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Tweet #gogriffsWARM UPS...
Griffon Softball has extended its win streak to eight with doubleheader sweeps over Fort Hays State, Nebraska-Kearney and Northwest Missouri State. In game one, the team got on Fort Hays in the first inning when Tiffany Gillaspy hit a homer. That would be all they would need winning 5-0. In game two they used a five run third inning picking up the sweep over the Tigers. Against the Lopers the Griffons once again got a solid pitching performance from Jackie Bishop picking up a 5-1 victory before coming from behind in game two with two runs in the bottom of the 7th inning giving MWSU the 6-5 victory. On Tuesday against Northwest Missouri State Bishop pitched her 10th shutout of the season in a 6-0 victory before the Griffons held on in game two for a 5-4 victory. It was Janie Smith's 10th victory of the season.  
 
The Griffons are now 28-14 overall and hit the road for two more MIAA doubleheaders.  On Friday, the Griffons will be in St. Charles to take on Lindenwood in a doubleheader at 1 pm. They wrap up the week in Jefferson City, Mo. for a 10 am start time against the Lincoln Blue Tigers.  The Griffons return home on Friday, April 25 with a home doubleheader against the Northeastern State RiverHawks. First pitch is scheduled for 4 pm. 

Remember it's always a good idea to check gogriffons.com before heading out to the park as schedules do change at a moments notice.

KNOW THE OPPONENTS...
Lindenwood Team Info
Series with LWU since 2002: MWSU leads 2-0 - Home: 2-0 - Road: 0-0 - Neutral: 0-0 - MIAA Tournament: 0-0
The Lady Lions are 15-20 overall  and 8-10 overall after going 3-3 this past week. Lindenwood split two MIAA doubleheaders against Southwest Baptist and Central Missouri last weekend before splitting a non-conference doubleheader on Wednesday against McKendree. Lindenwood won all three of the games in the first game of the doubleheader. They defeated SBU 8-0, UCM 2-0 and McKendree 7-4. In the second game of those doubleheaders they fell 4-2, 8-0 and 7-4 respectively. 

As a team the Lady Lions are hitting .278 with Courtney Opich leading the charge with a .416 batting average with 32 hits and 11 doubles in 28 games played. She also has one triples and four RBI. Lindenwood has two other players hitting over .300 as Courtney Kitson and Hannah Braun are hitting .383 and .355 respectively. Kitson has 31 hits while Braun has 27. Both players had four doubles while Braun leads the team going a perfect 10-for-10 in stolen bases. 

The Lady Lion pitchers have a 3.94 ERA as a group. Kendall Ryndak leads the way with a 7-7 record. She has pitched 83 innings giving up 32 earned runs and struckout 85. She has a 2.70 ERA. Morgan Colvis is 6-7 on the season pitching  83.1 innings. She has a 3.86 ERA with opposing teams hitting .290 against her. 

Lincoln Team Info
Series with LU since 2002: MWSU leads 11-1 - Home: 7-0 MWSU - Road: 4-0 MWSU - Neutral: 1-0 LU 
The Blue Tigers are 3-30 and 0-19 in MIAA play. The Lions have lost 10 straight games after getting swept by Central Missouri and Southwest Baptist last weekend in MIAA play.  The Blue Tigers last victory came on March 22 against Missouri Baptist by a score of 6-4. The Blue Tigers opened the season with victories over Arkansas-Monticello (4-3) and Ouachita Baptist (3-2) but since then have won just one game. 

The Blue Tigers hit .208 as a team with Sam Kircher leading the way with a .345 batting average. She has 30 hits with five doubles and eight home runs. She also has 17 RBI and an on base percentage of .418. She has stolen 3-of-5 bases. Cassidy Janicek and Shantae Duren are hitting .292 and .284 respectively. As a team the Blue Tigers had 18 doubles and 13 home runs. The have struggled in the field making 54 errors for a .937 fielding percentage. 

The Blue Tiger pitchers have a 8.61 ERA as a group. Jessica Cook has been the best with a 7.94 ERA in 89 innings. She has a 2-14 record with five complete games. She has given up 101 earned runs with 53 walks and 62 strikeouts in 89 innings. Alyssa Laudwig is 1-14 with a 9.25 ERA. She has thrown five complete games. She has given up 104 earned runs in 78.2 innings. She has walked 43 batters with just 15 strikeouts. Opponents are hitting .408 against LU. 

ABOUT THE GRIFFONS...
The Griffons are 28-14 overall after going 4-0 this past weekend in MIAA play. The picked up two more victories on Tuesday against Northwest Missouri State extending their win streak to eight. The Griffons swept Fort Hays State, Nebraksa-Kearney in MIAA play last weekend. The Griffons hit .291 as a team. They have hit 47 doubles, three triples and 34 home runs on the season.

The Griffons have four players hitting over .300 on the season with Tiffany Gillaspy leading the charge with a .383 average. She has 51 hits, 31 runs scored, 9 home runs, 35 RBI and 88 total bases. Bre Fleschner is hitting .333 with 30 runs scored, 7 doubles and 42 hits. Morgan Rathmann is hitting .327 with 32 hits, 2 doubles, 1 triple and 2 home runs. She has an on base percentage of .416 with a team hith 14 stolen bases. 

