Eastern Michigan Athletics
Friday, April 1
DeKalb, Ill.
3 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
at
Northern Illinois
Softball Opens MAC Play at Northern Illinois and Western Michigan
3/31/2011 12:43:47 PM | Softball
The Eagles kick off Mid-American Conference play this weekend with a doubleheader at NIU and single games at WMU
Click HERE for Game Notes
Click HERE for Live Stats vs. NIU
Click HERE for Live State vs. WMU
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) — The Eastern Michigan University softball team will kick off Mid-American Conference play this weekend when they travel to DeKalb, Ill. for a doubleheader with the Huskies and to Kalamazoo, Mich. for single games on Saturday and Sunday to tangle with the Broncos.
SCOUTING THE HUSKIES: The Huskies are currently 10-12 on the season after coming off of a loss to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish back on March 25. NIU is paced offensively by Stephanie Tofft's .441 batting average. The freshman leads the team in a number of offensive catagories, inclduing RBI (20), slugging percentage (.662), doubles (9), hits (30), and at bats (68). On the mound, Morgan Bittner (5-6) leads the staff with a 4.22 ERA in 64.2 innings pitched. She has rung up 54 batters with an opponent batting average of .258.
SCOUTING THE BRONCOS: Western Michigan is sitting at a 5-18 mark on the year and recently knocked off Notre Dame, 3-2, on March 29, snapping the fifth longest home winning streak of 21 games. Barstad leads all WMU hitters with a .269 clip through 23 games started. She also paces the Broncos in on-base percentage (.347). Houston holds the lowest earned run average in the circle (3.75), and holds a 3-8 record overall. She has thrown eight complete games, fanning 78 of 344 batters faced.
DIAL 9 FOR LONG DISTANCE: In a doubleheader sweep on March 29, EMU's offense hammered seven home runs against the Titans of Detroit. The Eagles hit three in the first contest, and powered four in the second, including a grand slam from sophomore Nellie Coquillard (Niles, Mich.-Niles) in the top of the seventh, a feat that has not been accomplished since the 2009 season.
Three players combined for the seven homers that afternoon, four of which were off the bat of junior outfielder McKenna Russ (North Canton, Ohio-Hoover). Stacie Skodinski (South Bend, Ind.-Washington) drilled two homeruns on the day, including a tape-measure blast that fell well beyond the left field fence. Coquillard completed the list with her grand slam in the seventh inning of the second game.
EAGLES SWEEP WEEKLY MAC AWARDS: The After going 2-1 in their series with Austin Peay State University over the weekend, the Eastern Michigan University softball team swept the weekly Mid-American Conference awards the head office announced on March 29. Senior shortstop Stacie Skodinski was named the MAC West Player of the Week, while freshman pitcher Lauren Wells (Lowell, Ind.-Lowell) earned MAC West Pitcher of the Week.
The award is the second of Skodinski's career and is the first she has earned this season. She reached base safely in seven of her 10 plate appearances this past weekend, hitting for an impressive .625 (5-for-8) in the Eagles three-game series with Austin Peay State University. Skodinski cranked out two home runs and a double, while knocking in five RBIs and scoring four times for the Green and White. In EMU's final game of the series, the senior was a perfect 2-for-2 at the dish, hammering out two round-trippers to mark her second multi-home run performance in her career. In three games, Skodinski posted a 1.500 slugging percentage with an incredible .700 on-base percentage. The South Bend, Ind. native also proved to be a tough out for the Lady Governors, as APSU pitchers failed to strike her out over the weekend series.
Wells threw 10.1 innings in two appearances against Austin Peay State University this weekend without giving up a single earned run, deflating her season earned run average by over 2.5 runs. The freshman fanned 13 in two appearances in the circle, including a career-high 10 strikeouts in her complete game, eight-inning effort in the Eagles 3-1 win over APSU on March 27. Her performance also ties the sixth most strikeouts by an EMU hurler in the program's history. In 39 batters faced, Wells allowed only five hits to hold her opponents to a meager .147 batting average. The weekly award is the first in the freshman's career.
