April 04, 2019 / By mobanmarket
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Throughout the 2015 softball season, those of us at the NFCA will feature some of the sport’s highest-profile contests in our “Featured Five” Games of the Week segment.
Each weekly installment will be released on Thursday, providing live stat links, game notes, returnee info, Twitter accounts and any available broadcast links in hopes of becoming another source for fans to visit during the season for information on some of collegiate softball’s best games.
As the year continues, we will attempt to expand our focus to include match-ups throughout as many divisions as possible. This week’s featured games come from NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II and Division III.
We may not be able to highlight every division or big game each week, but our hope is to provide a spotlight for as many different teams and games as possible throughout 2015.
Make sure you follow the NFCA on social media through Twitter (@NFCAorg) and on Facebook (NFCA) and let us know what you think of our new “Featured Five” segment.
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#6 Oklahoma (24-3) at #1 LSU (28-1)
Site: Tiger Park | Baton Rouge, La.
Date/ Game Time: Sat. March 20 (6:00 CT), Sat., March 21 (4:00 CT)
Coverage: ESPNU & Watch ESPN (Friday) / SECN+ (Saturday) | Audio (LSU) | Live Stats
Follow them on Twitter: @LSUsoftball | @OU_Softball
Previews (Game Notes): LSU (notes) | Oklahoma (Notes)
Oklahoma: The Sooners bring a 14-game winning streak, a lot of offense and a strong pitching staff to Baton Rouge for a big non-conference matchup this weekend… Head coach Patty Gasso became the second fastest Division I head coach to reach 1,000 wins (1,300 games) as her Sooners lit up the scoreboard this weekend and have been doing so for the majority of the season… Louisville Slugger/NFCA DI Co-National Player of the Week, Shelby Pendley, hit eight home runs over a 72-hour stretch- only 34 players had hit more than eight coming into Monday, and her team scored 74 runs (22 offensive innings) in five games, including 23 twice against Iowa and East Carolina… OU has scored 265 runs and hit 57 home runs in 27 games… Lauren Chamberlain paves the way for a team that is batting .403 and has six players .415 or better; She is tops on the team with a .485 average, 14 home runs, 43 RBI, a 1.211 slugging percentage, 27 walks, a .639 OBP and five stolen bases (tie)… Pendley (.439) is second on the squad with 11 long balls, seven doubles, 33 RBI, 1.045 slugging percentage and a .573 OBP… Nicole Pendley (.415) has scored a team-high 36 runs with five home runs, 21 RBI and five stolen bases… OU’s pitching staff has recorded a 1.99 ERA with 12 shutouts and has held opponents to a .201 average… Paige Parker has twirled three perfect games this season and leads the squad with 10 wins, 1.61 ERA, two saves, five shutouts, nine complete games, 74 innings and 77 strikeouts… Kelsey Stevens (7-0, 2.17) has held her opponents to a staff-low .179 batting average with 62 strikeouts and three shutouts in 51.2 innings.
LSU: The Tigers are coming off their biggest weekend in program history, taking 2-of-3 from former No. 1 Florida (3-4 / 14-10 / 10-3) in Gainesville in the most anticipated matchup of the season so far… With that, LSU is No. 1 in the nation for the first time in program history and its reward- the offensive juggernaut, sixth-ranked Oklahoma, in a two-game set at home this weekend… As a team, the Tigers are batting .375- six player at .307 or better, with 49 doubles, 29 long balls and 232 runs… Louisville Slugger/NFCA DI Co-National Player of the Week Bianka Bell is coming off a weekend in which she batted .714 (10-14) with a home run and eight RBI against the Gators… Bell is hitting .565 (52 hits) with a team-high 12 doubles, 45 RBI and 1.011 slugging percentage, along with nine home runs, 38 runs and a .606 OBP… Sahvannah Jaquish leads the team with 11 home runs and 45 RBI… Bailey Landry is shade below .500 at .494 with 43 hits, eight doubles and 34 runs scored, while A.J. Andrews has scored a team-best 41 runs, while batting .486 with team-best 14 steals, 27 walks and .611 OBP… In the circle, four pitcher have between six to eight wins led by Allie Walljasper at 8-0 with a 1.09 ERA, four shutouts, 50 strikeouts (7 walks) and a .198 batting average against in 51.1 innings… Baylee Corbello (7-0, 1.18) has three shutouts, 44 strikeouts and allowing her opponents to hit a staff-low .168… As a staff, the Tigers have posted 12 shutouts, struck out 213 and held their opposition to a .189 average.