The Missouri Western  pitchers have a 1.94 ERA as a group. Jackie Bishop has thrown three no hitters this season which included her first perfect game in a 10-0 victory against St. Cloud State. Bishop has 18-6 record with a 0.90 ERA. She has 10 shutouts on the season with 197 strikeouts in 171.2 innings. She has won six straight starts. Janie Smith is 10-8 with a 3.53 ERA. She has two shutouts and 13 complete games. She has thrown 113.0 innings for the Griffons. 

GRIFF NOTES...
• #1 Kat Steponovich --Is hitting .270  and is tied for second on the team with 21 RBI. She has a hit in her last three games and is second on the team with six home runs...also leads the team with 273  putouts from behind the plate. 
• #2 Brooke Schaben -- Has struggled in her last four game not getting a hit as her average has dropped to .267...she is tied for second on the team with 21 RBI and has 32 hits with 16 runs scored.  
• #3 Jackie Bishop --  Jackie Bishop Missouri Western's all-time leader in victories with 88 is 18-6 on the season and threw her 4th career no-hitter in an 10-0 victory over St. Cloud State earlier this season. She was named the MIAA Atroturf/Pitcher of the Week for her performance this past week. She has earned this honor four times this season and 11 times in her career. She is also the Griffons all-time leader in strikeouts with 883 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 23 games with 20 starts...she is hitting .311 with 19 hits, 8 runs scored, 5 doubles and one home run...has a hit in four straight games and a hit in seven of her last eight games.
• #5 Morgan Rathmann - Rathmann a freshman from Neosho, Mo. has played and started all 42 games in center field. She is hitting .327 with 32 hits and 20 runs scored. She has also stolen 14 bases. Had a season best three hits in the Griffons 5-4 victory over Northwest Missouri State. 
• Sydney Washington - Washington is a freshman from Columbia, Mo. and has played and started all 34 games this season either in left field or at the dp. Washington is hitting .298 with 28 hits and 19 runs scored. She has 5 doubles, 4 home runs and 18 RBI. She has also stolen 14 bases...has a hit in her last five games including the game winner against Nebraska-Kearney.
• #7 Michelle Stevenson -- Has started all 42 games at second base...is hitting .210 with 26 hits. Nine of her hits have been for extra bases as she has hit 6 doubles, 2 triples and a home runs. She has 11 RBI and is fourth on the team with 6 stolen bases...has a hit in seven of her last 10 games. 
• #8 Kristin Lange -- A freshman from Elkhorn, Neb. played her high school softball at Elkhorn HS...she has played in four games with four at bats. 
• #9 Megan Korgie -- A freshman from Omaha, Neb. played her high school softball at Ralston HS...has played in two game with two at bats. 
• #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 42 games at first base..leads the team with a .383 average...has 51 hits, 31 runs scored and 35 RBIs...has 9 home runs and 248 putouts...has a 10 game hitting streak coming into the weekend. She has been named MIAA AstroTurf Hitter of the Week twice this season. 
• #12 Taylor Anding -- Has started all 42 games with 34 hits and .291 batting average...has 17 runs scored, 3 home runs with 15 RBIs...has 58 putouts, 53 assists...had a hit in three of her last four games...had two hits in both games against Northwest Missouri State. 
• #13 Taylor Schaben -- A freshman from Portsmouth, Iowa...has played in nine games with one stolen base and one at bat...also the Griffons third pitcher. 
• #14 Bre Fleschner -- Has started all 42 games in right or left field...is hitting .333 with 42 hits, 7 doubles and 14 RBI...Hit her first homer of the season against Northwest Missouri State...went 8-for-8 against Northern State in a doubleheader last season...has a hit in 8 of her last 10 games .
• #15 Kailey Green -- Freshman from Kearney, Mo. who has played in 21 games with 19 starts. She has 11 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 21 games scoring six runs while pinch running. 
• #18 Janie Smith -- Has pitched in 20 games with 14 starts...sits at 10-8 on the season with a 3.53 ERA...she has two shutouts with 54 K's...she is hitting .186 with eight hits which included her first home run of her career against Illinois-Springfield and her second against Washburn. 

GRIFFON HEAD COACH JEN BAGLEY...
• Missouri Western head coach Jen Bagley enters her 13th season at Missouri Western. Bagley holds a 443-271 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 will be off four a couple of weeks as they wrap up MIAA play on April 25 and 26 with doubleheaders against Northeastern State and Central Oklahoma in St. Joseph. Game time against Northeastern State is 4 pm and for Central Oklahoma it will be noon. 

GRIFFONS IN THE MIAA TOURNAMENT SINCE 2002
In the tournament since 2002 the Griffons are 23-24 with their best finish being in 2012 and 2007 when they fell in the finals against Emporia State.  Last season Missouri Western defeated Truman State 5-3 before falling 3-0 against Fort hays State. The Griffons then defeated Northeastern State 7-4 before falling 7-6 against Emporia State.