WARRENSBURG, Mo. (May 11, 2021) - Central Missouri is one of four teams still standing in the 2021 MIAA Softball Tournament. The final rounds of the tournament will be played Thursday-Saturday on the Broncho Softball Field in Edmond, Oklahoma. 

Tournament Schedule:
Thursday, May 13th
Game 1: No. 1 Central Oklahoma vs. No. 4 Rogers State - 2 p.m.
Game 2: No. 2 Central Missouri vs. No. 3 Missouri Southern - 5 p.m. 

Friday, May 14th
Game 3: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2 - 11 a.m.
Game 4: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2 - 2 p.m.
Game 5: Winner Game 4 vs. Loser Game 3 - 5 p.m.

Saturday, May 15th
Game 6 (Championship): Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 5 - 12 p.m. 
Game 7 (If Necessary)

Opponents:
Thursday vs. Missouri Southern Lions (30-13-1)
Friday vs. Central Oklahoma Bronchos (34-10) or Rogers State Hillcats (32-13-1) 

Where:
University of Central Oklahoma - Broncho Softball Field - Edmond, Okla. 

Fan Information:
• The MIAA has made a change to the 2021 Championship Softball Tournament after a unanimous vote from the conference's athletic directors and SWAs. This year's format will include a best-of-three game quarterfinal series starting the weekend of May 7-8. The advancing four teams will play in a double-elimination tournament at the University of Central Oklahoma the following week, beginning on Thursday, May 13. The quarterfinal round weekend will feature games at the No. 1, No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 seeds from the regular season. Those teams will host seeds No. 5-8, with the winners advancing to the semifinal round in Edmond, Okla., the following weekend.
• Live stats and video will be provided for all games and can be found at ucmathletics.com. 
• The games will also be broadcast on radio with Greg Hassler on the call. The games can heard on both 107.9 FM and 1450 KOKO AM. 
• At least 60 tickets available to the public and will allow at least 20 entries to faculty, staff, and students using their campus IDs. With student-ahtlete's guest pass list capped at 40, this will allow for a maximum of 120 spectators at all Central Oklahoma softball games.

Leading Off:
• The top four seeded teams in the 2021 MIAA Softball Tournament have advanced to the semifinals.  The final games of the MIAA Tournament are double-elimination.
• The second-seeded Jennies defeated Washburn in a three-game series to become one of the final four teams. 
• Top-seeded UCO defeated the No. 8 seed Northwest Missouri in two games, No. 3 Missouri Southern defeated No. 6 Missouri Western in two games, and the No. 4 seed Rogers State defeated No. 5 Fort Hays State in two games. 
• Next, the No. 2 Jennies are set to face No. 3 Lions at 5 p.m. on Thursday, May 13th following the complete of the No. 1 Bronchos against No. 4 Rogers State at 2 p.m.
• The winner of UCM vs. MSSU will take on the winner of UCO vs. RSU at 11 a.m. and the losers of each will compete at 2 p.m. on Friday, May 14th. 

Jennie Notes: 
• The Jennies posted a record of 20-6 in MIAA contests to finish second in the league and earn the No. 2 seed in the tournament. 
• Central Missouri defeated Washburn in a best-of-three series to advance to the MIAA Tournament Semifinals. The Jennies took game one with a 7-0 shutout, lost game two 1-3, then won the final game of the series 4-2. 
• Of the four teams left in the tournament, the Jennies offense leads the field with a .312 team batting average and 370 hits. Central Missouri's hit total led the league and ranks 24th in Division II.
• Central Missouri's offense is lead by All-MIAA First-Team Outfielder Bailey Fowler. The center fielder leads the Jennies with a .374 batting average, a .611 slugging percentage, and a .459 on-base percentage. She also posts the team-high runs scored (38), RBI (34), doubles (20), and walks (24). Fowlers 20 doubles lead the MIAA and currently ranks second in Division II.  
• Shortstop Abbey Fischer leads the Jennies with a team-high 53 hits and 23 stolen bases. 
• The Jennies pitching staff owns the second-best ERA among the four teams in the tournament. 
• Central Missouri's team ERA of 2.26 is led by its All-MIAA First-Team Pitcher Paige Petefish. Petefish owns the team-high ERA of 1.84 and leads the Jennies with 102 strikeouts and a .209 opponent batting average in 114 innings pitched. 
• Petefish also leads the Jennies with 15 wins and is currently on a 10 game win streak. 
• Freshman Sadie Parks posts an ERA of 1.92 and led the MIAA with the least amount of walks thrown. In 355 at-bats she's through just eight walks and 84 strikeouts for a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 10.50 which ranks fourth in Division II. 
• As a staff, the Jennies rank fifth in Division II with a team strikeout-to-walk ratio of 5.79. In 303.1 total innings, UCM has thrown just 48 walks while striking out 278 batters.
• Central Missouri's defense ranks 14th in Division II with a fielding percentage of .975. Right fielder Ashlyn Cook is the only Jennie without in error in 45 games played.
• Six Jennies were recently honored as All-MIAA selections. Central Missouri had three first-team honorees with Paige Petefish being named an All-MIAA First-Team Pitcher while Ashlyn Cook and Bailey Fowler were named All-MIAA First-Team Outfielders. Abbey Fischer was the Jennies only second team selection, and honorable mention honors went to Sadie Parks and Makenzie McAtee.
• Central Missouri also ranks No. 5 in the NCAA Division II Central Region rankings. 