Some Additional Major Division I Games This Weekend:
No. 3 Florida (28-2) at No. 5 Alabama (21-5) (Sat.-Mon. at 1:00 / 4:40 / 6:00 CT) – ESPNU (Sat./Sun.) | Audio (Bama / UF) | Live Stats/SEC+ links
No. 19 Missouri (19-3) at No. 14 Tennessee (17-6) (Fri.-Sun. at 6:30 / 8:30 / 1:30 ET) SEC Network (Sat.) | Softball Central
No. 13 Kentucky (21-5) at No. 9 Auburn (29-2) (Fri.-Sun. at 6:00 / 6:00 / 1:00 CT) – All Coverage
No. 12 California (22-4) at No. 21 Arizona State (20-9) (Fri.-Sun. at 5:00 / 3:30 / 1:00 MT) Pac-12 Networks | Live Stats
RV South Carolina (21-8) at No. 23 Texas A&M (21-7) (Fri.-Sun. at 6:30 / 5:30 / 12:00 CT) All Coverage
No. 25 UAB (21-6) at UTSA (20-8) (Sat.-Sun. at 1:00 DH / 1:00) Audio | Live Stats | Video
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#11 UCLA (27-5, 3-0) at No. 18 Washington (28-5, 1-1) – Pac-12 Series
Site: Husky Softball Stadium | Seattle, Wash.
Date (Game Time): Sat., March 21 (3:30) | Sun., March 22 (6:00) | Mon., March 23 (6:00)
Coverage: Pac-12 Networks | Live Stats
Previews (Game Notes): UCLA (notes) | Washington (notes)
Follow them on Twitter: @UCLASoftball | @UWSoftball
UCLA: UCLA enters its first true road games of the season riding a 13-game winning streak… The Bruins are coming of a league-opening sweep of Utah, which was preceded by a walk-off win over then-No. 15 Baylor… UCLA is paced by Ally Carda, the back-to-back Louisville Slugger/NFCA National Pitcher of the Week, who is 14-3 with a 1.49 ERA with 150 strikeouts and seven shutouts in 98.2 innings of work, which is more than double than the other two pitchers combined… She also held her opponents to a paltry .145 batting average, while batting .311 with 12 doubles, three home runs, 29 RBI and 29 runs scored… Offensively, the Bruins bat .370 with the starting nine batting between .298 and .551, have scored 245 runs and swiped 37 bases… Allexis Bennett is batting .551 (49-89) with four doubles, 28 runs and a team-best 12 stolen bases and .568 OBP… Delaney Spaulding comes in at .402 with a team-best 12 doubles, 31 RBI, 34 runs scored and .717 slugging percentage.
Washington: The Huskies are coming off a non-conference doubleheader sweep of Texas Tech on Thursday evening with the game one, 7-1 win the 1,000th in program history… As of Thursday, UW has hit 43 home runs with nine different players leaving the yard… Courtney Gano leads the team and Pac-12 with 12 homers, which is tied for second in the NCAA… She has recorded 41 RBI, 34 hits, and 22 runs… The Huskies lead the league in slugging (.601), hits (311), , runs (261), RBI (235), doubles (67) and home runs… Kylee Lahners leads the squad with a .476 average (40-84), along with eight doubles, eight home runs, 31 RBI, .857 slugging percentage and a .615 OBP.
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#10 Florida State (23-7, 5-1) at RV Virginia Tech (22-3, 3-2) – ACC Series
Site: Tech Softball Park | Blacksburg, Va.
