April 26, 2012

Live Stats vs. Central Michigan
Live Stats vs. Eastern Michigan

ATHENS, Ohio – Following a very successful homestand in which the Bobcats went 5-1, Ohio Softball heads north to match up with two Mid-American Conference West Division foes. The Bobcats will play a Friday doubleheader at Central Michigan before playing once Saturday and once Sunday at Eastern Michigan.

Ohio went 3-1 against MAC opposition this past week and dismantled Dayton on Tuesday afternoon, scoring 25 runs during a doubleheader victory. The Bobcats are currently 21-24 on the season with an 8-6 mark in conference play. Ohio currently sits fourth in the East Division and sixth overall in the MAC. The top eight teams will qualify for the MAC tournament on May 9.

A WIN ON FRIDAY WOULD…
Be the 764th win in program history
Be the 300th MAC win in program history
Be the 90th win of head coach Jodi Hermanek’s career at Ohio
Be Ohio’s second straight win over Central Michigan

PREVIEWING THE CHIPPEWAS
Central Michigan enters Friday’s series the owner of a 21-24 record which includes a 6-9 mark in MAC play. The Chippewas are currently on a four-game losing streak, having lost consecutive series against Ball State and IPFW.

Central hits .269 as a team and has belted 23 home runs this season while allowing 24. Molly Coldren is one of the Chippewas’ biggest offensive threats, as she hits .354 and has struck 11 home runs and 37 RBI.

Pitching a 2.90 ERA as a team, Central Michigan’s pitching staff is in the top half of the conference. In the circle on Friday, Ohio will likely see Kara Dornbos (9-14, 2.62 ERA) and Chelsea Sundberg (8-7, 3.49 ERA). Free bases don’t come easy against these two, as they’ve only combined for 47 walks in more than 222 innings of pitching.

SCOUTING THE EAGLES
Before heading into a doubleheader series with Akron on Friday, Eastern Michigan is the owner of a 19-28 record which includes a 5-11 mark in Mid-American Conference play. The Eagles are 3-3 at home and have lost their last four games.

EMU hits .251 as a team and has clubbed 25 home runs during the 2012 season. The team boasts a relatively balanced scoring attack, as four hitters have hit at least three home runs while six have been responsible for ten or more RBI.

Ohio is likely to see Jenna Ignowski (10-8, 3.28 ERA) and Lindsay Rich (5-9, 3.74) in the pitching circle on Saturday and Sunday. The Eagles’ pitching staff has a cumulative ERA of 3.70 and has struck out 214 batters against 140 walks.

HOME RUNS IN A SINGLE SEASON
Following Tuesday’s slugfest against Dayton, Ohio’s single season home run record has been broken. Raven King (Alpine, Utah) is now the single-season leader with nine. Lauren Gellerman (San Diego, Calif.) currently ranks second with eight, tying the previous mark set by Erin Chapman in 2004.

TEAM HOME RUNS IN A SINGLE SEASON
Ohio’s offensive output this season has been nothing short of historical. The Bobcats have clubbed 33 home runs as a team in 2012, a mark which ranks second all-time. The top mark of 35 was set during the 2011 season.

STRIKEOUTS IN A SINGLE SEASON
Freshman pitcher Lauren McClary (Pasadena, Texas) moved into second in the single season strikeout category following the last week of action. McClary has fanned 171 batters, passing Emily Wethington’s mark of 166 set last season. The top mark of 191 was set by Annie Hare in 1995.

CAREER STOLEN BASES
Jillian Van Wagnen (Lorain, Ohio) has made an impact on the Bobcat record books as well. With 26 stolen bases this season, the senior has swiped 65 bags in her career. This ranks second all-time in program history, with Staci Bellville’s 111 from 1993-96 occupying the top spot.

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