SHE'S ON FIRE: McKenna Russ went for an impressive 9-for-9 on March 29 after showcasing an outstanding offensive outing in a non-conference doubleheader sweep over the Detroit Titans. The junior belted four home runs on the day, two in each game, to record her first career mulit-home run performance. In her nine at bats, Russ knocked in eight RBI and scored five times for a slugging percentage of 2.444.
Her 5-for-5 effort in the night cap ties the all-time EMU record for most hits in a game, which was last accomplished on April 19, 1996 against Western Michigan when Val Canfield registered five hits against the Broncos.
Before the doubleheader with Detroit, Russ claimed a .300 (9-of-30) batting average through ten games. After her 9-for-9 tear, the North Canton, Ohio native doubled her hit total to boost her batting average to .462. Her on base percentage increased from .323 to .475, while her slugging percentage sky rocketed from a .333 mark to .821.
ROAD WARRIORS: Following this weekend's trips to both DeKalb, Ill. and Kalamazoo, Mich., the Eagles will have traveled a total of 4,993 miles so far this season. EMU has already visited Fort Myers, Fla. for a round-trip total of 2,563 miles, in addition to the 676-mile trek to Bloomington, Ind. and back. The Green and White's cruise to Austin Peay State racked up appoximately 1,050 miles round trip. A quick there-and-back to Detroit added another 77 miles, and the hike to DeKalb, Ill. with a pitstop in Kalamazoo on the return will pile on another 626 miles to their tally.
ONE FOR THE RECORD BOOKS: The Eagles made history on March 18 when they defeated Wright State at the Hoosier Classic to boost their overall record to 8-2 on the year. The mark represents the best start in EMU softball history, surpassing the previous 7-2 start dating back to the 1982 campaign. Then Head Coach Ann Johnson led her squad to an overall mark of 27-20 while going 10-8 in the Mid-American Conference.
EMU opened the season at Florida Gulf Coast University's Moe's Blue and Green Invitational and later took part in two doubleheader matchups with both St. Francis (Pa.) and FGCU. The Eagles began the five-game invite with a 6-1 win over UMBC. From there, the Green and White dropped two straight with a 7-0 setback to Iowa and a 5-4 extra-innings loss to Albany. The Eagles would bounce back in dominant fashion, outscoring their opponents 35-10 through six consecutive victories.
On March 18, the Eagles topped the Raiders 9-2 to boost their record to 8-2 overall, setting a new standard for the program. After sweeping Detroit on March 29, the Eagles now sit at 13-5, holding the best winning percentage (.722) in the Mid-American Conference.
IN THE RANKS: EMU ranks in the top-five of several statistical catagories in the Mid-American Conference. As a team, the Eagles have the highest winning percentage in the MAC (.688). and are third in pitching (2.62 ERA).
Individually, sophomore hurler Jenna Ignowski (Niles, Mich.-Niles) and senior shortstop Stacie Skodinski rank in a slew of catagories.
Ignowski is second in the MAC in ERA (1.18), has the fourth best mark in wins (seven) and is tied for third in complete game shutouts with two. Her 45 strikeouts is tenth best in the MAC, averaging 6.65 a game. She has held her opponents to a meager .199 batting average, representing the fourth best mark in the conference.
Skodinski leads all hitters in the MAC with a .452 batting average, and is tied for third in home runs with five. Her 15 RBI tie her for eighth, and is second in the conference in on-base percentage (.538). The senior also boasts the best slugging percentage in the MAC at .905, nearly .200 more than the second place mark. (All stats are current as of March 25)
ON THE HORIZON: After this weekend's trip to DeKalb, Ill. and Kalamazoo, Mich., the Eagles are slated to travel to Cleveland, Ohio to take on the Vikings of Cleveland State Unversity for a mid-week doubleheader at 3 p.m. Following those games, EMU will play host to Bowling Green and Toledo the weekend on April 8-10 at Varsity Field for their home opener.
