Eastern Michigan Athletics
Photo by: EMU Athletics/Randy Mascharka
Eagles Return To MAC Tourney for First Time Since 2007
5/10/2011 2:32:02 PM | Softball
The Eagles will look to capture their second MAC Tournament Championship this week in Akron, Ohio
Tournament Bracket.
Listen to the Game.
Live Stats.
Game Notes.
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) — It has been four long years since the Eastern Michigan University softball team has been to the Mid-American Conference Softball Tournament, and not a single member of this year's squad has been there - until now.
This week will mark the program's eighth appearance, with one championship season in 2007 where the No. 2 seeded Eagles deafeated the No. 5 seeded Central Michigan Chippewas, 6-5, in an extra-innings thriller. Tounament MVP Lindsay Schmid ('07) drove a walk-off, one out single back up the middle to wave Stephanie Sabo ('08) around from second base to cap off the Eagles' historic campaign with their first ever MAC Tournament Championship.
The following season, then-freshman Jaclyn Caro (Chino, Calif.-St. Lucy's Priory), Lauren Delapaz (Plymouth, Mich.-Canton), and Stacie Skodinski (South Bend, Ind.-Washington) stepped onto campus in hopes of their shot at repeating last season's achievements. Unfortunately, the Eagles did not qualify after posting a disappointing 15-30 record with a 6-12 mark in MAC play.
In 2009, it came down to the Eagles' final contest of the regular season. With a Mid-American Conference Tournament berth on the line, EMU came up just short, falling to Bowling Green, 6-3, at Varsity Field. With the loss, the Eagles just missed out on qualifying for the upcoming MAC Tournament.
The same fate fell upon the Green and White in 2010. The Eagles narrowly missed their MAC tournament birth despite sweeping Northern Illinois in exciting come-from-behind victories in the final two contests of the year. EMU needed losses by both Buffalo and Bowling Green on the final day of the regular season to secure a postseason appearance, but each squad managed victories to steal the remaining spots for the conference championship tournament.
The 2011 squad will seek their second MAC Tournament Championship this week as the fifth seed in this year's event at Firestone Stadium in Akron, Ohio when they face the No. 4 seed, Ball State at 11 a.m. Radio coverage will be provided on EMU All-Access, while live stats can be found on EMUEagles.com.
LAST TIME OUT: The Eastern Michigan University softball team was busy last week after playing six games to close out the 2011 regular season.
On Tuesday, May 3, the Eagles headed to cross-county opponent Michigan for a non-conference midweek meeting. The Green and White fell 9-7 to the No. 2-ranked Wolverines, posting the most runs allowed by the U-M pitching staff this season.
Jessica Richards (Canton, Ohio-Jackson) went 3-for-4 against the Maize and Blue, while Nellie Coquillard (Niles, Mich.-Niles) provided a huge offensive lift with her three-run homerun in the fifth inning as part of her career-high five RBI in the contest.
On May 5, EMU traveled to East Lansing, Mich. for a single game with Michigan State. A quiet offense contributed to the Green and Whites' 9-2 loss in five innings, but the bats would come alive for game one of Friday's doubleheader with visiting MAC East opponent Buffalo.
The Eagles cranked 12 hits for 12 runs in a convincing 12-0 win over the Bulls. Jenna Ignowski (Niles, Mich.-Niles) picked up the victory in the circle, while four members of the Green and Whites' offensive lineup registered multi-hit games. EMU's seven doubles in that contest set a team single game record, and their eight extra base hits tied a program best that has not been achieved since the 2004 season.
The Eagles relied more on their pitching staff in game two in their low scoring 2-1 win. Lauren Wells (Lowell, Ind.-Lowell) struck out seven in seven innings to claim victory in what turned out as a true pitchers' dual, while Sarah Gerber (North Canton, Ohio-Hoover) managed to drive in both runs in a perfect 3-for-3 day at the plate.
Kent State came to town on May 7-8 for the Eagles' final games of the season. After suffering a 4-2 loss on Saturday, the Green and White bounced back in come-from-behind, walkoff victory on Senior Day.
