WARRENSBURG, Mo. (May 18, 2021) - After taking home the MIAA Tournament Title in Edmond last weekend, Jennies Softball returns to Broncho Stadium this week as the No. 5 seed in the NCAA Division II Central Region Championship Tournament.
Tournament Schedule:
Wednesday, May 19th
Game 1: (4) Southern Arkansas vs. (5) Central Missouri - 12 p.m.
Game 2: (3) Central Oklahoma vs. (6) Arkansas Tech - 2:30 p.m.
Thursday, May 20th
Game 4: (1) Augustana vs. G1 winner - 12 p.m.
Game 5: (2) Minnesota State Mankato vs. G2 winner - 2:30 p.m.
Game 6: G4 loser vs. G5 loser - 5 p.m.
Friday, May 21st
Game 7: G4 winner vs. G5 winner - 12 p.m.
Game 8: G3 winner vs. G6 winner - 2:30 p.m.
Game 9: Game 8 winner vs. G7 loser - 5 p.m.
Saturday, May 22nd
Game 10: G7 winner vs. G9 winner - 12 p.m.
Game 11: G10 winner vs. G10 loser - 2:30 p.m. (if necessary)
Opponents:
Wednesday vs. Southern Arkansas Muleriders (27-8)
TBD vs. Augustana Vikings (44-6)
Minnesota State Mavericks (38-8)
Central Oklahoma Bronchos (35-12)
Arkansas Tech Golden Suns (28-16-1)
Where:
University of Central Oklahoma -
Broncho Softball Field - Edmond, Okla.
Fan Information:
• Due to COVID restrictions, Central Oklahoma is still at a limited capacity of 140 persons per game, and therefore the following ticketing policies are in place to best accommodate all teams.
• Ticket prices for the tournament shall consist of a $40 Team-Tournament Pass or a $10 single game ticket for adults and students.
• Each team participating will be allotted 50 Team Tournament Passes for pre-sale. The number of unsold Team-Tournament Passes will contribute to the number of single game tickets open for public sale on a per game basis, as available. Team Tournament Passes are valid only for games associated with team from which the pass was purchased with.
• 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.
Leading Off:
• The NCAA Division II Softball Committee selected the 48 teams to participate in the 2021 NCAA Division II Softball Championship. Six teams will participate at each of the eight regional sites in double-elimination tournaments, held May 19-22.
• Jennies Softball automatically qualified for the Central Region Championships after winning the MIAA Tournament this past weekend in Edmond, Okla. Central Missouri will head back to Edmond for the regional tournament as the No. 5 seed.
• The top-ranked team in Division II and defending national champions Augustana earned the No. 1 seed in the Central Region. The Vikings own an impressive overall record of 44-6 and have ranked No. 1 on the NFCA's Top-25 Coaches' Poll for the past six consecutive weeks.
• Ranked No. 17 in Division II and second-seeded in the tournament after winning the NSIC Tournament is Minnesota State-Mankato (38-8), No. 19 Southern Arkansas (27-8) earned an at-large bid and is the fourth seed, and Arkansas Tech (28-16-1) was selected the sixth seed after winning the GAC Tournament.
• The Central Region Championships begin Wednesday, May 19th and is hosted by Central Oklahoma.
• The No. 5 seed Jennies will open the tournament against No. 3 seed Southern Arkansas at 12 p.m. on the Broncho Softball Field. Third-seeded UCO takes on No. 6 seed Arkansas Tech (28-16-1) in the tournament's second, first-round game at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday. The two first-round losers will meet in an elimination game that same day at 5 p.m. The top two seeds Augustana and Minnesota State-Mankato receive a bye on Wednesday and will play their first game on Thursday.
• Winners will advance to the finals which will be held May 27-31 at the Assembly Athletic Complex in Denver and will be hosted by Metropolitan State University of Denver.
Jennie Notes:
• Central Missouri won its seventh MIAA Tournament Championship in program history and became one of 21 teams to receive an automatic qualifying berth into the 2021 NCAA Division II Softball Tournament.
• Among the six teams competing in the regional tournament, UCM posts the third-best batting average at .308 and the fourth-best ERA at 2.24.
• During the MIAA Tournament, UCM led all teams with 20 hits and 16 runs scored in 79 total at-bats. The Jennies rank 17th in Division II with 390 total hits this season.
• Jennies first baseman
Makenzie McAtee led UCM's offense in the MIAA Tournament hitting .714 with a 1.000 slugging percentage over the Jennies last three games. McAtee was named the MIAA Tournament's Most Outstanding Player with a team-high five hits and three walks in 10 plate appearances.
