March 11, 2010

Game Notes | Weekend Schedule

WHAT: Children's Hospital Invitational
WHEN: Friday, March 12 - Sunday, March 14
WHERE: University Field - Columbia, Mo.
LIVE STATS: MUTigers.com
LIVE VIDEO: Mizzou All-Access
LIVE AUDIO: 88.1 KCOU FM

TICKET INFORMATION
-Adults: $7 per day; $15 for All-Session Pass
-Students: $4 per day; $10 for All-Session Pass
-Free for children 2 and under
-$3 from each ticket sold goes to the Children's Hospital.

The No. 3 ranked Missouri softball team (13-2) continues their 16-game home stand with an action-packed weekend as the team will host the Children's Hospital Invitational, running from Friday, March 12 through Sunday, March 14.  The Tigers, currently boasting an 11-game winning streak, will play five games over the next three days, including a Saturday afternoon matchup with nationally-ranked Illinois (14-1).

A LOOK AT THE BRAVES
The Bradley Braves come into this weekend's tournament with a record of 9-6 on the season and having won four of their last six games.  They are coached by Amy Hayes, who is in her third season with the program, and assisted by Renee Gass and Jennie Shollenberger.

At the plate, junior Kate Singler power the Brave attack.  Singler is the team leader in home runs (4), runs batted in (16), on-base percentage (.458) and slugging percentage (.683), and is third on the squad with a .366 batting average.  In fact, all four Bradley home runs this season have come off the bat of Singler.  In the circle, senior Amanda Clack has put together a 6-1 record in eight appearances with a 2.23 ERA.  She has struck out 37 batters and walked 23, and has held opponents to a batting average of .174 against her this season.

MIZZOU VS. BRADLEY
Missouri leads the all-time series with Bradley by a 7-1 margin.  The first meeting between the two programs came back in 1982, which saw Missouri win by a 1-0 final.  The only victory in the series for the Braves came back in 2008, when the two squads split a doubleheader.  Bradley won game one 5-4 before Missouri bounced back with a 6-0 victory.  The two teams last met in last season's NCAA Regionals, held here in Columbia, Mo.  The Tigers held off Bradley 2-1 to advance to the regional championship game.

A LOOK AT THE ILLINI
The Illinois enter the weekend ranked No. 21 in the NFCA/USA Today poll and No. 25 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll after starting with an impressive 14-1 record.  Their only blemish this season came at the hands of nationally-ranked Stanford, who run-ruled Illinois 8-0 in five innings.  The Fighting Illini were named champions of the 2010 NFCA Leadoff Classic last month.  Both Illinois and Mizzou finished with a 5-0 record, but Illinois' greater run-differential gave them the title of tournament champions.  Head Coach Terri Sullivan enters her 11th season in the orange and blue, and is assisted by Associate Head Coach Donna DiBiase and Assistant Coach Katie O'Connell.

Illinois' offensive has hit 25 doubles and 16 home runs in their 15 games, while driving in 105 RBI.  The squad is hitting .354 with a .443 OBP and a .546 slugging percentage.  Three players have hit three or more home runs, with juniors Audrey Gallien and Ashley Conrad leading the way with four.  Illinois mostly uses a two-headed pitching attack, led by freshman Pepper Gay and sophomore Monica Perry.  Gay is a perfect 6-0 this season with a miniscule 0.83 ERA.  Perry has posted a 7-1 record in nine appearances, pitching four complete games and putting up an ERA of 2.62.

MIZZOU VS. ILLINOIS
Missouri and the Illini have met up just one time, with the meeting coming in last season's Columbia Regional.  The Tigers knocked Illinois into the elimination bracket with a 5-1 victory.  Illinois scored a run off Chelsea Thomas in the first, but Mizzou scored five straight, capped by two-run home runs by Gina Schneider and Kathryn Poet. 

A LOOK AT THE REDBIRDS
Illinois State currently sits at 9-8 on the season, but is riding a three-game losing streak with all three losses at the hands of ranked teams.  Like Mizzou and Illinois, the Redbirds also competed at the NFCA Classic, finishing 3-2.  ISU is coached by Melinda Fisher, an Illinois State graduate now in her 24th season leading the program.  She is assisted by Tina Kramos and Shannon Nicholson.  The Redbirds have one more game before the tournament begins, as they'll face SEMO on Thursday night.