In a fitting finish, senior Stacie Skodinski drove in the winning run to plate fellow senior Lauren Delapaz in the bottom of the seventh, giving the Eagles' a regular season record of 26-16. Their .619 winning percentage is the second best in program history and also marks the best since the 1988 season, when then Head Coach Connie Minor led her team to a 36-21 (.632) mark in her first year at the helm of the program.
SCOUTING THE CARDINALS: Ball State heads into the MAC Tournament as the number four seed. The Cardinals finished out the regular season 33-22 overall, and placed third in the West with their 13-8 mark in MAC play.
Tomorrow's meeting with the Cardinals will represent just the second time the two teams have met in MAC Tournament play, with their first meeting dating back to the 1984 tourney in Kalamazoo, Mich. The Eagles won that contest, 3-1. Overall, the Eagles are 35-52 all time against BSU.
Both teams met earlier this season in a doubleheader split at Varsity Field on April 15. Jenna Ignowski went seven innings with 11 strikeouts in the Eagles' 5-3 victory in game one, while Jessica Richards paced the offense with a three-hit outing.
In game two, the Eagles fell 2-1 in a closely contested matchup. Lauren Delapaz and Stacie Skodinski were responsible for the Green and Whites two hits in the contest, while senior hurler Jaclyn Caro was issued the loss.
NEARING SOME MILESTONES: Several EMU softball players are approaching single season records this year. Currently in second all-time Jessica Richards has scored 40 runs this season, just seven shy of the all time season record set by Sara Seegers in 1993. Stacie Skodinski's 13 two-baggers is just four shy of Ashley Strauss' ('08) and Melissa Drouillard's (1996) single season shared record of 17 doubles. More notably, her 43 career doubles ties the all-time career record set by Drouillard. McKenna Russ (North Canton, Ohio-Hoover) is approaching the single season batting average record of .425 set by teammate Skodinski in 2009 with her .425 season clip.
STELLAR SENIORS: Sunday's Senior Day contest showcased some sensational senior success.
Jacyln Caro started the game and gave way to Jamie Melchert (Scottsdale, Mich.-Mason County Central) who made her season debut against the Golden Flashes. The duo combined for six innings of work, with Caro striking out four and Melchert fanning one.
In the final inning, senior Stacie Skodinski connected on a game-winning RBI single through the left side to plate senior Lauren Delapaz to secure the 4-3 come-from-behind win.
WELLS NAMED MAC WEST PITCHER OF THE WEEK: After the final week of regular season play, freshman hurler Lauren Wells of the Eastern Michigan University softball team was named Mid-American Conference West Division Pitcher of the Week announced by conference office.
The award marks the seventh time an EMU softball player has earned the weekly award, and represents the second weekly award for Wells in her young career.
Wells went 2-0 last week after picking up wins over Buffalo and Kent State to improve her overall record to 9-4 on the season. The lefty hurler went 19.1 innings in five appearances, striking out 22 batters while holding opposing hitters to just a .220 clip. Against Buffalo, Wells picked up her fifth complete game in the Eagles 2-1 win over the Bulls, striking out seven without giving up a single walk. The freshman also threw three impressive innings against the No. 2-ranked Michigan squad on May 3, holding the Wolverines offense to just one hit and struck out four in three innings of work.
Wells and the rest of her squad will head to Akron, Ohio tomorrow, May 11, to participate in the MAC Softball Tournament for the first time since winning it in 2007. The Eagles enter as the fifth seed and are slated to take on the fourth seeded Ball State tomorrow afternoon at 11 a.m.
IN THE MAC RANKS: The Eastern Michigan University softball team finished the regular season with the top batting average in MAC play with a .332 clip and third in pitching with a 3.01 ERA. The Green and White led with their .511 in slugging percentage in MAC games. The Eagles' pitching staff has given up the fewest hits (98), has the third-highest amount of strike outs (106), and leads the conference in strikeouts per seven innings (7.42).
