The Jennies (12-8) will travel to St. Joseph, Mo. this weekend to participate in the Missouri Western Regional Crossover from Friday, March 21 through Sunday, March 23. UCM, one of 13 schools invited to the tournament, has a 4-3 record in games played at a neutral site this season.
The Jennies look to win their sixth consecutive game for the first time since March 15 of last season.
Scouting the Opponents:
Wayne State College Wildcats
Overall Record entering the weekend: 11-5
Key hitters: Kaiti Williams (.431, HR, 6 RBI's, 10 runs, 2 stolen bases in 51 at-bats), Melanie Alyea (.429, 12 RBI's, 5 doubles, 6 runs in 35 at-bats), Sam O'Brien (.313, 3 HR, 13 RBI's, 10 runs, 2 doubles, triple).
Key pitcher(s): Kelcie Bormann (1.29 ERA, 6-1 record, 54.1 IP, 55 K, 6 CGs, shutout), Sara Scheffert (3.67 ERA, 5-3 record, 47.2 IP, 27 K, 6 CGs).
Team stats: Batting average - .300, Opponents - .260
Head Coach: Krista Wood (8th season, 246-141 record)
Augustana College Vikings
Overall Record entering the weekend: 13-2
Key hitters: Mackenzie Alstott (.543, 2 RBI's, 9 runs, 2 doubles, five stolen bases in 35 at-bats), Sarah Kennedy (.314, HR, 6 RBI's, double, 10 runs in 51 at-bats).
Key pitcher(s): Jenelle Trautmann (1.89 ERA, 9-1 record, 44.1 IP, 44 K, 2 CGs, combined shutout), Carley Pickett (1.08 ERA, 2-0 record, 32.1 IP, 19 K, 2 CGs, combined shutout, 3 saves).
Team stats: Batting average - .289, Opponents - .236
Head Coach: Gretta Melsted (8th season, 264-136 record)
St. Cloud State Huskies
Overall Record entering the weekend: 4-7
Key hitters: Emma Hodges (.474, 5 RBI's, run, 2 doubles in 19 at-bats), Breana Canova (.412, HR, 9 RBI's, 4 doubles, 5 runs in 34 at-bats).
Key pitcher(s): Kelly Franks (2.13 ERA, 1-3 record, 46.0 IP, 48 K, 2 CGs), Senna Francesconi (4.67 ERA, 3-2 record, 21.0 IP, 18 K, CG).
Team stats: Batting average - .275, Opponents - .261
Head Coach: Paula U'Ren (15th season, 497-295 record)
Missouri Southern Lions
Overall Record entering the weekend: 8-16
Key hitters: Dawn Grass (.378, 4 HR, 13 RBI's, 7 runs, 5 doubles in 74 at-bats), Jessica Castoe (.303, 3 RBI's, 2 doubles, 7 runs in 33 at-bats).
Key pitcher(s): Haley Kinnison (3.71 ERA, 5-7 record, 66.0 IP, 44 K, 7 CGs, shutout).
Team stats: Batting average - .272, Opponents - .302
Head Coach: Bill Gray (6th season, 125-172-1 record)
Northern State Wolves
Overall Record entering the weekend: 4-6
Key hitters: Rachel Albright (.346, HR, 3 RBI's, 5 runs, stolen base in 26 at-bats), Eryn Yancy (.333, 4 RBI's, double in 27 at-bats).
Key pitcher(s): Kami Smesmo (2.33 ERA, 3-2 record, 30.0 IP, 14 K, 3 CGs, shutout).
Team stats: Batting average - .249, Opponents - .308
Head Coach: Kristi Villar (4th season, 61-86 record)
Concordia St. Paul Golden Bears
Overall Record entering the weekend: 3-11
Key hitters: Alicia Meiser (.324, 3 RBI's, triple, 4 runs, 5 stolen bases in 37 at-bats), Bekah Roth (.310, HR, 11 RBI's, five runs, double in 42 at-bats).
Key pitcher(s): Linzy Heim (5.07 ERA, 2-3 record, 29.0 IP, 12 K, 3 CGs).
Team stats: Batting average - .251, Opponents - .346
Head Coach: Bob Bartel (10th season, 306-196 record)
Jennies At The Missouri Western Regional Crossover
The Missouri Western Regional Crossover was cancelled last season. The Jennies went 4-1 in this tournament back in 2008.