Date/ Game Time: Sat., March 21 (DH / 12:00), Sun., March 22 (1:00)
Coverage: ESPN3 (Saturday) | VT Audio (Sunday) | FSU Audio | Live Stats
Follow them on Twitter: @FSU_Softball | @VT_Softball
Previews (Game Notes): Florida State (notes) | Virginia Tech (Notes)
Florida State: The Seminoles have dropped two of their last three and look to bounce back from a mid-week loss to Troy as they take their 5-1 ACC mark in Blacksburg this weekend… Florida State has swept Boston College and took two-of-three from RV Notre Dame last weekend… The loss to the Irish snapped a season-long 13-game winning streak… Last year’s National Player of the Year, Lacey Waldrop, is having another solid season in the circle, posting a 14-3 record with a 0.63 ERA and 130 strikeouts in 100.2 innings of work… She has limited her opponents to a .127 average and not allowed a home run… Jessica Warren paces the offense with team-bests in average (.330), runs (23) and doubles (7), along with six long balls and 22 RBI… Alex Powers (.270) leads the Seminoles with seven home runs and 26 RBI.
Virginia Tech: Following a win at Radford on Wednesday, the Hokies enter this early season ACC series riding a nine-game winning streak, which included a three-game ACC series sweep of Syracuse and a perfect 5-0 trip at Hawai’i… Under the direction of Scot Thomas, who earned his 700th win earlier this season, VT is batting .301 with 37 home runs, while his pitching staff has posted a 1.97 ERA and held opponents to a .195 batting average… The Hokie offense is led by Kylie McGoldrick, who is batting .412 with six doubles, a triple, six home runs, 31 RBI, 20 runs and a .523 OBP… Kelsey Mericka has launched a team-high 11 home runs and Breanna Davenport is at .350 with a team-best nine doubles, along with 22 runs, three long balls and 17 RBI… Maggie Tyler has logged a staff-high 73.2 innings, 24 more than the next arm, 15 appearances and 10 starts… She is 10-3 with a 2.19 ERA and 155 strikeouts and three shutouts, while holding her opposition to a .213 average… Kelly Heinz (7-0, 2.11) has 53 strikeouts in 49.2 innings and Mikaela Aiken (5-0, 1.34) has 28 strikeouts and held opponents to a .188 average in 36.2 innings.
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Division III
No. 6 Illinois Wesleyan (10-1) at No. 18 Washington (Mo.) (16-4)
Site: Mizuno Invitational | WU Softball Field | St. Louis, Mo.
Date/Game Time: Sat., March 22 at 5 p.m. ET
Coverage: Live Stats | Live Audio
Follow them on Twitter: @iwusports | @WUSTLSoftball
Illinois Wesleyan: The Titans’ lone loss this season, 3-1 to new NFCA Division III Top 25 Poll vote-getter Wheaton (Mass.) on March 11, snapped a seven-game win streak to open the season, which began with a 7-1 win over those very same Lyons. … Illinois Wesleyan has won three straight since then, including a twinbill sweep of Wisconsin-Eau Claire in the Titans’ home opener on Thursday. … Junior second baseman Laura Bonds is hitting an outrageous .792 (19-for-24) to lead the lineup, with four doubles, one triple, 11 RBI and an 1.042 slugging percentage. … Junior shortstop Sam Gudat (.412, five doubles, four steals), junior catcher Danielle Smith (.343, two doubles, 11 RBI), senior center fielder Hannah Bowen (.342, three doubles, 15 runs) and junior outfielder Mary Rankin (.333, two triples) are all above .330 in the balanced offensive attack. … Senior left-hander Chloe Montgomery (8-0, 0.39 ERA, two runs, 13 hits and 27 strikeouts in 35.2 innings) is one of three unbeaten pitchers with a sub-0.50 ERA on the Titans’ staff, along with freshman right-hander Mackenzie Marquis (1-0, no runs and eight strikeouts in 5.1 innings) and junior righty Jenna Noland (1-0, 0.48 ERA, 14 strikeouts and nine hits in 14.2 innings), while freshman righty Stephanie Prentice has posted a 1.87 ERA over her first 15 innings. … Illinois Wesleyan plays unranked Buena Vista prior to facing No. 18 Washington at the tournament.