Scouting the Opposition:
MISSOURI SOUTHERN LIONS (30-13-1) 
• Missouri Southern went 19-6-1 in MIAA contest to finish third in the league and earn the No. 3 seed in the tournament. 
• The Lions post the lowest team batting average, team ERA, and team fielding percentage among the four-team field. 
• Missouri Southern's .297 batting average is led by All-MIAA First-Team Shortstop Josie Tofpi who's hitting .400. Tofpi leads the Lions with 56 hits, 36 runs scored, and 13 doubles.
• Third baseman Leighton Withers leads MSSU with a .563 slugging percentage and has driven in a team-high 34 runs while hitting .339 on the season. 
• Kara Amos and Bailey Lacy led the MSSU pitching staff with 10 wins apiece. Amos owns the team-best ERA of 2.64 and the team-low opponent batting average of .253 while Lacy leads the Lions with 84 strikeouts.  
• The Lion's leadoff hitter and left fielder Yazmin Vargas led the league and ranks third in Division II with 31 stolen bases this season.  
• Abby Atkin leads the Lions with 104 innings pitched. In a team-high 415 at-bats she posts an ERA of 2.96. 
• The Lions tabbed eight All-MIAA selections, including the MIAA Coach of the Year Hallie Blackney. 

Previously vs. the Lions
• Central Missouri leads the all-time series against MSSU 63-40. 
• The Jennies split with the Lions during the regular season falling in game one 1-7 and winning game two 7-1. 
• Head Coach Susan Anderson is 24-7 all-time against the Lions. 

CENTRAL OKLAHOMA BRONCHOS (34-10) 
• The 2021 MIAA Champions clinched the No. 1 seed in the tournament with a league record of 21-5. The Bronchos are also ranked No. 15 in Division II on the latest NFCA Top-25 Coaches Poll. 
• Central Oklahoma posts a team batting average of .303 and a team ERA of 2.54 while the Bronchos defense ranks fifth in Division II with a team fielding percentage of .980. 
• The Bronchos offense is led by right fielder Hazel Puempel with a .348 batting average. Puempel also leads UCO with 46 hits, 28 runs scored, and 19 stolen bases. 
• Third baseman Shayla Harper leads the Bronchos with a .763 slugging percentage and 36 RBI. Harper's team-high 15 home runs led the MIAA and ranks 11th in Division II.
• Corrina Rivas leads the UCO pitching staff with an ERA of 2.24 in a team-high 131.1 innings pitched. She also owns the team-best opponent batting average at .242. 
• Kylie Lynch has throw a team-high 71 strikeouts in 121.1 innings pitched. Lynch also leads the Bronchos with 17 wins this season and posts an ERA of 2.93.
• The Bronchos had a league-high 11 players recognized as All-MIAA selections. 
• Central Oklahoma is 21-1 while playing on their home turf this season. 
• Central Oklahoma also ranks No. 2 in the NCAA Division II Central Region rankings. 

Previously vs. the Bronchos
• Central Oklahoma leads the all-time series against UCM 21-18. 
• The Bronchos swept the Jennies earlier this season, winning game one 2-1 in eight innings and game two 5-0. 
• Head Coach Susan Anderson is 8-16 all-time against the Bronchos. 

ROGERS STATE HILLCATS (32-13-1) 
• Rogers State went 18-8 in league play to claim the No. 4 seed in the MIAA tournament. 
• The Hillcats pitching staff is one of the best in Divsion II. Their team ERA of 2.09 ranks 23rd in Division II and their 4.80 strikeout-to-walk ratio ranks 11th. 
• The MIAA Pitcher of the Year Andrea Morales led the league with a 1.63 ERA. Morales ranks in the Division II's top-10 in four categories: third in victories (22), fourth in strikeouts (215), 8th in shutouts (10), and 10th in strikeout-to-walk ratio (8.27). 
• Roger State's offense posts a team batting average of .299 led by utility player Danelle Day with a .362. 
• All-MIAA First-Team First Baseman Elexis Watson posts a team-high slugging percentage of .675. Watson leads the Hillcats with nine doubles, 11 home runs, and 43 RBI. 
• The Hillcats led the MIAA and currently rank 11th in Divsion II with 48 home runs this season. 
• Rogers State's defense also ranks top-25 in Division II with a team fielding percentage of .974. The Hillcats also rank 16th in Division II with 11 total shutouts. 
• The Hillcats rank one stop below the Jennies at No. 6 in the NCAA Division II Central Region rankings. 

