Eagles Hit the Road for Final Week of the Regular Season

vs. Ohio: Game 1/Game 2

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University softball team (15-29-1; 5-12 MAC), has turned it around toward the end of the 2013 campaign as the Eagles have won three-straight competitions heading into the final week of the regular season. EMU hits the road for six contests this week before it finds out its postseason fate next Sunday, May 5.
The Eagles will first take on a pair of non-conference foes before turning their attention back to the Mid-American Conference. EMU heads to South Bend, Ind. for a tilt with the University of Notre Dame Tuesday, April 30, at 5 p.m. before trekking to East Lansing, Mich. for a 5 p.m. contest with Michigan State University Wednesday, May 1.
Following the weekday games, EMU will head to Ohio for three days. Eastern will first travel to Athens, Ohio Friday, May 3, for a doubleheader with the Ohio University Bobcats, beginning at 1 p.m. EMU will then travel to Akron, Ohio to take on the University of Akron Zips in a two-day series Saturday-Sunday, May 4-5.

ALL-TIME AGAINST THE COMPETITION: EMU holds a a 2-14 all-time record against the Fighting Irish. Tuesday will serve as the date for the 17th meeting between UND and Eastern. The last time these two teams squared off, the Fighting Irish came away victorious, topping the Eagles, 10-0, May 2, 2012.
EMU and MSU have met 39 times already with the Spartans leading the series 26-13. The Eagles took the last meeting, which was earlier this season, March 7, when EMU topped MSU, 6-4, at the FAU Invitational.
    Eastern has historically had good luck in its competition with Ohio through the years. EMU is 49-29 all-time against the Bobcats, and split last season's two game set, winning the first, 7-6, April 28, before dropping the finale, 5-4, April 29.
    The Eagles have met with Akron on the diamond on 42 occasions. EMU is just 16-26 against the Zips. Last year, EMU and Akron split a doubleheader at Varsity Field with Eastern winning the first game, 5-4, before dropping the night cap, 4-3, in extra innings, April 27.

MAKING A PUSH TO THE TOURNAMENT: The Eagles went 3-0 last week against the then MAC East Division-leading Miami University RedHawks and MAC West-leading Ball State University Cardinals to put them into a tournament contention. The Eagles are now 5-12 in MAC play and can catch many of the top-eight teams in the conference. Akron, Ohio and Toledo are each 7-11 in conference play, which ranks as the eighth-best record currently in the MAC. With an undefeated weekend in conference play, the Eagles look to have a good shot at making the 2013 MAC Tournament.

TUNE IN ON THE BIG TEN NETWORK: The Eagles and Spartans contest this week, Wednesday, May 1, will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network. Wayne Randazzo will serve as BTN's play-by-play announcer for the 5 p.m. tilt, and Garland Cooper will be on-hand at Secchia Stadium in East Lansing.

STANTON NAMED MAC WEST PLAYER OF THE WEEK FOR SECOND STRAIGHT WEEK: EMU junior infielder, Amanda Stanton, was named the Co-Mid-American Conference West Division Player of the Week for the period ending April 28. The league office announced the award Monday, April 29.
    The award was the second of Stanton's career, while it is also her second-straight weekly award.
    Junior second baseman, Amanda Stanton, led the Eagles to an undefeated, 3-0, week this week for the Green and White hitting at a .714 clip (5-for-7). The Homer Glen, Ill. native tied for the second-most home runs in a single game (2) in EMU history against Miami, April 26.
    On the week, Stanton slugged at a 2.000 clip, while driving in seven runs and scoring three of her own. The junior hit a pair of home runs and kept from striking out in nine plate appearances. In the April 26 game against Miami, Stanton went a perfect 3-for-3 with three RBI.

BLAHA STREAKING TO THE END: Senior shortstop Katy Blaharski has hit safely in 13-consecutive games dating back to the Eagles' first game with Western Michigan, April 12. In those 13 games, Blaharski is 23-for-46, good for a .500 batting average. The Carleton, Mich. native has a .674 slugging percentage, ripping four doubles, two triples and scoring 11 runs in that span.

STREAKING TO CLOSE 2013: The Eagles have won three-straight games, which is the longest winning streak for EMU of the 2013 campaign. The Green and White has been stellar in all facets of the game during those three contests. EMU is hitting .333 in those games, while posting a 2.00 earned run average. EMU is averaging six runs per game, while holding teams to just 3.3 runs per tilt.

LUCKY NUMBER 27: Junior pitcher, Lauren Wells, was able to pickup her first win of the 2013 campaign Friday, April 26, when the Eagles knocked-off Miami, 4-2, in the nightcap of a twinbill. Coming into the game, Wells was 0-17 in 26 appearances. It took her 27th appearance and 15th start of the season for the Lowell, Ind. native to earn her first win of 2013. She is now 1-17 with an ERA of 5.82.

MAC PLAY HAS BEEN FRIENDLY: Despite going just 5-12 in conference play, there have been multiple members of the EMU softball team that have taken advantage of the conference opposition this season. Amanda Stanton leads the conference in batting average and slugging percentagein conference-only games. The junior is hitting .469 while slugging 1.000 in 17 MAC games. Stanton's nine doubles leads the MAC, while her 23 RBI ranks second in the conference. Stanton has also hit five long balls which is tied for fourth. Katy Blaharski is hitting .441 in conference play which ranks fifth, while she is tied for fourth in hits with 26.

EARLIER THIS YEAR WITH MICHIGAN STATE: Eastern used nine hits to drop in-state rival Michigan State University, 6-4, Thursday, March 7. This was EMU's first game in the 2013 Florida Atlantic University Invitational.
    The Eagles' offense was led by Katy Blaharski and Jenn Lucas who each had a pair of hits in the win. Amanda Staton, Amanda Herron and Courtney Loe each had an RBI, while Mady Hostetler picked up the first RBI of her career.
    Jenna Ignowski picked up the win for Eastern. Ignowski (5-0) kept an unblemished record after tossing three innings and allowing four runs, two earned, and striking out a pair. Lindsay Rich tossed the final four innings for the Eagles without allowing a run.

ALL-TIME AGAINST THE B1G: Eastern Michigan is 33-112 all-time versus the Big Ten Conference. EMU has had the most success against Michigan State, winning 13 games. This will be EMU's fourth game of the 2013 season where they have squared off with a Big Ten opponent. EMU is 1-0 against MSU and 0-2 against Wisconsin this season.

CLIMBING THE CAREER RANKS: Several players on the EMU squad are making their marks in the program's career records list. Katy Blaharski currently sits 10th all-time in runs scored with 93 in her career and her 38 stolen bases tie her for seventh in the Eagles' record book. Nellie Coquillard's seven home runs this season have brought her career total to 24, which ranks tied for third all-time in EMU laurels, while her 109 runs batted in are the tied for the fourth most in school history. Jenna Ignowski has made her presence known in the circle for EMU appearing in 113 games, good for second all time, while her 39 wins are the fourth most by any pitcher in EMU history. Ignowski has tossed 434 innings donning the Green and White which is the sixth most of any pitcher in the history of the program, while her 351 strikeouts are the third most in a career at Eastern. Lauren Wells has also struck out quite the amount of batters in her career. Her 262 punchouts ties her for eighth all-time at Eastern.

Eastern Michigan Athletics

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