Eastern Michigan Athletics
Friday, February 27
Tampa, Fla.
4 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
vs
Villanova
Photo by: Envision Sports Media/Kalli Chason
Softball Prepped for USF Under Armour Tournament
2/26/2015 3:40:00 PM | Softball
The Eagles will take on five different teams at the USF Under Armour Tournament, Feb. 28-March 1
Complete Notes
EASTERN REMAINS IN SUNSHINE STATE FOR USF UNDER ARMOUR TOURNAMENT: After a week of practice in Florida, the Eastern Michigan University softball team is ready for the USF Under Armour Tournament Friday, Feb. 27-Sunday, March 1. The Eagles will kick off day one against Villanova University at 4 p.m. before closing out the day with a contest against Georgia State, which is slated to start at 6:15 p.m.
EAGLES WIN THREE IN-A-ROW TO CLOSE OUT EMU MADEIRA BEACH SPRING INVITATIONAL: After dropping its first two games of the EMU Madeira Beach Spring Invitational, EMU came back to win its final three games of the tournament, including two shutout victories over Columbia University and UMass-Lowell.
The three-straight victories mark the first time the Green and White have won three in-a-row since Apr. 26-27, 2013, when EMU swept Miami University in a doubleheader before defeating Ball State University.
This season the Eagles' two shutout victories already surpass last seasons total as EMU earned just one shutout against Bowling Green when it took down the Falcons, 3-0, Apr. 26.
MICHELLE KRIEGSHAUSER EARNS MAC WEST PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS: Eastern Michigan University sophomore Michelle Kriegshauser earned Mid-American Conference West Player of the Week honors for the period ending Feb. 22. The award marks the first of her career and the first for the Eagles in the 2015 season.
Kriegshauser capped off a stellar week for the Eagles, going 7-for-17 at the plate, including seven RBI, for a .412 batting average in five contests. The sophomore opened up the weekend, going 2-for-3 against North Dakota, scoring once and driving in an RBI before notching two hits in four at bats against Robert Morris, driving in one run.
The New Lenox, Ill. native carried her success into Saturday's contest against Columbia, Feb. 21, grabbing a single to right field before laying down a suicide squeeze to bring in two runs for the Green and White in its 6-0 victory. On the final day of the EMU Madeira Beach Spring Invitational, Kriegshauser went 2-for-3 at the plate against Siena College, including blasting a walk-off home run in the bottom of the seventh inning to propel Eastern Michigan to a 5-4 victory over the Saints. Furthermore, the sophomore posted a .474 on-base percentage and a .588 slugging percentage in five games.
RICH'S SHUTOUT PITCHING LIFTS EAGLES TO THREE VICTORIES: Eastern Michigan University senior right-handed pitcher Lindsay Rich picked up the victory in the circle in each of the Eagles three wins at the EMU Madeira Beach Spring Invitational, Feb. 20-22.
The right-handed hurler tossed 21.2 innings for the Green and White, including 16.2 consecutive shut out innings. In the teams first win of the weekend, Rich went the distance, giving up just five hits and no runs against Columbia University Saturday, Feb. 21 before coming back Sunday, Feb. 22 to defeat UMASS-Lowell, again pitching a complete game and not allowing any runs to score.
Against the River Hawks, Rich helped the Eagle defense sit down 12 consecutive-batters before one reached base in the sixth inning. The Perysburg, Ohio native recorded 19 strikeouts on the weekend before picking up her third win against Siena College, pitching 2.2 innings of relief for the Green and White. Rich also helped herself this weekend, going 3-for-13 at the plate with one RBI and scoring three times.
AGAINST THIS WEEKEND'S OPPONENTS: EMU holds a 9-10 record against its opponents this weekend, having gone up against just Florida Gulf Coast, Georiga State, and Villanova.
The Green and White and FGCU have met the most times on the dirt, with Florida Gulf Coast holding a 6-3 advantage over Eastern. The most recent meeting between the two squads came in the 2014 campaign when FGCU notched two victories over EMU.
The Eagles are 5-2 all-time against Villanova with their last meeting coming in the 2014 season when EMU took the 4-2 victory at the FGCU Tournament, Feb. 22.
Finally, Eastern Michigan and Georgia State have played each other on three separate occasions with the Panthers carrying a 2-1 advantage into the weekend contest.
A LOOK AT VILLANOVA: The Wildcats come into the USF Under Armour Tournament with a 1-4 overall record after completing its first weekend of action at the EMU Madeira Beach Spring Invitational, Feb. 20-22. Villanova's lone win came in its final game of the tournament when it defeated Siena College, 5-1.
