'Roos To Battle Kansas, South Dakota State In Softball Action
3/29/2010 4:44:00 PM | Softball
This Week
The UMKC softball team (8-20, 3-6) will hit the road this week when they visit Kansas (14-17, 0-2) and Summit League foe South Dakota State (8-17, 2-1). The doubleheader with the Jayhawks is scheduled to begin on Tuesday at 4 p.m. at Arrocha Ballpark in Lawrence, Kan. The series with SDSU, meanwhile. will get underway at the Jackrabbit Softball Stadium in Brookings, S.D., with a doubleheader on Friday at 1 p.m and conclude with the third and final game of the series on Saturday at 1 p.m.
Opponent Preview
» UMKC at Kansas » March 30, 2010 » 4 p.m. and 6 p.m
Kansas enters the doubleheader with the 'Roos with a 14-17 record overall and an 0-2 mark in Big 12 action, including wins wins over Missouri State and former Summit League member Valparaiso. The Jayhawks are led by Rosie Hall, as the freshman has posted team-highs in batting average (.421) and on-base percentage (.450). Sara Ramirez (six home runs and 19 RBIs) and Allie Clark (five home runs and 15 RBIs), meanwhile, are first and second on the team in home runs and RBIs. On the mound, Allie Clark's team-low 3.28 ERA is tops on KU. Kansas leads the all-time series between the two schools, 23-0, including a doubleheader sweep of the 'Roos last season in Lawrence.
» UMKC at South Dakota State » April 2-3, 2010 » 1 p.m., 3 p.m. and 1 p.m
South Dakota State enters the week with an 8-17 overall record and a 2-1 mark in Summit League play, with a pair of victories over Southern Utah. The Jackrabbits will visit Nebraska in Lincoln this week before welcoming the 'Roos to South Dakota. At the plate, Krista Honken leads the team with a .414 batting average, while her two home runs are second only to Dani Broshar's three bombs. Broshar is also tops on the team in RBIs (11) and walks (14). Kori Seidlitz leads the Jacks on the mound with seven wins and 137 strikeouts, while Pam Nicholson has posted a team-low 4.01 ERA. UMKC leads the all-time series between the two school, 4-3, including a 2-1 series win last season in Kansas City.
LAST WEEK
The 'Roos battled Western Illinois last week in Summit League play, losing the series with the Leathernecks, 0-3. The 'Roos lost a hard fought game one of Friday's doubleheader, 3-2, while falling in the second game, 11-3 in five innings. Emily Ott keyed the squad on the day, finishing with two hits and two RBIs.
On Saturday, the team dropped the final game of the series, 7-5, as Kelly Fischer led the 'Roos in the game, finishing with two hits and two runs scored.
ROAD TRIP
The 'Roos are currently in the midst of an eight game road trip against three different opponents, their longest pure road trip of the year. The squad began the season with 16 games away from Kansas City, but only five of them were actual road games. UMKC is still looking for its first road win of the year after dropping its first nine games of the season, including the three games last weekend against WIU.
GIVING HERSELF UP
Sophomore Kelly Fischer is doing whatever it takes to help the team win, as the Gelndale, Ariz.., native has a team-high seven sacrifice bunts and one of the team's two sacrifice flys this season. As a team, the 'Roos have 25 sacrifices, with Lindsey Davis chipping in four and Kaelene Curry, Ashley Whiteside and Chelsea Hartwig adding three each.
LEADING THE 'ROOS
Kaelene Curry is off to a monster start in her sophomore campaign, as the Downer's Grove, Ill., native currently leads the 'Roos in batting average (.400), OBP (.523), runs (24), doubles (5), walks (13), HBPs (5), steals (9) and is second on the team in slugging percentage (.471), hits (28), and total bases (33). Other category leaders for the 'Roos include Betsy Hanley in slugging (.553) and home runs (2), Kelly Fischer in doubles (5), hits (29), total bases (36) and sacrifices (7), Taylor Hill in home runs (2), Emily Ott in RBIs (19) and Anna Sokolik in triples (3).
MASHING IT IN LEAGUE PLAY
Through its first six league games of the season, the UMKC lineup has been crushing the ball. Combined, the team is hitting .307 with six home runs and 41 RBIs with a .912 OPS. Betsy Hanley has led the way for the squad, as the third baseman is hitting .379 with nine RBIs, four doubles, two home runs and three runs scored, while Kelly Fischer is hitting .407 with nine runs and six RBIs. Total, the team has six players with averages over .350 in league play, including Kaelene Curry (.476), Anna Sokolik (.421), Lindsey Davis (.400) and Lauren Rodrigues (.353).
