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WARM UPS...
Mother Nature gave the 10-4 Griffon Softball team an unexpected weekend off as the tournament at Missouri Southern was canceled over the weekend. The Griffs will now turn their sites toward the start of MIAA play this weekend with a pair of road doubleheaders. Action begins on Friday at 2 PM against Washburn and concludes on Saturday at Emporia State with first pitch set for 12 PM.
The home opener at the Spring Sports Complex is Tuesday, March 11 as the Griffs host Northwest Missouri State at 2 PM.
KNOW THE OPPONENTS...
Washburn Team Info
Series with WU since 2002: MWSU leads 22-8 - Home: 10-4 - Road: 7-3 - Neutral: 5-1 - MIAA Tournament: 4-0
• The Ichabods were 2-2 in a pair of games last week splitting a pair of non-conference doubleheaders with Ottawa and Illinois Springfield.
• Washburn has had 10 games so far this season canceled because of weather.
• Samantha Carson leads the team with 9 RBI while batting .364 while Lauren Thimmesch leads the team with five home runs in six games after hitting 12 home runs last season.
• As a team they are hitting .310 with six players hitting over .300. Marina Quimby leads the way with a .500 average getting nine hits in 18 at bats. She also has scored five runs. The Bods have hit 12 home runs and are a perfect 7-for-7 in stolen bases.
• In the circle they have struggled allowing opponents to hit .367 against them. They have a 6.49 ERA with Samantha Carson leading the way with a 1-0 record in 13 inning pitched. She has given up 24 hits and 10 earned runs to go along with just six strikeouts. Lauren Thimmesch is 1-1 in 14 innings pitched giving up 23 hits and 13 earned runs with eight strikeouts. Kaylee Erickson has a 5.92 ERA in 13 innings pitched giving up 20 hits and 11 earned runs.
Emporia State Info
Series with ESU since 2002: MWSU trails 10-28 - Home: 6-7 - Road: 2-11 - Neutral: 2-10 - MIAA Tournament: 1-7
• The Hornets have been solid once again this season opening up with a 10-3 record. The Griffons and the Hornets have play a lot of the same opponents with a lot of the same results. Both teams went 3-1 in St. Cloud with their only loss coming against Augustana (SD).
• Both teams have also beat Minnesota State-Mankato, Southwestern Oklahoma State and Henderson State.
• So far this season the Hornets have hit .280 as a team with Taylor Reichard leading the way with a .342 batting average. She has 13 hits with two doubles, two home runs and 11 RBI. Tricia Vogel and Taylor Zordel are both hitting .326. Vogel has 10 RBI while Zordel has 14 hits and three doubles. Zordel has also stolen 11 bases on the season.
• In the circle they have to pitchers that have been very solid. Kaitlyn Caston has a 1.81 ERA with an 8-2 record in 65.2 innings pitched. She has giving up 55 hits and 17 earned runs with 26 strikeouts. She has earned MIAA pithcer of the week twice. Eryn Stockman has a 4.25 ERA with a 2-1 record. She has started five games pitching 26.1 innings. She had giving up 39 hits with 16 earned runs with eight strikeouts.
ABOUT THE GRIFFONS...
• The Griffons are 10-4 this season and have not played a conference game yet.
• Missouri Western received notes in the latest NFCA top 25 poll and would be ranked 28th playing out the poll points.
•
Tiffany Gillaspy leads the team with a .429 batting average and a team-high three home runs. Kat Sephonovich has 12 RBI while batting .263.
•
Jackie Bishop is 6-2 this season with a 0.76 earned run average with 70 strikeouts compared to only six walks as opponents are batting .141 against her.
• Washburn leads the all-time series 44-40 but the Griffons have won the last six overall.
• Since 2002 the Griffons have struggled against the Hornets falling in 28 of 38 games. Last season the Griffons were 2-2 against the Hornets.
• The Ichabods' last win in the series was on April 1, 2011 in the second game of a doubleheader.
Northwest Missouri
GRIFF NOTES...
• #1
Kat Steponovich --Is hitting .263 with a team high 12 RBI. She has a hit in her last three games...also leads the team with 97 putouts from behind the plate.
• #2
Brooke Schaben -- Has been playing well as of late getting a hit in seven of her last eight games including her last three...has a .289 batting average with 13 hits and two doubles.
• #3
Jackie Bishop --
Jackie Bishop Missouri Western's all-time leader in victories with 76 is 6-2 on the season and threw her 2nd career no-hitter in an 8-0 victory over Ouachita Baptist earlier this season. She was named the MIAA Atroturf/Pitcher of the Week for her performance. She is also the Griffons all-time leader in strikeouts with 756 career strikeouts.
• #4
Katie Klosterman -- Klosterman is a freshman from Omaha, Neb. where she played her high school softball at Millard West HS. She has played in one game with one at bat.
• #5
Morgan Rathmann - Rathman a freshman from Neosho, Mo. has played and started all 14 games in centerfield. She is hitting .344 with 11 hits and five runs scored. She has also stolen two bases. She has a hit in six straight games.
•
Sydney Washington - Washington is a freshman from Columbia, Mo. and has played and started all 14 games in left field. Washington is hitting .244 with nine hits and five runs scored. She has two doubles and five RBI. She has also stolen four bases. She hit her first home run of her career against St. Cloud State earlier this year.