Currently, two Wildcat batters are hitting at a .400 clip with Natalia Segovia going 4-for-10 at the plate and Aleshia Ayers grabbing two hits in five at-bats. Sophomore Lauren Herchberg has a team-best six hits on the young season, while three Villanova players have two RBI. As a team, VU is hitting .236, while opponents are hitting .266 off the Wildcat pitching staff.
In the circle, Villanova is led by junior hurler Kate Poppe who has made four appearances and three starts, while tossing 19.0 innings and striking out 20. The right-handed hurler holds a 1-2 record and a 3.68 ERA, while lefty Brette Lawrence carries a team-best 2.52 ERA in 8.1 innings of work.
TAKING A GLANCE AT GEORGIA STATE: Following a perfect 5-0 weekend at the Panther Invitational, Georgia State heads into the USF Under Armour Tournament with a 7-2 overall record, having only lost to No. 16 Auburn on two seperate occasions.
Freshamn Ivie Drake leads the powerful Panther offense, batting .519 with 14 hits and 11 RBI, while Callie Alford is hitting at a .355 clip and has drove in a team-high 14 RBI. Georgia State has six players hitting .300 or better on the young season and thee players have notched double-digit RBI, including Meagan Litumbe who ranks second on the team with 13. As a team, the Panthers are hitting .370 in the first nine games of the season.
The Georgia State pitching staff is allowing batters to hit at a .333 clip, while the four-pitcher staff carries a team ERA of 7.37 into the weekend tournament. Sophomore Taylor Thorpe has made seven appearances and three starts for the Panthers, hurling a team-high 24.1 innings with one complete game and a 3-0 record, while junior Chelsea Stanfield has tossed 18.2 innings and suffered both losses against the nationally-ranked Tigers.
SCOUTING FLORIDA GULF COAST: This season Eastern Michigan will see a new FGCU team, after having lost two players who knocked in a combined seven RBI against EMU in the 2014 season as well as both pitchers who faced off against the Green and White. Florida Gulf Coast heads to the weekend tournamnet with an 8-9 overall record after playing in three tournaments to kick off the 2015 campaign.
The Eagles are hitting .283 as a team, while the FGCU pitching staff is allowing opponents to hit at a .319 clip. Two Florida Gulf Coast players are hitting .400 or better with freshman Natalie Lopez having a .440 batting average with 11 hits and five RBI, while Kelsey Carpenter has brought in 11 RBI on the season with a team-best 18 hits. FGCU also has some speed on the basepath with Kelsey Huff going 10-for-10 on stolen bases and Carissa LiCata swiping seven on eight attempts.
Time in the circle has been split fairly evenly through the first 17 games of the season with Shelby Morgan pitching 33.0 innings, Gabbee Draney tossing 28.2 innings and Ashley Dobson hurling 24.0 innings. Morgan has pitched three complete games for the Eagles and holds a 3-1 record in seven appearances and six starts.
A PEEK AT ILLINOIS: The Fighting Illini are 5-10 overall on the season, having lost their last three contests at the Houston Hilton Plaza Classic, Feb. 20-22.
Illinois is led by sophomore Ruby Rivera who is hitting .426 with 20 hits, including four doubles and three homeruns while driving in nine RBI on the season. Sophomore Nicole Evans has also been a threat at the plate for the Fighting Illini, driving in a team-best 18 RBI with five homers and a .633 slugging percentage. As a team, Illinois is hitting .294, while opponents are hitting .318 against UI pitching.
The Illinois pitching staff has struggled as both pitchers carry ERAs over 4.00 through the first 15 games of the season. Breanna Wonderly has a team-best 4.85 ERA, pitching 30.1 innings and Shelese Arnold has tossed a team-high 48.1 innings in 11 appearances and eight starts.
LOOKING AT CENTRAL ARKANSAS: The Bears have five players hitting .300 or better and come into the tournament with an 8-5 overall record and are 3-0 on their home field.
As a team, Central Arkansas is hitting .261 with junior Sam Forrest leading the team with a .333 average, driving in a team-high 16 RBI and notching four homeruns on the young season. Adding to the UCA offense is Jessie Taylor who has knocked in 10 RBI on seven hits.
Ace pitcher Kylee Studioso has pitched a majority of the innings for the Bears with 53.1 with a 2.70 ERA and a 7-2 overall record. The senior right-handed pitcher has pitched eight complete games for Central Arkansas and struck out 53 batters.
