Saturday, April 21
Macomb, Ill.
1:00 p.m.
Purdue Fort Wayne
at
Western Illinois
Photo by: Lucas Carter
Two of Three Top Summit Teams to Battle in Macomb
4/20/2012 3:18:00 PM | Softball
MACOMB, Ill. - The IPFW Mastodons and Western Illinois Leathernecks, currently two of the top three teams in the Summit League standings, go to battle this weekend at Mary Ellen McKee Stadiun on the campus of Western Illinois University. The Leathernecks, who are in a two-way tie for first place in the league ledger, has never lost to the Mastodons in its home park.
Game: vs. Western Illinois Leathernecks (22-10, 12-3 Summit League)
When: Saturday, April 21, 2012 | 1 p.m.; Sunday, April 22, 2012 | 1:30 p.m.
Where: Macomb, Ill. | Mary Ellen McKee Stadium
Live Stats: Western Illinois Live Stats
SCOUTING THE MASTODONS
The Mastodons come into the game with a school-record 33 wins already uner their belt, and are riding a current three-game win streak, having won eight of their last nine games, including a series win over Southern Utah.
The Mastodon offense has five of its starters above a .300 batting average, led by Alex Bousquet who is hitting .381 this season. Brittany Kachur, has a .360 batting average in 75 at-bats, while Larissa Franklin (.355), Ashleigh Bousquet (.313), and Mackenzie Ritsema (.308) are all above the mark, while Kayti Hanson (.275) is close behind.
Alex Bousquet leads the team with 37 runs scored and seven home runs, while drawing 46 free passes this season, 26 on walks, and 20 on hit by pitches, as her on-base percentage is an eye-popping .552. Franklin has a team-best 17 stolen bases, as Ashleigh Bousquet leads the team with a school-record 44 RBI's.
The pitching staff has been one of the top groups in the Summit League this season, and has a combined ERA of 1.42 among its three pitchers. Courtney Cronin, the 2010 Summit League Pitcher of the Year leads the squad with a 16-2 record and a 1.23 ERA with 101 strikeouts in 125.2 innings of work. Megan Flenniken is not far off of the pace in the ERA category at 1.35, and is 9-5 with 89 k's in 93.1 innings this season, with freshman Miranda Kramer sitting at 8-3 with a 1.84 ERA and 82 whiff's in 72.1 innings.
SCOUTING THE LEATHERNECKS
Western Illinois comes into the weekend looking to snap out of its current four-game losing skid with losses to Wisconsin, Illinois, and Missouri.
The team is led offensively by freshman Sammy Marshall, who is batting .420 with 38 runs scored, and a NCAA-leading 45 stolen bases on 45 attempts, currently standing with the 15th longest stretch of stolen bases without being caught in NCAA softball history. Four more successful steals without being caught will also put Marshall with the highest stolen base percentage for a season in NCAA history, pending a perfect percentage on the season.
The Leathernecks' Jamie Goss is the only other regular in the lineup with a batting average over .300, as she is batting .356 with 23 runs scored, and a team-high 33 RBI's. Her five home runs tie her with Megan Kelly for second-most on the team (Ashley Campbell has six), and her three triples are also a team best. Briana Williams has a .297 batting average and is 15-of-18 on stolen base tries, while also scoring 21 times. Megan Kelly (.287) and Campbell (.286) are each close to the .300 mark, with Kelly leading the team with 10 doubles, and Campbell is second on the squad with 25 RBI's.
Hailey Bickford and Kelsey Michelini have been the primary workhorses for the Leathernecks in the pitching circle, as the two have combined for 251 of the team's 279.1 innings this season. Bickford has a team-best 2.70 ERA and an 8-9 record, while Michelini is 12-8 with a 3.11 ERA. Michelini leads the team with 76 strikeouts in 139.2 innings, while Bickford has 68 strikeouts in 111.1 frames this year.
ALL-TIME SERIES
The Leathernecks hold a commanding 15-2 lead in the all-time series between the two teams, as both of IPFW's wins came from a season ago in Fort Wayne. WIU had won the first 14 meetings between the two teams, including two meetings in the Summit League Tournament (2008 and 2010). Last season the 'Dons took the first two games of the doubleheader between the two teams by scores of 2-1 and 4-3, before the Leathernecks fought back to take the series finale 6-3. Additionally, the Mastodons are 0-7 against WIU in Macomb, and 0-9 all-time at the stadium (including going 0-2 last season in the Summit League Tournament).
RECORDS ABOUND
Three separate IPFW batters this season have tied or set single-season records for the Mastodons against Western Michigan last Tuesday. Alex Bousquet set the single-season runs record with a home run early in game one, and has 37 runs scored this season, two more than the previous record set by Sara Hopwood in 2010. Twin sister Ashleigh Bousquet, with a three-run home run in game two, broke the single season RBI record, as the sophomore now has 44 this season, one more than the record set by Kristina Karpun in 2010. Freshman Larissa Franklin has tied the single-season stolen base record with 17, currently tied with Kim McDonald from her 1994 total.
HIGH IN THE RANKINGS
The IPFW Mastodons have six players that are among the Nation's best in 10 different statistical categories, including ranking eighth in the country in team ERA. Alex Bousquet paces the squad as she sits seventh in the country in times hit by pitch per game (0.49), while using that and a plethora of walks to rank 11th in on-base percentage (.548). She is also ranked 61st in the NCAA in RBI's per game, just behind her twin sister Ashleigh, who is 39th in the country, averaging 0.98 RBI's per game. Courtney Cronin ranks 13th in the country in ERA (1.16), and also ranks 59th in total victories (15), and 49th in doubles (0.29). Miranda Kramer sits 21st in the country with three saves, while Larissa Franklin has cracked the top-100 by averaging 0.38 steals per game, putting her 86th on the list.
