FULTON, Mo. -- The William Woods University softball team will begin its quest for an American Midwest Conference Tournament title on Friday as they host No. 5 seed Hannibal-LaGrange for a three-game series. First pitch for this First Round AMC Tournament game is scheduled for 2 p.m.
AMC Tournament
William Woods (19-13, 12-6 AMC) enters the 2013 AMC Tournament as the No. 4 seed, the lowest seeding for the Owls since the 2011 season when the Owls game into the tournament as the No. 5 seed.
Hannibal-LaGrange (17-17, 11-7 AMC) earned the No. 5 seed, after finishing the 2012 campaign as the No. 6 seed. The Trojans compiled their first AMC winning season in many years.
For the fourth consecutive year William Baptist College won the regular season title and will go in the tournament as the No. 1 seed and will face No. 8 seed Harris-Stowe State. While, Park University locked up the conference second seed and will face off with No. 7 seed Lyon College. The sixth seed, Missouri Baptist University, will travel to No. 2 seed Columbia College to wrap up this weekend's first round action.
Previous Matchup
The Owls and Trojans split a two-game doubleheader on Mar. 29. Hannibal-LaGrange took game one 2-1 in an 11-inning affair, but William Woods responded with a 5-1 victory in game two.
Owl's ace, MacKenzie Bowden, went 10.2 innings in the game one defeat, but she only allowed three hits and struck out a season-high 16 batters in the outing.
In game two, William Woods scored five runs in the first two innings and never looked back, as they scored the 5-1 victory.
Finishing the Regular Season Strong
William Woods ended the regular season by winning nine of their last 10 games. One of the nine wins came against No. 5-ranked Williams Baptist College. Conversely, the lone loss came against the Lady Eagles, as they defeated WWU 4-2 in the regular season finale.
Sister Act
The LeCuru family has been awfully good to the William Woods University softball program over the past couple of years, as Lindsey LeCuru has been one of the top hitters in the lineup since coming on campus in 2009.
Now, she is joined by her sister, Shelby, who just wrapped up an impressive freshman campaign by hitting .337 in a team-high 104 at-bats.
Lindsey had a great year as well, as she ended the regular season leading the team in hitting with a .363 average, and led the team in home runs with five.
Double-Digit Wins
Double-digit wins are becoming the norm for junior pitcher MacKenzie Bowden, and this year was no exception. Bowden finished the regular season with an 11-6 record, which was the third straight year that the Hartsburg, Mo., native has won at least 10 games.
Getting the Extra-Base Hits
The Owls have collected 60 extra-base hits this season. That includes 36 doubles, 20 home runs, and four triples.
Senior Kristy Pluchinski leads William Woods in extra-base hits with 11 hits (7 doubles, 4 home runs).
Players to Keep an Eye Out For - William Woods
There will be plenty of players to look out for in this game on offense and on the mound.
Offensively for the Owls, junior Lindsey LeCuru has been on a five-game winning streak, which has seen her average jump up to a team-high .363. Over the stretch, LeCuru has hit three home runs and drove in nine runs.
LeCuru is the team leader in home runs with five, and her .571 slugging percentage is second on the team, as Caroline Sicht's .576 slugging percentage is tops on the squad.
Kristy Pluchinski leads the team in extra-base hits with eight.
Pluchinski also tops the team with 19 RBI's, but Lindsey LeCuru and Sicht each have 18 RBI's, and Illissa Facchini is just behind them with 17 RBI's.
As a team, William Woods holds a .311 average, which is fourth-best in the conference.
On the mound, junior MacKenzie Bowden, incumbent Co-AMC Pitcher of the Year, has won each of her last eight appearances and is 11-6 on the year.
Her 146 strikeouts in 109.0 innings is the second-highest total in the AMC. Though, she leads the AMC in strike outs per game, whiffing 12.06 batters per start.
Bowden is holding opposing batters to a .177 average, which ranks is tied for the second-lowest opponent batting average in the league.
Players to Keep an Eye Out For – Hannibal-LaGrange
The Trojan's .269 team batting average is the seventh-highest total in the AMC. Taylor Lewis is the team's top hitter, as she ranks seventh in the conference with her .402 average.
Lewis has also hit one of the team's three home runs this season.
Kachina Hudson has also slugged a home run for the Trojans this year. Hudson's 11 extra-base hits is tops on the team, and she has driven in a team-high 11 runs.
Hudson is also the team's top pitcher, as she has posted a 13-9 record with a 2.65 ERA.
Get Social With The Owls
Keep up with the latest news about William Woods Athletics via our social media channels. Checkout our Facebook page (Facebook.com/WWUOwls) and twitter feed (@WWU_Owls).
Corporate Partners
Today's game is sponsored by Cost Cutters of Mid-Missouri. Throughout the 2012-13 season, William Woods will take many opportunities to thank our corporate partners for their support both on and off the field for our student-athletes. Thanks to State Farm, Central Dairy, Coldwell Banker Niedergerke & Co., Columbia Orthopedic Group, Atkins Inc., Jack's Gourmet Restaurant, Holiday Inn Express, Joe Machens Dealerships, Mid-City Lumber, Mo-X, PEAK Performance, Red Weir Athletic Supplies, State Farm/Don Woodson and White Dog Promotions. For more information on the WWU Corporate Partner programs, contact the William Woods Athletic Department at 573.592.1624.
