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 III and NAIA. The NAIA matchup is a wins watch for NFCA Hall of Famer and Oklahoma City head coach Phil McSpadden, who is trying to become the all-time leader in four-year college softball victories.
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
#14 Baylor (29-7) at #10 Louisiana-Lafayette (30-5)
Site: Lamson Park | Lafayette, La.
Date/ Game Time: Fri. April 10 (6:00 CT), Sat., April 11 (1:00 / 3:00 CT)
Coverage: Live Stats | WatchESPN – G1 / G2 (Saturday Only) | Live Audio(Baylor / Lafayette)
Preview (Notes): Baylor (Notes) | Louisiana-Lafayette (Notes)
Follow them on Twitter: @BaylorSoftball | @RaginCajunSB
Baylor: The Bears close out a five-game road trip with a three-game non-conference series in Lafayette… Baylor opened the trip with a 6-1 win at Texas State and followed with an 8-5 triumph at McNeese State on Thursday… The Bears have won four straight and 14 of their last 15… Lindsey Cargill paces a Baylor offense that bats .333 with a team-best .408 average, 42 hits, 21 stolen bases and 25 runs scored… Shelby Fruidenberg (.391) leads the squad with 10 home runs and a .772 slugging percentage and is second with 29 RBI and 23 runs scored… Linsey Hays (.308) has knocked in a team-best 32 runs with six doubles and seven long balls… In the circle, Heather Stearns sees the majority of the innings (114.1) and starts (19)… Stearns is 13-3 with a 2.45 ERA, two shutouts, three saves, 149 strikeouts, six complete games and a .230 batting average against… Sarah Beth Toben (6-0, 1.12, 17 app, 31.1 IP), Brooke Seneshen (4-1, 2.03, .210 b/avg, 15 app, 41.1 IP) and Kendall Potts (5-1 2.07 ERA, 14 app, 47.1 IP) round out the pitching staff.
ULL: The Ragin Cajuns enter this weekend’s non-conference affair with No. 14 Baylor riding a five-game winning streak… Lafayette is coming off a three-game Sunbelt sweep of Georgia State last weekend in which the outscoring its opponent, 28-3… The Ragin Cajun hitter love the friendly confines of Lamson Park as they are hitting .365 and outscoring foes, 231-28 through 26 games… For the season the high-powered offense is batting .341 with 285 runs, 313 hits, and 66 home runs… Leading the way is USA Softball Player of the Year Finalist Lexie Elkins, who is batting .420 with 42 hits, four doubles, 19 home runs, 48 RBI, 29 runs scored a 1.030 slugging percentage and a .530 OBP… Haley Hayden and Leandra Maly round out a trio of .400 hitters.. Hayden (.411) has tallied a team-best 47 runs, 46 hits and 10 doubles, along with two triples, 10 long balls, 35 RBI, an .804 slugging percentage and a .514 OBP… Maly clocks in at .409 (27-for-66) with 17 runs and a .473 OBP… Shellie Landry has launched 15 home runs with nine doubles, 46 RBI and 36 runs scored… The pitching staff boasts a 1.84 ERA and has held opponents to a .162 average… Jordan Wallace has worked a staff-high 92.1 inning with 20 appearances and 17 starts… She’s notched a 12-2 record with a 1.82 ERA, 141 strikeouts, six shutouts and held her opposition to a .118 average (1 HR in 369 plate app)… Alex Stewart is 8-0 with a staff-low 1.08 ERA and allowed her opponents to bat just .171 in 45.1 innings, while Christina Hamilton is 8-2 (2.37) in 14 appearances with 41 strikeouts and a .210 batting average against in 59 innings.