Click HERE for Live Stats vs. NIU
Click HERE for Live State vs. WMU
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) — The Eastern Michigan University softball team will kick off Mid-American Conference play this weekend when they travel to DeKalb, Ill. for a doubleheader with the Huskies and to Kalamazoo, Mich. for single games on Saturday and Sunday to tangle with the Broncos.
SCOUTING THE HUSKIES: The Huskies are currently 10-12 on the season after coming off of a loss to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish back on March 25. NIU is paced offensively by Stephanie Tofft's .441 batting average. The freshman leads the team in a number of offensive catagories, inclduing RBI (20), slugging percentage (.662), doubles (9), hits (30), and at bats (68). On the mound, Morgan Bittner (5-6) leads the staff with a 4.22 ERA in 64.2 innings pitched. She has rung up 54 batters with an opponent batting average of .258.
SCOUTING THE BRONCOS: Western Michigan is sitting at a 5-18 mark on the year and recently knocked off Notre Dame, 3-2, on March 29, snapping the fifth longest home winning streak of 21 games. Barstad leads all WMU hitters with a .269 clip through 23 games started. She also paces the Broncos in on-base percentage (.347). Houston holds the lowest earned run average in the circle (3.75), and holds a 3-8 record overall. She has thrown eight complete games, fanning 78 of 344 batters faced.
DIAL 9 FOR LONG DISTANCE: In a doubleheader sweep on March 29, EMU's offense hammered seven home runs against the Titans of Detroit. The Eagles hit three in the first contest, and powered four in the second, including a grand slam from sophomore Nellie Coquillard (Niles, Mich.-Niles) in the top of the seventh, a feat that has not been accomplished since the 2009 season.
Three players combined for the seven homers that afternoon, four of which were off the bat of junior outfielder McKenna Russ (North Canton, Ohio-Hoover). Stacie Skodinski (South Bend, Ind.-Washington) drilled two homeruns on the day, including a tape-measure blast that fell well beyond the left field fence. Coquillard completed the list with her grand slam in the seventh inning of the second game.
EAGLES SWEEP WEEKLY MAC AWARDS: The After going 2-1 in their series with Austin Peay State University over the weekend, the Eastern Michigan University softball team swept the weekly Mid-American Conference awards the head office announced on March 29. Senior shortstop Stacie Skodinski was named the MAC West Player of the Week, while freshman pitcher Lauren Wells (Lowell, Ind.-Lowell) earned MAC West Pitcher of the Week.
The award is the second of Skodinski's career and is the first she has earned this season. She reached base safely in seven of her 10 plate appearances this past weekend, hitting for an impressive .625 (5-for-8) in the Eagles three-game series with Austin Peay State University. Skodinski cranked out two home runs and a double, while knocking in five RBIs and scoring four times for the Green and White. In EMU's final game of the series, the senior was a perfect 2-for-2 at the dish, hammering out two round-trippers to mark her second multi-home run performance in her career. In three games, Skodinski posted a 1.500 slugging percentage with an incredible .700 on-base percentage. The South Bend, Ind. native also proved to be a tough out for the Lady Governors, as APSU pitchers failed to strike her out over the weekend series.
Wells threw 10.1 innings in two appearances against Austin Peay State University this weekend without giving up a single earned run, deflating her season earned run average by over 2.5 runs. The freshman fanned 13 in two appearances in the circle, including a career-high 10 strikeouts in her complete game, eight-inning effort in the Eagles 3-1 win over APSU on March 27. Her performance also ties the sixth most strikeouts by an EMU hurler in the program's history. In 39 batters faced, Wells allowed only five hits to hold her opponents to a meager .147 batting average. The weekly award is the first in the freshman's career.
