WARRENSBURG, Mo. (April 6, 2017) - Central Missouri Softball will be putting in the miles this weekend as they head out on their longest MIAA trip of the season. The Jens will take on the two Oklahoma schools as their 10-game road trip rolls on.
Opponents: Northeastern State (20-19, 9-7 MIAA)
Central Oklahoma (29-7, 9-3 MIAA)
When: Friday, April 7, 2 p.m. at Northeastern State
Saturday, April 8, 12 p.m. at Central Oklahoma
Where: Tahlequah, Okla. - RiverHawks Park
Edmond, Okla. - Broncho Softball Field
How to Watch
Live stats will be available for both games this weekend. There will also be video provided by Central Oklahoma. The video is a pay-per-view broadcast through the Bronchos Stretch Internet portal. Live stats and video for all games this weekend can be found at ucmathletics.com.
Leading Off
• Central Missouri has started off their five-doubleheader road trip 0-4 with losses to Northwest Missouri and Pittsburg State.
• After playing doubleheaders this weekend against Northeastern State and Central Oklahoma, the Jens wrap up the road trip next Wednesday at Missouri Western.
• At 7-5 the Jennies are currently eighth in the MIAA standings.
• The last time UCM was swept in three straight MIAA doubleheaders was in 2000.
• 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 Bronchos and Gorillas
• Central Missouri Head Coach
Susan Anderson has struggled historically against both Central Oklahoma and Northeastern State. She carries a lifetime 5-10 record against UCO and is 6-7 against NSU in her time as Jennies coach.
Jennies on the Road
• Central Missouri is 3-6 on the road thus far in 2017, and have lost their last four road games.
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 four hits to tie, five 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 three 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. Schoonover got a rare caught stealing against Northwest Missouri, just the fourth time in her career. She is 60-64 lifetime on the base paths.
Who's Hot?
• A couple of newcomers,
Courtni Smith and
Lauryn Deer have been hitting well so far on the road trip. Smith is hitting .300 with two RBI while Deer has three hits in 11 at bats including two doubles.
• She doesn't have a win, but
Katie Giacone has a 2.33 ERA in nine innings over two apperances on the road trip with five strikeouts.
Alexa Bradley tossed a career-high 8.1 innings against Pittsburg State giving up two earned runs with a career-best seven strikeouts.
Late Game Success
• Central Missouri has been making a habit of scoring late. They did so again Tuesday, with two runs in the sixth inning against Pittsburg State to tie the game. The Jens have scored 25 runs in sixth innings this year, their most in any inning. Unfortunately, the Jens have been putting themselves in an early hole. They've allowed 36 first inning runs, by far the most in any inning. UCM has allowed at least one first inning run in six straight games.
Saving Grace
• Central Missouri has done a good job of utilizing their bullpen. 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
• Pitcher's
Katie Giacone and
Alexa Bradley sit just outside the MIAA top-10 in ERA. Giacone is 11th with a 2.71 ERA and Bradley is 13th at 2.81.
• Giacone is seventh in the league in opponent batting average, limiting the opposition to just a .225 average. She also has 24 backwards K's, which is also seventh in the MIAA.
• At the plate,
Makayla Schoonover is second in stolen bases with 18 and ninth in batting average at .391.
•
Lauryn Deer is tied for third in triples with three.
•
Courtni Smith has been moving runners along, her seven sacrifice bunts are tied for sixth.
Cleaning Up
• Sometimes where a batter hits in the order can make a big difference.
Lauren Mabe has hit cleaning in 13 games this season and UCM is 10-3 in those games. In their other 24 games, Mabe has hit third and UCM is 7-17.
• Along those same lines, it appears UCM has found their leadoff hitter. The Jens are 14-9 with
Lauryn Deer atop the lineup card.
Scouting the Opposition
Northeastern State RiverHawks
SERIES HISTORY: Northeastern State has had the Jennies number of late winning three straight. The Jennies hold an 11-10 all-time series lead, but are just 5-7 since 2011, a year before the RiverHawks became a full-time member of the MIAA.
SCOUTING REPORT: The RiverHawks have played like a .500 team all year long, which explains their 20-19 record. They are 9-7 in the MIAA though and have won three of their last four. NSU is 6-6 at home this season.
The big-three in the RiverHawks lineup are all batting above .350 for the season and are in the MIAA top-20. Paige Gann leads the team hitting .381 and has 11 home runs and 34 RBI. Haley Acrey has the team-lead in RBI though with 37 and she is also batting .358. Sierra Crick has proven to be a pain on the bases with a .464 on base percentage and 13 stolen bases. Of her 44 hits, 15 have been for extra bases including six home runs. As a team, the RiverHawks 46 home runs lead the league.
Northeastern State has had to rely on Jennifer Wolf in the circle. She enters the game with a 9-6 record and a 2.74 ERA. She has pitched eight complete games with two shutouts and two saves in 102.1 innings. She's racked up 65 strikeouts while issuing only 12 walks. Taryn Gray and Sylver Collins have shared the bulk of the remaining starts. Collins is 6-4 with a 4.83 ERA while Gray is 4-7 with a 4.43 ERA.
Central Oklahoma Bronchos
SERIES HISTORY: The Jennies hold a 16-14 all-time edge over the Bronchos, but UCO is 8-3 in their last 11 games. The Bronchos 9-8 win last year, knocked UCM out of the MIAA Tournament. A Jennies sweep in 2015 halted a six-game UCO winning streak.
SCOUTING REPORT: Central Oklahoma has been ranked or receiving votes in every NFCA Coaches Poll this season. They have won eight straight and are 29-7 overall and 9-3 in the MIAA. They are 7-3 in Edmond, though all three losses have come against MIAA opponents.
The Bronchos enter the week with a 2.01 team ERA which is 29th in Division II. They share the NCAA lead with 15 shutouts this season. Peyton Walker has been the ace of the staff with a 15-3 record and 1.40 ERA. Jayden Chestnut has been nearly as good with an 11-3 record and 2.17 ERA. She leads the team with 108 strikeouts in 93.2 innings pitched.
UCO's offense has kept right up with their pitching. They lead the MIAA with a team batting average of .352. Carrie Abrams is leading the MIAA batting .481. She has 51 hits in 106 at bats and is also reaching base at a .509 clip. The Bronchos 37 home runs are second only to Northeastern State in the MIAA. Morgan Heard leads the team with nine and Tori Collet has eight. Collet and JoBi Heath each have 41 RBI while Heard has swiped a team-best 13 bases.
