Eastern Michigan Athletics
Friday, February 8
Atlanta, Ga.
1 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
vs
Butler
Photo by: Steve King/KingStudios
Eagles Open 2013 at Georgia Tech-Kennesaw State Invitational
2/6/2013 11:55:00 AM | Softball
The EMU softball team wll play five games in the Peach State
Complete Release (PDF)
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University softball team will start its 33rd season in program history this weekend when the Eagles head to Georgia for a five-game roadtrip. The Green and White has not opened the season in the state of Georgia since the 2001 season when started the season at the Georgia State Invitational. Eastern posted a 1-4 record at that tournament, dropping two games to UMKC and a game to both Georgia Tech and Georgia State. The Eagles' lone victory came in their final game of that tournament with a win over UMKC.
EAGLES' EARLIEST START EVER: EMU kicks off the 2013 campaign with a five-game swing through Georgia. The 2013 season marks the earliest start in Eastern's softball history. Previously, Feb. 17 was the earliest that an Eagles squad had seen a start to the spring season. The schedule opens at the Georgia Tech/Kennesaw State Invitational. EMU will begin with a pair of games Friday, Feb. 8, when it takes on Butler at 1 p.m. and one of the hosts, Georgia Tech, at 3 p.m.
Friday's contests will take place at Shirley Clements Mewborn Field in Atlanta, Ga. Saturday, Feb. 9, holds a pair of games for Eastern as well. First, EMU will take on the other host, Kennesaw State, at noon, followed by another game with Butler at 4 p.m. Saturday's tilts will be played at Bobby Bailey Park in Kennesaw, Ga. The Eagles wrap-up the tournament with a game Sunday, Feb. 10, against KSU at noon inside Bobby Bailey Park.
A GLANCE AT THE COMPETITION: EMU holds an 8-1 record all-time with Butler and will face the Bulldogs for the 10th and 11th times in program history. In their last meeting, the Green and White swiped a 3-0 decision in the second half of a double header at Butler. Eastern swept that doubleheader. The Eagles will see Georgia Tech for the sixth time in program history, carrying an even 3-3 record all-time. The two squads have not competed against each other since the 2001 campaign when the Green and White dropped three games against GT. In the final game against the “Ramblin Wreck” that season, EMU fell 2-3.
Eastern will face off with Kennesaw State for the third and fourth times in their program histories. The Eagles have never been able to top the Owls as they hold an 0-2 all-time record against KSU. The last time EMU saw Kennesaw State the Eagles dropped a pair of games in a doubleheader in Kennesaw, Ga. EMU lost the first, 0-2, and the second, 0-8.
EAGLES WELCOME NEW ADDITIONS: The Eagles welcome six newcomers in Myranda Barnes, Cassidy Jenkins, Abby Davidson, Mady Hostetler, Elaine Whitbeck, and Aoife Duffy to the 2013 squad and will be looking to make major contributions this season. Barnes, an Ypsilanti, Mich. native was a four-year letterwinner for Belleville High School where she was a three-time Western Wayne Athletic Conference All-Conference selection.
Jenkins was a four-year varsity letterwinnter at Saint Francis DeSales where she was named All-Conference and second team All-District in her senior season.
Davidson hails from Westerville, Ohio where she was a four-year varsity letterwinner at Olentangy Orange. The Olengtangy Orange MVP looks to help the Eagles in the infield this season.
A native of New Haven, Ind., Hostetler played four seasons at Woodlan High School. She was a four-year varsity letterwinner at Woodlan and four-time All-Conference first team selection. Hostetler earned second team All-State honors in her senior year after hitting .510 with a .558 on-base percentage and .740 slugging percentage.
Whitbeck comes to Ypsilanti from Holland, Mich. where she was a four-year varsity letterwinner for West Ottawa High School. She was a three-time first team All-Area award winner and two-time All-Conference award winner, while setting West Ottawa records for most stolen bases and singles in a season. Whitbeck was a three-year varsity captain of the Panthers.
Coming from Powell, Ohio, Duffy was a three-year varsity letterwinner at Olentangy Liberty High School. She earned the honor of Ohio Capitol Conference's Most Valuable Player, while leading the Patriots to a conference championship.
SENIOR LEADERSHIP: Katy Blaharski, Nellie Coquillard, Jenna Ignowski, Courtney Loe and Courtney Nicholson will compete for the Eagles one last season in 2013. The Michigan-dominated senior class consists of two former NFCA All-America Scholar Athlete Recipients reciepients in Blaharski and Ignowski. Blaharski and Ignowski are also former Academic All-MAC award winners. Coquillard led EMU in homers (7) last season, while Ignowski pitched 125 innings and 93 strikeouts, both of which were team highs.
