'Roos Set To Battle Oakland; Honor Slagle During Weekend Series
5/6/2010 6:11:00 AM | Softball
THIS WEEK
The UMKC softball team (19-26, 9-10) will close out the regular season this weekend when it welcomes in Oakland (17-32, 7-11) for a three-game series at Loyola Park. The 'Roos and Golden Grizzlies will open up with a doubleheader on Friday starting at 3 p.m., while Saturday's series final is set for a 12 p.m. start. Live stats will be available at www.UMKCKangaroos.com.
Opponent Preview
» UMKC vs. Oakland » May 7-8, 2010 » 3 p.m, 5 p.m. and 12 p.m
Oakland enters the weekend series with a 17-32 record overall and a 7-11 mark in Summit League play, including a pair of wins in a doubleheader sweep of Detroit on Tuesday. The Grizzlies are led at the plate by Leah DiCristofaro, as the sophomore leads the team in batting (.308), home runs (4), triples (2), slugging (.538) and on-base percentage (.390). On the mound, a pair of OU hurlers have posted ERAs under 3.00, as Marisa Everitt (2.66) and Brittany Doyle (2.85) have reached the mark. Doyle, meanwhile tops the team in innings at 147.1 and wins at nine, while Everitt leads with 104 strikeouts. Oakland leads the all-time series between the two schools, 26-17, including taking two-out-three games last season in Rochester.
LAST WEEK
The 'Roos were swept in their doubleheader at North Dakota State on Sunday, dropping the squad to fifth in The Summit League standings, one and a half games behind South Dakota State. In game one, UMKC fell 8-0, managing only one hit, while falling 10-3 in game two. Kaelene Curry led the squad on the day as the sophomore shortstop recorded four of the 'Roos' nine hits, while Lindsey Davis added two RBIs and a home run.
SENIOR DAY
Saturday, the 'Roos will honor their lone senior, Carli Slagle in Senior Day festivities. In her four year career at UMKC, Slagle has competed in 148 games, the 11th most in school history, while her nine home runs are the third most in UMKC history. The outfielder will be the first four-year player at UMKC under head coach Meredith Smith, with the team producing 51 wins thus far in the four years.
BIG APRIL
The 'Roos were sad to see the month of April come to a close after the squad posted an impressive 11-2 record during the month, including six Summit League wins and a win over UNLV. During the month, the team hit .320 with a 3.27 ERA, while limiting opponents to a .273 average and a 4.89 ERA. At the plate, Emily Ott (.465) and Anna Sokolik (.422) led a group of seven 'Roos with averages over .300, while combining for 28 RBIs during the month. On the mound, Sokolik (2.47) and Deanna Friese (3.89) each posted ERAs under 4.00, while Friese tallied 72 strikeouts.
SUMMIT LEAGUE TOURNAMENT SCENARIO
The 'Roos currently sit in fifth place in The Summit League standings, one and a half games behind fourth place South Dakota State with three league games remaining for each team. The Jacks will host third place North Dakota State this weekend and would clinch the final spot in the league tournament with two wins. The 'Roos, however, would finish in fourth place with three wins and two SDSU losses or two wins and three SDSU losses. Sixth place IUPUI and seventh place Oakland also have an outside shot of finishing fourth, but would need multiple losses by the 'Roos and the Jacks to advance.
10-GAME HIT STREAK
Lead-off batter Kaelene Curry is currently riding a 10-game hitting streak heading into Friday's contests with Oakland. During the 10 game stretch, the sophomore has led the 'Roos with a .438 average, 14 hits a .561 on-base percentage, six walks and four steals, leading the 'Roos to an 7-3 record. The hit streak is the second longest on the team this season, two games less than Emily Ott's 12 game streak earlier in the year.
HOME COOKIN'
The 'Roos have been a much better team this season at home than they have been on the road, as the team has posted an 11-3 record in Kansas City, while going 8-23 in road and neutral site games. In home games this season, the team is out-scoring its opponents 74-56, out-hitting them .308-.255 and out-pitching them by posting a 3.39 ERA compared to a 5.33 ERA by the visiting teams. Away from Kansas City, the 'Roos are getting out-scored 203-116, out-hit .317-.257 and out-pitched 2.52-5.37
ONE, TWO PUNCH
The 'Roos have found an impressive one, two punch at the top of their pitching rotation in sophomore Anna Sokolik and freshman Deanna Friese. Sokolik leads the squad with a 3.49 ERA, while Friese is tops on the team with 183 strikeouts. Combined the duo has posted 19 wins with a 3.94 ERA in 245 innings pitched, while striking out 249 batters.
MONTH-TO-MONTH IMPROVEMENT
Since the season began in February, the 'Roos have steadily improved in each of the past three months. In February, the squad started out the season going 2-10 in the season's opening month for a .167 winning percentage, while finishing March with a 6-10 record for a .375 winning percentage. The 'Roos have now closed out April with an 11-4 record for a .733 winning percentage.
