UMKC Set To Host Centenary In Three-Game Set Tuesday And Wednesday
3/17/2008 5:00:00 PM | Softball
After a one-day postponement due to rain in the Kansas City area, UMKC is set to take on Centenary in the first two games of a three-game set on Tuesday afternoon. First pitch in the double-dip is slated for 3 p.m. at Cleveland Park, with a third contest to close out the series set for a Wednesday noon start.
Quick Hits
? UMKC and Centenary have played 16 times, with the Kangaroos winning three times and dropping 13.
? Two of the three wins by UMKC have come in Kansas City, as the Kangaroos were 2-1 victors in 2004 before downing the Ladies 5-3 in 2006. Both wins came in the final game of the series.
? UMKC and Centenary have faced each other only one time outside the confines of The Summit League, as they battled in the OU/Worth Invitational in 2007.
Scouting the Ladies
Centenary has certainly taken advantage of its location in a warmer climate, putting 29 games in the books so far this season. The Ladies have compiled a 14-15 record under sixth-year head coach Mark Montgomery this year, recording six shutouts on the campaign.
Two players are batting over .300 for the Ladies, led by Allison Shepperd's .409 mark. She has six doubles, a triple and a home run on the season to push her slugging percentage to .576. Haley Bassett is also over the mark with a .346 average on the year and has appeared in all 29 contests for Centenary this season. Amy Wiedeman leads Centenary with three home runs on the year, as the team has collected 14 dingers on the campaign. three other Ladies have two home runs on the campaign.
In the circle for the ladies, Ryan Thacker has been the workhorse, pitching 88.0 of Centenary's 183.0 innings on the campaign. She has hurled four complete games en route to a 9-6 record and a 3.02 ERA. As a staff, the Ladies have compiled a 3.75 ERA, striking out 152 batters and walking 81.
Youth Is Served
With just four players returning from last year's squad, it is not unfair to say that the Kangaroos are a young squad. Against Idaho State, UMKC started freshmen in seven of the nine slots in the lineup. Seven of the 10 regular starters for UMKC are underclassmen, with junior Samantha Hurst and seniors Alicia Baker and Monica Canisales representing the elder set.
In A Pinch
Although Alicia Baker was not expected to see time in the circle this year, she was forced to step in during the second game of UMKC's doubleheader against Oakland as Taya Upkes was unable to continue after taking a pitch off her own pitching hand. The senior performed as well as could be expected under the circumstances, working one inning and giving up just one walk.
Ding, Ding, Ding
Freshman Julie Hartung found her stroke quickly, cranking a home run in just her seventh collegiate at-bat. The Macon, Mo., native scored one of two UMKC runs against #3 Arizona State on Sunday with a longball off the Sun Devils' Amanda Nesbitt. Also ringing up the first four-bagger of her career was Samantha Hurst, whose solo shot to right center against South Dakota State came in the midst of a comeback attempt for the Kangaroos.
Looking Back To Look Forward
Although this year's squad is considerably younger, there is also a difference in the skill level of this year's squad compared to last year's batch as well. As a team, the Kangaroos are hitting better this season, with a team mark of .205 this year to last year's .179. UMKC's on-base perrcentage has climbed as well, improving better than 50 points to .273 on the 2008 slate. The Kangaroos have also posted six fewer strikeouts in eight more at-bats this season and have collected 30 walks on the year to just 12 through 15 games a season ago.
And although the pitching staff has only nudged its ERA lower this season, the Kangaroo hurlers have also issued just shy of half the free passes to first that last year's staff did at the same point in the season. This year, UMKC has given up just 30 walks and six hit batsmen, compared to 57 and 12 respectively through 15 games in 2007.
Smith's squad is also picking up the pace defensively, allowing four fewer runs and committing eight fewer errors through 15 games this season. The Kangaroos have also been subjected to the mercy rule on just four occasions this season, compared to seven at this point last year.
Youth Is Served Too...
As an institution, UMKC has always been willing to take its chances with young coaches, but Meredith Smith is part of a considerable resurgence in that trend. Aged 25 years, 166 days at the time of her appointment, she was the youngest coach among her league counterparts, and with the resignation of former interim Volleyball coach Chrissy Elder, she became the youngest at UMKC. Her reign as youngest head coach at UMKC was truncated with the appointment of Courtney Mahon to head the women's golf team, as Mahon is just 24 years old.