Some Additional Major Division I Games This Weekend:
No. 1 LSU (36-4) at No. 11 Tennessee (29-9) (4/10-12 at 6:30 / 5:00 / 2:00 ET) UT Game Day Central | ESPN (Sunday) | LSU Audio
No. 2 Oregon (32-5) at No. 19 Arizona State (27-12) (4/10-12 at 1:00 / 5:30 / 12:00 MT) Pac-12 Networks
No. 5 Oklahoma (33-5) at RV Texas (27-9) (4/10-12 at 4:30 / 1:00 / 12:00) Game Day Central
No. 7 Auburn (38-5) at No. 23 Texas A&M (31-10) (4/10-12 at 6:30 / 1:00 / 12:30 CT) Video Links | ESPNU (Saturday)
RV Mississippi State (30-10) at No. 21 Missouri (25-8) (4/10-12 at 6:30 / 1:00 / 2:30 CT) – Live Stats | Watch ESPN (G1 / G2 / G3)
No. 13 Kentucky (27-11) at No. 3 Florida (37-4) (4/11-13 at 4:00 / 3:00 / 7:00) UF Radio | SEC Network (Monday) | SEC Network+ (Saturday, Sunday)
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NAIA
Southwestern Assemblies of God (4-22, 0-12) at No. 1 Oklahoma City (33-1, 10-0) – Sooner Athletic Conference Series
*** With two wins,OCU head coach and NFCA Hall of Famer Phil McSpadden will secure his 1,457th and 1,458th victories and become the all-time victories leader among four-year college coaches… He will surpass NFCA Hall of Famer, former Illinois State and Fresno State head coach and NCAA Division I win leader, Margie Wright (1,457-542-2)… McSpadden, in his 28th season at the helm of the Stars, is 1,456-356 with eight NAIA national titles… Also on the list are two more NFCA Hall of Famers; Arizona head coach Mike Candrea (1,418-347-2) is third, while Michigan head coach Carol Hutchins (1,406-469-4) is fourth.
Site: Ann Lacy Stadium | Oklahoma City, Okla.
Date/Game Time: Friday, April 10 (5:00 / 7:00 p.m. CT)
Coverage: Live Stats | Live Video
Previews: Oklahoma City
Follow them on Twitter: @ocustars
Southwestern Assemblies of God: The Lady Lions are coming off a doubleheader loss to Texas Wesleyan University… SAGU is led by Kelsey Coburn, who is batting .380 (30-for-79) with seven doubles, a triple, 10 RBI, 10 runs scored… Amber Gignac is batting .321, while Bailey Balloun (.278) has scored a team-best 11 runs, while Katelyn Veteto has left the yard twice for the Lady Lions.
OCU: The Stars got off to a 23-0 start and are currently riding a 10-game winning streak into Friday’s twinbill… McSpadden inched closer to the wins mark with a doubleheader sweep of Oklahoma Wesleyan (9-3 / 9-3) on Tuesday at Oklahoma Wesleyan Field… OCU tops the NAIA with 1.824 home runs per games and are second with a .656 slugging percentage… Abby Meador leads the NAIA with a 0.76 ERA, while Kylee Rounsaville ranks second nationally with 14 home runs… In 20 appearances and seven starts, Meador is 13-1 with 115 strikeouts and a .118 opponents batting average against in 74 innings… Mala Gomez has made 16 appearances and 13 starts; She is 12-0 with a 1.46 ERA, 67 strikeouts, a .196 opponents batting average in 72 innings… Jamie Rateliff is batting a team-high .480 with 48 hits, 11 doubles, 13 home runs, 38 RBI, 30 runs scored an da .980 slugging percentage, while Kyndra Holasek (.436) leads the team with 43 runs scored and 51 hits, and is second in RBI with 40.
Other Highlighted NAIA Games
No. 23 Corban (30-9) at No. 12 Oregon Tech (31-10) (4/10 at 12:00 / 2:00 PT) Live Stats
No. 6 St. Gregory’s (22-6) vs. No. 22 Houston-Victoria (24-14) (4/11 at 2:00 CT in Farmers Branch)
No. 24 Cardinal Stritch (33-5) at No. 5 Saint Xavier (27-3-2) (4/12 at 12:00 / 2:00 CT)
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Division I
No. 18 Washington (34-9, 6-5) at No. 16 Arizona (31-9 / 6-3) – Pac-12 Series
Site: Hillenbrand Stadium | Tucson, Ariz.
