COLUMBIA, Mo. -- The William Woods University softball team closes out its six-game road swing on Friday, taking on the Columbia College Cougars in an American Midwest Conference doubleheader. First pitch is set for 2 p.m. at the Antimi Sports Complex, where the Cougars have relocated for the remainder of the 2012 season.
Quick Look - William Woods
WWU enters Friday's game with a 20-13 record, and sit in a logjam of four teams at the top of the American Midwest Conference standings. The Owls are tied with Missouri Baptist at 6-2 on the year, with both teams sitting percentage points behind Park and Williams Baptist - both at 5-1 in conference.
Caroline Sicht leads the Owls with a .364 batting average on the year, rapping out 36 hits on the season with a team-best 24 RBI on the year.
Lindsey LeCuru and
Ilissa Facchini are both sitting above the .350 mark as well, with LeCuru hitting .358 and boasting a slugging percentage of .566 - tops on the team - with 14 doubles, a triple and two home runs on the season. Facchini boasts an on-base percentage of .528 on the year, having earned a league-high 27 walks and getting plunked twice, while striking out just six times on the year. The junior has also been effective moving batters around the basepaths, with 14 sacrifice hits to date.
Kelsey Schulte has been a real ironman for WWU, appearing in all 33 games on the year, while leading the team from the pitching circle as well. Offensive, she's posted a .300 average on the season, with a team-best three home runs as well. She has also posted an ERA of 1.56 on the season, with an 8-5 record in 90.0 innings pitched.
MacKenzie Bowden also has eight wins for the Owls on the year, with 10 complete games en route to a 8-4 record. She leads the team with 113 strikeouts on the year - second-best in the AMC - and is ranked fourth in the nation in strikeouts per nine innings with 13.04 on the campaign.
Quick Look - Columbia College
The Cougars bring a 15-13 record into Friday's doubleheader, with just a 2-2 record in AMC play. CC has a fairly balanced offense, with six regular contributors batting .300 or better on the year. The Cougars are led by Alex Ridenhour's .394 average, with Jessica Hardy just behind her with a .373 mark. Marli Hayes has the best slugging percentage on the team, with a team-best three home runs and eight doubles on the year for a .554 mark. She has also drawn a team-best 11 walks on the campaign.
CC is aggressive on the basepaths as well, swiping 29 bases in 33 attempts, giving up just 15 steals in 26 tries defensively. As a team, the Cougars have posted a .297 batting average, with eight home runs. They've drawn 63 walks while striking out 115 times.
Jordan Crisp leads the CC pitching staff with a 1.07 ERA en route to a 8-6 overall record. She's had 16 appearances on the year, coming on just once in relief. She's thrown 98.1 innings for the Cougars, hurling 14 complete games. Taylor Richter is also solid for CC, posting a 2.63 ERA with a 7-4 record on the year. She's thrown 66.2 innings with 7 complete games on the year.
Directions to Antimi Sports Complex
To get to the Antimi Sports Complex from Fulton, take US-54 north to I-70. Take I-70 east, through Columbia to exit 124 - Stadium Blvd - and turn right at the top of the exit. Take the first right onto Business Loop 70 and head west. Take the first left (Cosmo Place) and continue north past the soccer fields.
