LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Throughout the 2016 softball season, the NFCA will feature some of the sport’s highest-profile contests in our “Featured Five” Games of the Week.
Each weekly installment will be released on Thursday, providing live stat links, game notes, team info, social media accounts and any available broadcast links in hopes of becoming another reason for fans to visit us 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 matchups throughout as many divisions as possible. This week’s featured games come from NCAA Division I, II and III.
We open in Division II as NCAA-record holding pitchers go head-to-head for the final time in the regular season as No. 1 Indianapolis and No. 8 UMSL face off in a key Midwest Region and Great Lakes Valley Conference twin bill in St. Louis. Indy’s Morgan Foley and UMSL’s Hannah Perryman are the No. 1 and No. 4 all-time strikeout leaders in Division II. They have combined to fan over 3,100 batters during their illustrious careers, while totalling 248 wins between them. In addition, Foley owns two single-game strikeout records, while Perryman has twirled a Division II-best nine perfect games.
The fifth-ranked Ragin’ Cajun of Louisiana-Lafayette head to Gainesville for a top-five non-conference tilt against top-ranked Florida. In SEC action, a pair of programs (Georgia & Tennessee) coming off sweeps of nationally-ranked squads go head-to-head in Athens, Ga. Also on the docket, is a battle for second place in the Sun Belt between South Alabama and Georgia Southern.
In Division III, No. 8 Illinois Wesleyan and No. 24 (tie) Wheaton (Ill.) face off in a pivotal College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin doubleheader.
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 2016.
Make sure you follow the NFCA on our social media (NFCAorg) through Twitter (Periscope), Instagram and on Facebook and let us know what you think of our “Featured Five” segment.
DII – No. 1 Indianapolis at No. 8 University of Missouri-St. Louis
April 17 | 12:00 CT (DH) | UMSL Softball Field | St. Louis, Mo. | Great Lakes Valley Series
#1
38-1, 21-1
Statistics
Team BA: .325 | Team ERA: 1.22 | Runs Scored: 245 | Runs Allowed: 63
* Acended to the No. 1 ranking three weeks ago
* Started the season 32-0
* Swept two GLVC doubleheaders last week
* Morgan Foley is 30-0 with a 0.68 ERA… She has struck out 351 batters, third most in Division II, but leads the NCAA with 13.3 strikeouts per seven inning pitched… Earlier this season, the senior righty fanned all 21 batters in a no-hitter, setting a new DII benchmark
* With 17 punchouts on Thursday, she became the 4th DII pitcher to reach 1,500 strikeouts
* On the offensive side of the ball, Natalie Lalich leads the way, hitting at a .407 clip with 50 hits, seven doubles, 10 home runs, 49 RBI and a .740 slugging percentage
* Seven starters bat .316 or better and 10 different Greyhounds have homers, nine have multiple long balls
* Defensively, Indy fields at a .972 clip, committing just 29 errors in 1,034 attempts
#8
41-4, 19-3
Statistics | Live Stats | Live Video
Team BA: .313 | Team ERA: 1.03 | Runs Scored: 247 | Runs Allowed: 51
* UMSL has won five straight and seven of its last eight contests… The Tritons swept a pair of GLVC road doubleheaders from Missouri S&T and Drury
* The Tritons have been riding the left arm of Hannah Perryman, the Division II all-time strikeout queen… The senior has fanned 1,603 batters during her four-year career… She also owns the DII record for perfect games with nine and is one shy of the all-time NCAA mark of 10
* Perryman has tossed all but 43 innings, posting a 36-2 mark with a 0.94 ERA and DII-best 445 strikeouts (7th highest in a single season) in 261.2 innings of work… She has twirled an NCAA-high 20 shutouts and held opponents to a .138 batting average
