FULTON, Mo.—The No. 23 ranked William Woods University softball team will play its final home game of the regular season against Missouri Baptist University on Saturday afternoon. First-pitch will be thrown at 1 p.m., with game two following at 3 p.m.
The Owls (28-15; 14-2 AMC), continued its winning ways on Friday, as the team defeated the Harris-Stowe State Hornets 13-0 in game one (5 innings) and 15-1 (5 innings) in game two.
The team has now won 11 out of its last 12 and still control their own destiny in winning the 2014 American Midwest Conference regular season title. During the last 12 games, the Owls have outscored its opponents an astounding 114-11 and are batting .438 during the last week and a half, while the pitching has been just as good, having a 1.03 ERA and opposing batters are hitting a mere .184 against the trio of
Julie Scheer,
MacKenzie Bowden and
Becca Schemmer.
Hannah Campbell has been fantastic at the plate for the Owls the last 12 games, batting a team-high .514 (18-for-35), with 15 runs scored, three doubles, one triple, two home runs, 11 RBI and a slugging percentage of .829.
The trio of
Emily Murphy (.471 avg),
Kacey Scharnhorst, (.469 avg) and
Lindsey LeCuru (.448 avg) have been solid in the heart of the order for WWU, as they have combined for 44 hits, 24 runs scored, 11 doubles and 33 RBI in 12 games.
On the mound,
Julie Scheer, Bowden and Schemmer all have an ERA under 2.05, have combined for 72 strikeouts and eight shutouts.
Saturday's doubleheader against the Spartans will also be the final regular season home game for the three seniors, Bowden,
Lindsey LeCuru and Schemmer.
Bowden, a Hartsburg, Mo., native has arguably been one of the top pitchers to ever put on the WWU uniform, as she is the programs all-time leader in strikeouts with 795. The senior has saved her best season as an Owl this year, as in 126.1 innings pitched, she is 14-7 with a career-low 1.11 ERA, allowing just 20 earned runs and has totaled 205 strikeouts and needs just 23 more to break her career-high in strikeouts with 227 that she set back in 2011 as a freshman.
In her career, Bowden has thrown in 575.1 innings pitched, totaled 56 wins, 21 shutouts, allowed just 130 earned runs and added one perfect game to her already impressive career against Freed-Hardeman University on Apr. 5
th. She also had success in the classroom, as she is a three-time academic all-conference winner, while also being named an NAIA Scholar-Athlete and to the Capital One CoSIDA Academic All-District first team.
Other accolades include being a three-time all-conference first team honoree and named AMC Co-Pitcher of the Year in 2012.
Lindsey LeCuru, a Jefferson City, Mo., native made an impact for the Owls right away as a freshman, earning a .365 average, totaled a career-high 15 home runs and 46 RBI, which earned her AMC Freshman of the Year honors.
Since then, Lindsey has continued to be one of the top hitters for the Owls in her four-year career, as she holds a .363 average in 173 games played, totaling 209 hits, 41 doubles, 10 triples, 30 home runs and 124 RBI.
This season, Lindsey has been one of the main contributors on offense, having a .358 average (44-for-123), with 27 runs scored, 11 doubles, five home runs and 31 RBI. She is also a two-time all-AMC first team winner and been named to the academic all-conference team three times.
Schemmer, a Huntsville, Mo., native, arrived at William Woods to start the 2012 season after transferring from Moberly Area Community College. In her first year with WWU, she posted an 8-5 record with a 2.72 ERA, struck out 45 batters and was named to the academic all-AMC team.
Since then, she has consistently improved on the mound, especially this year, as she has totaled a career-high in strikeouts with 61 and has thrown in 106.2 innings, which is just five off her career-best of 111.0 innings pitched last year.
In her career, Schemmer has totaled 159 strikeouts, 26 wins in 300.0 innings pitched and holds a 2.40 ERA. Outside of the field, she is a two-time academic all-conference winner and earned NFCA and NAIA Scholar-Athlete honors.
Missouri Baptist (23-16; 11-5 AMC), meanwhile, has dropped three out of its last four games, including falling in doubleheader action on Friday against Park University, as the Pirates defeated MBU 4-3 (8 innings) in game one and 8-5 (10 innings) in game two.
On the season, the Spartans have a .323 team batting average and are led by Mariah Randazzo's .429 average (33-for-77), with 22 runs scored, nine doubles, two home runs and 25 RBI. Kelsey Snider is also hitting over .400 (.416 avg), while Payton Anderson will also be a player to keep an eye on, as she is hitting .369 with a team-high four home runs and 31 RBI.
On the mound, Jena Trombley paces a trio of pitchers with a 1.73 ERA to go along with her 10-5 record in 15 starts. Trombley has thrown in 93.0 innings pitched, struck out 50 batters and opposing hitters are batting just .204 against the righty. Freshman Andrea Chessor has done well in her first year with WWU, having a 2.43 ERA, while leading the staff in wins (12), innings pitched (112.1) and strikeouts (76).
Fans stay updated on wwuowls.com tomorrow night for a full preview and recap from Backer Sports Complex.
