WARRENSBURG, Mo. (April 5, 2021) - With over half of the 2021 season in the books, Central Missouri Softball begins week seven in Maryville with an MIAA doubleheader against Northwest Missouri.
Opponents:
Northwest Missouri Bearcats (9-9, 3-3 MIAA)
When:
Tuesday, April 6th - 1 and 3 p.m.
Where:
Bearcat Softball Field - Maryville, Mo.
Leading Off:
• Central Missouri travels to Maryville, Mo. to take on Northwest Missouri in their third road MIAA doubleheader of the season.
• The Jennies are coming off a .500 weekend after spliting with both Northeastern State and No. 21 Rogers State.
• Central Missouri saw season highs and lows last weekend. The Jennies recorded a season-best 16 hits in game one against the RiverHawks then stuck out a season-high 10 times in game one against the Hillcats.
• The Bearcats are coming off a sweep against Emporia State last Friday, April 2nd. Northwest won the first game 5-4 and took the second game in five innings, winning 12-2.
• Northwest Missouri has seen the least amount of competition in the league with only six MIAA games played and 18 games total.
• Both games will also be webcast online through the MIAA's Blue Frame portal at http://www.themiaanetwork.com/ucmmules/.
• Links to live stats and live video can also be found at ucmathletics.com.
Jennie Notes:
• The Jennies currently rank fifth in the MIAA with a league record of 6-4.
• Through 26 games the Jennies have recorded 226 hits, 139 runs scored, 122 RBI and 59 walks. Among UCM's 226 hits, 94 of them have been for extra bases with 53 doubles, five triples, and 26 home runs.
• Central Missouri's offense is hitting .339 to rank second in the league while their .549 slugging percentage leads all MIAA teams and ranks 18th in Division II.
• The Jennies 53 total doubles also rank second in the league and their 2.08 doubles per game ranks ninth in Division II.
• Four Jennies currently rank in the league's top-10 hitters lead by center fielder
Bailey Fowler who's hitting .431 to rank third in the MIAA. Shortstop
Abbey Fischer ranks seventh with a .395 batting average while first baseman
Makenzie McAtee's .388 batting average ranks ninth and right fielder
Ashlyn Cook rounds out the top-10 hitting .382.
• Fowler also leads the UCM offense in runs scored (25), walks (12), and doubles (11). She also posts the team-high slugging percentage of .716 with ranks sixth in the MIAA and the team-best on-base percentage at .483 which ranks seventh.
• Jennies leadoff hitter Fischer leads UCM with 14 stollen bases and posts the team-high 33 hits for the seventh-most in the league.
• Central Missouri's pitching staff ranks sixth in the MIAA with a team ERA of 2.88. They have allowed the least walks in the league with just 27 walks in 637 at-bats to rank seventh in Division II with a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 5.80.
• Freshman
Sadie Parks leads the UCM pitching staff and ranks sixth in the league with a 2.07 ERA. Parks ranks at the top of the MIAA with just three walks allowed in 179 at-bats. She ranks fourth in Division II with an individual strikeout-to-walk ratio of 14.00.
• Sophomore
Paige Petefish leads the Jennies with 62 strikeouts which ranks fifth in the league. Petefish also leads UCM with 58.2 innings pitched and posts the team-high seven wins.
• Central Missouri also ranks second in the MIAA with a .974 team fielding percentage.
• The Jennies are 2-2 while playing on the road this season.
Scouting the Opposition:
NORTHWEST MISSOURI BEARCATS (9-9, 3-3 MIAA)
• Northwest Missouri has played a league-low six MIAA games and currently ranks 10th in the league with a record of 3-3.
• The Bearcats rank at the bottom of the MIAA offensively with a league-low .282 batting average.
• Northwest's team ERA of 5.60 also ranks towards the bottom of the league at 13th.
• Through 18 games the Bearcats offense has recorded 132 hits, 82 runs scored, 75 RBI, and 36 walks while the defense has allowed 159 hits, 97 runs scored, 92 RBI, and 59 walks.
• Northwest's offense is lead by its fifth-year third baseman Kaityln Weis whose .980 slugging percentage leads the MIAA and her .408 batting average ranks fourth in the league. Weis also leads the Bearcats with 20 hits, 24 RBI, and 10 walks.
• Shortstop Hannah Blackford and right fielder Olivia Daugherty are both hitting .333. Blackford leads the Bearcats with three stolen bases while Daugherty posts the team-high 16 runs scored and six doubles.
• Freshman Breck Dickey leads the Bearcats pitching staff with three wins and 32 strikeouts in 48 innings pitched. In 201 at-bats she's allowed 33 earned runs scored off 63 hits and 20 walks.
• Freshman Raven Defrain has seen the second-most at-bats with 106. She leads the Bearcats with a 4.42 ERA and has allowed 16 earned runs off 31 hits and eight walks in 25.1 innings.
