Maryland tournament, defeating Massachusetts and Boston University. They fell in a midweek game to Butler, 9-1, on Wednesday. Ball State is led offensively by senior second baseman Emily Dabkowski. She is hitting .341 with seven home runs and 30 RBIs. Its top pitcher is senior Nicole Steinbach. She is 11-5 with a 3.12 ERA in 20 appearances (15 starts).
SERIES WITH BALL STATE: Ball State holds a 54-42 lead in the all-time series with Miami. The Cardinals won two out of the three meetings between the teams last season. They split a two-game series in Oxford last season. The RedHawks won a 1-0 pitchers’ duel on May 2, 2015. Ball State came back to win a 7-6 decision the next day. The teams met again the MAC Tournament on May 7, 2015 with the Cardinals earning an 8-5 victory.
(Preview courtesy of Ball State Athletic Communications)
- MIAMI: Ball State holds a 54-43 lead in the all-time series versus the RedHawks, including wins in two of the three meetings last season ... Miami hosted the Cardinals for a pair of regular season games in 2015, winning the first meeting 1-0 (May 2), before Ball State rebounded to take the regular season finale 7-6 (May 3) ... The teams met once again in the MAC Tournament, with the Cardinals scoring an 8-5 victory on their way to the event title ... Ball State is 24-18 all-time in games played in Oxford, Ohio, including wins in six of the last seven contests.
BALL STATE SOFTBALL STORY LINES
? The Cardinals look to wrap up one of the longest road swings in program history when it plays at Butler and at Miami this week ... If the team gets all four games in, it will have played its first 32 games of the year on the road, which is the longest stretch of road games in program history ... Entering this season, the longest previous stretch of road games to open a season was 31 in 2012.
? With Mother Nature forcing the cancellation of a pair of games at the Maryland Invitational, Friday’s 2-0 victory over UMass marked the halfway point of the 2016 schedule ... The Cardinals currently have 54 games on the regular season docket.
? The Cardinals have played one of the toughest schedules in the MAC this season, with 13 of its 28 games coming against teams ranked in the top 100 in the first NCAA Division I Softball RPI rankings ... Kent State, Ohio and Toledo are next on the list, facing 10 top 100 opponents each ... In addition, seven of Ball State’s 14 losses have come to teams ranked inside the top 25 of either the USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Coaches Poll or the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 Poll.
? Over the past seven seasons, Ball State has proven to be the MAC’s premier program by compiling a 109-31 (.779) league record ... Kent State is second on the list during the same time frame with a 95-48 (.664) record, while this weekend’s opponent Miami is third at 90-60 (.600) ... In addition, Ball State has claimed five (2009, 2010, 2012, 2013 & 2014) of the last seven MAC Regular Season titles, the first five in program history, and won the 2010 and 2015 MAC Tournament Championships to earn a pair of NCAA Regional berths.
? Ball State is proving the old adage “the early bird gets the worm” right so far this season, boasting a perfect 8-0 record in games started at or before 11 a.m. ... The Cardinals own morning wins over UAB (10a), Iowa State (10a), Western Carolina (10:30a), Valparaiso (10:30a), Stony Brook (11a), Murray State (9a), Jacksonville (9a) and Boston (10:35a) ... The Cardinals are out-scoring opponents 61-to-21 in morning games, and boast a .349 batting average in the contests, including five batters at .400-or-better ... Senior Nicole Steinbach is 6-0 in the circle in such games, boasting a 2.55 ERA and .286 opponents batting average.
? Senior pitcher Nicole Steinbach enters the week ranked fourth in program history with 59 career pitching victories ... She earned her 50th career win when she guided the Cardinals to a 3-2 win over UAB (Feb. 14) to close play in the Sand Dollar Classic ... Steinbach is just the fourth player in program history to record 50-or-more wins as a pitcher for the Cardinals ... Third on Ball State’s career wins list is Cheri Ball (1995-98) at 62.
? Senior Emily Dabkowski has started the last 139 games for the Cardinals ... Dabkowski started all 111 games over the 2014 and 2015 seasons at second base ... This season, she has started the first 28 games at shortstop, a position she looks to play the entire season.
? A 2015 First Team All-MAC selection, Emily Dabkowski is Ball State’s active career home run leader and ranks fourth in program history with 29 career blasts ... She is also sixth in program history with a .614 career slugging percentage, while her 127 runs scored are tied for seventh and her 128 RBI are eighth ... In addition, she currently holds the 12th-best career batting average in program history at .330.