Overall, EMU's team batting average of .313 is third best, and their 2.84 ERA is third in the conference. The Eagles have struck out the fewest amount of times amongst all MAC teams with 141, and are second in triples with eight this season.
Listen to the Game.
Live Stats.
Game Notes.
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) — It has been four long years since the Eastern Michigan University softball team has been to the Mid-American Conference Softball Tournament, and not a single member of this year's squad has been there - until now.
This week will mark the program's eighth appearance, with one championship season in 2007 where the No. 2 seeded Eagles deafeated the No. 5 seeded Central Michigan Chippewas, 6-5, in an extra-innings thriller. Tounament MVP Lindsay Schmid ('07) drove a walk-off, one out single back up the middle to wave Stephanie Sabo ('08) around from second base to cap off the Eagles' historic campaign with their first ever MAC Tournament Championship.
The following season, then-freshman Jaclyn Caro (Chino, Calif.-St. Lucy's Priory), Lauren Delapaz (Plymouth, Mich.-Canton), and Stacie Skodinski (South Bend, Ind.-Washington) stepped onto campus in hopes of their shot at repeating last season's achievements. Unfortunately, the Eagles did not qualify after posting a disappointing 15-30 record with a 6-12 mark in MAC play.
In 2009, it came down to the Eagles' final contest of the regular season. With a Mid-American Conference Tournament berth on the line, EMU came up just short, falling to Bowling Green, 6-3, at Varsity Field. With the loss, the Eagles just missed out on qualifying for the upcoming MAC Tournament.
The same fate fell upon the Green and White in 2010. The Eagles narrowly missed their MAC tournament birth despite sweeping Northern Illinois in exciting come-from-behind victories in the final two contests of the year. EMU needed losses by both Buffalo and Bowling Green on the final day of the regular season to secure a postseason appearance, but each squad managed victories to steal the remaining spots for the conference championship tournament.
The 2011 squad will seek their second MAC Tournament Championship this week as the fifth seed in this year's event at Firestone Stadium in Akron, Ohio when they face the No. 4 seed, Ball State at 11 a.m. Radio coverage will be provided on EMU All-Access, while live stats can be found on EMUEagles.com.
LAST TIME OUT: The Eastern Michigan University softball team was busy last week after playing six games to close out the 2011 regular season.
On Tuesday, May 3, the Eagles headed to cross-county opponent Michigan for a non-conference midweek meeting. The Green and White fell 9-7 to the No. 2-ranked Wolverines, posting the most runs allowed by the U-M pitching staff this season.
Jessica Richards (Canton, Ohio-Jackson) went 3-for-4 against the Maize and Blue, while Nellie Coquillard (Niles, Mich.-Niles) provided a huge offensive lift with her three-run homerun in the fifth inning as part of her career-high five RBI in the contest.
On May 5, EMU traveled to East Lansing, Mich. for a single game with Michigan State. A quiet offense contributed to the Green and Whites' 9-2 loss in five innings, but the bats would come alive for game one of Friday's doubleheader with visiting MAC East opponent Buffalo.
The Eagles cranked 12 hits for 12 runs in a convincing 12-0 win over the Bulls. Jenna Ignowski (Niles, Mich.-Niles) picked up the victory in the circle, while four members of the Green and Whites' offensive lineup registered multi-hit games. EMU's seven doubles in that contest set a team single game record, and their eight extra base hits tied a program best that has not been achieved since the 2004 season.
The Eagles relied more on their pitching staff in game two in their low scoring 2-1 win. Lauren Wells (Lowell, Ind.-Lowell) struck out seven in seven innings to claim victory in what turned out as a true pitchers' dual, while Sarah Gerber (North Canton, Ohio-Hoover) managed to drive in both runs in a perfect 3-for-3 day at the plate.
Kent State came to town on May 7-8 for the Eagles' final games of the season. After suffering a 4-2 loss on Saturday, the Green and White bounced back in come-from-behind, walkoff victory on Senior Day.
