WARRENSBURG, Mo. - (March 24, 2017) - Central Missouri Softball comes back to Warrensburg this weekend as they host a pair of MIAA doubleheaders.
When: Saturday, March 25, 3 p.m.
Sunday, March 26, 1 p.m.
Where: Warrensburg, Mo. - Jennies Field
Opponents: Saturday - Fort Hays State (9-19, 2-0 MIAA)
Sunday - Nebraska-Kearney (3-25, 0-2 MIAA)
How to Watch
Live stats are available and can be found at UCMathletics.com
Leading Off
• Central Missouri returns to conference play this week with three doubleheaders. They swept Missouri Southern Wednesday in Joplin.
• The Jens opened up MIAA play two weeks ago at home against Southwest Baptist. Both games were five inning, 8-0 finals with SBU taking game 1 & the Jens game 2. They return home to face Fort Hays State and Nebraska-Kearney this weekend.
• Central Missouri went 4-2 at last weekend's Missouri Western "Hy-Vee" Regional Crossover. The Jens won their first three games of the weekend and their last. They won four games in a row for the first time this season after their third win in St. Joe.
• Central Missouri was picked to finish fifth in the 2017 MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll. The Jennies tallied 105 points in the poll.
• 2017 will mark the 46th season of Jennies softball. It will also be the 11th season under the direction of Head Coach
Susan Anderson.
Quick Hits
Anderson vs. the Tigers and Lopers
• Entering the season, Jennies Coach
Susan Anderson had played more games against FHSU than any other opponent. She is 17-12 at the helm of the Jennies against the Tigers. Anderson has had a great deal of success against Nebraska-Kearney. She is undefeated against the Lopers, going 9-0.
Jennies at Home
• This will be just the second doubleheader for UCM at home this season. They split two weekends ago with Southwest Baptist in their home opener.
Milestones
• Senior
Lauren Mabe became just the fifth Jennie to ever reach 200 earlier this season. She laced an RBI double in her first at bat against Illinois-Springfield for her 200th hit. Mabe is now chasing both Beth Savage and Jakki Prater who hold the UCM record with 222 hits, needing just 10 hits to tie, 11 to break the record.
• That's not all Mabe is chasing. She is also in reach of the all-time runs record (29 away) and doubles (12). She is climbing up the all-time RBI list and is currently fourth. She also needs just four more walks to break her own coach's record. Coach Anderson's 64 walks have been a team record since 1997.
• Mabe isn't the only Jennie moving up the record books. This past weekend,
Makayla Schoonover moved into fourth-place all-time in stolen bases with 55. She is 14-14 this season, third in the MIAA and most without being caught. Schoonover doesn't get caught too often. She is 56-59 in her career. That 94.9% would set a Jennies record for stolen base percentage with at least 30 attempts.
Heating Up
• In their last nine games, during which UCM is 7-2, the Jennies offense has started to come to life. The Jens are batting .320 during that stretch, averaging more than five runs per game. In five of those nine games, UCM has at least 10 hits. Two Jennies are hitting better than .400,
Makayla Schoonover (.538),
Lauryn Deer (.412).
• It hasn't just been the offense though that's been hot. The Jennies staff has a 1.73 ERA in their last nine games as well.
Alexa Bradley is 3-1 with a 1.52 ERA and
Katie Giacone has allowed just six earned runs in 23.2 innings.
Jordan Johnson returned to face Minnesota-Duluth, earning a win throwing 4.2 innings allowing two earned runs on three hits.
Top of the Order, to ya
• Part of the reason for the Jennies offensive success of late has been the production they've gotten from the top of the lineup. Deer and Schoonover have been batting 1-2 during this nine game stretch and setting the table. Deer has 14 hits in 34 at bats with seven runs. She has five multi-hit games in her last nine. Schoonover is 14 for her last 26 with four walks and six runs. She collected a career-high four hits in game two against Missouri Southern. She's also stolen nine bases. Deer has spent 13 games in the leadoff spot this season and UCM is 10-5.
Three-Run Rule
• Three seems to be the magic number for the Jens so far this season. When Central Missouri reaches three runs in a game, they are 10-3. However they have scored two runs or fewer in 16 of their 29 games and are 3-13 in those contests.