* The offense is very balanced as seven starters hit above .300 led by Alex Stupek at .366 with 56 hits, nine doubles, 10 home runs 37 RBI, 35 runs and 22 stolen bases… Sarah Kern (.298) and Jennah Perryman (.311) also provide pop at the plate with 10 and nine homers, respectively… Kern matches Stupek with a team-best 37 RBI
Other Notable Division II Games
April 14
4 & 6:00 CT – RV Northwest Missouri (xx) at No. 15 Missouri Western (33-10, 19-3 MIAA) | Live Stats | Audio
April 15
1 & 3:00 PT – No. 3 Humboldt State (39-3-1, 28-2 CCAA) at San Francisco State (23-20, 17-13, CCAA)| Live Stats
April 16
3 & 5:00 CT – RV West Florida (33-11, 19-8 Gulf South) at No. 21 Delta State (33-12, 21-6 Gulf South) | Live Stats | Audio
12 & 2:00 PT – RV Azusa Pacific (27-9, 14-4 PacWest) at No. 9 California Baptist (35-7, 18-4 PacWest) | Live Stats & Video
1 & 3:00 PT – No. 3 Humboldt State at San Francisco State | Live Stats
April 17
12 & 2:00 ET – No. 19 Caldwell (23-10) at New Haven (17-9) | Live Stats | Video
1 & 3:00 ET – Charleston (32-7, 19-3 Mountain East) at No. 16 West Virginia Wesleyan (37-5, 19-3 Mountain East) | Live Stats (G1 / G2) | Video (G1 / G2)
1:00 CT – RV West Florida at No. 21 Delta State | Live Stats | Audio
DI – No. 5 Louisiana-Lafayette at No. 1 Florda
April 16-17 (Sat.-Sun.) | 1:00 (DH) / 1:00 ET | Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium | Gainesville, Fla. | SEC Network+ (G1 / G2 / G3)
#5
32-3
Game Notes | Statistics | Audio
Team BA: .347 | Team ERA: 1.52 | Runs Scored: 286 | Runs Allowed: 58
* Louisiana swept Georgia State in a three-game Sun Belt series in Atlanta to extend its winning streak to seven games
* Lexie Elkins was named a USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Top 25 finalist… She was named a top-26 finalist last season
* Elkins, one of Division I’s premier power hitters and catchers, is out approximately 4-6 weeks with a thumb injury… She is tops in the nation with 17 home runs
* Aleah Craighton was named Sun Belt Player of the Week… She is currently hitting .386 with 10 doubles, 13 home runs and 38 RBI
* The pitching staff has the fourth-lowest ERA in Division I and is led by the combined effort of Alex Stewart and Kyle Jo Trahan… Stewart is 17-1with a 1.55 ERA, 121 strikeouts in 122 innings, while Trahan is 10-2 with a 1.76 ERA and 76 strikeouts in 67.2 innings… Both hurlers have walked just 19 batters and recorded five shutouts each
#1
38-3
Game Notes | Statistics | Audio
Team BA: .321 | Team ERA: 0.85 | Runs Scored: 245 | Runs Allowed: 41
* Coming off a suspended extra-inning affair against No. 8 Florida State… The scoreless game was halted with one out in the bottom of the ninth and will be resumed on May 4th in Tallahasee prior to the scheduled road contest against the Seminoles
* Gators started an eight-game homestand on Wedenesday
* Returned to the No. 1 ranking after falling to No. 2 in the NFCA poll last week
* Owns the highest winning percentage (.927) in the country and is on top of the the SEC with a 12-3 mark
* Florida is unbeaten in its last 26 regular season non-conference games and has won 117-of-119 non-league games dating back to the start of the 2013
* The Gators sport the best ERA (0.84) and fielding percentage (.982) in Division I, allowing just 41 runs and committing 19 errors through 41-plus games
* Aleshia Ocasio and Delanie Gourley were named Top 25 finalists for USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year
DI – No. 10 Georgia at No. 15 Missouri
April 16-17 (Sat-Sun) | 1:00 / 7:00 ET | Jack Turner Stadium | Athens, Ga. | SEC Series | G1 ESPNU | G2 SEC Network
#15
31-10, 10-5
Softball Central | Statistics | Audio
Team BA: .335 | Team ERA: 2.35 | Runs Scored: 319 | Runs Allowed: 120
* The Vols are coming off a four-win week which included a series sweep of then-No. 11 Texas A&M