In a fitting finish, senior Stacie Skodinski drove in the winning run to plate fellow senior Lauren Delapaz in the bottom of the seventh, giving the Eagles' a regular season record of 26-16. Their .619 winning percentage is the second best in program history and also marks the best since the 1988 season, when then Head Coach Connie Minor led her team to a 36-21 (.632) mark in her first year at the helm of the program.
SCOUTING THE CARDINALS: Ball State heads into the MAC Tournament as the number four seed. The Cardinals finished out the regular season 33-22 overall, and placed third in the West with their 13-8 mark in MAC play.
Tomorrow's meeting with the Cardinals will represent just the second time the two teams have met in MAC Tournament play, with their first meeting dating back to the 1984 tourney in Kalamazoo, Mich. The Eagles won that contest, 3-1. Overall, the Eagles are 35-52 all time against BSU.
Both teams met earlier this season in a doubleheader split at Varsity Field on April 15. Jenna Ignowski went seven innings with 11 strikeouts in the Eagles' 5-3 victory in game one, while Jessica Richards paced the offense with a three-hit outing.
In game two, the Eagles fell 2-1 in a closely contested matchup. Lauren Delapaz and Stacie Skodinski were responsible for the Green and Whites two hits in the contest, while senior hurler Jaclyn Caro was issued the loss.
NEARING SOME MILESTONES: Several EMU softball players are approaching single season records this year. Currently in second all-time Jessica Richards has scored 40 runs this season, just seven shy of the all time season record set by Sara Seegers in 1993. Stacie Skodinski's 13 two-baggers is just four shy of Ashley Strauss' ('08) and Melissa Drouillard's (1996) single season shared record of 17 doubles. More notably, her 43 career doubles ties the all-time career record set by Drouillard. McKenna Russ (North Canton, Ohio-Hoover) is approaching the single season batting average record of .425 set by teammate Skodinski in 2009 with her .425 season clip.
STELLAR SENIORS: Sunday's Senior Day contest showcased some sensational senior success.
Jacyln Caro started the game and gave way to Jamie Melchert (Scottsdale, Mich.-Mason County Central) who made her season debut against the Golden Flashes. The duo combined for six innings of work, with Caro striking out four and Melchert fanning one.
In the final inning, senior Stacie Skodinski connected on a game-winning RBI single through the left side to plate senior Lauren Delapaz to secure the 4-3 come-from-behind win.
WELLS NAMED MAC WEST PITCHER OF THE WEEK: After the final week of regular season play, freshman hurler Lauren Wells of the Eastern Michigan University softball team was named Mid-American Conference West Division Pitcher of the Week announced by conference office.
The award marks the seventh time an EMU softball player has earned the weekly award, and represents the second weekly award for Wells in her young career.
Wells went 2-0 last week after picking up wins over Buffalo and Kent State to improve her overall record to 9-4 on the season. The lefty hurler went 19.1 innings in five appearances, striking out 22 batters while holding opposing hitters to just a .220 clip. Against Buffalo, Wells picked up her fifth complete game in the Eagles 2-1 win over the Bulls, striking out seven without giving up a single walk. The freshman also threw three impressive innings against the No. 2-ranked Michigan squad on May 3, holding the Wolverines offense to just one hit and struck out four in three innings of work.
Wells and the rest of her squad will head to Akron, Ohio tomorrow, May 11, to participate in the MAC Softball Tournament for the first time since winning it in 2007. The Eagles enter as the fifth seed and are slated to take on the fourth seeded Ball State tomorrow afternoon at 11 a.m.
IN THE MAC RANKS: The Eastern Michigan University softball team finished the regular season with the top batting average in MAC play with a .332 clip and third in pitching with a 3.01 ERA. The Green and White led with their .511 in slugging percentage in MAC games. The Eagles' pitching staff has given up the fewest hits (98), has the third-highest amount of strike outs (106), and leads the conference in strikeouts per seven innings (7.42).
Overall, EMU's team batting average of .313 is third best, and their 2.84 ERA is third in the conference. The Eagles have struck out the fewest amount of times amongst all MAC teams with 141, and are second in triples with eight this season.
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