ON DECK: Eastern Michigan will continue its 19-game road stint March 13-14 when it heads to Stony Brook, N.Y. for the Stony Brook Tournament. The Eagles will first take on Holy Cross, Mar. 13 at 1 p.m.
EASTERN REMAINS IN SUNSHINE STATE FOR USF UNDER ARMOUR TOURNAMENT: After a week of practice in Florida, the Eastern Michigan University softball team is ready for the USF Under Armour Tournament Friday, Feb. 27-Sunday, March 1. The Eagles will kick off day one against Villanova University at 4 p.m. before closing out the day with a contest against Georgia State, which is slated to start at 6:15 p.m.
EAGLES WIN THREE IN-A-ROW TO CLOSE OUT EMU MADEIRA BEACH SPRING INVITATIONAL: After dropping its first two games of the EMU Madeira Beach Spring Invitational, EMU came back to win its final three games of the tournament, including two shutout victories over Columbia University and UMass-Lowell.
The three-straight victories mark the first time the Green and White have won three in-a-row since Apr. 26-27, 2013, when EMU swept Miami University in a doubleheader before defeating Ball State University.
This season the Eagles' two shutout victories already surpass last seasons total as EMU earned just one shutout against Bowling Green when it took down the Falcons, 3-0, Apr. 26.
MICHELLE KRIEGSHAUSER EARNS MAC WEST PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS: Eastern Michigan University sophomore Michelle Kriegshauser earned Mid-American Conference West Player of the Week honors for the period ending Feb. 22. The award marks the first of her career and the first for the Eagles in the 2015 season.
Kriegshauser capped off a stellar week for the Eagles, going 7-for-17 at the plate, including seven RBI, for a .412 batting average in five contests. The sophomore opened up the weekend, going 2-for-3 against North Dakota, scoring once and driving in an RBI before notching two hits in four at bats against Robert Morris, driving in one run.
The New Lenox, Ill. native carried her success into Saturday's contest against Columbia, Feb. 21, grabbing a single to right field before laying down a suicide squeeze to bring in two runs for the Green and White in its 6-0 victory. On the final day of the EMU Madeira Beach Spring Invitational, Kriegshauser went 2-for-3 at the plate against Siena College, including blasting a walk-off home run in the bottom of the seventh inning to propel Eastern Michigan to a 5-4 victory over the Saints. Furthermore, the sophomore posted a .474 on-base percentage and a .588 slugging percentage in five games.
RICH'S SHUTOUT PITCHING LIFTS EAGLES TO THREE VICTORIES: Eastern Michigan University senior right-handed pitcher Lindsay Rich picked up the victory in the circle in each of the Eagles three wins at the EMU Madeira Beach Spring Invitational, Feb. 20-22.
The right-handed hurler tossed 21.2 innings for the Green and White, including 16.2 consecutive shut out innings. In the teams first win of the weekend, Rich went the distance, giving up just five hits and no runs against Columbia University Saturday, Feb. 21 before coming back Sunday, Feb. 22 to defeat UMASS-Lowell, again pitching a complete game and not allowing any runs to score.
Against the River Hawks, Rich helped the Eagle defense sit down 12 consecutive-batters before one reached base in the sixth inning. The Perysburg, Ohio native recorded 19 strikeouts on the weekend before picking up her third win against Siena College, pitching 2.2 innings of relief for the Green and White. Rich also helped herself this weekend, going 3-for-13 at the plate with one RBI and scoring three times.
AGAINST THIS WEEKEND'S OPPONENTS: EMU holds a 9-10 record against its opponents this weekend, having gone up against just Florida Gulf Coast, Georiga State, and Villanova.
The Green and White and FGCU have met the most times on the dirt, with Florida Gulf Coast holding a 6-3 advantage over Eastern. The most recent meeting between the two squads came in the 2014 campaign when FGCU notched two victories over EMU.
The Eagles are 5-2 all-time against Villanova with their last meeting coming in the 2014 season when EMU took the 4-2 victory at the FGCU Tournament, Feb. 22.
Finally, Eastern Michigan and Georgia State have played each other on three separate occasions with the Panthers carrying a 2-1 advantage into the weekend contest.
A LOOK AT VILLANOVA: The Wildcats come into the USF Under Armour Tournament with a 1-4 overall record after completing its first weekend of action at the EMU Madeira Beach Spring Invitational, Feb. 20-22. Villanova's lone win came in its final game of the tournament when it defeated Siena College, 5-1.
Currently, two Wildcat batters are hitting at a .400 clip with Natalia Segovia going 4-for-10 at the plate and Aleshia Ayers grabbing two hits in five at-bats. Sophomore Lauren Herchberg has a team-best six hits on the young season, while three Villanova players have two RBI. As a team, VU is hitting .236, while opponents are hitting .266 off the Wildcat pitching staff.
