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, 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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DIVISION I
No. 9 Louisiana-Lafayette (34-5) at No. 2 Oregon (38-5)
Site: Howe Field | Eugene, Ore.
Date/ Game Time: Fri. April 24 (4:00 PT) | Sat., April 25 (12:00 & 2:00 PT)
Coverage: Live Stats | Pac-12 Live Stream | KWVA Radio (Oregon) | ESPN 1420 Radio (Louisiana)
Preview (Notes): Louisiana (Notes) | Oregon (Notes)
Follow them on Twitter: @RaginCajunSB | @OregonSB
Louisiana: This is Louisiana’s fourth weekend series against a ranked team and third versus a 2014 WCWS participant… In 2015, the Ragin’ Cajuns are 5-3 versus ranked foes… They are in the middle of a three-week stretch of road series… They opened that stretch with an offensive explosion at Sun Belt newcomer Appalachian State… Taking advantage of the mountain air of Western North Carolina, the Ragin’ Cajuns scored 44 runs and belted 13 long balls in just two games (10 innings) and came out with 21-5 and 23-6 victories over the Mountaineers… With those wins, Louisiana has produced double digit runs in eight of its last 11 games, batting .420 during that stretch… The offense is balanced with every starter recording at least 27 hits and seven players with 20-plus RBI… The Ragin’ Cajuns lead the NCAA in home runs per game (2.08) and are second in scoring (8.82 run/game), second in slugging (.661), fifth in OBP (.457) sixth in batting average (.356), tied for sixth in home runs (81), 10th in ERA (1.88)… Lexie Elkins, who hit five long balls and knocked in 13 runs last weekend, leads the NCAA in home runs (25), home runs per game (.64), RBI per game (1.62) and is second in slugging percentage (1.150) and tied for fourth in RBI (63)… Haley Hayden is batting .409 with a team-best 54 runs and 12 doubles to go along with 11 homers, 44 RBI and a .506 OBP, while Shellie Landry (.365) has 11 doubles, 16 long balls, 49 RBI and a .833 slugging percentage… In the circle, Alex Stewart (10-0) ranks fifth in the NCAA in ERA (0.96), while Jordan Wallace’s (14-2, 1.84 ERA) 2.86 hits allowed and 10.5 strikeouts per seven innings are first and tied for eighth, respectively, in the NCAA.
Oregon: The Ducks are coming off a three-game Pac-12 road sweep of Stanford and have won 22 of their last 24 conference series… With a 16-2 league mark, Oregon holds the top position… Oregon ranks fourth in the nation in OBP (.466), fifth in batting average (.362), eighth in scoring 7.64 runs/game), eighth in slugging (.606) has also produced 70 doubles, 61 home runs, 80 stolen bases … Along with the offense, Cheridan Hawkins (20-3) leads the Pac-12 with a 1.12 ERA (9th in NCAA), 3.25 hit allowed per game (3rd in NCAA) and a .133 opponents batting average against and also has 165 strikeouts, eight shutouts and six saves in 131.2 innings of work… Offensively, Janie Takeda bats .430 with a team-best 55 hits and 29 stolen bases, while also producing seven doubles, three triples, three long balls, 21 RBI, 39 runs and a .490 OBP… NFCA Division I Freshman of the Year finalist Jenna Lilley (.421) tops the squad with 12 doubles, 28 walks, 47 runs and a .534 OBP to go along with a couple of triples, four homers, 33 RBI and 15 thefts… Koral Costa leads the squad with 12 home runs and Janelle Lindvall has knocked in a team-high 43 runs.
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Other Highlighted Division I Games This Weekend:
No. 11 Tennessee at No. 5 Alabama (4/23-25 at 7:00 / 6:30 / 2:00 CT) ESPN (Thurs.) | Series Central | UT Radio (Fri. Only)
No. 6 Oklahoma at RV Kansas (4/24-26 ) Live Stats | Kansas Audio | OU Videoftp.
