MIAA Action

Friday, April 6, 2012
PSU Softball Complex - 3:00/5:00 pm
#17 Missouri Western (29-6, 12-2 MIAA) vs. Pittsburg State University (22-17, 8-0 MIAA)
All-Time Series - 43-32 PSU:
Since 2002: 14-10 MWSU: H: 6-4 A: 6-4 N: 2-2

Saturday, April 7, 2012
Lea Kungle & Gene Wild SB Fields - 1:00/3:00 pm
#17 Missouri Western (29-6, 12-2 MIAA) vs. Missouri Southern State University (13-24, 4-4 MIAA)
All-Time Series - 44-35 MSSU H: 15-8 A: 11-11 N: 18-16
Since 2002: MWSU leads 21-7  H: 10-4 A: 6-3 N: 5-0

COMING INTO THE WEEKEND FOR THE GRIFFONS:
The 17th ranked have a tough road weekend ahead of them traveling to Pittsburg, Kan. and Joplin, Mo. for two MIAA doubleheaders. The Griffons will look to snap a two game road losing streak as they fell twice to #20 Emporia State two weeks ago.  The Griffons lead the MIAA in pitching and fielding and are third in hitting just behind Pittsburg State and Emporia State. So far this season the Griffons are hitting .312 as a team with seven different players hitting over .300. Maegan Roemmich leads the way with a .381 batting average with 43 hits and a slugging percentage of .487. Breanna Fleschner is hitting .375 with seven stolen bases while Taylor Anding, Blair Stalder, Kat Steponovich, Leah Steele and Keri Lorbert are batting .327, .321, .318, .307 and .306 respectively. In the circle the Griffons are holding its opponents to a .211 batting average with a 2.08 ERA. Western is led by Jackie Bishop with a 15-2 overall record and a 1.22 ERA. She has pitched 16 complete games with five shutouts. She has struck out 154 batters and walked just 23 in 111 innings. Annalee Rubio is 11-4 with a 2.71 ERA in 89.2 innings of work. She has struck out 64 batters and walked just 26. Emily Moe has also been solid for the Griffons with a 3-0 record in 33.1 innings. She holds a 3.24 ERA with 19 strikeouts. The Griffons lead the MIAA in fielding with a .969 fielding percentage. They have made just 29 errors on the season with 701 putouts and 218 assists.  

COMING INTO THE WEEKEND FOR THE GORILLAS:
Pitt State is currently 22-17 on the season and 8-0 in MIAA play. The Gorillas are currently second in the league standings, behind only Emporia State with a 14-0 conference record. Pitt State's .315 team batting average is second in the league, only bettered by Emporia State's .316 and the Gorilla pitchers' 3.20 ERA is third-best in the conference. A Pitt State hitter is either first or second in the league in nearly every offensive statistical category. Pittsburg State sophomore softball players Tiffany Brown and Jessica Barnes have earned MIAA Athlete of the Week honors. Brown was named the MIAA Hitter of the Week, while Barnes was named the MIAA Co-Pitcher of the Week. The Gorillas won 15 games in a row before the winning streak was snaped against MSSU on Wednesday.  Brown is hitting .441 for the year, which is second among all players in the MIAA, and leads the Gorillas in hits, doubles, home runs and RBI. She also leads the MIAA in hits, home runs, RBI and total bases and is second in triples. This after only getting 24 at bats as a freshman last season. Barnes, Pitt State's powerful left-handed hurler, finished the week with a 0.44 ERA and a 3-0 record after giving up only one earned run in 16 innings of work. The sophomore from Pawhuska, Okla., struck out five batters while only walking two. Of the 15 hits she gave up on the week, only two were for extra bases. Barnes has a 1.75 ERA and a 5-2 record on the season. Her ERA is the second lowest in the MIAA this season.

COMING INTO THE WEEKEND FOR THE LIONS:
Missouri Southern brings a 13-24 record, including a 4-4 record in MIAA play into this weekends games.  As a team the Lions are hitting .286 with 48 doubles, seven triples, and six homers. Breanna Volkmann leads MSSU with a .392 average, with three doubles and two triples. Her eight stolen bases also lead the team. Lydia Niemegeers is second on the team with a .337 average and is tied for the lead with eight doubles. Brooke Hurley's three homeruns and 22 rbi leads the Lions. She is currently batting .305. Haley Pypes, Hannah Cooke and Kayce Moore handle the bulk of the pitching duties for Missouri Southern. Pypes leads the team with a 2.97 ERA and 61 strikeouts in 73.0 innings pitched.