MID-WEEK PREVIEW
Tuesday, April 11 -- 4 p.m.
Missouri Western (26-12, 6-6) vs
Northwest Missouri State (21-13, 10-4)
Wednesday, April 12 -- 4 p.m.
Missouri Western vs
Central Missouri (19-22, 9-7)
LIVE STATS |
MWSU GAME NOTES |
MIAA STANDINGS
ST. JOSEPH - The Missouri Western softball team has a chance to make up some ground in the MIAA standings with a pair of rescheduled conference doubleheaders this week at the Spring Sports Complex.
The Griffons enter this week's series with Northwest Missouri and Central Missouri on a four-game losing streak after being swept on a four game road trip to Missouri Southern and Pittsburg State over the weekend.
THIS JUST DOESN'T HAPPEN
Missouri Western enters this week on a four-game losing streak after being swept in doubleheaders at Missouri Southern and Pittsburg State over the weekend. It's the first time the Griffons have lost four straight since March 7-10, 2014 when the team was swept at Washburn and Emporia State.
COLD FRONT
While the weather has warmed up, the Griffon offense has cooled down. In its last ten games, Missouri Western has batted .240 with five extra base hits. The team's only two home runs in that stretch were courtesy of
Sydney Washington on March 25 at Northeastern State. The Griffons haven't had an extra base hit of any kind since game two at Northeastern State when they hit two doubles and Washington homered. Missouri Western came out of that doubleheader batting .323 as a team, but have seen their average dip to .299 since.
GIVE IT TIME
MWSU begins the week with a pair of re-scheduled twin bills, and their opponents look much different now than they did when the Griffons were originally scheduled to face them. Central Missouri had won seven-straight games and was alone atop the MIAA standings two weeks ago. The Jennies are 2-6 since and enter this week in sixth place. Going back to when MWSU and Northwest Missouri State were first supposed to play on March, 14, the Bearcats had just won six in a row to get to 10-6 on the season. Northwest has went 9-7 since that point and enters this week third in the MIAA standings.
ROOM TO MOVE
Missouri Western sits 10th in the MIAA standings with a 6-6 record in conference play. As tight as things are, combined with the number of games the Griffons have to play down the stretch, a jump to the top is within reason. A 4-0 start to the week could potentially send the Griffons into their weekend road trip as high as second in the standings. There's more good news: Missouri Western's next three opponents after Northwest and Central Missouri (Fort Hays, Nebraska-Kearney and Lincoln) are a combined 10-42 in MIAA play.
BETTER AGAINST THE MIAA
Morgan Rathmann is fifth on the team with a .328 batting average, but take away non-conference games and Rathmann is a .361 hitter -- second best on the team. The senior has hit .344 in her last ten games, also second best on the team,
THE FUTURE LOOKS BRIGHT
Shelby Uhl hardly skipped a beat last week in her return to the lineup. After missing four games with a concussion, Uhl returned to have three hits on the road last weekend, second best to Rathmann's five. The sophomore is batting .330 this season in her first as a starter. Last year, Uhl hit .167 with just two starts, mainly appearing as pinch runner or hitter.
