Softball Set For Midweek Action

Softball at Toledo and Michigan
Date	Tuesday-Wednesday, April 3-4
Venue	Toledo, Ohio \| Ann Arbor, Mich.
Game Notes	EMU Notes
Live Stats	vs. Toledo \| vs. Michigan
Live Stream	vs. Toledo \| vs. Michigan
Twitter	@EMUSoftball \| @EMUAthletics

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University softball team opens a two-game road stint with a pair of midweek run-ins, Tuesday-Wednesday, April 3-4. First the Eagles head to the Glass City for a Mid-American Conference to face the University of Toledo, April 3, with first pitch slated for 11 a.m. From there, the Green and White head down Washtenaw Ave. for a single game against No. 17 University of Michigan, April 4, at 4 p.m.
   Live stats will be available for all of EMU's games and can be found on the softball schedule page. Fans can watch Tuesday's action on ESPN3 and Wednesday's on BTN Plus. Additionally, fans can follow the action through Twitter by following @EMUSoftball.

TALE OF THE TAPE: The Eagles own a 65-109 all-time tally against this week's opponents, while the Green and White have accumulated a 3-10 record under Head Coach Melissa Gentile.
   Eastern leads the all-time series versus Toledo, 57-52. As of late, however, the Rockets have had the upper hand, winning seven of the last 10 games, including a series sweep last season.
   Wednesday's midweek clash with the Wolverines marks the 65th meeting between the Washtenaw County rivals. The Green and White trails in the series 57-8, most recently falling, 8-2, in last season's meeting. The last time Eastern Michigan topped UM came during the 1994 campaign when the two squads split a doubleheader.

AGAINST THE NATIONALLY RANKED: Eastern Michigan is in search of its first win over a nationally ranked opponent since the 2009 campaign. Since its last win over a top-25 team, the Eagles are 0-17 against ranked opponents. Eastern upended No. 22/25 Louisville, 3-2, Feb. 22, 2009, at USF The Game Tournament.

DOUBLE THE DINGERS: In the rubber match against Ohio, March 31, Olivia Logan and Sophia Holland both pounded out their first homers of the campaign. The pair marked the first time the Eagles have produced multiple homers since the Green and White used four dingers to hand Savannah State a 10-1 loss through five innings of play, March 19, 2017.

SOMETHING ABOUT CONFERENCE PLAY: Lauren Holdsworth entered Mid-American Conference play with a batting average hovering at .185. However, in league play, Holdsworth is tied for a team-best .300 at the plate with three hits, one double, a homer, and a run, while adding two RBIs to her stat sheet. Furthermore, the Howell, Mich. native is just one of five Eagles to hit a home run this season.

TAKING ON THE MITTEN: The Eagles have squared off against schools hailing from the state of Michigan 410 times ahead of this week's bout against No. 17 Michigan. The Green and White have seen the most success against Detroit, holding a 49-8 lead in the all-time series, while clashing with Western Michigan most often. In 112 meetings, the Broncos hold a 69-42-1 edge over the Eagles. EMU owns winning records against Grand Valley (2-0), and Oakland ( 19-6-1), but trail in the all-time series with Michigan (8-57), Michigan State (14-30), and Central Michigan (32-74-1)
In the Gentile era, the Eagles have compiled a 7-19 record against in-state competition, highlighted by a 6-5 win over Michigan State, April 14, 2015. This season's slate includes 12 games against teams that also call Michigan home - Michigan, Michigan State, Detroit, Central Michigan, Oakland, and Western Michigan.

SHE'S STARTING TO GET HOT: After being hitless through the first 22 games, Sophia Holland has exploded at the plate in the last seven games. Since exiting tournament play, Holland is pacing the Green and White with a healthy .300 average at the dish and an impressive slugging percentage of .700. The freshman's bat has been hot in the last seven games, lacing together three hits, a double, and a solo home run, all to go along with three RBIs.

THE MAIZE AND BLUE CONNECTION: When the Green and White step onto the Alumni Field inside the Wilpon Baseball and Softball Complex in Ann Arbor on Wednesday April 4, Head Coach Melissa Gentile and Volunteer Assistant Coach Sara Driesenga will both lead the Eagles against their alma mater. Both Gentile and Driesenga played under the current winningest coach in NCAA softball history, Carol Hutchins.
   A NFCA Second Team All-American selection in 1998, Gentile is one of 11 players in UM's history to be named to the NCAA College World Series All-Tournament Team. A four-year letterwinner for the Maize and Blue (1997-2000), Gentile finished her tenure as the career (28) and single-season (13) home run record holder, which stood until 2003. Additionally, she played on the USA Women's National team from 1996-2000 before graduating from UM with a bachelor's degree in kinesiology in 2000.
   Driesenga, a 2015 graduate from Michigan, was a five-year standout pitcher and three-time NFCA Great Lakes All-Region recipient. She made two appearances in the Women's College World Series during her career, pitching a complete-game shutout her sophomore season, June 1, 2013. Driesenga went on to play in the National Pro Fastpitch league in 2016 before coming to Ypsilanti.

THE 100 CLUB: Junior Olivia Logan is eying membership into the 100-hit club. Logan, who has produced 23 hits so far this season, is just five away from cracking the 100-career hit milestone. If the junior surpasses the mark, she will become the fourth Eagle to do so this season, joining Amanda Akles, Brandice Olmos, and Haley Hostetler.

THE HOME PLATE BLUES: Since starting conference play, the Eagles have seen their fair share of troubles at the plate, hitting just .160 at the dish as a team. Meanwhile, opponents are hitting a hefty .307 at the plate, and have out-hit Eastern 46-21. To make matters worse, the Eagles have been outscored by a 41-9 tally and own a 6.60 team earned run average.

ON DECK: The Eagles return home to Varsity Field this weekend, Friday-Saturday, April 6-7, to open a six-game home stint starting with a MAC cross-divisional clash against Miami University. The series gets underway with a single game on Friday at 3 p.m., before concluding with a Saturday doubleheader starting at 1 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

Amanda Akles

Lauren Holdsworth

Sophia Holland

Haley Hostetler

Olivia Logan

Brandice Olmos

Eastern Michigan Athletics