CHICAGOLAND GIRLS
The UMKC softball features a quartet of girls from the Chicagoland area, including sophomores Kaelene Curry (Downer's Grove, Ill.), Betsy Hanley (Minooka, Ill.) and Megan Vicino (Oak Brook, Ill.) and freshman Emily Ott (Des Plaines, Ill.). Combined, the foursome is hitting .301 with 46 RBIs, 41 runs scored, 18 doubles, three home runs and includes four of the top six RBI women on the team.
OUT-HITTING=WINNING
When the UMKC bats are going, they are tough to beat. The 'Roos have a 7-1 record when they out hit their opponents, while holding a 1-18 mark when they are out hit. The squad's lone loss came in the first game of the season when they out hit SEMO, 10-7.
GAME 1 OF A DOUBLEHEADER
In its three doubleheaders this season against Wichita State, IPFW IUPUI and Western Illinois, UMKC has posted an overall 4-4 record and a .500 winning percentage. In game one of the doubleheaders though, the squad's winning percentage jumps to .750 as the 'Roos have beaten Wichita State, 4-0, IPFW, 11-9 and IUPUI 8-2 in the first games of the doubleheaders.
SUMMIT LEAGUE LEADERS
As of March 23, several 'Roos sat on top of The Summit League statistical standings, led by Kaelene Curry and Anna Sokolik. Curry led the league's in OBP at .530, while sitting second in runs (25), third in batting average (.409), fourth in walks (12), fifth in hits (27) and sixth in stolen bases (8). Sokolik was tied for the league lead with three triples, while Chelsea Hartwig was tied for ninth in walks with 10. Fischer's eight steals and 26 hits were sixth in the league, while Emily Ott's 16 RBIs were fifth. As a team, the 'Roos are third in batting average with a .259 mark.
Freshman Deanna Friese, meanwhile, was second in the league in strikeouts (81), while sitting fourth in appearances (18), fifth in games started (13) and sixth in innings pitched (72.1) and complete games (7). Sokolik is ninth in ERA (2.92) and opponent batting average (.257).
FIRST 100 INNINGS PITCHED
Sophomore pitcher Anna Sokolik recently eclipsed the 100 innings pitched mark in her career at UMKC in her complete game victory over IUPUI on March 19. In her two years in the Blue and Gold, the Bettendorf, Iowa, native has amassed six wins and a 6.05 ERA, with 66 strikeouts. This season, Sokolik has posted a 4-4 record with team-leading 3.18 ERA and 43 strikeouts, while being named The Summit League Pitcher of the Week on March 8.
COMING OUT SWINGING
The UMKC line-up currently features five hitters with a batting average above .285, including sophomores Kaelene Curry's .400 average, Kelly Fischer's .341 average, Emily Ott's .296 average and Anna Sokolik's .295 average and Betsy Hanley's .289 average. Combined, the five players are hitting .329 with 59 runs scored, 21 doubles, four triples, three home runs, 53 RBIs and a .391 OBP
CAREER RECORD BOOKS
Several 'Roos have put themselves solidly in the UMKC career record books, led by sophomore infielders Kaelene Curry, Betsy Hanley and Kelly Fischer. Curry is currently second all-time at UMKC in on-base percentage (.426), trailing only Tracey Poste .448 mark, and fifth in batting average (.339), while Hanley (.332) and Fischer (.322), are sixth and seventh in batting average all-time. Meanwhile, Carli Slagle (9) and Chelsea Hartwig (8) rank second and third, respectively, on the UMKC career home run list.
On the mound, Taya Upkes sits fifth in strikeouts per seven innings (4.59), sixth in games pitched (66), seventh in ERA (4.09) and strikeouts (120) and eighth in innings pitched (183). Meanwhile, Deanna Friese sits atop the UMKC record books with 7.7 strikeouts per seven innings, while Anna Sokolik is sixth (4.20).
SINGLE SEASON RECORD BOOKS
Last season several 'Roos found their way into the UMKC single season record books, including Betsy Hanley in batting average (9th-.342) and hits (t6th-55), Kelly Fischer in hits (4th-57), at-bats (3rd-182) and runs (3rd-28), Chelsea Hartwig in home runs (1st-8), slugging (8th-.486) and RBIs (6th-25) and Carli Slagle in home runs (t5h-4) and RBIs (t8th-23).
This season, with over half the season completed, several 'Roos are again on pace to put their names in the records. Kaelene Curry's .400 batting average would place her second all-time, while also being on pace to sit in the top 10 in hits, slugging, runs, walks, stolen bases and on-base percentage. Fischer, meanwhile, would crack the top 10 in hits, runs and stolen bases. Other 'Roos that are on pace to rank in the top 10 all-time in a single season include Anna Sokolik (triples), Hanley (slugging) and Emily Ott (RBIs). Meanwhile, Deanna Friese's 92 strikeouts rank fifth in a single season, while her 7.7 strikeouts per seven innings pitched would be the second most in a single season.