Junior Abby Olson is the leader of the Illinois State offense, as she currently has a .417 batting average, a .540 on base percentage, and an .854 slugging percentage.  Entering tonight's game against SEMO, Olson has hit six home runs and driven in 22 so far this year.  She's also walked more times than she has struck out, striking out 12 times while reaching via base on balls 14 times this year.  Sophomore Megan Warner has gotten most of the action in the circle this year for the Redbirds, appearing in 11 games.  She has put together a 4-2 record, and has four complete games in five starts.  Her ERA sits at 2.98 entering play tonight at SEMO.

MIZZOU VS. ILLINOIS STATE
The Tigers hold a 12-7 edge on Illinois State all-time, though the teams haven't played since way back in 2000.  The two programs faced off three times that season, with Mizzou winning all three by 4-0, 2-1 and 5-1 finals.  Illinois State's last win in the series came in 1995, when the Redbirds defeated Missouri, 3-1.

A LOOK AT THE LOBOS
New Mexico currently sports an 8-10 record on the season and is riding a six-game skid.  Four of those defeats came at the hands of Baylor, who sits in the top 25 nationally.  Despite the losing record, the Lobos are hitting .333 as a team and have posted a .363 team ERA in the circle.  UNM is coached by former Missouri head coach Ty Singleton, now in his third year with the team.  His assistants are Kim Martin, Jennifer Ogee and Jimmy Hernandez.

New Mexico's top hitter is senior Katie Gilmore, who comes in hitting .423.  She's blasted one home run, five doubles and two triples this season, helping her put up a .475 on base percentage and a .654 slugging percentage.  She's also driven in 12 runs and is a perfect 7-for-7 stealing this year.  The Lobos split their circle time between three pitchers, all receiving relatively equal amounts of playing time.  Sophomore Samantha Gatson leads the team in ERA with a 3.22 mark and has posted a 3-3 record in her nine appearances.  Also receiving nine appearances is freshman Kari Gutierrez, who has a 2-2 record and a 3.50 ERA in her first season.  Rounding out the rotation is redshirt freshman Kayla DeBroeck, who currently sports a 3-4 record and a 3.97 ERA.  DeBroeck has gotten the most action, appearing in three games with seven starts.

MIZZOU VS. NEW MEXICO
The Tigers and Lobos have met seven times previously, with Mizzou holding a 5-2 edge in the series.  New Mexico won the last meeting, defeating Missouri 6-4 back in 2008.  Mizzou's last win against UNM came back in 1991, when the Tigers emerged victorious by a 5-1 score.

A LOOK AT THE AZTECS
San Diego State is currently riding a five-game winning streak, which includes a victory over ranked Fresno State, as they enter the tournament with a 13-8 overall mark.  The Aztecs are led by head coach Kathy Van Wyk, currently in her 13th year at SDSU.  Her assistants are Stacey Nuveman and Mia Longfellow.

As a team, the Aztecs are hitting .291 and are led by sophomore 1B Justeen Maeva.  Maeva is the lone Aztec over .400, currently hitting .417.  She's racked up three home runs and 17 RBI, while posting a .500 OBP and .667 SLG so far this year.  Junior Samantha Beasley sees the majority of the action inside the circle, as she's appeared 17 times so far this year.  Her record sits at 9-5, but her ERA is a paltry 0.70 on the year.

MIZZOU VS. SAN DIEGO STATE
San Diego State enters the Children's Hospital Invitational as the only team with a winning record over Missouri, as their all-time series currently sits at 2-1 in SDSU's favor.  The two teams met last year, with the Aztecs winning 4-2 in eight innings at the San Diego Classic.  The teams met twice in 2002, with Mizzou taking one meeting 4-2 and San Diego State taking the other 4-3.

WHAT'S NEXT?
Mizzou will host a doubleheader next Wednesday against the Wichita State Shockers, beginning at 3 p.m. CT at University Field.  Following that, the Tigers will host the last of their three home regular season tournaments, as they welcome Northern Colorado, Ball State, Northwestern and Eastern Michigan to University Field for the Demarini Invitational.  The event will run from Friday, March 19 through Sunday, March 21.