The Kangaroos currently have three head coaches under the age of 30 - Candace White, Smith and Mahon. The youngest head coach ever appointed at UMKC was Angela Garbe, who was tabbed in September 1991 to head the women's tennis team at the tender age of 22 years, 164 days.
Going The (Extra) Distance
UMKC's eight-inning win over Missouri State was the first time that the Kangaroos were forced into extra frames since the 2005 season. UMKC was also victorious in that outing, downing IUPUI 2-1 in 10 innings.
UMKC is 6-13 in extra-inning contests throughout its history, and has twice battled beyond seven innings in both games of a scheduled doubleheader.
Mother Nature Is A Real Mother
Although living in the Midwest brings with it an appreciation for varying weather patterns, the Kangaroos are surely sick of it. So far this season, UMKC has had to endure seven schedule changes due to weather.
The team's doubleheader at Missouri slated for February 22 was originally moved indoors but later rescheduled by agreement between the coaches. UMKC's participation in the All Missouri Cancer Classic was curtailed, as host Southeast Missouri State was forced to postpone Saturday's action - leaving the Kangaroos to take on Missouri State and Saint Louis in Springfield, Mo., before bowing out of the tournament due to NCAA regulations limiting games played in a day.
UMKC twice saw its home opener cancelled owing to unplayable conditions at Cleveland Park. The Kangaroos were forced to cancel the one-off contest against Iowa State originally scheduled for March 6 and changed venues for last Monday's contest against Indiana State, moving an hour-and-a-half west to Lawrence, Kan.
The final game of the Kangaroos' Summit League-opening series against Oakland was canceled due to a wind chill below allowable league levels and this week's series against Centenary was pushed back a day due to thunderstorms pelting the Kansas City area.
Injury Bug Bites (Really Bites)
After a recruiting odyssey that saw her bring in 12 new players, head coach Meredith Smith again finds herself battling the injury bug, as UMKC had just 10 players available against Missouri State and Saint Louis. The Kangaroos acquitted themselves well, however, earning a split on the weekend.
Tough Crowd
Although the Kangaroos went winless at the Kajikawa Classic, there were several encouraging signs. Alicia Baker led the team with a .333 batting average through five contests, collecting four hits and two RBI on the weekend. In just 9.0 innings of work, Samantha Hurst collected eight strikeouts, with Taya Upkes and Ashton Kistler each hurling a complete game. All of this against a tough schedule, including two teams ranked in the Top 25 in both the ESPN/USA Softball and USA Today/NFCA polls, as well as a team that knocked off the no. 11-ranked team in the nation.
Playing In Honor and Memory
Throughout the 2008 season, the Kangaroos will be playing in memory of UMKC Assistant AD for Compliance Cynthia Joy Gabel, who lost a lengthy battle with cancer before the 2007-08 school year. As part of the continued recognition and commitment to breast cancer awareness, UMKC and South Dakota State have pledged to commit the final game of each season's league set between the two schools to raising money and awareness by playing in commemorative pink jerseys. Fans can purchase and dedicate the jerseys to loved ones who are battling or whom have lost the battle to cancer. Each jersey will bear the name of the person to whom they are dedicated and - after being worn in the game by the respective teams - will be given to the purchaser. Proceeds from this year's contest will go to benefit the Susan G. Komen foundation, with proceeds from next year's return engagement in Kansas City to benefit the Cynthia Joy Gabel Scholarship Fund at UMKC. For more information on this program, contact head coach Meredith Smith at smithmer@umkc.edu or call the UMKC Athletics office at (816) 235-1036.
Reaching For The Summit
This year marks the first season of The Summit League, as the Mid-Continent Conference changed its name following the 2006-07 school year. The league welcomes newcomers North Dakota State, South Dakota State and IPFW for the 2007-08 season as charter member Valparaiso departs for the Horizon League. Of the three incoming schools, only IPFW will be eligible to qualify for the conference tournament this year, as both Dakota schools are completing the transition process to Division I and are therefore ineligible to compete in the NCAA Tournament.
The name change is part of a larger initiative, called The Summit Plan, launched by the league's President's Council in June 2007. The initiative looks to improve the overall athletic image of the conference and bring a more intense focus to the overall welfare of the student-athletes at the member institutions.
Media Guide Available
The 2008 UMKC Softball Media Guide is available for download at www.umkckangaroos.com, the official website of UMKC Athletics.
