Softball Set to Host EMU Madiera Beach Spring Invitational

EMU READY TO HOST FIRST EMU MADEIRA BEACH SPRING INVITATIONAL: The Eastern Michigan University softball team (1-4) is eager to host the first ever EMU Madeira Beach Spring Invitational, Feb. 20-22. The Eagles will take on five different opponents, starting with North Dakota Friday, Feb. 20 at 1:30 p.m.

EMU SECURES FIRST WIN OVER BIG TEN OPPONENT SINCE 2012: EMU closed out the Texas A&M Tournament in style grabbing a 2-1 win over Penn State, Feb. 15. The win not only marked the first of the season for the Green and White, but also the first time Eastern Michigan softball has defeated a Big Ten team since the Eagles picked up a 6-3 victory over Michigan State, Apr. 11, 2012.

RICH GRABS FIRST COMPLETE GAME OF 2015: Senior hurler Lindsay Rich tossed her first complete game of the 2015 season, going seven innings, while giving up just three hits, striking out three, and allowing no walks. The Perrysburg, Ohio native is 1-3 overall on the season, having tossed 21.1 of the Eagles' 31.1 innings.

THREE FRESHMEN MAKE COLLEGIATE DEBUTS IN THE LONE STAR STATE: Freshmen middle infielders Haley Hostetler and Brandice Olmos not only made their collegiate debuts, but started all five games for EMU at the Texas A&M Tournament. Hostetler started for the Green and White at shortstop, notching two hits and scoring once, while Olmos started at second base with one hit and one sacrifice bunt for the Eagles.
   The final freshman to see action was Angel Schilke, who pinch ran on four occasions and started one game in the outfield for Eastern.

AGAINST THIS WEEKEND'S OPPONENTS: EMU holds a 3-2 record against its opponents this weekend, having only faced North Dakota and Robert Morris on the diamond. Eastern Michigan and North Dakota tangled on the field only one other time when the Green and White came away with a 9-5 victory, Feb. 22, 2014. The Eagles and the Colonials hold an even 2-2 all-time series record with EMU earning the most recent win in the teams' history. Eastern and RMU have not faced each other since the 2000 season when the Eagles picked up a 12-2 win, March 4, 2000.

A PEEK AT NORTH DAKOTA: UND is 1-3 overall on the season after dropping its first three games at the UIC/Loyala Dome Tournament. North Dakota earned its lone win of the season with a 5-3 victory over Western Illinois Sunday, Feb. 8.
   As a team, UND is hitting at a .283 clip, while opponents are hitting .413 against the North Dakota pitching. Freshman Maria Dendinger leads the UND offense with an impressive .692 batting average going 9-for-13 in her first weekend of collegiate action. To go along with her impressive stat line, the freshman lined four doubles and drove in an RBI while carrying a 1.000 slugging percentage and a .692 on-base percentage. Junior Megan Keegan is the only other member of the North Dakota team hitting .500 or better as she holds a .500 batting average with six hits, three doubles, and two RBI. Following Keegan, Emily Bell is hitting .444 with a team-best four RBI on the season.
   North Dakota has stuggled in the circle this year as the pitching staff carries a 4.67 ERA into this weekend's tournament. Freshman Hannah Bergh has done most of the work for UND, tossing 14.2 innings and earning UND's only win of the season, while Michaela Zins had appeared in every game for North Dakota.

SCOUTING ROBERT MORRIS: RMU heads to Madeira Beach with a 2-2 record after completing the CSU Dome Tournament, Feb. 7-8. The Colonials won their first two contests of the season before falling in their final two games of the tournament to Bucknell and Bowling Green.
   Despite losing two games, Robert Morris is hitting .318 as a team with Jordan Gurganus leading the way at a .571 clip which included eight hits and two RBI. Along with Gurganus, the Colonials also have two players hitting .400 or better as Alexis Schwartzmiller is hitting .455 and Olivia Lorusso carried a .417 batting average. Schwartzmiller has driven in a team-best four RBI with three doubles, while she and Lorusso have one homer apiece.
   Nicole Sleith leads the RMU pitching staff with a 1.21 ERA in four appearances, having pitched two complete games, while Haileigh Stocks has also started two games for the Colonials.

A GLANCE AT COLUMBIA: Columbia will kick off its 2015 campaign in Madeira Beach, Fla. having not played the first two weeks of the season. Last year, the Lions posted a 21-21 overall record and an 8-10 tally in Ivy League action.
   Columbia suffered the loss of three of its top-six hitters, including its top-two, but see the return of three batters who hit .300 or better in the 2014 season. Kayla Shimoda hit .323 with 42 hits, which ranked second on the team, while Shelby Unger notched a team-best 13 doubles and hit .309 for the Lions. Rounding out Columbia's top-three, Liz Caggiano posted a .301 batting average in 2014 with 31 hits and 21 RBI.
   The Lions' pitching staff also suffered the loss of its top-two pitchers, while Kayla Maloney and Tessa Knoll will take the reigns in the 2015 season. Maloney earned one win in 2014 with a 5.47 ERA and Knoll made 13 appearances with three wins and a 5.56 ERA.

A LOOK AT THE RIVER HAWKS: Coming into the EMU Madeira Beach Spring Invite, UMass-Lowell is 4-6 following four-straight lossed at the Dot Richardson Invitational, Feb. 13-15.
     Alyssa Zinkiewicz leads the River Hawks at the plate with a .429 batting average with 12 hits and five RBI, while Brianna Martin has notched 10 hits and two RBI in the 2015 season. Emilia Davis has proven she knows how to bring runners in, notching four RBI for UMass-Lowell on just five hits, while Vanessa Cooper has driven in three runs for the River Hawks.
   Both Erica Armenti and Marielle Handley have earned two wins for UMass-Lowell , while Handley has hurled 32.0 innings with four complete games. Also seeing time in the circle for the River Hawks is Courtney Lanfranchi, who has pitched 11.1 innings in four appearances.

SCOUTING SIENA COLLEGE: The Saints will take the field for the first time in 2015 in Madeira Beach, Fla. after posting a 29-26 overall record in the 2014 campaign.
   Siena College returns top-hitter Stephanie Viggiano who earned a .341 batting average in 2014 with a team-best 61 hits and 13 doubles, while Alyssa Lancaster returns after bringing in a team-high 29 runs. Rounding out the Saints top-three, long ball hitter Abby Carpenter returns for her senior season after knocking a team-best six homers in 2014.
   Despite returning its top-three hitters, Siena College suffered the loss of ace pitcher Jessike Sandrini, who earned 20 wins for the Saints a season ago. Looking to step up in 2015 is sophomore Danielle Cacciola who grabbed five wins in 77.1 innings.

ON DECK: Eastern Michigan will remain in the Sunshine State for the USF Under Armour Tournament, hosted by the University of South Florida, Feb. 27-Mar. 1. EMU's first game is slated for Friday, Feb. 27 against Villanova at 4 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

Haley Hostetler

Brandice Olmos

Lindsay Rich

Angel Schilke

Eastern Michigan Athletics