No. 25 Texas A&M at No. 1 Florida (4/23-25 at 6:00 / 1:00 / 1:00 ET) UF Radio | SEC+ | Live Stats (Fri. / Sat. / Sun.) A&M Radio (Fri. / Sat. / Sun.)
No. 18 Washington at No. 20 California (4/24-26 at 3:00 / 1:00 / 12:00 PT) Live Stats
No. 14 Georgia at No. 17 Kentucky (4/24-26 at 6:00 / 3:00 / 1:00 ET) SEC+ (Fri. / Sat. / Sun.) | Live Stats (Fri. / Sat. / Sun.)
RV Utah at No. 23 Arizona State (4/24-26 at 5:00 / 7:30 / 12:00 MST) Live Stats | Pac-12 Networks
RV CSUN at Long Beach State (4/25-26 at 1 & 3:00 / 1:00 PT) Live Stats (G1 / G2 / G3)
No. 3 LSU at No. 15 Missouri (4/25-27 at 2:00 / 3:00 / 6:00 CT) SEC+ (Sat. / Sun.) | Live Stats (Sat. / Sun. / Mon.) | SEC Network (Mon.)
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North Carolina (33-11, 15-4) at No. 24 Notre Dame (38-11, 16-5)– ACC Series
Site: Melissa Cook Stadium | South Bend, Ind.
Date (Game Time): Sat., April 18 (1 & 3:00 ET) | Sun., April 19 (12:00 ET)
Coverage: Live Stats (G1 / G2 / G3) | Watch ND (G1 / G2 / G3)
Previews (Game Notes): North Carolina (Notes) | Notre Dame (Notes)
Follow them on Twitter: @UNCSoftball | @NDsoftball
UNC: The Tar Heels are coming off a mid-week 12-4 win over Elon and have won three straight and nine of their last 10 games… Heading into its ACC finale, North Carolina is just mere percentage points ahead of Notre Dame for second place in the standings and two games back of Florida State… Last weekend, UNC took the final two games from North Carolina State to earn the series win… In its contest on Wednesday, Kristen Brown became the program all-time leader in home runs (44) with a fourth-inning grand slam… Brown is batting .364 with a team-high 21 long balls, 64 RBI, .871 slugging percentage and 51 runs (tie)… NFCA Freshman of the Year Finalist Taylor Wike leads the Tar Heel offense with a .443 average, 58 hits, nine doubles, three triples, six home runs, 24 RBI, 51 runs, 38 walks and a .588 OBP… As a team, UNC is batting .334 with 61 homers, 330 runs scored, a .610 slugging percentage and a .439 OBP… Along with Brown, three other Tar Heels have double-digit home runs; Amber Parrish (16), Kendra Lynch (12) and Jenna Kelly (11)… Sydney Matzko (27 app/13 starts) and Kaylee Carlson (28 app/23 starts) have logged the majority of the innings for the UNC pitching staff… Matzko is 14-4 with a 2.31 ERA, 74 strikeouts and a .212 opponents batting average in 100 innings of work… Carlson is 15-5 with a 3.07 ERA and 92 strikeouts in 123 innings.
Notre Dame: After dispatching Toledo 11-1 on Wednesday, the Fighting Irish are one of the hottest teams in the country as they enter this weekend’s ACC series with a 24-game winning streak, second longest active streak in Division I (James Madison at 28)… They are also a perfect 17-0 this season at Melissa Cook Stadium… It is a crucial league series with third-place Notre Dame trailing second-place UNC by mere percentage points… Batting .345 as a team, the Irish boast seven starters hitting .300 or better and a pair, Karley Wester and Katey Haus, above the .400 mark… Wester is batting .444 with a team-best 75 hits, three triples and 52 runs scored to go along with seven doubles, a pair of long balls, 23 RBI and 24-of-25 in stolen bases… Haus is at .403 with a team-high 13 doubles, 11 home runs and 48 RBI… Emilee Koerner is just under .400, batting .391 with 59 hits, 12 doubles, nine long balls, 41 RBI and 43 runs scored… In the circle, Rachel Nasland (16-6) and Allie Rhodes (17-4) see the majority of the innings… Nasland has logged a staff-high 156.2 innings, 29 appearances and 25 starts and has registered a team-best 2.37 ERA, 157 strikeouts, five shutouts and 15 complete games… Rhodes has posted a 2.58 ERA with 105 punchouts and five complete games in 108.1 innings, 28 appearances and 21 starts.