CONFERENCE TOUR: The Eagles will see a slew of representatives from several different conferences this season, taking on opponents from 12 different leagues in 2013. EMU will square off against teams from the American East (Stony Brook), Atlantic 10 (Butler), Atlantic Coast (Georgia Tech and North Carolina), Atlantic Sun (Kennesaw State and Jacksonville), Big East (Louisville and Notre Dame), Big Ten (Michigan, Michigan State and Wisconsin), Big 12 (Kansas), Horizon (Valparaiso and Youngstown State), Ivy (Harvard), Mid-Eastern (Florida A&M), Summit (IPFW and Oakland) and the Sun Belt (Florida Atlantic and Florida International) conferences. In addition to those opponents, the Eagles will take on each of the other 11 Mid-American Conference schools prior to the end of 2013.
CLIMBING THE RANKS: Several players on the EMU squad are making their marks in the program's career records list. Nellie Coquillard sits tied for sixth in career home runs with 17 round-trippers. In the circle, Jenna Ignowski is slowly climbing the ranks in career wins, as she has posted 30 already, which ties her for fifth all-time. Ignowski also holds the seventh most strikeouts in EMU history with 271, while tossing 319.2 innings, good for 11th most in Eastern laurels. Also finding her form in a pair of seasons is pitcher Lauren Wells pitching for the Eagles. She has the 10th most punchouts in a career with 191. Defensively, Katy Blaharski was perfect last season, posting a 1.000 fielding percentage. Overall in her career she has a .982 percentage, which ties her for eighth all-time in EMU history.
BAIRD'S BEEN HERE THE LONGEST: In its 33-years of existence the EMU softball team has seen six different head coaches come and go through Ypsilanti. Current Head Coach Karen Baird completed her 10th season at the helm of the softball program in 2012. Completing that season made her the longest-tenured softball coach in EMU history. Current Oakland Head Coach Connie Miner (1988-96) has completed nine seasons as the head woman in Ypsilanti.
EAGLES BOAST NINTH-BEST GPA IN DIVISION I: For the ninth straight year, the Eastern Michigan University softball team has been ranked among the top-20 in all Division I schools in team GPA, the National Fastpitch Coaches Association announced in its 2012 Top 10 All-Academic Teams.
The Eagles earned the ninth-best team grade point average of 3.552 last year. The Eagles have been making the grade since the 2004 season when they recorded a 3.552 GPA, good for the top mark in the country.
In this years poll, Robert Morris University had the highest GPA among Division I schools with a 3.609 GPA followed by University of Northern Colorado (3.603), Kent State University (3.596), Southern Illinois University (3.582) while Central Michigan University (3.572) and Tennessee Technological University (3.572) tied to round out the top-five.
The NFCA Academic Awards program honors both collegiate and high school teams for their submitted GPAs for the 2011-2012 academic year. As a second component of the program, all submitted student-athletes who achieved a 3.50 GPA during last academic year are named as a NFCA All-America Scholar Athlete.
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University softball team will start its 33rd season in program history this weekend when the Eagles head to Georgia for a five-game roadtrip. The Green and White has not opened the season in the state of Georgia since the 2001 season when started the season at the Georgia State Invitational. Eastern posted a 1-4 record at that tournament, dropping two games to UMKC and a game to both Georgia Tech and Georgia State. The Eagles' lone victory came in their final game of that tournament with a win over UMKC.
EAGLES' EARLIEST START EVER: EMU kicks off the 2013 campaign with a five-game swing through Georgia. The 2013 season marks the earliest start in Eastern's softball history. Previously, Feb. 17 was the earliest that an Eagles squad had seen a start to the spring season. The schedule opens at the Georgia Tech/Kennesaw State Invitational. EMU will begin with a pair of games Friday, Feb. 8, when it takes on Butler at 1 p.m. and one of the hosts, Georgia Tech, at 3 p.m.
Friday's contests will take place at Shirley Clements Mewborn Field in Atlanta, Ga. Saturday, Feb. 9, holds a pair of games for Eastern as well. First, EMU will take on the other host, Kennesaw State, at noon, followed by another game with Butler at 4 p.m. Saturday's tilts will be played at Bobby Bailey Park in Kennesaw, Ga. The Eagles wrap-up the tournament with a game Sunday, Feb. 10, against KSU at noon inside Bobby Bailey Park.
A GLANCE AT THE COMPETITION: EMU holds an 8-1 record all-time with Butler and will face the Bulldogs for the 10th and 11th times in program history. In their last meeting, the Green and White swiped a 3-0 decision in the second half of a double header at Butler. Eastern swept that doubleheader. The Eagles will see Georgia Tech for the sixth time in program history, carrying an even 3-3 record all-time. The two squads have not competed against each other since the 2001 campaign when the Green and White dropped three games against GT. In the final game against the “Ramblin Wreck” that season, EMU fell 2-3.
Eastern will face off with Kennesaw State for the third and fourth times in their program histories. The Eagles have never been able to top the Owls as they hold an 0-2 all-time record against KSU. The last time EMU saw Kennesaw State the Eagles dropped a pair of games in a doubleheader in Kennesaw, Ga. EMU lost the first, 0-2, and the second, 0-8.
