GAME DAY LINKS --
McKENDREE at WILLIAM JEWELL
Saturday, April 23, 2016, Noon (DH) | LIVE STATS

McKENDREE at Rockhurst
Sunday, April 24, 2016, Noon (DH) | LIVE STATS

McKENDREE SEASON STATISTICS
WILLIAM JEWELL SEASON STATISTICS
ROCKHURST SEASON STATISTICS
GLVC SOFTBALL PAGE

(LEBANON, Ill., April 23)--The McKendree University softball team will play its final games of the 2016 regular season this weekend with a trip to the Kansas City area to face William Jewell College on Saturday and Rockhurst University on Sunday. First pitch for the doubleheaders each day is set for noon.

The Bearcats enter play with a 24-24 overall, but more importantly are 15-11 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. McKendree currently sits in a position to grab a spot in next week's GLVC Tournament to be held in East Peoria, Ill. The Bearcats are also facing a pair of opponents in William Jewell and Rockhurst who sit right behind the Bearcats in the GLVC race. A pair of wins in their final four regular-season contests would assure McKendree of a berth in the conference post-season event.

McKendree currently sits fourth in the GLVC in team batting average at .312, while its 271 runs scored are third-best in the league. The Bearcats have more hits (423) than any other conference institution. Three players -- Liz Klussman (Washington, Mo./Washington) at .412, Hanna Branch (Kirkwood, Mo./Kirkwood) at .403 and Brooke Gajewski (Kronenwetter, Wis./D.C. Everest) at .378 -- rank among the GLVC's top hitters entering the weekend. Branch sits in the top five of several GLVC statistical categories and shows the way in the league with 19 doubles. 

In the circle, Holly Magre (Festus, Mo./St. Pius X) and Maci Ingram (Woodlawn, Ill./Nashville Community High School) have combined for 21 of the Bearcats' 24 victories heading into Saturday's play. Magre is 13-10 with a 2.93 earned-run average and 16 complete games, while Ingram is 8-8 with a 2.63 ERA and nine complete games. Magre also ranks fourth in the GLVC in strikeouts with 161.

ABOUT WILLIAM JEWELL
The Cardinals are 22-24 this season and 12-14 in the GLVC. William Jewell is directly behind McKendree in the conference standings, sitting three games back. The Cardinals are seventh in the GLVC with a .288 batting average. Brooke Bernard is third among GLVC players with a .446 batting average and has a team-high 46 RBI. She is also tied for the team lead with seven home runs. Maddi Greenstreet also ranks high in the league in batting average at .383. 

William Jewell has relied on the arm of Shelby McGraw in the circle. McGraw is 13-15 with a 3.38 ERA this season. She has 19 complete games, including a pair of shutouts in 2016. 

Last season, McKendree and William Jewell split their GLVC doubleheader played at Bearcat Field. The Cardinals grabbed a 1-0 win in eight innings in the opener before the Bearcats collected a 6-2 triumph in the nightcap, which was their 2015 season finale. 

ABOUT ROCKHURST
The Hawks bring an 18-26 record and 11-15 GLVC mark into their Saturday doubleheader at home against the University of Illinois Springfield. Rockhurst holds a .254 batting average this season but has a team earned-run average of 3.14, which is just ahead of the Bearcats' number at 3.29. Hannah Pyle is the lone Hawks player hitting above the .300 mark this season, starting the weekend at .348. Pyle also has team-high totals of four home runs and 15 RBI. Madison Wagner is next in average at .295 and leads the squad with 20 stolen bases.

Bridgette Sappington and Shannon Greene have shared the pitching duties for Rockhurst in 2016. Sappington is 10-12 with a 3.76 ERA, while Greene is 8-14 with a 4.58 ERA. The duo has combined to throw all but 8 1/3 innings for the Hawks this season. 

WHAT'S NEXT
The 2016 Great Lakes Valley Conference Softball Tournament is set to be held April 29-May 1 at the Eastside Centre in East Peoria, Ill. The Eastside Centre has been the host of the event for the last 13 years. The top eight teams in the final GLVC regular-season standings will advance to the GLVC Tournament.