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RV North Dakota State (36-8) at No. 21 South Alabama (32-8)
Site: Jaguar Field | Mobile, Ala.
Date/ Game Time: Fri., April 24 (6:00 CT) | Sat., April 25 (2 & 4:00 CT)
Previews (Notes): NDSU (Notes) | USA (Notes)
Coverage: Live Video $ |Live Stats
Follow them on Twitter: @NDSUSoftball | @USAJagsSoftball
NDSU: Following a split at No. 12 Minnesota on Wednesday, the Bison’s 36-8 mark is the best Division I start in program history… NDSU fell in game one 8-0 but bounced back with a 5-4 triumph in the nightcap… It was their second win over a ranked opponent this season, having beaten Washington early in the season and have seven wins in their last 18 games against ranked foes… NDSU is just two wins shy of matching its DI record for victories set in 2009 and 2012… The Bison have won 30-plus games each season since 2007… They are a five-time Summit League Tournament and four-time regular season champion… Won 2009 Norman Regional and advanced to Super Regionals at Arizona State… NDSU (13-2) have a firm hold on first place in the league standing with South Dakota behind them at 8-4… Krista Menke (25-2, 1.84) is the workhorse in the circle for the Bison, logging 190.2 innings, making 33 appearances and 28 starts with 26 complete games… She has recorded three no-hitters this season and twirled her first collegiate perfect game last weekend at IPFW… Entering Monday, Menke leads the nation with 301 strikeouts, 2nd in shutouts (10), 3rd in strikeouts per 7 IP (11.1 avg), 5th in hits allowed (3.34 avg) and victories (25)… She also has 10 shutouts and held opponents to a .140 batting average… At the dish, Logan Moreland leads the squad with a .456 average and is one of three players above .400 – Amanda Grable (.427) and Cheyenne Garcia (.409)… Moreland leads the squad with 64 hits and has 46 runs scored, 10 doubles and 29 RBI… She is also one of six players with double-digit thefts (17-21) on a squad that ranks fourth in steals per game (2.52)… Grable provides the pop at the plate with a team-high 12 home runs, 45 RBI and 52 runs scored.
South Alabama: The Jaguars close out their regular season this weekend and with that look to bounce back from a mid-week 1-0 loss at Southern Miss… The setback snapped USA’s 11-game winning streak… Ranked 27th in the RPI, the Jaguars are 16-4 at home this season… They are batting .315 with a .415 OBP and .479 slugging percentage… Chloe Rathburn leads USA at the plate with a .398 average, 49 hits and 44 RBI, along with a .569 slugging percentage and .476 OBP… Kaitlyn Griffith leads the club in slugging (.664) and home runs (11) and also has 37 RBI, while Stephanie Pilkington owns a team-high .500 OBP to go along with a .371 batting average, eight doubles, 30 RBI and 30 runs scored… The Jaguars rely on three pitchers that own a combined 2.49 ERA and a .210 batting average against… Kalen McGill (98.2 IP) is 14-2 with a 1.92 ERA, 55 strikeouts and four saves, while Farish Beard (60.1 IP) owns an 8-2 mark with a staff-low 1.74 ERA, three shutouts and a .150 batting average against… Devin Brown (87.2 IP) comes in with a 9-4 mark and boasts a staff-high 148 strikeouts and a .179 batting average against.