? In her first season as a starter for the Cardinals, Rachel Houck has been Ball State’s most consistent batter, ranking first on the team, sixth in the MAC and 150th nationally with a .400 batting average ... In addition, Houck has been directly responsible for the winning run in five of Ball State’s 14 victories.
? Rachel Houck enters the week ranked first in the MAC with 34 hits, including a league-high nine doubles ... She is also tied for 11th in the MAC with four home runs and is tied for 10th with one triple, giving her 14 extra base hits this season ... Only two players in the MAC have more extra base hits than Houck this season; NIU’s Emily Naegele (20 - 8 2B, 2 3B, 10 HR) and teammate Emily Dabkowski (17 - 7 2B, 3 3B, 7 HR).
? Freshman Madison Lee made the most of her first career at bat versus No. 25 South Alabama (Feb. 13), splitting the outfielders in left-center field for a pinch hit double ... Since then, Lee has started the last 24 games as either the designated player or at catcher ... In her first at bat versus No. 24 Texas (Feb. 19), Lee blasted her first career home run in the top of the second to tie the game at 1-1 at the time ... Overall, Lee ranks second on team with a .387 (24-for-62) batting average and has drawn a MAC-leading 16 walks for a team-best .513 on-base percentage ... In the win over Valpo (Feb. 28), Lee drove in her first career game-winning RBI with a two-run double to left field.
? Madison Lee enters the week having reached base safely in each of the last 13 games, which is the longest streak for a Ball State player this season ... She has had three, three game hitting streaks during the span, while reaching base via the walk in the four other games.
? Since moving to the top of the lineup for the final game at Jacksonville (March 13), senior right fielder Selena Reyna has paced the Ball State offense with a .455 (5-for-11) batting average ... She is currently riding a team-high six game hitting streak and has scored two runs ... Reyna led off the final 48 games of the 2015 season, posting a .339 batting average with 13 doubles, nine home runs and a pair of triples in those games ... Her biggest leadoff hit came in the NCAA Regional opener versus No. 21 Notre Dame, when she opened the game with a home run to help guide the Cardinals to the first NCAA Regional victory in program history.
Eastern Michigan (9-15) at Akron (14-13)
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(Preview courtesy of Akron Athletic Communications)
Scouting Eastern Michigan
Eastern Michigan currently holds a 9-14 overall record through 23 games in the 2016 campaign. The Eagles are set for a lone game against Notre Dame before the opening weekend of Mid-American Conference play against the Zips.
Recording a team-best .404 average and team-high 23 hits for Eastern Michigan is Abi Clark. She has tallied five doubles and two home runs while driving in nine runs. Michelle Kriegshauser owns a team-best 16 RBI on 22 hits and has also scored 10 runs.
In the circle for the Eagles, Nicolle Miranda has posted a team-best four wins and is 4-8 overall. In 69.2 innings of work, Miranda has surrendered 65 runs on 75 hits and holds a 5.02 ERA while opposing hitters have recorded a .260 batting average off of her.
The Zips and Eagles go head-to-head for the 47th time in program history this weekend. Akron holds the all-time series advantage with a 29-18 record. At home, the Zips also have seen success over EMU with a 13-8 all-time record on their home diamond.
Seiler Tracker
Through 25 games of the 2016 season, Seiler has set career program records. The Zips pitcher is now the program leader in career wins (71), appearances (140), complete games (96), and innings pitched (818).
2016 Season Honors
Erin Seiler won Pitcher of the Week for two straight weeks by the Mid-American Conference (March 1 & 9) and recently the MAC Player of the Week by College Sports Madness on March 15. Savanna Fruin also won the College Sport Madness Player of the Week earlier this month. (March 1).
(Preview courtesy of Eastern Michigan Athletic Communications)
AKRON, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University softball team travels to Akron, Ohio this weekend, March 25-26, to lift the lid on the Mid-American Conference portion of the 2016 slate. The Eagles will play a three-game series against the Zips of the University of Akron beginning Friday, March 25, with a single game. First pitch for Friday's clash is set for 3 p.m. while Saturday's doubleheader will begin at 1 p.m. at Lee R. Jackson Softball Field.
KEYS TO VICTORY: Through the first 23 games on the season, several things have proven to be indicators of Eastern Michigan's success. The Green and White hold a 6-2 record when scoring in the first inning and sit at 8-1 on the year when outhitting its opponent. Additionally, the Eagles are 5-0 when leading after six innings and 6-2 when scoring six or more runs.
THE MARCH TO MAY: Friday marks the start of the Eagles' fight to return to the Mid-American Conference Tournament for the first time since 2011. The Green and White last won the tournament in 2007, earning the program's first and only NCAA Tournament appearance.