EAGLES WELCOME NEW ADDITIONS: The Eagles welcome six newcomers in Myranda Barnes, Cassidy Jenkins, Abby Davidson, Mady Hostetler, Elaine Whitbeck, and Aoife Duffy to the 2013 squad and will be looking to make major contributions this season. Barnes, an Ypsilanti, Mich. native was a four-year letterwinner for Belleville High School where she was a three-time Western Wayne Athletic Conference All-Conference selection.
Jenkins was a four-year varsity letterwinnter at Saint Francis DeSales where she was named All-Conference and second team All-District in her senior season.
Davidson hails from Westerville, Ohio where she was a four-year varsity letterwinner at Olentangy Orange. The Olengtangy Orange MVP looks to help the Eagles in the infield this season.
A native of New Haven, Ind., Hostetler played four seasons at Woodlan High School. She was a four-year varsity letterwinner at Woodlan and four-time All-Conference first team selection. Hostetler earned second team All-State honors in her senior year after hitting .510 with a .558 on-base percentage and .740 slugging percentage.
Whitbeck comes to Ypsilanti from Holland, Mich. where she was a four-year varsity letterwinner for West Ottawa High School. She was a three-time first team All-Area award winner and two-time All-Conference award winner, while setting West Ottawa records for most stolen bases and singles in a season. Whitbeck was a three-year varsity captain of the Panthers.
Coming from Powell, Ohio, Duffy was a three-year varsity letterwinner at Olentangy Liberty High School. She earned the honor of Ohio Capitol Conference's Most Valuable Player, while leading the Patriots to a conference championship.
SENIOR LEADERSHIP: Katy Blaharski, Nellie Coquillard, Jenna Ignowski, Courtney Loe and Courtney Nicholson will compete for the Eagles one last season in 2013. The Michigan-dominated senior class consists of two former NFCA All-America Scholar Athlete Recipients reciepients in Blaharski and Ignowski. Blaharski and Ignowski are also former Academic All-MAC award winners. Coquillard led EMU in homers (7) last season, while Ignowski pitched 125 innings and 93 strikeouts, both of which were team highs.
CONFERENCE TOUR: The Eagles will see a slew of representatives from several different conferences this season, taking on opponents from 12 different leagues in 2013. EMU will square off against teams from the American East (Stony Brook), Atlantic 10 (Butler), Atlantic Coast (Georgia Tech and North Carolina), Atlantic Sun (Kennesaw State and Jacksonville), Big East (Louisville and Notre Dame), Big Ten (Michigan, Michigan State and Wisconsin), Big 12 (Kansas), Horizon (Valparaiso and Youngstown State), Ivy (Harvard), Mid-Eastern (Florida A&M), Summit (IPFW and Oakland) and the Sun Belt (Florida Atlantic and Florida International) conferences. In addition to those opponents, the Eagles will take on each of the other 11 Mid-American Conference schools prior to the end of 2013.
CLIMBING THE RANKS: Several players on the EMU squad are making their marks in the program's career records list. Nellie Coquillard sits tied for sixth in career home runs with 17 round-trippers. In the circle, Jenna Ignowski is slowly climbing the ranks in career wins, as she has posted 30 already, which ties her for fifth all-time. Ignowski also holds the seventh most strikeouts in EMU history with 271, while tossing 319.2 innings, good for 11th most in Eastern laurels. Also finding her form in a pair of seasons is pitcher Lauren Wells pitching for the Eagles. She has the 10th most punchouts in a career with 191. Defensively, Katy Blaharski was perfect last season, posting a 1.000 fielding percentage. Overall in her career she has a .982 percentage, which ties her for eighth all-time in EMU history.
BAIRD'S BEEN HERE THE LONGEST: In its 33-years of existence the EMU softball team has seen six different head coaches come and go through Ypsilanti. Current Head Coach Karen Baird completed her 10th season at the helm of the softball program in 2012. Completing that season made her the longest-tenured softball coach in EMU history. Current Oakland Head Coach Connie Miner (1988-96) has completed nine seasons as the head woman in Ypsilanti.
EAGLES BOAST NINTH-BEST GPA IN DIVISION I: For the ninth straight year, the Eastern Michigan University softball team has been ranked among the top-20 in all Division I schools in team GPA, the National Fastpitch Coaches Association announced in its 2012 Top 10 All-Academic Teams.
The Eagles earned the ninth-best team grade point average of 3.552 last year. The Eagles have been making the grade since the 2004 season when they recorded a 3.552 GPA, good for the top mark in the country.
In this years poll, Robert Morris University had the highest GPA among Division I schools with a 3.609 GPA followed by University of Northern Colorado (3.603), Kent State University (3.596), Southern Illinois University (3.582) while Central Michigan University (3.572) and Tennessee Technological University (3.572) tied to round out the top-five.
The NFCA Academic Awards program honors both collegiate and high school teams for their submitted GPAs for the 2011-2012 academic year. As a second component of the program, all submitted student-athletes who achieved a 3.50 GPA during last academic year are named as a NFCA All-America Scholar Athlete.
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