• Right fielder
Ashlyn Cook leads the Jennies offense overall with a .360 batting average and a .618 slugging percentage. Cook drove-in a team-high four runs during the MIAA Tournament, including her walk-off in the park home run to defeat No. 14 Central Oklahoma in the eighth inning.
• Jennies shortstop
Abbey Fischer is currently hitting .354. She owns UCM's team-high 56 hits and 21 stolen bases.
• Center fielder
Bailey Fowler is hitting .348 and posts the team-high 40 runs, 34 RBI, and 26 walks. Fowler also ranks second in Division II with 20 doubles on the season.
•
Paige Petefish leads the Jennies pitching staff with a 1.84 ERA in 129.1 innings pitched. In 487 at-bats Petefish has allowed 103 hits and just 32 earned runs scored while striking out a team-high 114 batters.
• Petefish also leads the Jennies with 16 wins and is currently on an 11 game win streak.
• Freshman
Sadie Parks posts an ERA of 1.89 and led the MIAA with the least amount of walks thrown. In 362 at-bats she's through just nine walks and 86 strikeouts for a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 9.56 which ranks sixth in Division II.
• As a staff, the Jennies rank third in Division II with a team strikeout-to-walk ratio of 5.82. In 325.1 total innings, UCM has thrown just 51 walks while striking out 297 batters.
• Central Missouri's defense ranks 13th in Division II with a fielding percentage of .976. Right fielder
Ashlyn Cook is the only Jennie without in error in 48 games played.
Scouting the Opposition:
No.1 / No.1 AUGUSTANA VIKINGS (44-6)
• Augustana has ranked No. 1 in Division II by the NFCA for the last six consecutive weeks.
• Prior to falling to Minnesota State in the NSIC Tournament Championship, the Vikings were on a 14 game win streak.
• As a team, Augustana ranks in the Division II's top-25 in 10 categories. The own the best batting average among the teams in the central region with a .337 which ranks 13th in Division II while their team ERA of 1.99 is the second-best within the region and ranks 22nd in Division II.
• The Vikings rank second in Division II with 344 total runs, third with 116 stolen bases and 65 home runs, fourth with 446 hits, and eighth with a .564 team slugging percentage.
• Augustana's offense is led by right fielder Kendall Cornick whose team-high batting average of .473 ranks 19th in Division II. Cornick also leads the Vikings with 70 hits, 58 runs scored, and 33 stolen bases which all rank in the Division II's top-10.
• Utility player Torri Chute ranks fourth in Division II with a team-high 58 RBI and center fielder Mary Pardo ranks third with 19 home runs.
• Augustana's pitching staff is led by Ashley Mickschl with an ERA of 1.82 in a team-high 161.1 innings pitched while Amber Elliott owns a team-high 126 strikeouts with an ERA of 2.25 in 124.1 innings.
• The Vikings defense ranks fourth in Division II with a .980 fielding percentage and seventh with 13 shutouts this season.
Previously vs. the Vikings
• Augustana leads the all-time series against UCM with an overal record of 15-8.
• The Jennies and Vikings met previously this season which resulted in a Auggie doubleheader sweep.
• Head Coach
Susan Anderson is 4-8 all-time against the Vikings.
No. 17 / No. 2 MINNESOTA STATE MAVERICKS (38-8)
• The Mavericks defeated No. 1 Augustana twice in the NSIC Tournament to earn the automatic qualifier into the regional tournament.
• Minnesota State owns the best pitching staff in the Central Region Championships with a 1.41 team ERA which ranks sixth in Division II while their .326 team batting average is the second-best in the tournament.
• The Mavericks lead Division II with 22 shutouts this season.
• Minnesota State's ace in the circle Mackenzie Ward is responsible for nine of those shutouts. Her ERA of 0.95 ranks 12th in Division II while she leads the nation with 278 strikeouts.
• Through 564 at-bat this season, Ward has allowed just 89 hits and 24 earned runs.
• The Mavericks offense ranks 10th in Division II with 411 total hits this season.
• Third baseman Hannah McCarville leads Minnesota State with a .414 batting average and shares the team-high 60 hits with shortstop Torey Richards who is hitting .403.
• Minnesota State's catcher Sydney Nielsen posts a team-high .628 slugging percentage and leads the Mavericks with 10 home runs and 43 RBI.
Previously vs. the Mavericks
• Central Missouri leads the all-time series againast Minnesota State 12-9.
• The last time the Jennies and Mavericks faced off was during a doubleheader in the 2019 season which resulted in a UCM sweep winning 10-1 and 2-0.