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Division II
No. 5 Cal State Monterey Bay (41-9 / 25-7) at No. 12 Humboldt State (38-12, 24-8) – CCAA Series
Site: HSU Softball Field | Arcata, Calif.
Date/Game Time: Fri., April 24 (1:00 PT / DH) | Sat., April 25 (11:00 a.m. PT / DH)
Coverage: Live Stats | Video | Audio (HSU / CSUMB)
Preview: HSU
Follow them on Twitter: @CSUMBsoftball | @HSUJacks
Note: In the last weekend of the regular season, this series will determine the CCAA’s regular season champion… With four games on the docket, CSUMB enters with a one game lead over Humboldt State.
CSUMB: Holding a one-game lead in the standings, the Otters are riding a 10-game winning streak heading into the final weekend of play… Monterey Bay swept Cal State Stanislaus by a combined score of 35-4 with three run-rule victories last weekend… The Otters bat .355 with 448 hits, 84 doubles, 34 home runs and 311 runs scored… Reigning CCAA weekly award winners, Bianca Noriega and Schutt Sports Division II National Player of the Year Finalist Cori Reinhardt, pace Monterey Bay… Noriega leads the Otters with a .462 batting average, 66 hits, nine home runs, 51 RBI and a .547 OBP… Reinhardt leads the league with a 25-2 record and a 1.72 ERA and also lead the staff with six shutouts and 25 complete games… She also gets it done at the plate, batting .429 with a team-leading 17 doubles, 46 runs scored and 34 walks as well as 36 RBI and a .531 OBP… Madison Castro is the third Otter batting above .400, coming in second on the squad at a .458 clip with 17 doubles, eight long ball, 46 RBI, 28 runs, .746 slugging (team high) percentage and .536 OBP… Lindsey Clarkson is the other arm for CSUMB, posting a 14-5 record with a 2.86 ERA in 177.1 innings; She has a staff-best 123 strikeouts and a .223 batting average against.
Humboldt State: The Jacks are coming off a CCAA series split at Cal State Chico last weekend, taking the middle two of the four-game series… The setback in the opening game of that series snapped Humboldt’s 17-game winning streak… Schutt Sports Division II NFCA Player of the Year finalist Tiffany Hollingsworth (.383) leads the squad in several major categories with 64 hits, 14 doubles, 15 home runs, 57 RBI and a .749 slugging percentage… CCAA stolen base leader, Hanna Holland (.385, 4 HR) has swiped 46 bases and also reached base safely in 49 consecutive games, while leading the squad in runs scored (49) and OBP (.528)… Dani Randal bats a team-best .386 with 59 hits, 11 doubles, eight home runs, 33 RBI and 26 runs scored… In the circle, Katie Obbema (150.1 IP) and Madison Williams (159.2 IP) sport identical 18-6 records and have thrown all but 24.1 innings this season… Obbema owns a 3.17 ERA with 18 complete games, four shutouts, 142 strikeouts and just 20 walks, while Williams has a 3.53 ERA with 16 complete games, three shutouts, 168 strikeouts and a .239 batting average against.
