Storm, Yellowjackets face off in "Game of the Week" softball showdown
Saturday, April 16, 2016 - Softball: Wisconsin-Superior at Crown
ST. PAUL, Minn.---Heading into the 2016 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) softball season, there was no doubt the standings would look different by the end of April with the addition of the University of Wisconsin-Superior to the conference slate.
Just how different the standings will look may become a bit clearer by the end of the week with most teams getting the opportunity to get regularly-scheduled contests completed. This Saturday two of the hottest teams heading into the weekend in Wisconsin-Superior and Crown College will face off in a much-anticipated doubleheader that should provide a bit of clarity regarding the playoff picture. The thrilling series has been dubbed the “UMAC Game of the Week.”
After making the UMAC postseason a year ago, Crown has started the season 9-17 and has already raked in five conference wins in its six games played. The Storm placed fourth a year ago and have proven they could make a repeat run for the tournament following impressive early-season sweeps of North Central University and the University of Minnesota Morris.
Wisconsin-Superior comes into Saturday with a 13-7 record and a 2-0 conference mark – at the time of publication – following an impressive sweep of Martin Luther College to open the conference season. The Yellowjackets narrowly missed making the postseason in 2015 in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) and have given fans a chance to believe the team could qualify for the postseason later this spring.
Heading into 2016, the Storm was set to repeat success from a year ago with a core of returning players including All-UMAC selection
Sofia Palacios. So far this season,
Janelle Williams and
Cassidy Valenzuela have been a dynamic duo at the plate for the Storm – Williams was an Honorable Mention in 2015. Pitchers
Cearra Dulaney and
Liz King have also been workhorses for Crown on the mound this season.
This season, pitching has been the calling card for the Yellowjackets behind veteran duo
Macy Hanson and
Sarah Hendrickson who have helped the squad boast a league-best 2.31 team earned run average (ERA). Heading into the season, the Yellowjackets also returned a core set of seniors and WIAC Honorable Mention
Shelly Misco.
Wisconsin-Superior was an overwhelming favorite to finish second in the 2016 UMAC Preseason Coaches’ Poll with 57 points in its first season in the mix, while Crown was voted sixth with 32 points. The Storm was just three points behind Bethany Lutheran College in fifth and only 10 from the 2015 UMAC runner-up Minnesota Morris – a team they swept Wednesday – in fourth.
The Match Up
Despite a slow non-conference start, the Storm have rebounded to a 9-17 overall record thanks to a surprising 5-1 start in the UMAC. Crown opened conference play scoring 26 runs to sweep North Central before splitting a tough series with the University of Northwestern-St. Paul on a frigid and windy evening last week. The Storm stole the opener Wednesday from Minnesota Morris with a 3-1 decision in the eighth before coming back for a 6-5 game-two win.
The Yellowjackets have started 13-7 and went an impressive 10-4 on their spring break trip. Following nearly a month off of competition, they compiled 20 runs in their sweep of the Knights last Saturday. The Yellowjackets will face Northland College Thursday for two conference games before Saturday’s showdown with Crown.
Crown has found a way to win throughout the UMAC season so far – three of their five victories have been by two runs or fewer and their lone loss to Northwestern was by just one run. Their 177 hits as a squad also rank third-most in the league. However, the Storm will be up against the league’s best pitching Saturday. The Yellowjackets lead the UMAC with 5.80 strikeouts per game and just 20 walks given all season. At the plate, the Yellowjackets have struck out a league-best 52 times and have a .366 slugging percentage that ranks second.
Need to Know – Crown
- After a promising 5-1 start to the year, the Storm are looking to better the 11-10 mark they had in the UMAC last season.
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Cassidy Valenzuela and
Williams both rank in the top 10 in the UMAC for batting average.
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Dulaney’s four wins place her in a tie for fourth in the conference.
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Moriah Sawyer’s five stolen bases are tied for second in the UMAC.
- Crown ranks in the top four in the conference in Fielding percentage, ERA, and OBP.
Need to Know – Wisconsin-Superior
- Last weekend the Yellowjackets played their first games since their spring trip to Florida, a span of nearly a month without a game.
- Pitcher
Hanson struck out 13 hitters in a win over Martin Luther last weekend and has 53 strikeouts in just 35 innings pitched.
- Hanson leads the UMAC in ERA with a mark of 1.60, followed by teammate
Hendrickson who has posted a mark of 1.75 to date.
- Speaking of Hendrickson, she leads the UMAC in wins with eight.
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Ciarra Taipale has hit four of the Yellowjackets’ five home runs and driven in 17. Both marks lead the conference.
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Brittany Thomfohrda and
Kari Shipman are both on the UMAC leader board with five stolen bases.
Who to Watch – Crown
Valenzuela and
Williams have been leaders for the Storm all season with both boasting a league-best 29 hits. Valenzuela’s .392 average ranks fifth, while her .527 slugging percentage is fourth and her .418 on base percentage is seventh.
Palacios has come on strong in recent weeks picking up two or more hits in four of her last six games played. Palacios – along with
Marissa Becerra,
Sawyer and
King – each have recorded 15 or more hits this season. On the mound,
Dulaney and King have each totaled 70-plus innings and 10 complete games.
Who to Watch – Wisconsin-Superior
Reigning UMAC Pitcher of the Week
Hanson leads the UMAC with a 1.60 ERA and 10.60 strikeouts per game.
Hendrickson has also earned the weekly honor this season and boasts a 1.75 ERA, a league-best eight wins and a UMAC-most 72 innings pitched.
Thomfordha ranks in the top 10 in the UMAC for hits (24), RBI (11) and average (.353), while
Taiple has provided power for the Yellowjackets with 17 RBI, four homers and a .547 slugging percentage.
Shipman,
Misco,
Katie Wilkie and
Katie White all have added to the offense as well with 15 or more hits each.
The Basics
The two-game series between Crown and Wisconsin-Superior is set for this Saturday, April 16 with the opening game slated for 1 p.m. Game two will follow after conclusion of the opening game at approximately 3 p.m. Both contests will take place on the Crown campus in St. Bonifacius, Minnesota.
The “Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) Game of the Week” is a feature that takes place each week throughout the conference portion of the season with one contest being selected and highlighted as the “UMAC Game of the Week”.