Eagles Face Off with Detroit in Mid-Week Contest

EMU SET FOR MID-WEEK CONTEST AGAINST DETROIT: After closing out its 2015 tournament slate, the Eastern Michigan University softball team returns to the Great Lakes State to take on the University of Detroit in a mid-week doubleheader Wednesday, March 25. First pitch of game one is slated for 4 p.m.

ALL-TIME SERIES AGAINST THE TITANS: The Eagles have dominated the series against the cross-town opponent, leading the Titans 45-6 in all-time meetings. Detroit and EMU last met during the 2012 campaign with the Green and White earning a 7-1 decision at Varsity Field, April 17, 2012.
   Prior to the 2012 meeting, Eastern has posted victories in the last 10 meetings between the two squads with the Titans last win coming in the 2001 doubleheader when UDM nabbed a 2-1 win over the Green and White, March 20, on its home field.

FINDING THE RIGHT FIT: Head Coach Melissa Gentile has been trying to find the perfect fit this season in regards to the batting order. So far in 2015, the Eagles have had 18 different lineups in 22 games, while only using the same lineup at most three times. The Green and White went 1-2 when using the same lineup against Columbia, North Dakota and Robert Morris, while posting a pefect 2-0 record with identical batting orders against Siena and UMASS-Lowell. Finally, EMU was 0-2 when using a matching lineup against both Georgia State and UMKC.
   Junior Myranda Barnes has proven to be the most effective leadoff hitter for the Green and White with five hits and two RBI as well as earning six walks. Spending most of the season in the three slot, sophomore Michelle Kriegshauser is hitting .364 with 24 hits and 15 RBI, while Abi Clark has been an effective hitter in the clean-up spot, notching four hits in 12 at-bats for a .333 batting average.

A LOOK AT THE NUMBERS:The Eagles get out of the gate early when it comes to scoring this season, scoring 11 and 10 runs, respectively in the first two innings of the game, while they have struggled in the third, notching just eight runs. Furthermore, the Green and White's best inning has come in the fourth where they have scored 13 runs, while also scoring 11 runs in the fifth and 10 in the seventh.
   EMU is 5-5 when it scores in the first inning of the game and is 4-0 when leading after the fifth and sixth inning. Eastern has also posted a 3-3 record when leading after the second inning and a 4-2 record when leading after the third. Despite the Eagles hitting improvements, the Green and White is being outhit by its opponents 140-78 this season with the opposition grabbing over 20 runs in both the first and the fifth innings.

HITTING WITH DUCKS ON THE POND: As a team, Eastern is hitting .251 with runners on base this season with sophomore Michelle Kriegshauser posting a team-best .452 batting average when there are runners on base. The sophomore outfielder is 14-for-31 with runners on the basepath, spending the majority of the season as the No. 3 hitter for the Green and White. Senior Jenn Lucas has also been clutch with runners on, hitting at a .323 clip, while Abi Clark is hitting .318 with ducks on the pond.
   Entering the lineup for Eastern 10 games in, sophomore Katy Wyman has been securing a spot in the starting lineup after hitting .368 with runners on base this season, going 7-for-19 at the dish.

SCOUTING DETROIT: The Titans have had a rough start to the 2015 campaign, posting a 1-20 overall record with their lone win coming Feb. 28 against Southern University.
   Detroit is led by Kayla Kostich, who carries a .286 batting average with a team-best 16 hits and eight RBI, while Savanna Ferstle adn Christa McHahuey have also brought in eight runs for the Titans. Furthermore, Kostich has recorded at least one hit in eight of the last nine games, hitting at a .366 clip with three homers and seven RBI. The Titans have speed on the basepath this season, stealing 36 bases on 50 attempts, while freshman Alex Astorga currently leads the teams and the Horizon League with 15 stolen bases on 16 attempts. The freshman ranks 17th nationally in stolen bases, while Samantha Wolschleger has swiped six bases on nine attempts for UDM.
   Time in the circle has been split between three pitchers this season with Hannah Leppek making a team-high 17 appearances and eight starts, while Dayton Yingling has made 15 appearances and McGahuey has made 12. Leppek, the freshman right-handed hurler, has pitched 41.1 innings and holds a team-best 5.37 ERA with 20 strikeouts, while McGahuey has fanned a team-high 27 batters.

ON DECK: The Eagles will return to Varsity Field to open up Mid-American Conference play Friday, March 27 when they take on the Cardinals of Ball State in a doubleheader event starting at 1 p.m.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Myranda Barnes

Abi Clark

Michelle Kriegshauser

Jenn Lucas

Katy Wyman

Eastern Michigan Athletics