GAME DAY LINKS --
McKENDREE vs. QUINCY -- Friday, March 30, 2018, 2 p.m. (DH)
McKENDREE vs. ILLINOIS SPRINGFIELD -- Saturday, March 31, 2018, Noon (DH)
Bearcat Field -- Lebanon, Ill.
WATCH LIVE (Bearcat Sports Network)
LIVE STATS
McKENDREE SEASON STATISTICS
QUINCY SEASON STATISTICS
ILLINOIS SPRINGFIELD SEASON STATISTICS
(LEBANON, Ill., March 29)--The McKendree University softball team will look to extend its winning ways with four home games over the Easter weekend. The Bearcats will take on Quincy University Friday in a doublehader beginning at 2 p.m. before the University of Illinois Springfield comes to Bearcat Field for a noon first pitch on Saturday.
McKendree jumped into the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division II rankings for the first time since becoming Division II members at No. 25 in the poll released on Wednesday. The Bearcats have won seven consecutive games to move to 22-7 overall and 8-2 in Great Lakes Valley Conference action. McKendree swept a northern road trip last weekend, taking two games at Lewis University before rallying in game two to finish off a sweep on Sunday at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside.
Entering this weekend's action, McKendree sits in the top three in the GLVC in both hitting and pitching. The Bearcats are third in the league with a .311 batting average. McKendree is second in the GLVC with 28 home runs, while they sit third in the conference with 253 runs scored. in the circle, the Bearcats are second among all GLVC teams with a 2.57 ERA. McKendree trails only No. 10-ranked Indianapolis, which has a 2.52 ERA, in the category. Opponents are hitting a league-low .236 against the Bearcats' pitching staff.
Rebecca Franke (Trenton, Ill./Wesclin) (pictured) leads McKendree -- and sits third in the GLVC -- in batting average at .440. She is also third in the conference with 40 hits and is second among all league players with a .528 on-base percentage.
Miranda Gajewski (Kronenwetter, WI/D.C. Everest) is sixth in the conference with a .398 average, while sister
Brooke Gajewski (Kronenwetter, Wis./D.C. Everest) is fourth in the GLVC with seven homers, and tied for ninth with 24 RBI.
In addition to her .398 batting average,
Miranda Gajewski (Kronenwetter, WI/D.C. Everest) is the GLVC's top pitcher with 13 victories. Gajewski brings a 13-1 season record into this weekend's play with a 1.63 ERA.
Maci Ingram (Woodlawn, Ill./Nashville Community) has already registered a conference-best five saves in her 13 appearances for the Bearcats.
Following a busy home weekend, McKendree will be on the road for its next six games. The Bearcats will have just four home contests remaining at home this season -- April 14 against Drury University and April 15 versus Rockhurst University.
ABOUT QUINCY
The Hawks are 11-15 on the season and 1-7 against GLVC foes. Quincy will be looking to end a six-game losing streak on Friday at Bearcat Field. Morgan Heckman brings a team-best .444 batting average into Friday's doubleheader, which is second in the conference. She has a team-leading 11 doubles along with three home runs and 19 RBI. Jessica Poore checks in at .375 with 10 RBI, while Remi Ferguson is batting .342 on the year with 10 RBI.
Quincy's pitching staff is led by MacKenzie Collier, who has a 5-4 record with a 3.06 ERA in 10 starts. Sara Demuth has the Hawks' other five victories this season, going 5-4 with a 4.80 ERA in 51 innings of work.
The teams split last year's doubleheader played on March 26 in Quincy, Ill. The Bearcats rolled to a 14-5 win in six innings during the opener before the Hawks rebounded to take the nightcap, 4-1 in nine innings.
ABOUT ILLINOIS SPRINGFIELD
The Prairie Stars bring a 20-9 overall record and 7-1 GLVC mark into its doubleheader Friday at the University of Southern Indiana. Like McKendree, UIS is riding a seven-game win streak. Erin Stroup holds down the top batting average in the Prairie Stars' lineup at .403, which is fifth in the conference. Ali Haesele is next at .362, while Lakyn Waggoner has posted a .348 average in 29 games. Caila Wickenhauser leads UIS with 20 RBI, and Morgan Edwards has posted a team-leading four home runs.
Haesele leads the UIS pitching staff with a 12-4 record and a 1.83 ERA in 107 innings this season. She has struck out 106 batters entering Friday's play, which is good for second in the GLVC. Haesele has tossed four shutouts as well.
McKendree and UIS split their 2017 doubleheader on April 4 in Springfield, Ill. The Bearcats were edged in the opener 4-3 before bouncing back to win game two, 5-2.
