FULTON, Mo. -- After seeing a short postponement due to a cold snap, the William Woods University softball team will open the home portion of its 2012 schedule with a pair of split doubleheaders, taking on Olivet Nazarene University and Central Methodist University this weekend. Games will be at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday, with the Owls taking on Olivet at 11 and hosting CMU at 3 p.m.
Awards Sweep
Continuing its strong play from the season-opening split with Union University, the WWU Softball team picked up some strong results at the Lyon Invitationak, including a 9-1, six inning win over the hosts and a tense battle with #4 Central Baptist College. On the heels of those strong performances, the Owls swept the first AMC weekly awards, with
Kelsey Schulte earning Pitcher of the Week accolades and
Caroline Sicht picking up the Player of the Week nod. Schulte posted a 2-0 record on the weekend, adding a three-run home run and a sacrifice fly to help her own cause in the circle. Sicht was one of a number of Owls with solid offensive numbers, as she hit .571 with a .929 slugging percentage. She drove in four runs on the weekend and scored three, including a solo homer in just her second weekend of college softball.
Quick Look - William Woods
The Owls come into this weekend's games with a 3-3 overall record. Offensively,
Lindsey LeCuru and
Caroline Sicht lead the charge, with LeCuru posting a .571 batting average and Sicht a .529 average on the season. WWU has collected three home runs on the year - Sicht,
Ilissa Facchini and
Kelsey Schulte - and has outscored its opponents 30-20 on the year.
From the circle, Schulte has been the most successful of a strong Owls staff, with a 2-0 record and one complete game through two appearances and 8.2 total innings, fanning 14 and walking only one.
MacKenzie Bowden has seen the most action of any WWU hurler, going 18.0 innings in three appearances, including two complete games. Bowden has posted a 1-1 record with a 1.94 ERA, striking out 22 and walking three.
Quick Look - Olivet Nazarene
This is the season opener for Olivet Nazarene. The Tigers posted a 50-12 record in 2011, earning a 14-4 record in Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference play. Last season's squad made an appearance in the 2011 NAIA National Championship and closed out the season ranked #17. Jordan Reynolds and Katie Hannagan are the top returners for Olivet Nazarene. Reynolds led the offense for ONU with a .429 batting average, while Hannagan posted a 27-8 record and a 1.81 ERA in the circle for the Tigers.
Quick Look - Central Methodist
Central Methodist comes into this weekend's series with a 1-1 record, after splitting a doubleheader with Park University. The Eagles dropped the season opener 2-4, before winning in the second game by a 7-6 scoreline.
Milestone Watch
In her 15th season at the helm - the longest-tenured coach with William Woods University - head coach
Tracy Gastineau is within sight of a major milestone victory this season, as she sits just three wins shy of 500. She will become the second softball coach in Owls history to hit the mark, as Roger Ternes also collected 500-plus career wins.
Although she will hit the mark in fewer seasons that Ternes, she will need more games, as he finished his 500-win season with just 220 losses - game-by-game records are not available for that season - while Gastineau has already seen 291 reversals.
Central Dairy Joins The Owls Family
Director of Athletics
Jason Vittone announced last week that Central Dairy has agreed to become a Corporate Partner of Owls Athletics. This agreement is the first of its kind for WWU and marks a new era in the growth of the program.