TIGERS KEEP CLIMBING POLLS
Missouri has used their 10 straight victories to propel them in the national rankings.  Following their 5-0 weekend at the 2010 NFCA Leadoff Classic, the Tigers' 4-0 showing at the Missouri Breast Cancer Awareness Tournament bumped the Tigers up once again.  Sitting firm at No. 3 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball rankings, Mizzou was bumped up one spot in the NFCA/USA Today rankings, now sitting at No. 3 in that poll as well.  Washington and Arizona remain 1-2 both rankings. 

TRACKING TAYLOR
After stealing her 100th career base at the NFCA Leadoff Classic, junior Rhea Taylor swiped two more this past weekend at the Missouri Breast Cancer Awareness Tournament.  Now sitting at 102 career stolen bases, Taylor sits just eight shy of tying the all-time record at Missouri.  Julie Link's 110 stolen bases are the most in Mizzou history.  Link played for the Tigers from 1986-89.  With Taylor's three runs scored this past week, the Buford, Ga., native now sits in seventh all-time at 130 runs, and is just eight away from sixth.  She also sits at 174 career hits, ten away from moving into a tie for ninth, and her .512 career slugging percentage ranks her eighth all-time at Missouri.

TIGERS BLANK UNI, 3-0
The No. 3 Missouri Tigers (13-2) softball team blasted two home runs and used three pitchers to combine for a two-hit, shutout victory over the Northern Iowa Panthers (9-7), leading Mizzou to a 3-0 win.  Senior Jana Hainey (2-0) picked up her second win of the season, pitching two perfect innings of relief with three strikeouts.  Sophomore Kristin Nottelmann picked up her first save of the year, also throwing two innings.  With one out in the first inning, freshman Nicole Hudson crushed her third home run of the season over the 220 ft. sign in straightaway center, giving Mizzou a 2-0 lead.  Junior Marla Schweisberger provided the other Tiger run, also hitting her third home run of the year.  With two outs and a full count in the bottom of the fifth, Schweisberger connected for a deep home run over the left field fence, putting Mizzou ahead 3-0.

TIGERS PERFECT AT BREAST CANCER TOURNEY
The Mizzou softball team went a perfect 4-0  during the Missouri Breast Cancer Awareness Tournament, outscoring their four in-state foes by a 36-3 margin during the weekend.  In game one against SLU, sophomore Chelsea Thomas threw her third career no-hitter, picking up her seventh victory on the season at Mizzou won 6-0.  Thomas issued a leadoff walk to start the game, the only blemish against her perfect game bid.  That leadoff walk was retired trying to steal second, as Thomas retired the next 20 straight to face the minimum. 

On Saturday, the Tigers run-ruled both SEMO and Missouri State, 13-0 and 8-0 respectively.  In the game against SEMO, freshman Lindsey Muller had a breakout performance, pitching a complete game shutout while striking out three and walking zero.  She also powered the offense by going 3-for-4 at the plate with two runs scored and four RBI, which included a three-run home run in the fifth inning.  In game two, sophomore Kristin Nottelmann stifled the Bear offense, pitching all five innings while allowing just one hit and striking out seven.  The hit she allowed was a bunt single, and was the only Missouri State runner she let on base. 

The Tigers closed out the weekend with a 9-3 win over UMKC.  Nottelmann earned the win on Sunday, her second of the weekend.  She pitched four shutout innings of relief, giving up one hit and one walk while striking out four.  Junior Marla Schweisberger and freshman Jenna Marston ignited the Missouri offense, as each went 2-for-4 on the day.  Schweisberger doubled twice and drove in three runs, while Marston connected on her first career home run at MU, a three-run blast.  On the weekend, the Tigers outscored their opponents 36-3, while outhitting their in-state foes by a 37-10 margin.  Missouri's four pitchers combined for a 0.88 ERA, while recording three shutouts.  The foursome also struck out 27 batters and walked just two.

SIU-EDWARDSVILLE DH POSTPONED
Missouri's doubleheader at SIU-Edwardsville, originally scheduled for Wednesday, March 3, has been postponed and rescheduled for Tuesday, April 13.  Game one of the doubleheader will begin at 3 p.m. CT.