Date (Game Time): Fri., April 3 (6:00 CT) | Sat., April 4 (1:00 CT) | Sun, April 5 (12:00 CT)
Coverage: Pac-12 Networks (Sat. & Sun.) | Live Stream (Friday) | Live Stats (G1 / G2 / G3)
Previews (Game Notes): Arizona (Notes)
Follow them on Twitter: @UWSoftball | @UA_Softball
Washington: The Huskies are coming off a three-game Pac-12 sweep of Stanford last weekend… Washington scored 41 runs over the three-game set and has scored 355 runs through 43 games this season… UW is the top offensive team in the Pac-12, leading the league in runs, home runs (62) and hits (394)… Ali Aguilar paces a lineup that bats .346 with her team-high .439 average, 61 hits, a Pac-12 best 21 doubles and 51 runs to go along with 10 long balls, 42 RBI a .535 OBP and .820 slugging percentage… Kylie Lahners is batting .400 (46-for-115) with nine doubles, 10 home runs, 35 RBI, 42 runs scored; She’s walked a team-high 40 times which has attributed to her team-best .564 OBP… Courtney Gano (.341) provides a lot of pop with a league-best 17 home runs and 54 RBI… The pitching staff is led by Kasey Stancheck, who is 13-4 with a 3.60 ERA, in a staff-best 114.2 innings of work.
Arizona: The Wildcats have won four straight after sweeping Oregon State in Corvallis last weekend… The offense put up 38 runs, including 22 in the series finale… Arizona leads the Pac-12 in batting average (.364) and is second to Washington with 61 home runs, 314 runs scored and 394 hits… USA Softball Player of the Year Finalists Kellie Fox and Chelsea Goodacre lead the high-powered Wildcat offense… Fox is batting a team-best .415 with 51 hits, eight doubles, three triples, eight home runs, 45 RBI, 40 runs scored… She’s also walked a team-best 28 times for a .516 OBP… Goodacre is the big bat and run producer in the lineup; She has a Pac-12 leading 50 RBI and is second in long balls with 17 to go along with a.347 average, five doubles and 23 runs scored… Hallie Wilson has crossed the dish a team-high 45 times and is batting .395 with 51 hits and team-best 11 doubles, along with six home runs and 24 RBI… Michelle Floyed leads the pitching staff with a 17-5 record, 2.69 ERA in 125 innings; She’s posted 10 complete games and held opponents to a .218 average in 25 appearances.
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Division I
Houston (19-20, 4-1) at #17 UCF (37-6, 8-1) – American Athletic Conference Series
Site: UCF Softball Conference | Orlando, Fla.
Date/ Game Time: Friday, April 11 (1:00 / 3:00 ET) / Saturday, April 12 (12:00 ET)
Coverage: Game Day Central(Links to live stats) | Live Video (G1 / G2 / G3)$
Previews: Houston (Notes) | UCF (Notes)
Follow them on Twitter: @UHCougarSB | @UCF_Softball
Houston: Following an AAC series win against East Carolina, the Cougars sit alone in second place in the league… Houston comes to Orlando after a mid-week loss to Sam Houston State, 2-0… Lena Hernandez highlights the offense; The senior is batting .345 with 41 hits, 10 doubles, two triples, and 33 RBI, all team bests, and has five long balls; She is the toughest to strikeout out in The American and 12th in the nation with on two strikeouts in 144 plate appearances… Courtney Klingler bats .327 with seven doubles, six home runs, 22 RBI and 14 runs scored… Julana Shrum (.370) leads the Cougars with nine home runs and is second in RBIs with 25… Shrum also is 7-9 in the circle with a 3.32 ERA, two saves, six complete games in 101.1 innings and 23 appearances (14 starts).
UCF: The 17th-ranked Knights are coming off a road win at in-state foe Stetson (9-2) on Wednesday and have won 11 of their last 13 games… The Knights boast one of the best pitching staffs in the NCAA with NCAA-low 0.88 ERA, 16 shutouts, 420 strikeouts and a .145 batting average against; they have also allowed just 10 home runs in 1005 at bats… Three-time Louisville Slugger/NFCA DI National Pitcher of the Week and USA Softball Player of the Year finalist, Shelby Turnier is 18-5 with a NCAA-best 0.72 ERA and eight shutouts; She has struck out 211 batters with just 28 walks in 155.1 innings and has held her opposition to a .135 batting average (71 hits)… Her counterpart Mackenzie Audas is 17-1 with an ERA slightly above one at 1.02 (5th in NCAA) with 190 strikeouts, six shutouts in 123.2 innings, while holding her opposition to a .144 average… The due has combined for all but 15 innings this season… Offensively, the Knights bat .288 with 314 hits, 181 runs and 24 long balls… Linnea Goodman leads the way with a .367 average, 54 hits, four doubles a triple, 12 RBI and a team-high 23 runs scored… Speedster Kahly Novak (.325) has swiped half of UCF’s bases with 29 and recorded 22 runs… Jessica Ujvari has tallied six double five home runs and 24 RBI, while Farrah Sullivan has a team-high 27 RBI and Samantha McCloskey and Kalyn Cenai have each left the yard a team-high six times… The Knights are also a strong defensive unit, posting a .978 fielding percentage, making just 24 errors in 1095 chances.