MASHING IT IN LEAGUE PLAY
Through its first 19 league games of the season, the UMKC lineup has been crushing the ball. Combined, the team is hitting .309 with 10 home runs and 86 RBIs with a .807 OPS. Kaelene Curry has led the way for the squad, as the shortstop leads the league in hitting at .451 and on-base percentage at .563 with 16 runs, while Anna Sokolik is ninth in The Summit League with a .396 batting average, along with 13 RBIs, two doubles, a triple, a home run and nine runs scored. Emily Ott and Kelly Fischer, meanwhile, have added team highs of 15 RBIs and 17 runs scored, respectively.
GAME 1 OF A DOUBLEHEADER
In its nine doubleheaders this season against Wichita State, IPFW, IUPUI, Western Illinois, Kansas, South Dakota State, Southern Utah, Centenary and North Dakota State, UMKC has posted a 9-9 overall record and a .500 winning percentage. In game one of the doubleheaders though, the squad's winning percentage jumps to .667 as the 'Roos have beaten Wichita State (4-0), IPFW (11-9), IUPUI (8-2), SDSU (11-0), Southern Utah (5-4) and Centenary (2-1) in the first games of the doubleheaders. Overall, the squad is out-scoring its opponents, 39-28, in the first game of a doubleheader, while being out-scored, 53-31, in game two.
COMING OUT SWINGING
The top four hitters in the UMKC line-up currently features the four hitters on the squad with a batting average above .325, including sophomores Kaelene Curry's .398average, Kelly Fischer's .353, and Anna Sokolik's .339 average and freshman Emily Ott's .328 average. Combined, the four players are hitting .354 with 174 hits, 98 runs scored, 85 RBIs, 36 stolen bases, 46 walks, 30 doubles, eight triples, and a .424 OBP.
OUT-HITTING=WINNING
When the UMKC bats are going, they are tough to beat. The 'Roos have a 14-3 record when they out hit their opponents, while holding a 2-22 mark when they are out hit. The squad's two losses came in the first game of the season when they out hit SEMO, 10-7, in the 1-0 loss to Kansas when the 'Roos out-hit the Big 12 foe, 5-3, and in the series finale against Southern Utah.
GIVING HERSELF UP
Sophomore Kelly Fischer is doing whatever it takes to help the team win, as the Glendale, Ariz., native has a team-high eight sacrifice bunts and one of the team's five sacrifice fly's this season. As a team, the 'Roos have 40 sacrifices, with Lindsey Davis, Megan Vicino and Chelsea Hartwig chipping in four and Kaelene Curry and Ashley Whiteside adding three each.
ON THE BASE PATHS
The 'Roos are tearing up the base baths this season, as the squad is on pace to post the most stolen bases in a single season in at least the last seven years. Currently, the squad has stolen 56 bases in 67 attempts, averaging 1.24 stolen bases per game. At that rate, the 'Roos would swipe 60 bases, 7 more than last season. Kelly Fischer and Kaelene Curry lead the team with 13 and 14 stolen bases, respectively, while Emily Ott (6-6), Ashley Whiteside (4-4) and Janessa Swinney (4-4) are all perfect in their steal attempts this season.
LEADING THE 'ROOS
Kaelene Curry is having a monster sophomore campaign, as the Downer's Grove, Ill., native currently leads the 'Roos in batting average (.398), OBP (.531), runs (40), walks (23), HBPs (9), stolen bases (14), doubles (8) and is second on the team in hits (45) and slugging (.487). Other category leaders for the 'Roos include Betsy Hanley in home runs (2), Kelly Fischer in doubles (8), total bases (60), hits (48) and sacrifices (8), Taylor Hill, Chelsea Hartwig and Danielle Bennefeld in home runs (2), Emily Ott in RBIs (31) and Anna Sokolik in triples (5), total bases (60) and slugging (.508).
SUMMIT LEAGUE LEADERS
Several 'Roos sat on top of The Summit League statistical standings, led by Kaelene Curry and Anna Sokolik. Curry leads the league's in OBP at .531, batting average at .398 and runs scored per game at .98, while sitting second in runs (40), fourth in walks (23) and fifth in stolen bases (14). Sokolik holds the league lead with five triples, while Emily Ott ranks fourth in RBIs (31) and seventh in on-base percentage (.400). Kelly Fischer, meanwhile, is sixth in steals (13), eighth in hits (48) and ninth in average (.353). As a team, the 'Roos are fourth in batting average with a .272 mark.
Freshman Deanna Friese, meanwhile, leads the league in strikeouts per game (9.5), while sitting second in the league in strikeouts (183), fifth in shutouts (2), wins (10) and complete games (14), seventh in games started (22) and opponent batting average (.272), eighth in innings (134.2) and 10th in appearances (30) and ERA (4.31). Sokolik, meanwhile, is sixth in wins (9), seventh in complete games (11), eighth in ERA (3.49), ninth in ERA (3.07) and 10th in opponent batting average (.295) and games started (18), while Emily Ott's one save is tied with six others for second in the league.