EMU IN MAC PLAY: Eastern Michigan owns a 369-476-2 all-time record against the Mid-American Conference. The Eagles have been the most successful against Ohio, Miami, and Toledo. The Green and White lead the series with the Rockets, 56-47, while holding 50-34 and 44-39 edges in series with Ohio and Miami, respectively. Meanwhile, EMU trails in the all-time series with Akron (18-29), Ball State (35-59), Bowling Green (38-53), Kent State (31-47), Northern Illinois (25-35), and Western Michigan (42-63-1).
TALE OF THE TAPE: This weekend's trip to Akron, Ohio will mark the 47th time the Eagles and Zips have met on the diamond. Akron holds a 29-18 lead in the all-time series, while Eastern Michigan came away on top in the last meeting. In the lone game between the two squads last season, a Brandice Olmos homer in the top of the seventh lifted the Eagles to a 4-3 victory. The home run marked the first of Olmos' while Alyssa Huntley picked up the win in the circle.
LEDGER IN LID LIFTERS: The Eagles all-time record in conference openers sits at 16-18 since joining the Mid-American Conference in 1982. When the Green and White take on Akron Friday, March 25, it will be looking to win its conference opener for the first time under Head Coach Melissa Gentile. The last time EMU emerged victorious in its MAC lid lifter was in 2013 when the Eagles topped Central Michigan, 8-4, at Varsity Field. Meanwhile, Eastern Michigan's last conference opening win on the road came versus the Buffalo during the 2012 campaign.
GETTING TO KNOW THE ZIPS: Sitting one game above .500, the Zips enter Mid-American Conference season with a 14-13 overall record following a split with Youngstown State. An up and down start to the season has seen Akron start the year 2-9 before going on to win 11 of its next 12 games and finally dropping three of the past four contests.
Akron's roster is home to the conference's best pitching staff entering league play. The Zips hurlers have combined for a league-leading 1.97 earned run average, the only sub-2.00 era in the MAC. Additionally, UA has fanned 134 batters while walking 56 over 167.1 innings. Erin Seiler and Kelly Hysong have provided the Zips with a one-two punch in the circle as the duo has combined for a 14-8 record. Seiler owns the MAC's best era (1.04) and has shouldered a brunt of the innings for Akron this season. Averaging 7.13 strikeouts per game, Seiler has tossed 14 complete games while allowing 34 runs on 82 hits over 108.0 innings of work.
Offensively, the Zips are hitting at a .262 clip. Carley Childress has paced Akron's effort at the plate, carrying a team-best .333 batting average while also leading the team in RBIs (12). Savannah Fruin is not far behind, owning a .310 batting average as the Zips' top scoring threat. Fruin has crossed the plate a team-leading 19 times this season and has the speed to cause havoc on the base paths. With 13 stolen bases, Fruin also has eight extra-base hits on the season, including a team-best four home runs.
THAT'S A PERFECT 10!: Over the past 10 games, junior Michelle Kriegshauser has seen her batting average rise from .273 to .338. With 11 hits in 24 at bats, Kriegshauser has recorded three doubles and a homerun over the stretch to go along with five RBIs and six runs scored. With a single in the fourth inning of EMU's game versus Notre Dame, Kriegshauser extended her on-base streak to 10 consecutive games, the longest of any Eagle this season.
LATE INNING BREAKDOWN: Late innings have proven to be a thorn in the side of the Green and White this season. While the Eagles have outscored opponents 51-36 in innings two and three, EMU has been outscored 88-34 in the final four frames through the first 24 games.
FINDING HER STRIDE: Freshman Olivia Logan appears to have found her stride at the plate, as the Riverview, Mich. product is now hitting .283 on the season. Just 10 games ago, Logan's batting average sat a hair above .200. Since EMU's final game in Clearwater, Fla., Logan has registered four two-baggers and driven in four on nine hits, all while compiling a .393 batting average since leaving the Sunshine State. The freshman first baseman registered her fourth multi-hit game of the season versus UConn, March 19, going 3-for-3 at the plate with an RBI.
LAST TIME OUT: Five errors downed the Eagles in a 10-2 run-rule loss to No. 19 Notre Dame, March 22, at Melissa Cook Stadium. The Green and White gave up four runs in the opening frame before pulling within two in the fourth at which point, miscues allowed the Fighting Irish to distance themselves and come away with a 10-2 win over EMU.
STACKING UP IN THE MAC: In the latest run of the Mid-American Conference statistics, the Eagles find themselves ranked among the league's elite. In fact three EMU student-athletes sit inside the top-25 in batting average with Abi Clark coming in at sixth, hitting at a .404 clip.Michelle Kriegshauser ranks 21st with a .338 average while Haley Hostetler sits 25th. Clark also ranks 15th in slugging percentage (.596) and 10th in on-base percentage (.462) to pace EMU's offense.