Other Highlighted Division II Games This Weekend:
No. 13 Angelo State at RV Cameron (4/24 & 25 at 1:00 (DH) & 12:00 (DH) CT) Live Stats | Video
No. 20 Emporia State at RV Missouri Western (4/25 at 1:00 (DH) CT) Live Stats
No. 15 Southern Indiana at No. 3 Missouri-St. Louis (4/27 at 12:00 (DH) CT) Live Stats
Conference Tournaments
South Atlantic Conference (SAC) (4/23-26 | Hartsville, S.C.) – Tourney Central
Peach Belt Conference (4/24-25 | Milledgeville, Ga.) – PBC Website
Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) (4/23-26 | Columbia, S.C.) Tourney Central
Conference Carolinas (4/24-26 | Burlington, N.C.) Tourney Central
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Division III
No. 4 Luther (32-2) at No. 17 Central (26-9)
Site: Central College Softball Field | Pella, Iowa
Date/Game Time: Sun., April 26 at 3 & 5 p.m. ET
Follow them on Twitter: @NorseSoftball | @CentralSB1
Luther: Senior outfielder Hiliary Pennington (42 runs, two doubles, two homers, 18 RBI, 15 steals) has played in every game and is batting .480 for the No. 4 Norse, who have locked up the No. 1 seed for next weekend’s Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) tournament. … Freshman infielder Anna Strien (.482, 27 runs, 11 doubles, 20 RBI) has an oh-so-slight edge on Pennington for team-leading hitter honors, providing a powerful 1-2 lineup punch. … Junior outfielder Lindsey Uphoff (.448, 25 runs), freshman outfielder Ashley Burrows (.427, 21 runs, six doubles, six steals), junior catcher Carlie Radil (.409, 26 runs, 14 doubles, two triples, five homers 45 RBI), senior infielder Alise Miller (.402, 18 runs, 10 doubles, seven homers, 33 RBI) and senior infielder Katie Wieland (.393, 29 runs, 11 doubles, seven homers, 46 RBI) all contribute to a balanced offense that is hitting .409 with 296 runs scored (8.7 per game). … Senior NFCA Third Team All-American outfielder Kelsey Rose (.509, nine doubles, a triple, three homers, 26 RBI, a team-leading .887 slugging percentage and .603 on-base average) has been limited to pinch running since a pitch broke her arm on March 21. … The pitching has done a solid job keeping up with the offense, as sophomore right-hander Amanda Witzlib (15-2, 2.42 ERA, 17 walks and 115 strikeouts in 101.1 innings), sophomore left-hander Annie Versnik (9-0, 1.94 ERA, 21 strikeouts) and sophomore right-hander Topanga Skiles (8-0, 3.21 ERA, 32 strikeouts) have combined to strike out 3.5 batters (168) for every walk allowed (48). … Luther has won eight of its last nine games.
Central: The Dutch, who have also clinched an IIAC tournament berth and sit in second place in the conference standings, have the senior trio of second baseman Abbey Strajack (.488, 43 runs, seven doubles, 23 RBI, 18 steals), designated player Karlee Rock (.429, 21 runs, eight doubles, 13 homers, 46 RBI, 21 walks) and third baseman Whitney Sowers (.398, 27 runs, 10 doubles, six homers, 33 RBI, 28 walks, six strikeouts) atop their lineup, which is similarly balanced and hitting at a .337 clip. … Senior first baseman Kaitlyn Matzen (five doubles, three homers, 12 walks), junior shortstop Paige Schreiner (seven doubles, three homers, one triple) and freshman infielder Tabitha Taylor (three doubles, two triples, one homer) are additional extra-base threats. … Senior utility player Kallie Schive (.345, three steals), senior catcher Katie Canney (.316, four doubles, two homers) and senior center fielder Paige Heesch (.300, 10 runs, six steals) are all hitting .300 or better. … Senior right-hander Mallory Schulenberg (10-6, 2.95 ERA, 29 walks and 71 strikeouts in 104.1 innings), junior righty Trisha Smith (11-1, 2.51 ERA, 29 walks and 46 strikeouts over 78 innings) and freshman righty Annie DeVries (5-2, 3.57 ERA in 33.1 innings) have split time in the circle.
Other highlighted Division III games:
No. 2 Texas-Tyler (34-1) at No. 21 Louisiana College (26-8) (4/24 at 6 p.m. ET, 4/25 at 2 & 4 p.m. ET)
Randolph College (17-17) vs. No. 5 Virginia Wesleyan (28-4) in Old Dominion Athletic Conference tournament, Salem, Va. (4/24 at noon ET) LIVE STATS
No. 16 Texas Lutheran (33-4) vs. Austin-Southwestern winner in Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference tournament (4/24 at 5 p.m. ET) LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO ($)