• #7
Michelle Stevenson -- Has started all 14 games at second base...is hitting .244 with 10 hits. Six of her hits have been for extra bases as she has hit 3 doubles, 2 triples and a home runs. She has six RBI and is second in the team with three stolen bases.
• #8
Kristin Lange -- A freshman from Elkhorn, Neb. played her high school softball at Elkhorn HS...she has played in one game with one at bat.
• #9
Megan Korgie -- A freshman from Omaha, Neb. played her high school softball at Ralston HS...has played in one game with one at bat.
• #10
Sydney McCune -- A senior from Des Moines Area Community College..,she hit her first homer of her career against Northern State University last season...has played in one game with one at bat.
• #11
Tiffany Gillaspy -- Has stared all 14 games at first base..leads the team with a .429 average...has 18 hits, 12 runs scored and 6 RBIs...has 3 home runs and 80 putouts...has a hit in all 12 of the Griffons 14 games this season.
• #12
Taylor Anding -- Has started all 14 games with 14 hits and .359 batting average...has 9 runs scored, 2 home runs with 7 RBIs...has 21 putouts, 20 assists.
• #13
Taylor Schaben -- A freshman from Portsmouth, Iowa...has played in four games with one stolen base and one at bat...also the Griffons third pitcher.
• #14
Bre Fleschner -- Has started all 14 games at fight field...is hitting .386 with 17 hits, 4 doubles and three RBI...went 8-for-8 against Northern State in a doubleheader last season...has a hit in 11 of last 14 games including last three.
• #15
Kailey Green -- Freshman from Kearney, Mo. who has played in 11 games with 12 starts. She is second the team with nine RBI which includes four against Illinois-Springfield. She had three hits in that contest as well.
• #17
Shelby Elliott -- A freshman from Platte City, Mo...has played in four games scoring three runs while pinch running.
• #18
Janie Smith -- Has pitched ans started six games this season going 4-2 with a 3.41 ERA...she has two shutouts with 19 K's...she is hitting .231 with three hits which included her first home run of her career against Illinois-Springfield.
GRIFFON HEAD COACH JEN BAGLEY...
• Missouri Western head coach Jen Bagley enters her 13th season at Missouri Western. Bagley holds a 425-261 overall record in 12 seasons and has coached 57 All-MIAA selections over the past eight seasons, including the programs first NFCA All-America selection (Amy Beverly) in 2006.
• This past season (2013), Bagley continued the success of MWSU softball guiding the Griffons a 38-16 record which is the 8th time in her career that a team has won more than 30 games. The Griffons finished 3rd in the MIAA with a 20-8 record and had seven players earn All-MIAA honors which included Fisrt Team Selections
Jackie Bishop and
Maegan Roemmich.
Sarah Elliott,
Tiffany Gillaspy,
Keri Lorbert, Kendall Sorenson and
Michelle Stevenson were all named to the honorable mention team. Roemmich was also a NFCA Second Team All-Central Region selection and first team selection by Daktronics. She earned honorable mention All-America honors by Daktronics while
Jackie Bishop was named second team All-Central region by Daktronics. Bishop owns the MWSU career record for wins (70) and strikeouts (686).
Keri Lorbert broke the all-time career record for home runs with 39. Bagley reached yet another milestone winning her 400th career game on March 30, 2013 with a 3-1 victory over the Pittsburg State Gorillas in Pittsburg, Kan.
• In 2012, Bagley kept up the winning ways guiding her squad to its fifth 40 win season since 2005. Bagley also guided the Griffons to a second place finish in the MIAA regular season and tournament. The Griffons made its sixth NCAA Tournament Apperance in the past eight season. Bagley also coached the Griffons first ever MIAA Pitcher of the Year and Daktronics South Central Region Pitcher of the Year in
Jackie Bishop. Bishop was also named Second Team All-America by Daktronics.
Jackie Bishop and
Maegan Roemmich were named First Team All-MIAA, Blair Stalder and
Keri Lorbert were Second Team while
Kat Steponovich, Leah Steele,
Taylor Anding,
Sarah Elliott,
Bre Fleschner, Kendall Sorenson and Annalee Rubio were named honorable mention.
• Jen's team has averaged 34 wins a season since she took over as head coach for the Griffons. Bagley has led the Griffons to back-to-back-to-back appearances in the NCAA Division II national tournament. The Griffons qualified for the NCAA Central Regional Tournament in 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2009 under Bagley, appearing for the first time in school history in 2005. The Griffons posted a 1-2 record in the national tournament during their first 3 seasons, getting the programs' third national tournament win over Winona State 7-0. In the 2009 South Central Super Regional the Griffons went 2-2 advancing all the way to the Super Regional Championship game against Southeastern Oklahoma State University. The Griffons have been to two straight South Central Regional Tournaments.
• 3-time MIAA Coach of the Year (2011, 2009, 2005)
UP NEXT...
The Griffons are back in action on Tuesday, March 11 with their first home doubleheader. The Griffons will take on the Northwest Missouri State Bearcats at 2/4 pm from the MWSU Softball Field at the Spring Sports Complex.
