Jennies Softball Heads North For NSIC Regional Crossover

• The Jennies had arguably their most successful season in 2015 with a 49-16 record and MIAA regular season and tournament wins as well as a trip to the NCAA Elite Eight
• This weekend the Jennies are in St. Cloud Minnesota for the Kelly Laas Memorial Dome Tournament. The Jennies went 2-3 last season at this Tournament, facing five teams from the Northern Sun
• Central Missouri has won three straight games after going 3-1 last weekend in Bentonville, Ark. at the Arkansas-Monticello Eight State Classic
• Freshman Emily Robinson won her first two career games as a Jennie last week. She was named this week's MIAA Pitcher of the Week
• This will be the Jennies last games played before taking a two week break. When the Jens return to the diamond, it will be the start of the conference season as UCM travels to Fort Hays and Nebraska-Kearney March 4-5

Last Time Out
BENTONVILLE, Ark. - The Jennies offense found its stroke Saturday afternoon, sweeping a pair of games against Southeastern Oklahoma State and Arkansas-Monticello. Central Missouri (5-5) took game one 10-2 in six innings and the second 6-1, getting it done both at the plate and in the circle.
Game One - Central Missouri - 10, Southeastern Oklahoma State - 2
These two teams met last week with the Savage Storm earning a 6-4 win. The tables were turned this time right from the get-go. After a one-two-three top of the first, the Jennies staked themselves out to a 4-0 lead. Alex Leonhart had the biggest hit of the inning, a bases loaded triple with one out. She came around to score on an RBI ground out from Madison Hood.
Though the Jennies never trailed in the game, things got a little dicey in the next half inning. Southeastern Oklahoma got two runs back collecting a pair of hits and taking advantage of three Jennies errors in the inning. With two runs in and the bases loaded with one out, UCM starter Emily Robinson coaxed a ground ball to get the lead runner at home, and caught a pop up to end the threat.
Ali Jo Rogers created her own run in the second, reaching on a throwing error and advancing to second. She then stole third and came around to score when the throw got by the third baseman, making it 5-2 UCM.
Allie Dishinger and Robinson knocked their first home runs of the season in the third and fourth innings to score three more runs.
With the score 9-2 UCM and the bags full, Katie Giacone ripped a triple to end the game in the sixth. By rule, once the game-ending run crosses the plate, the game is over, thus giving the Jennies a 10-2 final score.
The Jens collected 11 hits in the game, three of them coming from Dishinger. Leonhart picked up four RBI and Rogers was 1-for-4 with two runs scored and two stolen bases.
Robinson pitched all six innings for the Jennies, earning her second win of the season. She allowed six hits and two runs, both unearned, while striking out two and walking one. She also reached base four times, with two hits, including a home run, and two walks. She helped her own cause driving in two runs and scoring three more.
Game Two - Central Missouri 6, Arkansas-Monticello - 1
The Jennies used two three-run innings to pick up their second win of the day. The Jennies left two on base, but were able to break through in the third. Back-to-back singles by Austin Eickleberry and Rogers put two runners on for UCM. Mabe then opened the scoring with a double to left. Robinson followed with a double of her own to drive home Mabe and give the Jens a 3-0 lead.
The Blossoms got a run back in the fifth. Ashton Currey doubled to lead off the frame and Holly Wilmarth drove her in with a single. But that was all the Blossoms would get off starter Jordan Johnson.
Johnson upped her record to 2-1 this season, throwing all seven innings allowing just the one earned run while surrendering six hits and striking out two and walking one.
Central Missouri pushed their lead to five in the seventh. It was Mabe again with her second two-RBI double of the game. She again came around to score, this time when Giacone drove her in with a double to left.
The Blossoms got a runner on base in the bottom of the seventh, but Johnson got two fly outs to end the game, 6-1.
Mabe finished the game 2-for-4 with four RBI and two runs scored. Emily King went 3-for-4 and Eickleberry and Robinson picked up two hits apiece.