SHE'S ON FIRE: McKenna Russ went for an impressive 9-for-9 on March 29 after showcasing an outstanding offensive outing in a non-conference doubleheader sweep over the Detroit Titans. The junior belted four home runs on the day, two in each game, to record her first career mulit-home run performance. In her nine at bats, Russ knocked in eight RBI and scored five times for a slugging percentage of 2.444.
Her 5-for-5 effort in the night cap ties the all-time EMU record for most hits in a game, which was last accomplished on April 19, 1996 against Western Michigan when Val Canfield registered five hits against the Broncos.
Before the doubleheader with Detroit, Russ claimed a .300 (9-of-30) batting average through ten games. After her 9-for-9 tear, the North Canton, Ohio native doubled her hit total to boost her batting average to .462. Her on base percentage increased from .323 to .475, while her slugging percentage sky rocketed from a .333 mark to .821.
ROAD WARRIORS: Following this weekend's trips to both DeKalb, Ill. and Kalamazoo, Mich., the Eagles will have traveled a total of 4,993 miles so far this season. EMU has already visited Fort Myers, Fla. for a round-trip total of 2,563 miles, in addition to the 676-mile trek to Bloomington, Ind. and back. The Green and White's cruise to Austin Peay State racked up appoximately 1,050 miles round trip. A quick there-and-back to Detroit added another 77 miles, and the hike to DeKalb, Ill. with a pitstop in Kalamazoo on the return will pile on another 626 miles to their tally.
ONE FOR THE RECORD BOOKS: The Eagles made history on March 18 when they defeated Wright State at the Hoosier Classic to boost their overall record to 8-2 on the year. The mark represents the best start in EMU softball history, surpassing the previous 7-2 start dating back to the 1982 campaign. Then Head Coach Ann Johnson led her squad to an overall mark of 27-20 while going 10-8 in the Mid-American Conference.
EMU opened the season at Florida Gulf Coast University's Moe's Blue and Green Invitational and later took part in two doubleheader matchups with both St. Francis (Pa.) and FGCU. The Eagles began the five-game invite with a 6-1 win over UMBC. From there, the Green and White dropped two straight with a 7-0 setback to Iowa and a 5-4 extra-innings loss to Albany. The Eagles would bounce back in dominant fashion, outscoring their opponents 35-10 through six consecutive victories.
On March 18, the Eagles topped the Raiders 9-2 to boost their record to 8-2 overall, setting a new standard for the program. After sweeping Detroit on March 29, the Eagles now sit at 13-5, holding the best winning percentage (.722) in the Mid-American Conference.
IN THE RANKS: EMU ranks in the top-five of several statistical catagories in the Mid-American Conference. As a team, the Eagles have the highest winning percentage in the MAC (.688). and are third in pitching (2.62 ERA).
Individually, sophomore hurler Jenna Ignowski (Niles, Mich.-Niles) and senior shortstop Stacie Skodinski rank in a slew of catagories.
Ignowski is second in the MAC in ERA (1.18), has the fourth best mark in wins (seven) and is tied for third in complete game shutouts with two. Her 45 strikeouts is tenth best in the MAC, averaging 6.65 a game. She has held her opponents to a meager .199 batting average, representing the fourth best mark in the conference.
Skodinski leads all hitters in the MAC with a .452 batting average, and is tied for third in home runs with five. Her 15 RBI tie her for eighth, and is second in the conference in on-base percentage (.538). The senior also boasts the best slugging percentage in the MAC at .905, nearly .200 more than the second place mark. (All stats are current as of March 25)
ON THE HORIZON: After this weekend's trip to DeKalb, Ill. and Kalamazoo, Mich., the Eagles are slated to travel to Cleveland, Ohio to take on the Vikings of Cleveland State Unversity for a mid-week doubleheader at 3 p.m. Following those games, EMU will play host to Bowling Green and Toledo the weekend on April 8-10 at Varsity Field for their home opener.
Thank You, Team 38
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