Series History
Wayne State College: The Jennies lead the all-time series, 6-3.
Augustana College: The Jennies trail in the all-time series, 9-5. UCM won the most recent meeting, 3-2 on March 19, 2009. The Jennies have won the past two meetings overall.
St. Cloud State: The series is tied at 3-3. The Jennies won the most recent meeting, 3-2 on March 24, 2007.
Missouri Southern: The Jennies lead the all-time series, 51-37. UCM has won five of the past six games overall. The Lions have won the past six meetings at neutral sites.
Northern State: The Jennies lead the all-time series, 2-0. UCM took the most recent matchup, 10-2 on March 5, 2007.
Concordia St. Paul: The Jennies lead the all-time series, 4-1. UCM won the most recent meeting on March 21, 2008, 10-0. Overall the Jennies have won the past three meetings with the Golden Bears.
Non-Conference Games
Central Missouri has been 789-578 in non-conference games since 1972, the beginning of softball at UCM. In the 'NCAA/MIAA Era' the Jennies have compiled a 645-455 non-conference mark. Anderson has a 117-107 record in non-conference contests.
Conference Games
Central Missouri has posted a 242-139 MIAA mark since the inception of the conference in 1983. Under Anderson the Jennies are 81-47 in conference action.
Home Field Advantage
Since the 1977 season, Central Missouri is 354-157 at home. Under Anderson, the Jennies are 67-27 at home. UCM has gone undefeated in the 2007 (8-0), 1991 (13-0), 1989 (8-0), and 1979 (6-0). UCM is 3-1 in home games this season.
On the Road
Since 1977, UCM has posted a 224-206 mark on the road and a 428-318 record at neutral sites. Under Anderson the Jennies have gone 66-63 on the road and 81-77 at neutral sites. This season, the Jennies are 5-4 in road games and 4-3 in neutral site games.
Jennies Picked Seventh in MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll
The Jennies softball team is predicted to finish seventh in the 2014 MIAA preseason poll as picked by the league coaches. The Jennies received 95 total points in the poll, which was released Friday, January 31.
Central MIssouri finished the 2013 season with a 24-22 record, 14-14 in MIAA competition. The Jennies return 10 players, headlined by 2013 second-team All-MIAA infielder
Braylyn Bivens.
Central Oklahoma was a unanimous selection to repeat as regular season MIAA champions, receiving all 13 possible first-place votes. The Bronchos totaled 169 points in the preseason poll. Missouri Western received the other first-place vote, totaling 156 points to finish second. Fort Hays State (138 points), Emporia State (130) and Northeastern State (115) round out the top five.
A Tradition of Excellence in the Athletic Arena
• At the conclusion of the fall 2013 athletic season, Central Missouri has won a combined 193 MIAA regular-season conference championships in 14 league sports to lead all schools.
• During the 2012-13 school year UCM captured three MIAA regular season and one tournament championship.
• Since 1983, the tenure of Athletic Director
Jerry Hughes, UCM has won or shared 139 MIAA championships, more than any other league school.
• Central Missouri has won five national championships since 1980 (men's and women's basketball in 1984, baseball in 1994 and 2003, and women's bowling in 2003) and seven national championships overall.
A Tradition of Excellence in the Classroom
• The 550 Central Missouri student-athletes received 375 Academic Awards from the MIAA office for the 2012-13 academic year.
• 305 UCM student-athletes were named to the MIAA Academic Honor Roll with a 3.0 GPA or higher.
• 37 UCM student-athletes were named MIAA Scholar Athletes with at least a 3.5 GPA and having earned all-MIAA honors in their respective sport.
• 33 UCM student-athletes were named MIAA Academic Excellence Award winners with a 4.0 GPA.
• UCM had eight student-athletes earn Academic All-America honors in their respective sports, including Brent Vogel being named the Capital One/CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year for Men's Track & Field.
Upcoming Schedule...
The Jennies will return home for six games from March 26-29. They are slated to host Drury University for a doubleheader on March 26 at 4 p.m. and have four conference games with Northeastern State and Central Oklahoma on March 28 and March 29. The double-dip with Northeastern State is set for 4 p.m., while the twinbill with Central Oklahoma is slated for 1 p.m.