Quick Hits
Anderson vs. the Northern Sun
• Jennies coach Susan Anderson is 23-13 all-time against the Northern Sun as Coach of the Jennies. She is also 14-9 against these five teams.

Jennies at a Neutral Site
•    Last season the Jennies played 27 of their 65 games on a neutral field, compiling a 17-10 record, including going 5-1 at the MIAA Tournament. This season they've started 5-5 on neutral sites and are 110-97 in Coach Anderson's history.

Stealing the Show
•    Central Missouri has been off and running since the first game this season. They lead the MIAA with 23 stolen bases in 10 games.
•    Ali Jo Rogers is chief among them stealing 13 without getting thrown out. Rogers set the all-time singles season record for stolen bases last season with 49 and is the all-time career leader. She became the first Jennie to ever reach 100 career stolen bases last season and has 103.

Athlete of the Week
•    Thanks to her 2-0 week in the circle, Jennies freshman Emily Robinson has been named the MIAA Pitcher of the Week. She threw 14 innings (including an eight inning complete game) last weekend without allowing an earned run. She struck out 11 batters and allowed just nine hits, only one for extra bases.

Getting Started
•    Though the Jennies have hit just .226 through their first 10 games, UCM has done a good job of getting on base to lead off innings. Batters leading off innings are hitting .375 (24-for-64) to start the season. Rogers, the team's leadoff hitter for all 10 games is 8-for-18 when starting an inning.
• Then Jennies are also doing a good job of getting on the board early in games. UCM has 10 first-inning runs, their most of any inning this season. They are 3-2 when leading after the first.

Power District
•    Central Missouri's bats really came alive last weekend in Bentonville. After totaling just four extra base hits in their first six games, Central Missouri collected seven doubles, one triple and three home runs in four games. Lauren Mabe who went 6-for-14 at the plate last weekend slugged four doubles of her own and three different Jennies knocked one out of the park.
•    Mabe is also closing in on cracking the UCM all-time top-10 for doubles in a career. With her four last weekend she now stands at 29, just four away from the No. 10 spot. Jakki Prater is the all-time leader with 54 for a career. Mabe hit 14 two-baggers in 2015.

The New 1-2 Punch
•    Last season seniors Katie Shockley and Jakki Prater combined for 42 wins in the circle. Going forward, UCM is relying on a pair of freshman to fill their shoes on the rubber, Robinson and Jordan Johnson. Those two combined to go 3-0 last week with a 1.12 ERA and 14 strikeouts.

Mix and Match
•    The top four spots in the Jennies batting order seem to be solidified with Rogers, Alexis Koop and Mabe starting 1-3 for all 10 games and Robinson batting cleanup in eight. Its the remaining five spots that Coach Anderson has been toying with to start the season. Outside of Makayla Schoonover batting in the nine hole for six games, no one else has started more than four times in the same spot in the order. UCM has also seen six different left fielders make starts this season.

Minnesota State-Mankato:
SERIES HISTORY:  These two teams first met back in 1980 and have squared off on the diamond 16 times. The Mavericks hold a 9-7 all-time lead in the series. They shut out UCM and held them to one hit last year in a 6-0 win in this tournament.
SCOUTING REPORT: The Mavericks were only able to get three games in at the Arkansas-Monticello Tournament last weekend. They went 1-2 with their lone win coming 7-6 over East Central, when they scored three in the bottom of the sixth to take the lead.
In the short season, Dana Mogren has provided some pop to the Mavericks offense. She has one home run and a team-best 10 RBI while batting .400. Kara Lattery has four hits in nine at bats and three have been of the two-base variety.
In the circle Coley Reis, who blanked UCM last season is at it again. She has all three decisions for MSU but has a 5.25 ERA in 13.1 innings pitched. She's averaging better than a strikeout per inning with 15 punchouts.

