Eagles Kick Off Season at EMU Madeira Beach Invitational

Softball at EMU Madeira Beach Invitational
Date	Friday-Sunday, Feb. 17-19
Venue	Madeira Beach, Fla.
Preview Info	EMU Notes \| Tournament Central
Live Stats	Fan Stats \| Media Stats
Twitter	@EMUSoftball \| @EMUAthletics

MADEIRA BEACH, Fla. (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University softball team opens its 2017 season under fourth-year head coach Melissa Gentile, Feb. 17-19, at the first weekend of the EMU Madeira Beach Invitational.
   Eastern Michigan will square off against six teams over the three-day span, beginning with a 9 a.m. contest against Boston University, Friday, Feb. 17. Following the tilt with the Terriers, EMU will battle Villanova at 2 p.m., before taking on Siena and Robert Morris on Saturday. The Eagles will close out the weekend with games against Quinnipiac and North Dakota.

LOOKING TO REPLICATE LAST SEASON'S SUCCESS: With a 4-1 record at the 2016 EMU Madeira Beach Invitational, the Eagles turned in their best non-conference weekend record since the 2011 season when they went a perfect 4-0 at the FGCU Invitational, March 2-4.

TURNING THE TIDE IN SEASON OPENERS: The Eagles have accumulated an 18-17-1 record in season openers since the program came into existence in 1981. Eastern Michigan is looking to win its lid lifter for the first time since 2014 when it battles Boston on Friday.

EAGLES IN THE SUNSHINE STATE: Since the 2014 season, the Eagles hold an 18-20 record when playing in the state of Florida. After compiling a 4-11 mark in Head Coach Melissa Gentile's first season at the helm, the Eagles have won 14-of-23 games in the Sunshine State since. Last season, EMU posted a 6-4 record in 10 games played in Florida.

TALE OF THE TAPE: Eastern holds a 13-8 all-time record against this weekend's opponents, including a 5-4 mark under the direction of Head Coach Melissa Gentile.
   Friday's battle versus Boston pits the Eagles against the Terriers for just the second time in program history. EMU came out on top, 3-2, in the initial match up, Feb. 24, 2006, giving the Green and White the slight edge in the all-time series. Villanova is the opponent in which Eastern is most familiar with, having squared off nine times previously. The Eagles own a 7-2 lead in the all-time tally, and bested VU, 3-1, last season. The Green and White also hold the edge in the series with Siena which began during the 2015 campaign. EMU is 2-0 all time against Siena, securing both wins as part of the EMU Madeira Beach Invite the past two seasons. Most recently, Eastern Michigan blasted Siena, 7-3, Feb. 21, 2016. On the flip side, the Eagles trail in the all-time series against both Robert Morris (2-3) and North Dakota (1-3). RMU overpowered EMU, 7-4, back during the 2015 season, and North Dakota outlasted Eastern, 6-5, a month later. Sunday's showdown with Quinnipiac will be the first meeting between the Eagles and Bobcats.

KEEPING AN EYE ON THE RECORD BOOKS: Throughout her career, senior Michelle Kriegshauser has become one of the best offensive players to come through Eastern Michigan. Heading into her final season, Kriegshauser's name is written all over the EMU record books. She currently sits fifth with 20 home runs, is tied for seventh all-time with 40 doubles, and tied for 10th all-time with 80 runs batted in. The New Lenox, Ill. native is also just outside the top-15 in career hits and runs, while her career batting average of .355 is the top mark in program history.

MAKING MOVES: For the third consecutive season under Melissa Gentile, the Eagles will transition an infielder to a new post in center field. This season, Haley Hostetler will make the move from shortstop to the outfield. In 2016, Abby Davidson made the move, while Jenn Lucas transitioned from second base to center in 2015.

HEAVY HITTERS PRIMED: Despite the loss of both Abi Clark and Aoife Duffy, the Eagles return their top power hitters in Michelle Kriegshauser and Amanda Akles. Kriegshauser paced the Green and White last season, hitting a team-best .381 at the plate, while tying Akles for the team-lead in home runs (7) and RBIs (35). Overall, EMU returns 73 percent of its run production from 2016.

MAKING THEIR ROUNDS: In addition to a grueling Mid-American Conference schedule, Eastern Michigan will square off with teams from 17 different leagues this season. The Eagles will take on two teams from the Big East, Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, Ivy League, Horizon League, Big Ten, and Ohio Valley. Additionally, EMU will battle teams hailing from the Big West, Patriot League, Northeast Conference, Big Sky, American Athletic Conference, America East, Pac-12, Atlantic Coast Conference, Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, Atlantic Sun, and Mountain West throughout the year.

PITCHING POWER RETURNS: Under first-year pitching coach Andrea Vangoss, the Eagles benefit from the return of a trio of veterans in the circle. Nicolle Miranda was a workhorse for the Green and White as a freshman, leading the staff in earned run average (3.81), wins (9), complete games (11), innings pitched (165.1), strikeouts (85), and opponents batting average (.274). Meanwhile, Trisha Trujillo and Abbie Minsker put together career years for the Eagles. Trujillo set career-highs in ERA, appearances, strikeouts, and opponents batting average, while Minsker tossed seven complete games, including two shutouts, in addition to career-highs in innings pitched and strikeouts.

ON DECK: Eastern remains in Florida for a midweek game under the lights against the University of South Florida, Wednesday, Feb. 22. Game time is set for 6 p.m. in Tampa Bay.

NOT AN EASY ROAD AHEAD: In taking a quick glance at the latest national polls, it is easy to see that the task that lies ahead for the Eagles is anything but easy. In fact, three of EMU's 2017 opponents are ranked, including No. 6/5 UCLA, No. 11/10 Michigan, and No. 20 South Florida. Additionally, Notre Dame is receiving votes in both polls through one weekend of action.

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Players Mentioned

Amanda Akles

Abi Clark

Abby Davidson

Aoife Duffy

Haley Hostetler

Michelle Kriegshauser

Abbie Minsker

Nicolle Miranda

Trisha Trujillo

Eastern Michigan Athletics