Western Michigan (9-13) at Ohio (17-8)
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(Preview courtesy of Ohio Athletic Communications)
ATHENS, Ohio - The Ohio softball team (17-8) kicks-off Mid-American Conference play at home this weekend. The Bobcats will battle with Western Michigan on Friday, March 25 at 4 p.m. and face the Broncos again on Saturday, March 26 at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. inside the Ohio Softball Field.
LAST TIME OUT FOR THE BOBCATS
The Bobcats are coming off of a split match with Marshall on Tuesday (March 22). Ohio fell to The Thundering Herd 8-0 in game one and bounced back to defeat Marshall 7-0 in game two.
Sophomore Mikayla Cooper (Delaware, Ohio). led Ohio offensively driving in two runs and four RBI in four at-bats.
Junior Savannah Jo Dorsey (Grove City, Ohio) shutout seven innings for the Bobcats and allowed no runs on five hits, walking one and striking out seven.
THE SEASON AS A WHOLE
Ohio currently holds a 17-8 record going into MAC play.
The Bobcats have suffered tough losses to competitive teams such as South Carolina and Virginia Tech.
Leading the way for Ohio is Mikayla Cooper (Delaware, Ohio). Cooper holds a .446 batting average in 74 at-bats. Cooper leads the team in hits with 33 and has recorded five homeruns on the season. Cooper also maintains a .730 slugging percentage to the Ohio.
Taylor Saxton (Circleville, Ohio) is next in line with a .405 batting average while earning 32 hits on the season.
In the circle for Ohio, Savannah Jo Dorsey has a 1.88 earned run average while also holding on to an 11-5 win-loss record as well as 145 strikeouts.
MAC STANDINGS
Ohio currently sits in the second slot behind Kent State in the MAC East. The Bobcats also have a .289-team batting average along with a 2.35-team earned run average. Both are batting and earned run averages hold the second spot in the conference.
Dorsey’s 2.02 era and 11-5 record mark as the second-best pitching in the MAC. The junior holds the first spot in strikeouts with her 145 in 97 innings pitched.
Cooper represents Ohio in the MAC while she maintains the eighth-highest batting average in the conference. Cooper also finds herself in conference’s top five in hits with her 33.
Saxton and Deanna Cole rank second and third respectively in stolen bases. Saxton is 14-for-16 and Cole is 14-for-15.
SCOUTING WESTERN MICHIGAN
The Broncos currently hold a 9-13 record this season with notable wins over Alabama A&M, Villanova and Cornell. WMU most recently suffered a 0-8 shutout loss to Michigan while on the road.
WMUs Erin Binkowski holds on to a .383 batting average with 60 at-bats while also registering 18 RBIs. In the circle for the Broncos, Allyson Kus is 6-7 with a 2.54 ERA and 51 strikeouts in her 12 starts.
LAST TIME AGAINST WMU
The last time the Bobcats and Broncos battled in the regular season Lauren McClary led Ohio in the circle to sweep Western Michigan on the road.
In game one, Ohio trailed WMU 4-0 in the bottom of the first but the Bobcats rallied in the top of the fourth and cut the Bronco’s lead to 7-3. Ohio would continue to rally and tie the game at 8-8 before the Bobcats would score one last run to take the game 9-8.
In the second round of the doubleheader, Ohio scored first and WMU would tie the game up at 2-2 but the Bobcats came out on top, securing a 3-2 victory over the Broncos.
(Preview courtesy of Western Michigan Athletic Communications)
THE SEASON THUS FAR
Western Michigan has a 9-12 record over the first 21 games this season. The team last competed in Florida, playing 12 games over Spring Break at the USF Under Armour Invitational, March 4-13. WMU began the trip with three straight wins and finished with a 6-6 record. As a team, the Broncos are batting .278 and have a 3.46 ERA.
SCOUTING THE BOBCATS
Western Michigan suffered a pair of one-run losses at home to Ohio last year in the regular season before defeating the Bobcats 10-2 in an elimination game during the MAC Tournament. Ohio is off to a 16-7 record this season and will play two games against Marshall on March 22 before hosting the Broncos. The team is batting .296, led by Mikayla Cooper's .496 average. Three players compose the pitching staff, which has a 2.35 ERA. Savannah Jo Dorsey has a 10-5 record with a 2.02 ERA and 138 strikeouts in 90 innings pitched.
