WARRENSBURG, Mo. (April 3, 2017) - Central Missouri continues their season-long five game road trip playing their first of three doubleheaders this week Tuesday morning.
Opponent: Pittsburg State (30-10, 9-3 MIAA)
When: Tuesday, April 4, 11 a.m. (Please note this is the makeup game from the doubleheader originally scheduled for March 14.)
Where: Pittsburg, Kan. - Pittsburg State Softball Complex
How to Watch
Live stats will be available at www.ucmathletics.com
Leading Off
• The Jennies seven-game winning streak was snapped at the hands of Northwest Missouri last weekend, 11-0, 4-2.
• This Jennies are in the middle of a five-doubleheader road trip. It started last weekend against the Bearcats. They will play three doubleheaders on the road this week. After Pittsburg State, the Jens will head to Oklahoma to take on Northeastern State and Central Oklahoma.
• Following the season-long 10 game road trip, the Jens will turn around and play 10 straight at home to close out the regular season.
• 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 Gorillas
• Central Missouri Head Coach
Susan Anderson has had success against the Gorillas in her time in the Jennies dugout. She is 18-7 all-time against PSU.
Jennies on the Road
• Central Missouri is 3-4 on the road thus far in 2017, after having been swept by Northwest Missouri last weekend.
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 five hits to tie, six to break the record.
• That's not all Mabe is chasing. She is also in reach of the all-time runs record (27 away) and doubles (10). She is climbing up the all-time RBI list and is currently fourth, seven away from third. 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.
Makayla Schoonover has moved into fourth-place all-time in stolen bases with 60. She is 18-19 this season, second in the MIAA and has most without being caught. Schoonover got a rare caught stealing against the Bearcats, just the fourth time in her career. She is 60-64 lifetime on the base paths.
Who's Hot?
• A couple of freshmen,
Courtni Smith and
Aubrey Daniel have kept the line moving at the bottom of the lineup. Smith has hits in five of her last seven games with three stolen bases. Daniel has driven in five runs in her last six games.
• After a midseason slump,
Hailey Crabtree is showing some signs of righting the ship. She has four hits in her last three games with an RBI and three runs scored.
• Despite the loss,
Katie Giacone had another strong outing against Northwest Missouri. She gave up three earned runs in six innings. She has allowed earned runs in only three of her last 10 outings and has a 1.56 ERA over that span of 40.1 innings.
Get a Whiff of This
• In the Jennies first 21 games they went 7-14 and were striking out an average of 5.86 times per game. In the last 14 games though, UCM has slashed that number by more than 50%, striking out just 2.50 times per game. Those numbers have also been inversed on the pitching side as well. The Jennies were striking out just 2.95 batters per game in their first 21 games. Over the last 14, Jennies pitching has bumped that number up to 4.43 strikeouts per game.
Late Game Success
• Central Missouri had been getting off to hot starts, scoring most of their runs early in games. Lately though, the Jennies have been winning games late. Central Missouri has now scored 23 runs in the sixth inning this season, their most in any inning and the only inning where they have scored more than they've allowed. Unfortunately, the Jens need to score late because they are struggling early. The Jens have allowed 31 first inning runs in 35 games and 25 more in the second inning.
Saving Grace
• Central Missouri has done a good job of late mixing and matching their pitchers in game, to keep opposing hitters off-balance. That is most evidenced in the number of saves the Jennies pitching staff has been racking up. UCM already has seven saves on the season to lead the MIAA. The UCM record for most saves in a season is eight, done in 2007.
Alexa Bradley has picked up four saves while
Katie Giacone has three. The individual record for saves in a season is five, done four times. This is the first time in Jennies history two pitchers have earned three or more saves in the same season.
In the MIAA
• Three Jennies are in the top-20 in the MIAA in earned run average. They are the only team in the MIAA with three pitchers in the top-20 with at least 40 innings pitched.
Katie Giacone leads the staff with a 2.81 ERA which is 12th in the MIAA.
Alexa Bradley ranks 14th in the league at 2.90.
Jordan Johnson has a 3.50 ERA which is 17th.
Timely Hits
• Central Missouri has been getting it done in clutch situations of late. In their last 10 games, UCM is hitting .286 with runners in scoring position and .266 with runners on base.
Makayla Schoonover is hitting .556 with RISP and
Alex Leonhart is 4-for-11 in those situations. They have 12 two-out RBI over that stretch with four coming from
Aubrey Daniel.
Scouting the Opposition
Pittsburg State Gorillas
SERIES HISTORY: The Jennies and Gorillas have met over 70 times in their history with the Jennies holding a 46-25 all-time advantage. In their last five, UCM has taken three, but PSU has the last two, including a win at the MIAA Tournament.
SCOUTING REPORT: Pittsburg State is tied for second in the MIAA with a 9-3 record. They're 30 overall wins lead the MIAA. They have won four straight and 11 of their last 13.
No discussion of Pittsburg State is complete without mentioning pitcher Emmie Robertson. She leads the MIAA with a 0.79 ERA and holds a 20-4 record this season with 194 strikeouts in 158.2 innings. The Gorillas number two starter, Bree Cornett is also enjoying a fine season with a 2.76 ERA and 7-3 record. She has 50 strikeouts with just 12 walks in 66 innings.
On the offensive end, six Gorillas are batting over .300 for the season. Kala Holder leads the team with a .344 average. She's got 42 his and 12 extra-base hits with 17 RBI. Pittsburg State has hit just 26 home runs in 40 games. Kylie Guthier and Nicole Nease both have five to lead the squad. Nease also holds the team lead for RBI with 28. The Gorillas aren't much of a base-stealing threat with just 16, one of the fewest in the MIAA. They are however fourth in on-base percentage, reaching base at a .381 clip.
