WARRENSBURG, Mo. (Feb. 26, 2020) - Central Missouri Softball is gearing up for another weekend full of games. The Jennies are scheduled to compete in the Washburn Invitational where they will face five teams in three days.
Opponents:
Southwest Minnesota State Mustangs (0-0, 0-0 NSIC)
Rockhurst Hawks (5-1, 0-0 GLVC)
St. Cloud State Huskies (5-0, 0-0 NSIC)
Sioux Falls (S.D.) Cougars (4-3, 0-0 NSIC)
Missouri-St. Louis Tritons (3-5, 0-0 GLVC)
When:
vs. SMSU - Friday, Feb. 28 at 1 p.m.
vs. Rockhurst - Saturday, Feb. 19 at 11 a.m.
vs. St. Cloud State - Saturday, Feb. 29 at 1 p.m.
vs. UMSL - Sunday, Mar. 1 at 3 p.m.
Where:
Hummer Sports Complex - Topeka, Kan.
Leading Off:
• Jennies Softball opened the 2020 season in the Arkansas-Monticello Classic in Bentonville, Ark. UCM finished the classic 4-0 and totaled 49 hits and 40 runs scored.
• Senior center fielder
Lauryn Deer led the Jennies offense with nine hits and 10 runs scored. She also finished with the team-high of four extra base hits with three doubles and a homerun.
• Freshman
Paige Petefish led the Jennies pitching staff opening weekend with two wins, one of which was a two-hit shutout against Quincy.
• Deer was named the MIAA Hitter of the Week for her performance opening week.
Scouting the Competition:
Southwest Minnesota State Mustangs (0-0, 0-0 NSIC)
• The Washburn Invitational is SMSU's opening weekend to their 2020 season.
• Last season, the Mustangs posted an overall record of 19-26 while finishing 13-17 in league games.
• The Mustangs were selected 10th in the NSIC Preseason Coaches Poll.
• SMSU returns five seniors, including Kali Tomlinson who started all 45 games at third base. Of the Mustangs returners, Tomlinson recorded the highest batting average last season at .358 while totaling 49 hits and the team-high seven home runs.
Rockhurst Hawks (5-1, 0-0 GLVC)
• After falling to Tiffin (Ohio) in their season opener, Rockhurst has won their last five straight games.
• Last season, the Hawks went 21-26 overall and 8-18 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. Rockhurst did not make the conference tournament.
• Lexie Storrer was named the GLVC Pitcher of the Week after their opening weekend. Storrer struck out 13 batters in 12 innings of work, and recorded a 0.00 ERA and 0.83 WHIP while holding opponents to a .150 batting average.
• Senior Payton Staggs leads the offense early with a batting average of .556. In 18 at bats, she leads the Hawks with 10 hits and nine runs scored.
St. Cloud State Huskies (5-0, 0-0 NSIC)
• St. Cloud State opened their 2020 season hosting the Kelly Laas Memorial Tournament were the Huskies went 5-0.
• Last season, St. Cloud posted an overall record of 43-18 while going 22-8 in league games.
• St. Cloud tied for fourth in the NSIC Preseason Coaches Poll.
• The Huskies offense is currently being led by sophomore Jasmin Estrada with a .467 batting average. In 15 at bats, Estrada has recorded seven hits and has the team-high 5 RBI.
• Fellow sophomore Syndey LaPoint leads the pitching staff with two wins and a 0.00 ERA.
Sioux Falls (S.D.) Cougars (4-3, 0-0 NSIC)
• Sioux Falls opened their 2020 Feb. 1 in the Metro State Triangular in Denver, Colo.
• Selected eighth in the NSIC Preseason Coaches Poll, the Courgars are coming off a 24-30 record last season and took 10th in the NSIC with a 13-17 record .
• USF returns 13 letter winners and be led by four seniors, which will include NSIC Players to Watch in senior pitcher/infielder Sydney Nieveen and senior center fielder Frankie Mickelson.
Missouri-St. Louis Tritons (3-5, 0-0 GLVC)
• The Tritons on Missouri-St. Louis opened their 2020 season in the McGhee/Hawkins Invitational in Arkansas.
• Reigning GLVC Coach of the Year Amanda Scott returns five full-time starters from last year's team that posted a 35-19 record, including a 20-6 GLVC mark and reached the GLVC championship game for the seventh straight year.
• Senior pitcher Andee Tiffee is one of 50 student-athletes from across the country selected to the "Watch List" for the 2020 Schutt Sports/NFCA Division II National Player and Pitcher of the Year Award.
Previously Against...
• The Mustangs - SMSU holds a 3-2 advantage over Central Missouri after winning the last time out, 9-7, in St. Cloud, Minn., in 2016.
• The Hawks - The Jennies lead the all-time series against Rockhurst 9-1. The last time the teams met, UCM earned a double-header sweep over the Hawks last season in Warrensburg.
• The Huskies - UCM owns a 7-3 advantage over the Huskies in the all-time series. The Jennies last met St. Cloud State last season which resulted in a 8-4 UCM victory in the Emporia State Classic.
• The Cougars - Sioux Falls have never defeated the Jennies in their four previous meetings. The teams last met in the Emporia State Classic where UCM defeated Sioux Falls 2-1.
• The Tritons - The Jennies lead the all-time series against UMSL 31-23. The Tritons have one the last three meetings against UCM with the last victory being a 4-1 win over the Jennies in 2017.
Last Time Out:
BENTONVILLE, Ark. (Feb. 16, 2020) - Central Missouri Softball picked up two more wins on the final day of the Arkansas-Monticello Classic. Their 4-0 performance in the classic is the first time the Jennies have gone undefeated in the opening weekend since the 2012 season.
Against the Henderson Reddies:
•
Makenzie McAtee went 3-3 and led UCM with four RBI.
• Also recorded three hits was
Ashlyn Cook. Cook also tied the team-high of two runs scored which she shared with Deer.
• Cook,
Jessica Sader and
Sydney Wellshear each recorded a double.
• Pitching the complete game,
Paige Petefish faced 33 batters. The freshman allowed nine Riddies hits, two runs and one walk while striking out six.
Milestones:
•
Alexa Bradley ranks fifth in career appearances on the mound with 98 and seventh in career innings pitched with 409.
•
Lauryn Deer is 17 hits away from reaching 200 in her career. Deer also ranks sixth in career stolen bases with 66.
Do it with Two:
• In the 2019 season, the Jennies have drove in 89 two-out RBI's this season.
Ashlyn Cook lead the team with 18 while
Jessica Sader had 14.
• In the Jennies four games this season, 15 of UCM's 31 total RBI's have been with two outs.
Jennies Notes:
• Central Missouri finished the 2019 regular season with a 34-21 record and 17-9 mark in league competition, earning the No. 4 seed in the 2019 MIAA Tournament.
• UCM was picked to finish third in the 2020 MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll. The Jennies tallied 136 points in the poll.
• The Jennies 34 wins were the most since 2015 and ties for the 10th most wins in school history UCM has reached the 30-win win total.
• 2020 marks the 49th season of Jennies softball. It will also be the 14th season under the direction of Head Coach
Susan Anderson.