In the circle, Villanova is led by junior hurler Kate Poppe who has made four appearances and three starts, while tossing 19.0 innings and striking out 20. The right-handed hurler holds a 1-2 record and a 3.68 ERA, while lefty Brette Lawrence carries a team-best 2.52 ERA in 8.1 innings of work.
TAKING A GLANCE AT GEORGIA STATE: Following a perfect 5-0 weekend at the Panther Invitational, Georgia State heads into the USF Under Armour Tournament with a 7-2 overall record, having only lost to No. 16 Auburn on two seperate occasions.
Freshamn Ivie Drake leads the powerful Panther offense, batting .519 with 14 hits and 11 RBI, while Callie Alford is hitting at a .355 clip and has drove in a team-high 14 RBI. Georgia State has six players hitting .300 or better on the young season and thee players have notched double-digit RBI, including Meagan Litumbe who ranks second on the team with 13. As a team, the Panthers are hitting .370 in the first nine games of the season.
The Georgia State pitching staff is allowing batters to hit at a .333 clip, while the four-pitcher staff carries a team ERA of 7.37 into the weekend tournament. Sophomore Taylor Thorpe has made seven appearances and three starts for the Panthers, hurling a team-high 24.1 innings with one complete game and a 3-0 record, while junior Chelsea Stanfield has tossed 18.2 innings and suffered both losses against the nationally-ranked Tigers.
SCOUTING FLORIDA GULF COAST: This season Eastern Michigan will see a new FGCU team, after having lost two players who knocked in a combined seven RBI against EMU in the 2014 season as well as both pitchers who faced off against the Green and White. Florida Gulf Coast heads to the weekend tournamnet with an 8-9 overall record after playing in three tournaments to kick off the 2015 campaign.
The Eagles are hitting .283 as a team, while the FGCU pitching staff is allowing opponents to hit at a .319 clip. Two Florida Gulf Coast players are hitting .400 or better with freshman Natalie Lopez having a .440 batting average with 11 hits and five RBI, while Kelsey Carpenter has brought in 11 RBI on the season with a team-best 18 hits. FGCU also has some speed on the basepath with Kelsey Huff going 10-for-10 on stolen bases and Carissa LiCata swiping seven on eight attempts.
Time in the circle has been split fairly evenly through the first 17 games of the season with Shelby Morgan pitching 33.0 innings, Gabbee Draney tossing 28.2 innings and Ashley Dobson hurling 24.0 innings. Morgan has pitched three complete games for the Eagles and holds a 3-1 record in seven appearances and six starts.
A PEEK AT ILLINOIS: The Fighting Illini are 5-10 overall on the season, having lost their last three contests at the Houston Hilton Plaza Classic, Feb. 20-22.
Illinois is led by sophomore Ruby Rivera who is hitting .426 with 20 hits, including four doubles and three homeruns while driving in nine RBI on the season. Sophomore Nicole Evans has also been a threat at the plate for the Fighting Illini, driving in a team-best 18 RBI with five homers and a .633 slugging percentage. As a team, Illinois is hitting .294, while opponents are hitting .318 against UI pitching.
The Illinois pitching staff has struggled as both pitchers carry ERAs over 4.00 through the first 15 games of the season. Breanna Wonderly has a team-best 4.85 ERA, pitching 30.1 innings and Shelese Arnold has tossed a team-high 48.1 innings in 11 appearances and eight starts.
LOOKING AT CENTRAL ARKANSAS: The Bears have five players hitting .300 or better and come into the tournament with an 8-5 overall record and are 3-0 on their home field.
As a team, Central Arkansas is hitting .261 with junior Sam Forrest leading the team with a .333 average, driving in a team-high 16 RBI and notching four homeruns on the young season. Adding to the UCA offense is Jessie Taylor who has knocked in 10 RBI on seven hits.
Ace pitcher Kylee Studioso has pitched a majority of the innings for the Bears with 53.1 with a 2.70 ERA and a 7-2 overall record. The senior right-handed pitcher has pitched eight complete games for Central Arkansas and struck out 53 batters.
ON DECK: Eastern Michigan will continue its 19-game road stint March 13-14 when it heads to Stony Brook, N.Y. for the Stony Brook Tournament. The Eagles will first take on Holy Cross, Mar. 13 at 1 p.m.
Players Mentioned
OF
/ Softball
P/1B
/ SoftballThank You, Team 38
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