• Head Coach
Susan Anderson is 4-5 all-time against Minnesota State
No. 14 / No. 3 CENTRAL OKLAHOMA BRONCHOS (35-12)
• Central Oklahoma is on a two-game losing streak after falling to UCM and Rogers State in the MIAA Tournament.
• The Bronchos posts a team batting average of .299 and own the worst ERA in the central region at 2.24.
• Central Oklahoma's offense is led by right fielder Hazel Puempel with a .359 batting average and a .648 slugging percentage. Puempel also posts the team-high 51 hits, 30 RBI, 20 walks, and shares the team-high 30 runs scored.
• Third baseman Shayla Harper ranks 11th in Division II with 15 home runs on the season.
• The Bronchos pitching staff is lead by Corrina Rivas with a 2.21 ERA in a team-high 139.2 innings pitched while Kylee Lynch posts a team-high 72 strikeouts with a 2.89 ERA in 133.1 innings.
• Central Oklahoma's defense ranks ninth in Division II with a .977 fielding percentage.
• The tournament hosts have only suffered three losses on their home turf this season, two of which came last week in the MIAA Tournament.
Previously vs. the Bronchos
• Central Oklahoma leads the all-time series against UCM 21-19.
• In their recent meeting in the MIAA tournament, the Jennies defeated UCO with a walk-off in the park home run to win 3-2 in the bottom of the eighth inning.
• 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 9-16 all-time against the Bronchos.
No. 19 / No. 4 SOUTHERN ARKANSAS MULERIDERS (27-8)
• Southern Arkansas joined Augustana and Central Oklahoma with at-large bids into the regional tournament. The Muleriders suffered a 1-4 loss to Arkansas Tech in the GAC tournament semifinals.
• The Muleriders post the third-best team batting average and team ERA in the region with a .311 batting average and a 2.00 ERA which ranks 20th in Division II.
• Southern Arkansas' offense is led by right fielder Alese Casper who's hitting .394 with a team-high 43 hits while catcher Laina Suesue owns the team-high 33 runs scored and 32 walks.
• Designated hitter Elisa Favela leads the Muleriders with an impressive .694 slugging percentage and third baseman Faith Ottis leads the offense with 29 RBI.
• Sydney Wader and Victoria Taylor each lead the Muleriders pitching staff. Wader owns the team-best ERA of 1.89 in 85 innings pitched while Taylor has struck out a team-high 108 batters with a 2.12 ERA in 89 innings.
Previously vs. the Muleriders
• The Muleriders lead the all-time series against the Jennies 3-2.
• The last time UCM battled the Muleriders resulted in a 14-5 SAU in the 2017 season at the Central Region Tournament.
• Head Coach
Susan Anderson is 2-3 all-time against the Muleriders.
NR / No. 5 ARKANSAS TECH GOLDEN SUNS (28-16-1)
• The Golden Suns earned the automatic qualifying berth after defeating Southeastern Oklahoma 5-1 in the GAC Championship.
• Arkansas Tech owns the worst batting average and ERA in the central region with a .278 team batting average and a 3.09 team ERA. They also own the most loses among the teams with 16 this season.
• First baseman Caitlyn Wells leads the Golden Suns with a .408 batting average and a .615 slugging percentage. Wells also posts a team-high 53 hits and 41 RBI.
• Arkansas Tech has four pitchers who have thrown more than 30 innings this season.
• The pitching staff is led by Shannon Lasey with an ERA of 2.56 in a team-high 93 innings pitched and 84 strikeouts while Maddy Prough has thrown 83 stirkeouts in 90.1 innings with a 2.87 ERA.
• The Golden Suns also own the lowest fielding percentage in the region at .952.
Previously vs. the Golden Suns
• Arkansas Tech leads the all-time series against UCM with an overall record of 3-7.
• The Jennies last met the Golden Suns in 2018 which resulted in a 8-12 UCM loss. Arkansas Tech has won the last five straight meetings against the Jennies.
• Head Coach
Susan Anderson is 3-7 all-time against the Golden Suns.
Jennies In the NCAA Tournament:
• This will be the Jennies 12th appearance in the national tournament and the fifth under Head Coach
Susan Anderson.
• The Jennies are 20-23 overall in the Division II playoffs, highlighted by a 5-0 run to the tournament's elite eight in 2015.
Individual Milestones:
• Senior second baseman
Brenlyn McCoy is one assists and three putouts away from her career 100th in both categories.
• Center fielder
Bailey Fowler recorded her career 100th putout in the MIAA Tournament.
• Sophomore
Paige Petefish recorded her 100th strikeout of the season in UCM's final regular-season game against Washburn. She now has 159 career strikeouts.
• Junior first baseman
Makenzie McAtee recorded her 100th career hit in her last outting 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.
• 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.
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.