* Rainey Gaffin was named Louisville Slugger/NFCA National Player of hte Week and SEC Player of the Week… She recorded eight RBI and a 1.077 slugging percentage to go along with two wins in the circle
* Tennessee holds a 37-29 advantage in teh series and has won seven straight dating back to 2012… The Vols have been victorious in 14 of the last 16 meetings
* This will be Tennessee’s fifth straight ranked SEC opponent and is 7-2 over their last nine contests against ranked foes
* The Vols are averaging 7.78 runs per game
* Gaffin is batting .380 with 11 doubles, four home runs, 31 RBI and 22 runs, while posting an 8-2 mark in the circle with a 2.47 ERA and 84 strikeouts in 73.2 innings… Freshman Aubrey Leach tops the squad with a .387 average, while Meghan Gregg paces the offense with a .373 average, 12 doubles, five homers, 46 RBI and 33 runs scored
#10
35-8, 8-4
Game Notes | Statistics | Live Stats (G1 / G2)
Team BA: .371 | Team ERA: 2.01 | Runs Scored: 321 | Runs Allowed: 102
* The Bulldogs trounced in-state rival Georgia Tech, 15-0 on Wednesday as Chelsea Wilkinson and Kylie Bass combined on a five-inning perfect game… Tina Iosefa and Alex Hugo each homered twice
* Georgia swept then-No. 15 Missouri in Columbia to move into a tie for fifth with Alabama in the SEC
* Cortni Emanuel was named a USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Top 25 finalist
* Alyssa Dicarlo was tabbed SEC Freshman of the Week for the third time this season… She is hitting .389 on the season with 11 doubles, 41 RBI and 31 runs scored
* The victory against GT brought head coach Lu Harris-Champer’s overall win total to 975 with 766 of those coming with the Bulldogs
* Emanuel leads the squad with 65 hits, 47 runs, .503 OBP and 27 stolen bases
* Iosefa leads the squad with 16 round trippers, 63 RBI and .878 slugging percentage
* Wilkinson is 20-2 with a 1.80 ERA and 147 strikouts in 132.1 innings, while holding her opponents to a .189 batting average
DI – RV South Alabama at Georgia Southern
April 16-17 | 3 & 5:00 / 1:00 ET | Eagle Field ast GS Softball Complex | Statesboro, Ga. | Sun Belt Series
24-11, 12-2
Game Notes | Audio
Team BA: .302 | Team ERA: 2.11 | Runs Scored: 176 | Runs Allowed: 88
* Riding a six-game winning streak and have swept their last two conference series against Georgia State and UT Arlington
* Offensively Emily Messer is hitting a team-best .463 with 57 hits, eigh double, five triples and 34 runs scored… Steph Pilkington (.337) has knocked in a team high 26 runs with nine doubles, two homers and 20 runs…
* The Jaguars have only eight home runs this season and actually have one more triple than long balls
* In the circle, Devin Brown is 14-7 with a 1.43 ERA, nine shutouts and 226 punchouts in 141.2 innings… The southpaw held her opponents to a mere .157 batting average
24-27, 9-3
Game Notes | Statistics | Live Stats (G1 / G2 / G3) | Video ($)
Team BA: .288 | Team ERA: 3.94 | Runs Scored: 201 | Runs Allowed: 195
* Coming off a 6-4 win over Kennesaw State in mid-week action, the Eagles have won four straight and six of their last seven
* Third in the Sun Belt, one game in loss column behind South Alabama
* Morgan Robinson and Lydia Witkowski pace the offense… Robinson is batting .309 with a team-best eight home runs, 43 RBI and .561 slugging percentage… Witkowski hits a team-high .352 and also leads the squad with 50 hits, four triples and 33 runs scored
* Dixie Bailey is 17-8 with a 3.24 ERA, three shutouts and 144 strikouts in 142.2 innings and has held opponents to a .226 batting average
Other Notable Division I Games
April 15
3:00 ET – Kent State (24-13, 7-4 MAC East) at Miami (23-14, 8-2 MAC East) | Live Stats | Video
3:45 & 6:30 CT – RV Texas (27-10, 2-3 Big 12) at No. 12 Oklahoma (31-7, 6-1 Big 12) | Live Stats | Audio (Texas / Oklahoma)
6:00 ET – RV Ohio State (xx) at No. 2 Michigan (29-4, 7-2 Big Ten) | Live Stats | BTN2GO
