Eagles Head West for Three-Game Set Versus Huskies

Softball at Northern Illinois
Date	Friday-Saturday, April 28-29
Venue	DeKalb, Ill. \| Mary M. Bell Field
Game Notes	EMU Notes
Live Stream	NIUHuskies.com
Live Stats	N IUHUskies.com
Twitter	@EMUSoftball \| @EMUAthletics

DEKALB, Ill. (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University softball team continues a five-game roadtrip with a trek to DeKalb, Ill. for a three-game Mid-American Conference series against Northern Illinois University. The three-game set gets underway with a twin bill Friday, April 28, at 2 p.m. Saturday's game will be determined later due to the possibility of inclement weather.
Live stats will be available for the game between the Eagles and Huskies, while a live stream will also be provided through NIUHuskies.com. Additionally, fans can follow the action through Twitter by following @EMUSoftball.

HOMECOMING OF SORTS: For Michelle Kriegshauser, this weekend's trip to the Land of Lincoln will serve as a homecoming of sorts as the senior outfielder will play in her home state for just the second time in her career. Kriegshauser, a native of New Lenox, Ill., grew up an hour southeast of Northern Illinois.

TALE OF THE TAPE: Eastern Michigan and Northern Illinois have met 63 times ahead of this weekend's series, with NIU owning a 38-25 edge over EMU all-time. Currently, the Huskies are riding a five-game win streak over the Eagles.
The Eagles' last win over the Huskies came on April 20, 2014, at Varsity Field when EMU walked-off with a 4-3 victory in eight innings. Abi Clark led the way, going 2-for-3 with two RBI's, a run scored, and a home run. One of Clark's two RBI's came in the bottom of the eighth when she singled to left to score Amanda Stanton for the game-winning run. Alyssa Huntley earned the win, shutting down the Huskies in the top half of the eighth to set Clark up for the late game heroics.

IT'S BEEN A WHILE: Mary M. Bell Field has not been kind to the Green and White over the years. In fact, the Eagles are 5-11 at the Huskies' home since the 2000 campaign. Eastern's last win over Northern Illinois in DeKalb, Ill. came back during the 2011 season. EMU knocked off NIU 10-1 after a six-run sixth to run-rule the Huskies. McKenna Russ' 2-for-2 day paced the Eagles, as she notched a double and a homer, while also scoring three runs, tallying two RBI's, and two walks. Lauren Wells picked up the win in the circle, tossing a 6.0 innings, while allowing just one run on four hits to go along with 10 strikeouts.

MILESTONE UPDATE: A pair of Eagle seniors are closing in on a few milestones as the Green and White head into its final seven games. Michelle Kriegshauser, arguably the best offensive player in program history, is one hit shy of 200 for her career. Meanwhile, Taylor Wagner needs one hit to break into the 100-hit club.

INSIDE WAGNER'S CAREER YEAR: Senior catcher Taylor Wagner is coming down the final stretch of the best season of her career. The Marshalltown, Iowa native has been an absolute terror this year, and currently leads the Eagles with a .377 batting average. Not only does Wagner lead the team in the category, but she's hitting more than 70 points higher than her previous season-best. Additionally, Wagner has cranked out a career-high 46 hits, tied career-bests in doubles (6), triples (1), and walks (9).

LOOKING TO PLAY SPOILER: With a 3-15 record in Mid-American Conference play, the Eagles have been mathematically eliminated from the MAC Tournament. EMU looks to shake up the seeding in its final league games, as the Green and White face two of the top-three teams in the West in Central Michigan and NIU.

RETURNING TO FORM: Amanda Akles entered Mid-American Conference play with a batting average hovering at .176. Since the start of league play, Akles is hitting a hefty .373 at the plate with four doubles, four home runs, and 11 RBI's. She ranks second on the team for doubles over the stretch, and has hit all but two of the Eagles' home runs since March 24. Additionally, her 11 RBIs not only rank top on the squad over the past 18 games, but she has nearly double the number of the next closest Eagle.

STAYIN' HOT: Over the past four games sophomore Amanda Akles has been unstoppable at the plate. The La Habra, Calif. native has raised her season batting average from .228 to .268 and is currently riding a four-game hit streak. Dating back to April 21, Akles has gone 8-for-13 at the dish, good for a .616 batting average over the span.

ON DECK: Eastern closes out a five-game road stint Tuesday, May 2, in Rochester, Mich. There, the Eagles will square off with the Golden Grizzlies of Oakland University. First pitch of the doubleheader is slated for 2 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

Amanda Akles

Abi Clark

Alyssa Huntley

Michelle Kriegshauser

Taylor Wagner

Eastern Michigan Athletics