Game: vs. Western Illinois Leathernecks (22-10, 12-3 Summit League)
When: Saturday, April 21, 2012 | 1 p.m.; Sunday, April 22, 2012 | 1:30 p.m.
Where: Macomb, Ill. | Mary Ellen McKee Stadium
Live Stats: Western Illinois Live Stats
SCOUTING THE MASTODONS
The Mastodons come into the game with a school-record 33 wins already uner their belt, and are riding a current three-game win streak, having won eight of their last nine games, including a series win over Southern Utah.
The Mastodon offense has five of its starters above a .300 batting average, led by Alex Bousquet who is hitting .381 this season. Brittany Kachur, has a .360 batting average in 75 at-bats, while Larissa Franklin (.355), Ashleigh Bousquet (.313), and Mackenzie Ritsema (.308) are all above the mark, while Kayti Hanson (.275) is close behind.
Alex Bousquet leads the team with 37 runs scored and seven home runs, while drawing 46 free passes this season, 26 on walks, and 20 on hit by pitches, as her on-base percentage is an eye-popping .552. Franklin has a team-best 17 stolen bases, as Ashleigh Bousquet leads the team with a school-record 44 RBI's.
The pitching staff has been one of the top groups in the Summit League this season, and has a combined ERA of 1.42 among its three pitchers. Courtney Cronin, the 2010 Summit League Pitcher of the Year leads the squad with a 16-2 record and a 1.23 ERA with 101 strikeouts in 125.2 innings of work. Megan Flenniken is not far off of the pace in the ERA category at 1.35, and is 9-5 with 89 k's in 93.1 innings this season, with freshman Miranda Kramer sitting at 8-3 with a 1.84 ERA and 82 whiff's in 72.1 innings.
SCOUTING THE LEATHERNECKS
Western Illinois comes into the weekend looking to snap out of its current four-game losing skid with losses to Wisconsin, Illinois, and Missouri.
The team is led offensively by freshman Sammy Marshall, who is batting .420 with 38 runs scored, and a NCAA-leading 45 stolen bases on 45 attempts, currently standing with the 15th longest stretch of stolen bases without being caught in NCAA softball history. Four more successful steals without being caught will also put Marshall with the highest stolen base percentage for a season in NCAA history, pending a perfect percentage on the season.
The Leathernecks' Jamie Goss is the only other regular in the lineup with a batting average over .300, as she is batting .356 with 23 runs scored, and a team-high 33 RBI's. Her five home runs tie her with Megan Kelly for second-most on the team (Ashley Campbell has six), and her three triples are also a team best. Briana Williams has a .297 batting average and is 15-of-18 on stolen base tries, while also scoring 21 times. Megan Kelly (.287) and Campbell (.286) are each close to the .300 mark, with Kelly leading the team with 10 doubles, and Campbell is second on the squad with 25 RBI's.
Hailey Bickford and Kelsey Michelini have been the primary workhorses for the Leathernecks in the pitching circle, as the two have combined for 251 of the team's 279.1 innings this season. Bickford has a team-best 2.70 ERA and an 8-9 record, while Michelini is 12-8 with a 3.11 ERA. Michelini leads the team with 76 strikeouts in 139.2 innings, while Bickford has 68 strikeouts in 111.1 frames this year.
ALL-TIME SERIES
The Leathernecks hold a commanding 15-2 lead in the all-time series between the two teams, as both of IPFW's wins came from a season ago in Fort Wayne. WIU had won the first 14 meetings between the two teams, including two meetings in the Summit League Tournament (2008 and 2010). Last season the 'Dons took the first two games of the doubleheader between the two teams by scores of 2-1 and 4-3, before the Leathernecks fought back to take the series finale 6-3. Additionally, the Mastodons are 0-7 against WIU in Macomb, and 0-9 all-time at the stadium (including going 0-2 last season in the Summit League Tournament).
RECORDS ABOUND
Three separate IPFW batters this season have tied or set single-season records for the Mastodons against Western Michigan last Tuesday. Alex Bousquet set the single-season runs record with a home run early in game one, and has 37 runs scored this season, two more than the previous record set by Sara Hopwood in 2010. Twin sister Ashleigh Bousquet, with a three-run home run in game two, broke the single season RBI record, as the sophomore now has 44 this season, one more than the record set by Kristina Karpun in 2010. Freshman Larissa Franklin has tied the single-season stolen base record with 17, currently tied with Kim McDonald from her 1994 total.
HIGH IN THE RANKINGS
The IPFW Mastodons have six players that are among the Nation's best in 10 different statistical categories, including ranking eighth in the country in team ERA. Alex Bousquet paces the squad as she sits seventh in the country in times hit by pitch per game (0.49), while using that and a plethora of walks to rank 11th in on-base percentage (.548). She is also ranked 61st in the NCAA in RBI's per game, just behind her twin sister Ashleigh, who is 39th in the country, averaging 0.98 RBI's per game. Courtney Cronin ranks 13th in the country in ERA (1.16), and also ranks 59th in total victories (15), and 49th in doubles (0.29). Miranda Kramer sits 21st in the country with three saves, while Larissa Franklin has cracked the top-100 by averaging 0.38 steals per game, putting her 86th on the list.
Huge Dubs!
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