Concordia-St. Paul:
SERIES HISTORY:  The Jennies have gotten the better of this series history, claiming a 6-1 stake. The Jennies won 8-7 last year over the Golden Bears when Alex Leonhart capped a three run seventh inning with a walk off single.
SCOUTING REPORT: Concordia has stumbled out of the gates winning just one of their first five games. They are riding a four game losing streak into St. Cloud this weekend. The pitching has been a struggle for CSP who has a staff ERA of 7.68. Opponents are also hitting .410 off of Golden Bear pitchers Haley Schanks and Linzy Heim.
One brightspot in the lineup has been Justine Schattner. The freshman infielder is batting .522 with two home runs and eight RBI. She's slugging 1.067% and reaching base 50% of the time.

St. Cloud State:
SERIES HISTORY: These two teams have met eight time previously, including last season at this very tournament. UCM holds a 5-3 all-time edge over the Huskies with a 4-1 win coming last season.
SCOUTING REPORT: The Huskies have started out this season 6-2. They swept a doubleheader last week from Wisconin-Parkside.
Saint Cloud likes to utilize their contact hitters and play small ball to drive in runs. SCSU is batting .375 to start this season and has seven athletes batting over .400. Jessica Goerger and Alyssa Coletto have been their top two hitters thus far, each batting well over .500. Goerger is hitting .529 and has a .654 on-base percentage with two home runs and 17 RBI. Coletto is hitting at a .520 clip with a team-best 13 hits. At the top of the order Abby Bunnell has a team-high seven stolen bases. She has 11 hits and leads the squad with 10 runs.
In the circle, Kate Kopeck has been most effective. She has a 3.06 ERA in 16 innings and is 1-0 while striking out at team-leading 16 batters. Senna Francesconi has thrown the most innings at 19.2 with a 4.63 ERA and 14 strikeouts with a 2-1 record.

Augustana (S.D.):
SERIES HISTORY: The Jennies and Augies developed quite the rivalry playing three times last season. Though the Vikings lead the all-time series 12-7, UCM got the better of them last year 2-1, and sweeping Augustana in the Super Regional round in Sioux Falls.
SCOUTING REPORT: Augustana has gotten off to a 6-5 start this season playing in travel destinations Hawaii and Las Vegas. The Vikings had been on a four-game losing skid before defeatin Montata State-Billings in their final game of the Desert Stinger. Shannon Petersen has been the Vikings leading hitter with a .538 average and 14 hits in 26 at bats. She's slugged two home runs and driven in eight batters. Maggie Kadrlik and Morgan Beaner have a team-high 11 RBI. 2015 NSIC Player of the Year Sarah Kennedy is hitting .297 on the young season with a home run and 10 RBI.
Karlee Koopman has been the ace of the staff thus far. She's started six games and has a 3-2 record with a 1.35 ERA. She has struck out 24 batters in 41.1 innings pitched. Carley Pickett is nearly striking out a batter an inning with 32 punchouts in 32.1 innings pitched. She's 3-3 with a 3.46 ERA.

Southwest Minnesota State:
SERIES HISTORY:  These two teams met up last year in the other half of the country, Florida, with the Jennies taking a 3-2 to even up the all-time series 2-2. The two teams first met back in 2000. Before last season, the teams hadn't played since 2009.
SCOUTING REPORT: The Mustangs are yet to take the field in 2016. They finished the 2015 season at 27-29 and 14-16 in the Northern Sun. The team did not have any student-athletes named to the NSIC All-Conference Team. SWMSU is losing their top two hitters from a year ago. The team is bringing some of their bigger power hitters back though in Jazmyne Neely and Karmann Carroll. Neely was second on the team with 28 RBI and hit .314 with seven doubles and a home run. Carroll shared the team-lead with two home runs while also hitting a team-high 11 doubles. She drove in 19 runs and hit .304 for the season.
Number one starter Alex O'Connor also returns for the Mustangs. She pitched to a 19-18 record making 37 starts and 47 appearances. She had a 3.47 ERA with 162 strikeouts.