WMU SWEEPS MAC WEEKLY AWARDS
Coming off the trip to Florida, Western Michigan swept the weekly MAC awards on March 15. Senior Allyson Kus was named MAC Pitcher of the Week and junior designated player Erin Binkowski was named Player of the Week. Kus posted two wins and had a 1.00 ERA over four complete-game outings on the week. She chalked up 21 strikeouts over 28 innings and hurled one shutout.
Binkowski batted .458 with three home runs and seven RBIs over the seven-game stretch. She collected 11 hits total, and at least one in each of the last six games. With her performance, Binkowski raised her overall season batting average from .353 to .397.
GOING, GOING, GONE
Erin Binkowski leads the Mid-American Conference with eight home runs this season, which matches her total from all of 2015. She is two home runs shy of tying the single-season home run record (10), set by Lexi Jager in 2009. Jager also holds the career home run record at WMU with 25. Binkowksi currently has 16 career long balls, tying her for fourth in school history. Senior shortstop Sabrina Gamboa has two home runs this season and 17 for her career, ranking her third. As a team, seven different players have combined to hit 18 home runs for Western Michigan this season.
IN THE CIRCLE
Four different pitchers have toed the rubber this season for Western Michigan - senior Allyson Kus, junior Erin Binkowski, sophomore Anissa Sanchez and freshman Jordan Kurth. Kus leads the staff with a 6-6 record and a 2.07 ERA, which ranks second best in the MAC. She has struck out 51 over 67.2 innings pitched, both team highs. Kurth has a 2-3 record with a 3.08 ERA and has tallied 37 strikeouts in 38.2 innings pitched.
THE .300 CLUB
Three players are batting over .300 for Western Michigan. Junior Erin Binkowski has a .397 average and a .862 slugging percentage to go along with 18 RBIs, eight home runs and three doubles. Junior third baseman Kelsea Cichocki is hitting .338 with six doubles and six RBIs. Sophomore center fielder Aspen Williams is batting .315 with a triple and three RBIs.
Toledo (5-20) at Buffalo (6-19)
Live Stats
(Preview courtesy of Toledo Athletic Communications)
TOLEDO, OH – The Toledo softball team will open its Mid-American Conference schedule this weekend when it travels to Buffalo, NY on March 25-26. The Rockets will first battle the Bulls on Friday at 3:00 p.m. on Nan Harvey Field. UT will return the next day for a doubleheader with the first game scheduled to begin at 1:00 p.m.
ROCKET LEADERS
Senior OF Jessica Lemieux has been Toledo's top offensive threat this season. The Banks, OR native holds a .377 batting average and 26 hits through UT's 25 games. Lemieux has scored a team-high 14 runs and recorded 40 total bases. The senior leads the team in slugging percentage (.580), doubles (6), stolen bases (14) and walks (9).
Junior 2B Chandler Rice has tallied a team-high 10 RBI, while also recording 10 hits, four doubles and a pair of homeruns.
In the circle, senior Marla Gooding leads the Rockets with a 4.42 ERA and 35 strikeouts in 82.1 innings pitched. Gooding made 18 appearances on the mound during the non-conference stretch, hurling for nine complete games and winning five.
BUFFALO BULLS BREAKDOWN
Buffalo is coming off of a pair of wins at Savannah State that broke a 13-game losing streak. The Bulls enter conference season with a 6-19 overall record for sixth-place in the MAC East.
Freshman Katie Weimer is leading the Bulls' offense with a .370 batting average after going 30-for-81 through their first 25 games. Weimer has recorded 15 runs, four doubles, three triples, and six home runs. Junior Savanna Norcio has a team-high .409 batting average after going 27-for-66 with seven doubles and two homers.
Sophomore P Charlotte Miller leads Buffalo's pitching staff with a 4.62 ERA and 19 strikeouts after 33.1 innings pitched.
TOLEDO VS. BUFFALO
The Bulls lead the series with the Rockets, 11-8. Last season, Toledo split its doubleheader against Buffalo, losing game one, 2-1, but bouncing back in the second game with a 4-3 eight-inning victory. It was the Rockets' fifth-consecutive conference series split with the Bulls.
ROCKETS IN MAC STANDINGS
Jessica Lemieux leads the conference in stolen bases (14) and steal attempts (16). The senior is tied for sixth in doubles (6), 11th in on-base percentage (.456), 12th in hits (26), and 14th in batting average (.377) and total bases (40).
Megan Choate is tied for sixth in fielding double plays (5) and tied for tenth in assists (42).
Marla Gooding is fourth in the MAC in innings pitched (82.1), tied for third in appearances (18), tied for 11th in wins (5) and fourteenth in batters struck out (35).
