(LEBANON, Ill., Mar. 2) – The McKendree softball team will partake in their final non-conference regular season tournament this weekend. The Bearcats will play four games over the two-day stretch in Joplin, Mo., before returning to Lebanon, Ill. for their home opener against Kentucky Wesleyan College on Saturday, March 11.
The Bearcats, now 9-6 overall, will take on Northeastern State University Saturday (Feb. 4) at 2 p.m., followed by a contest with host Missouri Southern State University at 4 p.m. On Sunday (Feb. 5), McKendree will face off against Northwest Missouri State at 10 a.m. before wrapping up weekend play against University of Nebraska at Kearney at noon. Fans can visit the tournament home page by clicking here.
McKendree Quick Hits
-McKendree's 9-6 record is the best start since the 2009 season. McKendree at the time affiliated with the NAIA, until full transition during the 2013 season.
-McKendree has won six of their last 10 games, including a 4-2 record this past weekend at the Midwest Region Crossover in Evansville, Ind.
-Offensively, the Bearcats have outscored their opponents, 84-61 and rank third in the GLVC with 12 home runs.
-The Bearcats' pitching staff stands a top of the GLVC in strikeouts recorded with 96.
-Holly Magre (Festus, Mo./St. Pius X) earned first career GLVC Softball Pitcher of the Week honors, as well as the Bearcats' first ever-weekly award in Softball.
-Magre currently sits in a tie for first for most strikeouts in the GLVC with 45
-Magre drops her ERA down to 1.48 and improves to 6-2 on the year, after a 3-0 weekend which included two shutouts and 18 strikeout.
-Senior Hannah Branch dominated at the plate this past weekend going 7-for-18 with three runs, three home runs, eight RBI, and three stolen bases.
-Hanna Branch (Kirkwood, Mo./Kirkwood), Rachel Hastings (Forsyth, Ill./Maroa-Forsyth ), and Brooke Gajewski (Kronenwetter, Wis./D.C. Everest) have combined for 37 hits, 8 home runs, and 38 RBI – which translates to 38.1 percent of the hits, 66.6 percent of the home runs, and 50 percent of the RBIs.
-Senior Jamie Doggendorf (Dittmer, Mo./Northwest) ranks third in the GLVC with eight stolen bases after a swiping five on seven attempts at the Midwest Region Crossover.
-Junior Tylin Stephens (Blue Springs, Mo./Blue Springs ) ranks third in the GLVC in assist with a team best 31.
SCOUTING THE RIVERHAWKS: Northeastern State University is 6-5 on the season after competing in their second tournament of the season. Competing in the 8-State Classic, the Riverhawks compiled wins over GLVC schools William Jewell College and Drury University, along with a ten-run win over Concordia-St. Paul. Losses came to 24th ranked University of Missouri-St. Louis and East Central University. The team has posted a .254 batting average with three players hitting over .300. The Riverhawks pitching staff has combined for a 3.65 ERA. Junior Paige Gann leads the offense hitting .441 on the season so far with three home runs and 12 RBI.
SCOUTING THE LIONS: Entering the weekend at 6-11, Missouri Southern State University enters the weekend following a 6-5 upset win over #5 Southern Arkansas. The Lions have now faced four ranked opponents this year. Going 4-2 this past weekend at the UAM Division II Softball Classic, MSSU collected wins over Drury, Illinois-Springfield, Rockhurst, and Southern Arkansas. Hitting .336 as a team, the Lions have knocked in 101 runs and recorded 93 RBI. Abi Corbett leads the offensive charge hitting .531 and tallying 21 runs.
SCOUTING THE BEARCATS: The Northwest Missouri State University softball team is 4-6 so far this season having the past weekend off. The Bearcats last played on Sunday, February 19 when they defeated Rockhurst 5-3. Corralling a team batting average of .278, the Bearcats are out scoring their opponents 40-36. The pitching staff holds a team ERA of 2.65 while allowing 3.6 runs/game.
SCOUTING THE LOPERS: The University of Nebraska at Kearney enter the weekend 1-15 overall. The lone win for the Lopers came on February 18 against Harding University, 7-4. UNK did not play this pervious weekend before competing in their fourth tournament of the season. The Lopers post a team batting average of .227 while being outscored by their opponents 137-32.
FOLLOWING THE BEARCATS?
Live stats will be available for select games this weekend, but fans can catch frequent updates by following the Bearcats' softball team on Twitter.