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Division III
No. 22 Simpson (22-6) at No. 4 Luther (27-1)
Site: Luther Softball Field | Decorah, Iowa
Date/Game Times: Sat., April 11 at 3 & 4:30 p.m. ET
Follow them on Twitter: @SimpsonSoftball | @NorseSB
Simpson: The No. 22 Storm are only 5-5 over their last 10 games and, due to weather, haven’t played since a twinbill split at Buena Vista last Saturday. … Junior catcher and leadoff batter Tori Haag makes the Simpson offense go, with a .444 average, .798 slugging percentage and .509 on-base average. She has 44 hits, including, three doubles, a triple and 10 homers for a team-best 29 RBI. … Junior infielder Rachel Guessford (.395, three doubles, six homers, 27 RBI), senior utility player Ashley Prettyman (.354, seven doubles, two triples four homers, 17 RBI) and senior infielders Britney Steele (.290, three doubles, four homers, 11 RBI) and Hailey Jensen (.287, two doubles, four homers, 18 RBI), plus junior pitcher Abbie VanVleet (three doubles, two triples, three homers) and junior infielder Grace Hall (.333, two doubles, three homers) have all contributed to a team that has 37 homers in 28 games. … VanVleet (10-3, 2.35 ERA) and fellow junior right-hander Riley Fisher (9-2, 2.89 ERA, 65 strikeouts) have split the bulk of the time in the circle, going a combined 19-5, with 15 complete games and 113 strikeouts against 42 walks over 162.2 innings, while junior righty Kaytlyn Ernst is 2-1 with 19 strikeouts in 17.2 innings.
Luther: Senior outfielder Hiliary Pennington is the leading hitter for the No. 4 Norse, with a .519 average, 55 hits, 40 runs and 15 stolen bases, while freshman outfielder Ashley Burrows (five doubles, 12 RBI) is close behind, batting .516. … Freshman infielder Anna Strien (.450, nine doubles, 14 RBI), junior outfielder Lindsey Uphoff (.440, 23 runs) and senior infielder Alise Miller (.414, eight doubles, six homers, 28 RBI) are the other lineup regulars batting better than .400 for a team that is hitting .416 and averaging 9.4 runs per contest. … Senior infielder Katie Wieland (.382, six homers, 42 RBI) is the team’s top power and RBI threat. … Senior NFCA Third Team All-American outfielder Kelsey Rose hasn't played since breaking her arm after being struck by a pitch on March 21, when she was hitting .509 with nine doubles, a triple, three homers, 26 RBI, a team-leading .887 slugging percentage and .603 on-base average, in addition to perfect play in the field (16 putouts, one assist). … The beneficiaries of that offense have been sophomore right-hander Amanda Witzlib (12-1, 2.77 ERA, 11 walks and 75 strikeouts in 78.1 innings), sophomore left-hander Annie Versnik (7-0, 1.82 ERA) and sophomore right-hander Topanga Skiles (8-0, 2.59 ERA, 28 strikeouts), who with sophomore righty Brooke Stauffer (one appearance) have combined to strike out nearly three batters (118) for every walk allowed (40). … Before a 8-6 home loss to Wisconsin-Stevens Point on Monday, the Norse had won 24 straight to start the season. They have won three straight since then.
Other highlighted Division III games:
Stockton University at No. 5 Rowan (4/10 at 3 p.m. ET) LIVE STATS
Southern Virginia at No. 6 Salisbury (4/11 at 1 & 3 p.m. ET) LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
No. 7 Virginia Wesleyan at Emory & Henry (4/11 at 1 & 3 p.m. ET) LIVE STATS
No. 24 Washington (Mo.) at No. 8 Illinois Wesleyan (4/11 at 2 & 4 p.m. ET) LIVE STATS
No. 13 Central (Iowa) at Loras (4/11 at 3 & 5 p.m. ET)