• Northwest Missouri is undefeated at 2-0 while playing at home this season.
Previously vs. the Bearcats
• Northwest Missouri leads the all-time series against UCM by five games, 65-60.
• The Jennies have won the last three meeting with the Bearcats. The last time NWMSU and UCM met was in the 2019 season which resulted in a Jennies sweep in Maryville (10-4, 10-9).
• Head Coach
Susan Anderson is 21-14 overall against the Bearcats.
Individual Milestones:
• Sophomore right fielder
Ashlyn Cook is four starts away from her career 100th.
• Junior first baseman
Makenzie McAtee is 13 hits away and nine starts away from her career 100th in both categories.
• Junior third baseman
Jessica Sader recorded her 100th career hit against No. 21 Rogers State. She is five starts away from her career 100th.
• Sophomore
Paige Petefish recorded her 100th career strikeout against No. 3 Augustana.
• Head Coach
Susan Anderson recorded her 600th career win in the Jennies 3-1 extra innings victory over Truman State in UCM's fourth game of the season.
Last Time Out:
WARRENSBURG, Mo. (April 3, 2021) - Central Missouri Softball recorded its second MIAA split of the weekend with a win and loss to No. 21 Rogers State at home. Both the Hillcats and Jennies totaled 17 hits on the day while UCM outscored RSU 11-5.
GAME 1 - Central Missouri 2, No. 21 Rogers State 4
• The No. 21 Hillcats scored two runs in both the second and third innings and held the Jennies scoreless through the first six innings.
• A RSU home run over center field with one runner on base would count for the Hillcats first scores of the game in the top of the second.
•
Gentry Wishard and the UCM defense allowed four hits and two more Hillcat runs to score in the top of the third for RSU to take an early 4-0 advantage.
•
Sadie Parks came in to relieve Wishard in the top of the third for the final two outs of the inning. Parks and the UCM defense allowed four RSU runners to reach on base without scoring in the remaining four innings.
• Roger State's defense held the Jennies to just four hits and left a total of six Jennies on base in the first six innings.
• Central Missouri totaled two runs off three hits and left one runner on base in their final at-bats of the game.
• A double down the left field line by second baseman
Brenlyn McCoy scored the Jennies first run of the game. McCoy then scored during a fielder's choice play on an infield hit by center fielder
Bailey Fowler.
• Roger State's pitcher Andrea Morales recorded her ninth strikeout for the final out of the game for the Hillcats to earn the 4-2 victory.
• The Hillcats out-hit UCM 11-7.
GAME 2 - Central Missouri 9, No. 21 Rogers State 1 (6 Innings)
• Central Missouri was the first to score and the only to score through the first four innings in game two.
• With one runner on a two outs,
Brenlyn McCoy hit an infield single to score
Ashlyn Cook from third for the first run of the game.
• The Jennies added four runs in the bottom of the first off four hits.
• Back-to-back singles by first baseman
Makenzie McAtee and the designated played
Sydney Wellshear were followed with a home run over right center by Cook to give the Jennies a 5-0 leading heading into the fourth inning.
•
Paige Petefish and the UCM defense held the Hillcats with just four hits in 18 at bat through the first four innings.
• Rogers State plated its first and only run of the game in the top of the fifth with two hits and one UCM error.
•
Bailey Fowler increased the Jennies lead to 6-1 in the bottom half of the fifth as she scored during a single hit to right field by Cook.
• Central Missouri recorded three runs off three hits and two RSU errors to end the game an inning early.
• With one runner on and only one out, left fielder
Aubrie McRoberts singled up the middle to score pinch runner
Peyton Corrigan from third.
Abbey Fischer also singled, she then stole second while McRoberts stole third and both advanced due to a Hillcat error, scoring McRoberts. Another Jennies single up the middle by Fowler would score Fischer for the final run of the game as the Jennies upset the No. 21 Hillcats 9-1 in six innings.
• The Jennies out-hit the Hillcats 10-6 in game two. Six different Hillcats accounted for their six total hits.
• Central Missouri's nine runs scored is the most allowed by RSU so far this season.
• The Jennies also tied their season-high six stolen bases.
Season Notes:
• Central Missouri was able to squeeze 17 games in before the NCAA's cancelation of the remaining spring sport season in March 2020. The Jennies went 11-6 overall and 3-1 in MIAA competition.
• The Jennies were selected fourth in the 2021 MIAA Coaches Preseason Poll with 138 total points.
• A total of 15 Jennies return from last year's squad which includes eight position starters. Central Missouri graduated four seniors last spring, including center fielder
Lauryn Deer who led the Jennies with 24 runs scored and 12 stolen bases last season.
• Central Missouri welcomed six newcomers to the 2021 Jennies softball team.
• The 2021 season marks Head Coach
Susan Anderson's 15th season leading Jennies Softball. She posts a 415-305 record at UCM and a 596-477 overall record in her 23rd year as a head coach.