'ROOS ON THE MOUND
This season, the UMKC softball team will count on one first-year player and one second-year player to handle the bulk of the duties on the mound, as freshmen Deanna Friese and sophomore Anna Sokolik will be the 'Roos one and two pitchers. Friese has compiled a 4-9 record this season with a 4.81 ERA and 92 strikeouts in 78.2 innings of work. Sokolik, meanwhile, has emerged as the 'Roos most consistent pitcher in the early part of the season. Thus far, the Bettendorf, Iowa, native has compiled a team-low 3.18 ERA in 61.2 innings, while striking out 43.
Rounding out the pitching staff for the 'Roos are junior Taya Upkes and freshman Emily Ott. On the season, Upkes has thrown 16.2 innings, while Ott has gone 17 innings in her debut campaign.
POWER SURGE
The Summit League opening series with IPFW on March 12-13 featured a total of 10 home runs between the two teams, including seven in the second game of Friday's doubleheader. For the 'Roos, Betsy Hanley, Emily Ott, Taylor Hill and Amanda Kinn all went yard, while IPFW's Kristina Karpun hit four home runs in the series.
RICE INDUCTED INTO UMKC HALL OF FAME
Three-time First Team all-Mid-Con selection (1999-01) Amanda Rice was inducted into the UMKC Hall of Fame on Jan. 22. Rice, who was a Mid-Con all-Tournament team honoree in 1999, is the UMKC career record holder in hits (201), doubles (47) runs batted in (97) and home runs (14). She also finished her career ranked second in putouts (219), fourth in games played (218), sixth in batting average (.309) and fifth in walks (40).
SOKOLIK NAMED SUMMIT LEAGUE PITCHER OF THE WEEK
UMKC's Anna Sokolik was named The Summit League Pitcher of the Week on March 8 after posting a 1-1 record with a 1.38 ERA and 10 strikeouts in the Missouri Breast Cancer Awareness Tournament. The Bettendorf, Iowa, native began the tournament by picking up her first win of the season over Southeast Missouri State on Friday, tossing a complete game, allowing one earned run and eight hits, while striking out four. Against Missouri State, Sokolik threw all six innings, giving up one earned run on eight hits with a career-high six strikeouts.
SOKOLIK, FRIESE NAMED TO ULM MARDI GRAS CLASSIC ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Sophomore Anna Sokolik and freshman Deanna Friese were named to the ULM Mardi Gras all-Tournament team. Sokolik finished the tournament with an .833 batting average, as the sophomore collected five hits, including two triples, scored two runs, drove in one run and slugged 1.667 in three games. On the mound, the Bettendorf, Iowa, native pitched two hitless innings. Friese, meanwhile, finished the tournament with a 1-1 record and a 3.46 ERA in 13 innings of work, while striking out 17 in two complete game efforts.
THE LONE SENIOR
Carli Slagle returns to the 'Roos for her fourth season in the Blue and Gold, making her the only senior on this year's team. Slagle, who is second all-time in UMKC history with nine career home runs, will be counted on to by Head Coach Meredith Smith to provide leadership to a team that features five freshmen, 10 sophomores and six juniors. Last season, the outfielder finished with a .267 batting average, while finishing second on the team with 23 RBI's and third in home runs with four. This season, Slagle has mashed one of the team's eight home runs.
'ROOS PICKED FIFTH IN PRESEASON POLL
The UMKC softball team was picked to finish fifth in The Summit League Preseason Poll in a vote of the league's nine head coaches. The 'Roos received 30 points in the polls, trailing fourth place Oakland by only four points. Western Illinois was picked as the preseason favorite, finishing with 5 first place votes for a total of 61 points.
RETURNEES GALORE
UMKC returns eight starters, including a pair of Second Team all-Summit League honorees in Kelly Fischer and Chelsea Hartwig, from a squad that finished 20-34 and 10-14 in The Summit League last season.
HEAD COACH MEREDITH SMITH
Meredith Smith is entering her fourth season at the helm of the UMKC softball program with a 40-131 overall record and a 20-50 mark in Summit League play through her first three years. After inheriting a program that had finished with a winning season once in the previous 18 years of existence, Coach Smith has at least doubled her win total in each of her three seasons. Last season, Smith led the squad to 20 wins, the most since the 2002 season.
LAST SEASON
The UMKC softball team finished the 2009 campaign with a 20-34 overall record, while going 10-14 in Summit League play to finish sixth. The 20 wins mark only the fourth time in school history that the team has reached the total. The squad was led on the year by Second Team all-Summit League selections Kelly Fischer and Chelsea Hartwig. Fischer finished with a .313 average, while notching a team-high 28 runs and 57 hits. Hartwig, meanwhile, recorded team-highs of eight home runs, 25 RBIs, 15 walks and a .486 slugging percentage in 2009. The eight home runs for Hartwig were a UMKC single season record.