6:00 ET – No. 18 Missouri (28-10, 5-7 SEC)at No. 16 Kentucky (35-8, 11-4 SEC) | Live Stats | SEC Network+
6:30 CT – No. 4 Alabama (36-7, 8-4 SEC) at No. 16 Texas A&M (31-9, 5-7 SEC) | Live Stats | Audio (Alabama / A&M) | SEC Network+
7:00 PT – RV California (20-15-1, 5-5-1) at No. 9 Washington (26-8, 7-5 Pac-12) | Live Stats | Live Audio
April 16
1:00 ET – No. 18 Missouri at No. 16 Kentucky | Live Stats | SEC Network+
1 & 3:00 ET – Lehigh (25-9, 6-0 Patriot) at Army West Point (24-14, 6-2 Patriot) | Live Stats | Audio
1 & 3:00 ET – Kent State at Miami | Live Stats (G1 / G2) | Video
2:00 ET – RV Ohio State (25-8-1, 9-1-1 Big Ten) at No. 2 Michigan (30-4, 8-2 Big Ten) | Live Stats | BTN2GO
2:00 CT – RV Texas at No. 12 Oklahoma | Live Stats | Audio (Texas / Oklahoma) | ESPN2
3:00 CT – No. 4 Alabama at No. 16 Texas A&M | Live Stats | Audio (Alabama / A&M) | SEC Network+
4:00 MT – No. 21 Arizona State (27-13, 3-6 Pac-12) at RV Utah (24-13, 5-4 Pac-12) | Live Stats | Pac 12 Networks
7:00 PT – RV California at No. 9 Washington | Live Stats | Live Audio
April 17
1:00 ET – No. 18 Missouri at No. 16 Kentucky | Live Stats | SEC Network+
1:00 ET – Lehigh at Army West Point | Live Stats | Video
2:00 ET – RV Ohio State at No. 2 Michigan | Live Stats | BTN2GO
3:00 CT – No. 4 Alabama at No. 16 Texas A&M | Live Stats | Audio (Alabama / A&M) | SEC Network+
12:00 PT – RV California at No. 9 Washington | Live Stats | Live Audio
7:00 MT – No. 21 Arizona State at RV Utah | Live Stats | Audio | Pac 12 Networks
DIII – No. 8 Illinois Wesleyan at No. 24 (tie) Wheaton (Ill.) | College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin DH
April 16 | 2 & 4:00 ET | Ruth Leedy Field | Wheaton, Ill.
#8
19-5, 4-2
Statistics
Team BA: .340 | Team ERA: 2.27 | Runs Scored: 136 | Runs Allowed: 66
* Senior outfielder Mary Rankin was this week’s CCIW Hitter of the Week after batting .647 (11-for-17) with five runs, four doubles, eight RBI and a .882 slugging percentage in the Titans’ 5-1 week
* Illinois Wesleyan’s .340 overall team batting average is just one point behind Wheaton, but leads Wheaton in CCIW play (.348 to .341)
* Wednesday’s 1-0 extra-inning loss to Millikin snapped four-game win streak and a stretch over which the Titans won 19 of 20 games
* Senior Jenna Noland and sophomore Mackenzie Marquis have combined to go 18-5 and pitch 133 of the Titans’ 157 innings in the circle
* Noland and Marquis combined to fan 25 Millikin batters and allow just five hits over 14 innings in the doubleheader split.
#24 (tie)
20-6, 6-2
Team BA: .341 | Team ERA: 2.15 | Runs Scored: 190 | Runs Allowed: 80
* Senior Katie Thornton earned her second CCIW Pitcher of the Week honor of the season after going 3-0 with a 0.43 ERA and 11 strikeouts in 16.1 innings pitched for the Thunder
* The Thunder are 14-3 over their last 17 games and 8-2 at home this season
* Leading hitter Thornton was 2-for-2 with a solo homer in Wheaton’s last game, a 15-3 five-inning win in the nightcap of a doubleheader split with Carthage. She also has a 14-4 record and 0.83 ERA in the circle
* Junior Katie Yergler (.424, three doubles, five triples, three homers) and freshman Hannah Clark (.391, eight steals) help anchor an offense that boasts five players hitting better than .380
* The Thunder pitching staff has nearly two and a half strikeouts for every walk they allow
Other Notable Division III Games
April 15
6:00 CT — Louisiana College (17-15) at No. 1 Texas-Tyler (31-2) | Suddenlink Field | Tyler, Texas
April 16
1 & 3:00 ET — Emory & Henry (13-21) at No. 4 Virginia Wesleyan (28-5) | StrikeOut Cancer Day | Marlins Field | Norfolk, Va. | Live Stats (Gm 1)| Live Stats (Gm 2)
1 & 3:00 ET — Alfred (14-6) at No. 21 Ithaca (16-6) | Kostrinsky Field | Ithaca, N.Y. | Live Stats| Video
1 & 3:00 CT — No. 2 Luther (27-1) at Buena Vista (18-11) | Softball Field | Storm Lake, Iowa | Live Stats (Gm 1)| Live Stats (Gm 2)