WARRENSBURG, Mo. (March 14, 2019) - It's been a long wait, but finally Jennies Softball will play at home. Their home opener is set for Friday, March 15 against Missouri S&T. They'll also be on the road this weekend for their first MIAA contest.

Opponent
Missouri S&T Miners (4-12)
Missouri Western Griffons (12-11, 1-3 MIAA)

When
Friday, March 15 - 1 p.m. vs. Missouri S&T
Sunday or Monday, March 17 or 18 vs. Missouri Western, time TBA

Where
Warrensburg, Mo. - Jennies Softball Field
St. Joseph, Mo. - Griffon Softball Field

Leading Off
• Central Missouri opens up MIAA play this weekend when they go on the road to take on Missouri Western.
• The Jennies haven't played since March 2nd when they split a doubleheader with McKendree.
• UCM was 19-7 in the MIAA last year when they finished second in the regular season standings.
• Central Missouri was picked to finish third in the 2019 MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll. The Jennies tallied 141 points in the poll.
• 2019 will mark the 48th season of Jennies softball. It will also be the 13th season under the direction of Head Coach Susan Anderson.

Quick Hits
Anderson vs. the Miners/Griffons
• Jennies Coach Susan Anderson has squared off with Missouri Western and plenty of times in her career. She is 18-15 all-time against the Griffons and 11-4 against Missouri S&T. The Jennies have won 3 of 4 and 8 of their last 11 against MWSU. Last year the Jennies split with the Miners after sweeping the previous three doubleheaders from 2013-2015.

Last Time Out
• It's been a while as Central Missouri last played the first weekend in March. In six games in Illinois, the Jennies went 4-2 with wins over Lewis and Illinois-Springfield and splits with Quincy and McKendree.

Milestones
• With one more win, Alexa Bradley will reach 25 in the circle. 
• Sarah Brown is closing in on 100 innings pitched, needing 1.2 more. She also needs three more strikouts for 50.
• Alexis Koop needs to score three more runs to get to 50. 
• With four more hits, sophomore Kaitlyn Markin will reach 50. 

Getting Started
• Jennies pitcher Alexa Bradley has started eight games this season and that has led to good things for the Jennies. While she is 3-1 this season, the Jens are 7-1 in games she's started.
• Senior pitcher Jordan Johnson had a resurgant week last week, pitching in five games and winning three of them.

MIAA Leaders
• Taylor Nickel remains in the MIAA top-10 in on-base percentage which is right at .500 and 10th.
• Ashlyn Cook is 7-7 in stolen base attempts and tied for second in the league in steals. 

Three's Company
• With eight triples, the Jennies lead the MIAA. 
• Hailey Crabtree's four three-baggers also lead the MIAA. The senior hit only three in her first three seasons at UCM. 

Lead Off
• The Jennies have a done a great job leading off innings this season. The leadoff hitters are reaching base 45.1% of the time. Makenzie McAtee has done so in 8 of 12 leadoff apperances and leadoff hitter Lauryn Deer is 9 for 20.
• UCM is also starting games off strong. They have scored 29 runs in the first two innings of games. Their 18 in the second inning is their most in any this season and the 1st and 2nd are the only back-to-back innings where UCM has scored a total of 10+ runs this season. They've scored in the first inning in six of 14 games with a 5-1 record and are 6-1 when they score first. 

Current Streaks
• Jessica Sader is currently riding a lengthy hitting streak of 10 games, the longest this sesaon for the Jens and matches the longest from 2018.
• Hailey Crabtree has reached base in 12 straight games and 13 of 14 this season. 

Who's Hot
• Jordan Johnson threw 19.1 innings last week with a 2.53 ERA while picking up three wins. She threw 19.2 innings all of last season. 
• Jessica Sader hit .600 with 12 hits, two home runs and six runs batted in. 
• Taylor Dames had a good week hitting .500 with a double, home run and team-best seven RBI.

Up Next
• The Jennies will play their final tournament of the season when they go back to St. Joe for the Missouri Western Regional Crossover next weekend.

Scouting the Opposition
Missouri S&T (4-12)
• Missouri S&T is 3-11 this season having dropped seven straight games. The Miners haven't won in nearly a month, Feb. 16 was the date of their last victory. Three of those seven losses though have been by one run.
• The team is hitting .271 on the year thanks in part of Courtney Jackson and her .367 batting average. She has 18 hits. Abby Klein has 16 hits and a team-best seven stolen bases. Both Jackson and Klein have an on-base percentage approaching .400.
• The Miners don't hit for much power with just 16 doubles and three home runs in 376 at bats. They have a .338 team slugging percentage which is 225th out of 284 ranked teams in the NCAA.
• The pitching staff has put up a 4.59 team ERA. Olivia Walter and Kate Baxter have started all 14 games for the Miners. Walter in eight starts is 2-4 with a 3.47 ERA and 27 strikeouts. Baxter is 1-6 with a 6.36 ERA. Avery English has a 2.86 ERA in 7.1 innings out of the bullpen.
Missouri Western Griffons (12-11, 1-3 MIAA)
• Missouri Western is 12-11 over all this season but have lost three of their last four games.
• They have started MIAA play at 1-3, with their lone win a 13-10 victory at Northeastern State.
• The Griffons are hitting riht at .300 this season and have hit for a lot of power. Their 19 home runs are second in the MIAA as are their 130 runs scored.
• Six different Griffons have at least two home runs this season, led by Gabi Carter and Cassidy Kelsheimer with four apiece. Carter and Morgan Frost have 17 RBI each to lead the squad.
• In the circle, the Griffons are pitching to a 4.16 team ERA. Kaili Hinds has been their ace with a 5-3 record and 2.49 RBI. She has struck out 38 and allowed just eight extra base hits in 56.1 innings pitched.
• Kenzie Hilzer has started a team-best nine games and sports a 2-4 record with a 4.56 ERA.