Previously vs. the Hillcats
• Rogers State leads the all-time series against UCM 4-2
• The Hillcats and Jennies split earlier this season. RSU took game one 4-2 while UCM dominated the Hillcats in game two, winning 9-1 in six innings. 
• Head Coach Susan Anderson is 1-4 all-time against the Hillcats.  

Individual Milestones:
• Sophomore Paige Petefish recorded her 100th strikeout of the season in UCM's last game against Washburn. She now has 147 career strikeouts. 
• Junior first baseman Makenzie McAtee recorded her 100th career hit in her last outing against the Ichabods. 
• Sophomore right fielder Ashlyn Cook and junior third baseman Jessica Sader recorded their 100th career hits and 100th career putouts earlier this season. 
• Center fielder Bailey Fowler is two outs away from her career 100th. 
• 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.  

Jennies In the MIAA Tournament:
• Central Missouri has complied a record of 75-59 in the MIAA Tournament dating back to 1982.
• The Jennies have qualified for the MIAA Tournament for the last six consecutive seasons.
• In UCM's last MIAA Tournament appearance in 2019, the fourth-seeded Jennies defeated No. 5 seed Lindenwood in the first-round before suffered back-to-back losses to No. 1 seed Central Oklahoma and No. 6 seed Emporia State. 
• The last time UCM won the MIAA Tournament was in the 2015 season. That year the Jennies went on to win the Central Region Tournament and the Super Region Tournament, making it all the way to the NCAA Elite Eight. 

Last Time Out:
WARRENSBURG, Mo. (May 8, 2021) - Central Missouri Jennies Softball moves on in the MIAA Tournament. The Jennies defeated Washburn 4-2 in the third game of the best-of-three quarterfinal series to win the series 2-1 and move on to the semifinals.

How it Happened
• Almost all of the scoring happened early as five of the six runs scored came in the first two innings.
• Central Missouri out-hit Washburn 7-6. Each team had a double and a home run.
• Both teams played a clean game defensively with neither committing an error.
• The Jennies drew four walks and struckout just once, while Washburn hitters struck out four times and didn't draw a single walk.
• Paige Petefish got the start in the circle. Although Washburn hit the ball hard in the top of the first, she got through it 1-2-3 as the Jennies defense had her back. Bailey Fowler made a nice catch against the wall for the second out of the inning and Jessica Sader snagged a hot shot at third leading off the game. 
• In the bottom half of the first, the Jennies loaded the bases with no outs. Abbey Fischer and Bailey Fowler each walked to start the inning and scored. Sydney Wellshear singled in Fischer with the game's first run and Fowler scored on Makenzie McAtee's sacrifice fly. 
• Washburn got on the board to start the second, leading off the inning with a home run on the first pitch of the frame.
• UCM got the run back and one more putting up another two spot in the second. Brenlyn McCoy doubled to start things, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt and scored on a wild pitch. Abbey Fischer made it a 4-1 game with a long home run to left.
• The score stayed 4-1 until the seventh. Petefish allowed just two hits in the 3rd-6th innings. The Jennies had some chances to add on with their best chance coming in the fourth. The Jens loaded bases with two outs, but Washburn escaped the jam getting a foul pop up to end the inning.
• The Ichabods brought the tying run to the plate in the seventh. They led off the inning with a double which chased Petefish from the game. Sadie Parks came in and got a ground out for out number one. A single on an 0-2 pitch made it a 4-2 game and gave the Ichabods the chance to tie with one swing. Parks got a strikeout looking and foul pop up though to end the game. 
• Paige Petefish got the win throwing six innings allowing two runs on five hits with three strikeouts.
• Sadie Parks got the save pitching the final inning in relief getting a strikeout.
• Abbey Fischer reached base three times with two walks and a home run. She also scored twice.
• Bailey Fowler also drew two walks and scored twice.
• Makenzie McAtee was 2-2 with an RBI and a sacrifice fly.
• Brenlyn McCoy doubled and scored a run. 

Season Notes:
• Jennies left field Makenzie Cooper experienced a season-ending injury in UCM's 13th game of the season. Prior to her injury, Cooper was leading the Jennies offense with a .567 batting average, a 1.133 slugging percentage, and a .629 on-base percentage. 
• 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.