Washington: The Bears return home to host two other ranked teams this weekend in their Mizuno Invitational after collecting their second straight University Athletic Association title last week in Florida, tying for the crown with Emory, who also posted an 8-2 record. Washington went 12-2 overall on its spring trip. … The Bears also play No. 14 Augustana (Ill.) twice and Buena Vista. … The next win will be head coach Leticia Pineda-Boutte’s 300th at Washington. She is 299-112-1 (.727) in nine-plus seasons with the Bears and 320-138-1 overall in 11 seasons as a head coach. … Senior second baseman Paige Biles (.435, 22 runs, 27 hits, 16 steals), senior catcher Adrienne White (.433, 20 runs, 12 doubles, seven homers, 32 RBI, .925 slugging percentage) and sophomore outfielder Janet Taylor (.421, 24 hits, 25 RBI, .500 on-base average) top the offense, all batting better than .400 through the first 20 games. … Two-time Louisville Slugger/NFCA National Pitcher of the Week Annie Pitkin has been dominant in the circle, going 10-2 with two saves and an 1.18 ERA. The junior righty has fanned 94 batters and allowed just 14 walks over 77.1 innings this season.
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Division II
#11 Emporia State (19-5) vs. #14 Winona State (16-3)
Tournament: Apple Market Classic hosted by Missouri Western | Griffon Softball Field / Heritage Park Softball Complex | St. Joseph’s, Mo.
Date/ Game Time: Sun., March 22 (9:00 a.m. CT)
Follow them on Twitter: @ESUSports | @WSUWarriors
Emporia State: The Hornets have won three straight and 12 of their last 13 after sweeping a twinbill from Southeastern Oklahoma State by the scores of 11-1 and 8-0… Emporia is batting .338 as a team with 56 steals… Stephanie Goodwin leads a trio of .400 hitters with a .468 average, 10 doubles, four home runs, 37 RBI and 24 runs… Taylor Zordel comes in at .435 with a team high 29 runs and 20 stolen bases, along with six doubles, two triples and 15 RBI… Rounding out the trio is Daniell Sprinkle, who is hitting .400 with four doubles, 11 RBI and 13 runs scored… Eryn Stockman leads a pitching staff with an 8-3 record, 1.97 ERA, four shutouts and a .228 opponents batting average in 64 innings… In addition, ESU will face off against RV Pittsburg State, Upper Iowa, Concordia, St. Paul Northern State and Minnesota State.
Winona State: The Warriors are coming off an 8-2 spring break trip at the National Training Center Games in Cleremont, Fla… Emporia hits .318 as a squad with 30 doubles, nine home runs and 113 runs… Ashley Walker bats .419 with 26 hits, nine doubles, four triples, 20 RBI 22 runs and a .486 OBP… Reed Karsten is at .364 with a team-best 22 runs, while Morgan Lintz (.345) has five doubles, two home runs and 21 RBI… The pitching staff owns a 1.86 ERA and has held opponents to a .220 batting average… Hanna Lythberg paces the staff with an 8-1 mark, 0.75 ERA, 47 strikeouts and seven complete games in 56 innings, while holding opponents to a .159 batting average… Ashley Walker enters the weekend with a 6-1 record and 1.37 ERA with 34 strikeouts and a .226 batting average against… The Warriors will also play No. 16 Central Oklahoma, Washburn, Northwest Missouri State, RV Pittsburg State and host Missouri Western.
Some Additional Major Division II Games This Weekend:
at Apple Market Classic
RV Pittsburg State (13-5) vs. No. 24 Augustana (14-4) (Fri. at 10:00 a.m. CT)
No. 16 Central Oklahoma (18-6) vs. No. 14 Winona State (16-3) (Fri. at 12:00 CT)
RV Pittsburg State (13-5) vs. No. 11 Emporia State (19-5) (Fri. at 2:00 CT)
No. 16 Central Oklahoma vs. No. 24 Augustana (14-4) (Sat. at 10:00 a.m. CT)
No. 14 Winona State (16-3) vs. RV Pittsburg State (13-5) (Sun. at 9:00 a.m. CT) Live Stats
RV Charleston (13-2) at RV West Virginia Wesleyan (8-4) (Sun. at 2:00 DH)
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