May 3, 2007

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ATHENS, Ohio - The Ohio softball team begins a six-game homestand on Friday with a doubleheader against Central Michigan at 1 p.m.

The Bobcats play single games against Eastern Michigan on Saturday and Sunday before closing out the season with a doubleheader against Dayton on Monday.

The 2007 Mid-American Conference Softball Tournament is next week, May 9-12, at Currie Stadium in Midland, Mich. The top eight teams in the conference will participate. Click here for more information.

Currently, the Bobcats are fourth in the MAC East Division with a 22-26 overall and 9-9 MAC record.

Sunday is Senior Day at the Ohio Softball Field. All six Bobcat seniors will be recognized before the game starts and the team will hold an autograph session after the game.

Sunday is also Youth Day and Strikeout Cancer Day. Admission is free for those ages 3-18, while half of all ticket proceeds go to Relay for Life, supported by Ohio Relay for Life and Colleges Against Cancer.

SCOUTING OHIO
Ohio leads the MAC with a .286 team batting average, which is 75th overall in the NCAA Division I rankings. The Bobcats are also top 30 in stolen bases per game (24th), triples per game (28th) and double plays per game (28th).

Debbie Szalejko's (Beavercreek, Ohio) .399 batting average is second-best in the MAC and 68th in the NCAA. Szalejko leads the MAC with a 1.27 hits per game average and 26 total hits in conference games only, she's second in the MAC with 61 overall hits on the season. Szalejko has been at bat 153 times and has hit a team-best five triples.

Kelly Rodriguez (Miami, Fla.) has a .347 batting average and leads the team with five home runs. Rodriguez totals 50 hits, including a team-high eight doubles. Her 31 RBI is top 10 on both Ohio's all-time career list and single-season list.

Shalene Petrich (Chehalis, Wash.) bats .333 and has scored a team-high 24 runs. Petrich also leads the team with 24 stolen bases, which places her fourth in the MAC with a 0.50 steals per game average.

Deanna Hartsough (Santa Ana, Calif.) and Allie Farrington (Wilton, NH) also bat above .300 on the season. Hartsough has a .364 batting average after hitting four of 11 times at bat. Farrington bats .341, going 14-for-24, and is second on the team with two home runs.

Candace Saucedo (Ontario, Calif.) has a team-best 2.24 ERA with a 4-4 record. Saucedo has pitched 65.2 innings, including four complete games and two shutouts. Michelle Sauter (Chehalis, Wash.) has a 2.33 ERA and leads the MAC with 15 wins. Sauter has pitched 147.1 innings, including 12 complete games and five shutouts.

BEST OF THE EAST
The Mid-American Conference named softball outfielder Debbie Szalejko (Beavercreek, Ohio) MAC East Player of the Week for the week of April 30.

Last week, Szalejko extended her hitting streak to 11 games, while leading the Bobcats with a .500 (12-for-24) batting average. Szalejko hit two triples, scored five runs, batted in three runners and led the team with 16 total bases. Against Western Michigan on Sunday, Szalejko went 3-for-5 with two RBI and three runs scored. She also went 2-for-4 against Western Michigan on Saturday and against Northern Illinois on Friday. Szalejko has batted .463 during her hitting streak with 19 hits and seven runs scored. She currently leads the Bobcat offense with a .399 batting average, 153 at bats, 61 hits and five triples.

It is Szalejko's second MAC East Player of the Week honor this season and of her career. Szalejko was first honored on March 11. She's one of three Bobcats to earn the award this season.