Late Game Success
• Central Missouri had been getting off to hot starts, scoring most of their runs early in games. Wednesday in Joplin was just the opposite. UCM got down in both games against the Lions. They scored 11 runs in the sixth and seventh innings, coming-from-behind to win both games.
Worm-Killers
• What has made
Alexa Bradley so effective in her freshman season has been the ability to get ground ball outs. Of Bradley's 248 outs recorded, 156, 62.9% have come via the ground ball. Against the Lions on Wednesday, 12 of her 18 outs came on ground balls. On the flip side, of the top-nine MIAA pitchers in innings ptiched, Bradley is last in strikeouts with 34.
In the MIAA
• Jennies pitching is fifth in the MIAA this season with a 2.92 ERA. The Jennies are the only team in the MIAA to have three pitchers with at least 30 innings pitched in the top-15 in ERA.
Alexa Bradley is 11th at 268.
Jordan Johnson is 13th with a 3.06 ERA and
Katie Giacone is one spot behind in 14th at 3.16. Bradley is also the MIAA leader in saves with four. She needs one more to match the Jennies all-time single season record.
• Schoonover's torried stretch has seen her climb the MIAA rankings. Not only is she third in stolen bases with 14, she is fifth in batting average, hitting a .444 clip and she is second in on base percentage at .500.
Scouting the Opposition
Fort Hays State Tigers
SERIES HISTORY: Central Missouri has won five of the last six meetings between these two teams, including a 1-0 win in last year's MIAA Tournament. All-time the Jennies lead the series 18-14. The Jennies are 8-2 against the Tigers in Warrensburg.
SCOUTING REPORT: The Tigers have won their only two MIAA games of the season, defeating Northeastern State 10-2 and 6-4. Since that time though, FHSU has lost six straight, and seven of eight. They went 1-5 at the MWSU Hy-Vee Classic last weekend and were swept in a doubleheader by Metro State on Tuesday.
The Tigers are middle of the pack when it comes to offense. As a team, FHSU hits .282 on the season with a .355 on base percentage. Veronica Knittig is hitting .370 to lead the club and has driven in a team-best 19 runs. FHSU is slugging just .383 on the season with 10 home runs. Bailey Boxberger is the team leader with three. She also has 17 RBI.
In the circle, Carrie Clarke and Hailey Chapman have done most of the heavy lifting. Clarke is 4-4 with a 3.44 ERA. Chapman has been the team's strikeout pitcher with 59 in 90 innings. She sports a 5-11 record and 4.94 ERA. Though Chapman has shown the ability to strike batters out, she is wild with 66 walks which leads the MIAA. Clarke has surrendered nine home runs in 73.1 innings.
Nebraska-Kearney Lopers
SERIES HISTORY: Since the Lopers joined the MIAA in 2012, the Jennies dominated the series. Central Missouri has won every game with UNK since they joined the league, going 9-0. All five of the Lopers series wins came in 1998 and earlier.
SCOUTING REPORT: It has not been a good year for the Lopers who enter the weekend with a record of 3-25. Their only MIAA contests thus far have been 15-7 and 9-0 losses to Northeastern State in early March. The Lopers did win two games at the Missouri Western Hy-Vee Classic and also have a win over currently 11th ranked Harding.
At the plate, Nebraska-Kearney's .246 team batting average is next to last in the league. They only have on starter hitting above .300 for the season, Macey Nelson. Nelson is batting .317 with 26 hits and 11 runs scored. Molly Stern is the team's RBI leader with 11 and has two of the team's five home runs. She doesn't make contact often, hitting just .211, but when she does, it has been a help to the Lopers.
Nebraska-Kearney has trotted four Lopers out to the circle, all with at least 27 innings pitched this season. UNK is next to last in team ERA at 7.72. Sara Sempek has two of the Lopers' three wins. She is 2-6 with a 7.75 ERA. Meg Housholder has seen the most time on the rubber with a 1-10 record and 6.67 ERA in 64 innings. UNK pitching has already allowed 75 stolen bases on the season.