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 tied for the UMKC career lead in on-base percentage (.448), third in batting average (.348), seventh in runs (61), eighth in walks (36) and ninth in stolen bases (22), while freshman Emily Ott is seventh in batting average (.328) and fifth in on-base percentage (.400). Meanwhile, Fischer (.330), Anna Sokolik (.326), and Hanley (.319) are sixth, eighth and ninth in batting average all-time, while Chelsea Hartwig (10) Carli Slagle (9) are second and third on the UMKC career home run list. Fischer is sixth in steals (24), eighth in hits (105) and ninth in runs (55), while Sokolik ranks seventh in triples (5).
On the mound, Taya Upkes sits sixth in strikeouts per seven innings (4.62) and games pitched (67), seventh in ERA (4.12) and strikeouts (122), ninth in winning percentage (.280) and innings pitched (185) and tenth in walks per seven innings (3.33). Meanwhile, Deanna Friese sits atop the UMKC record books with 9.5 strikeouts per seven innings and is third in winning percentage (.455) and fifth in strikeouts (183), while Anna Sokolik is fourth in winning percentage (.440), seventh in walks per seven innings (2.56) and eighth in strikeouts per seven innings (3.93) .
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 six games remaining, several 'Roos are again on pace to put their names in the records. Kaelene Curry's 40 runs are already school record and her .531 on-base percentage is on pace to be a school record, while her .398 batting average would place her second all-time. The sophomore has also placed herself in the top five in walks and stolen bases. Fischer, meanwhile, would crack the top 10 in hits, batting average, 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, slugging and winning percentage), and Emily Ott (RBIs). Meanwhile, Deanna Friese's 183 strikeouts rank second in a single season, while her 9.5 strikeouts per seven innings pitched would be the most in a single season.
BREAKING THE RECORD
Sophomore Kaelene Curry recently broke the UMKC single season record for most runs scored when she crossed the plate for the 33rd time this season against North Dakota on April, 11. On the season, the Downers Grove, Ill., native has scored 39 runs at a rate of 1.00 runs per game, surpassing the previous record of 32 runs set by Cindy Thompson in 1988. Teammate Emily Ott's 31 RBIs, meanwhile, are two RBIs shy of breaking the school record.
WIN NO. 50
Head Coach Meredith Smith recently reached a coaching milestone, as the UMKC skipper collected her 50th career coaching victory with a win in the first game of the doubleheader with Centenary. In her four seasons at the helm of the 'Roos, the squad has improved its win percentage from .080 in her first season to .205 in season two and .370 in season three. This season, the 'Roos have posted a .442 winning percentage and are on pace to register the most wins in Smith's four seasons.
4-FOR-4
Taylor Hill's four hits in the first game of the series against Southern Utah were the most hits in one game by a 'Roo this season. On the season, Hill has four multi-hit games, while hitting .271 in her first season in the Blue and Gold. Previously, seven different 'Roos had games of three hits, led by Betsy Hanley and Anna Sokolik, as the sophomore duo each had three, three-hit games, while Kelly Fischer has 12 multi-hit games this season.
FRIESE'S WEEKEND GEMS
Freshman Deanna Friese had her best weekend as a collegiate athlete on April 10-11 during the Dakota's Round Robin Tournament, when the Kennesaw, Ga., native posted a 3-0 record and a .76 ERA in 18.1 innings, while striking out 39 batters. Friese's best game of the weekend came in the 2-0 win over South Dakota when the right-hander took a no-hitter into the seventh inning before surrendering her only hit of the game with one-out, while matching her career-high of 16 strikeouts.
SOKOLIK NAMED SUMMIT LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
UMKC's Anna Sokolik was named The Summit League Player of the Week on April 5. The sophomore earned her second career honor after finishing the week hitting .529 with seven RBIs, four runs, two doubles, two triples and two stolen bases in two games against Kansas and three against South Dakota State. Sokolik also posted a 2-1 record on the mound with a 3.15 ERA and 11 strikeouts in 20 innings pitched.
The Bettendorf, Iowa, native began the week with a pair of hits in the doubleheader with the Jayhawks before tallying a career-high five RBIs, two runs, a double, a triple and a stolen base in the series opener with SDSU, while also picking up the win in a three-hit shutout. In game two of the series, Sokolik went 2-for-2 with a walk, a run scored and an RBI, reaching base in all three of her plate appearances. In the final game of the series, the sophomore went 2-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored, while picking up her second win of the week in a career-high nine-inning effort..
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.
'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.
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).
HEAD COACH MEREDITH SMITH
Meredith Smith is in her fourth season at the helm of the UMKC softball program with a 51-137 overall record and a 26-54 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.
