THIS WEEK:

at Truman State 

Saturday (March 24) -- Bulldog Softball Park - Kirksville, Mo. @ 12 & 2 p.m. (CT)

at Quincy 

Sunday (March 25) -- Mart Heinen Softball Complex - Quincy, Ill. @ 12 & 2 p.m. (CT)

On Deck: The Missouri S&T softball team hopes to continue building upon its recent success as the Lady Miners are on the road this weekend (March 24-25) in Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) play.  S&T will go up against Truman State this Saturday (March 23) in a doubleheader with a 12 p.m. (CT) start for the first game and 2 p.m. (CT) for the nightcap at the Bulldog Softball Park in Kirksville, Mo.  Following the series with Truman State, the Lady Miners take on the Quincy Hawks this Sunday (March 25) at the Mart Heinen Softball Complex in Quincy, Ill.  The opener for the league twinbill begins at 12 p.m. (CT) with game two to follow at 2 p.m. (CT).      

2018 Record: Missouri S&T is currently 14-12 and 4-2 in the GLVC this season after posting a 5-1 mark in this past week's action.  The Lady Miners posted a non-conference doubleheader sweep of the Lincoln (Mo.) Blue Tigers last Wednesday (March 14), winning 13-4 and 10-0 in five innings at the LU Softball Field in Jefferson City, Mo.  S&T split two home league games with the Illinois Springfield (UIS) Prairie Stars last Saturday (March 17), prevailing 8-1 in game one before suffering a 9-2 loss in the nightcap at S&T Field.  The Lady Miners capped off the weekend by sweeping Lewis at home this past Sunday (March 18) in a GLVC twinbill with 5-0 and 4-3 victories over the Flyers.  S&T, which has presently won five of its last six games, is 4-2  on the road, 9-4 at home, and 1-6 at neutral sites this season.   

Missouri S&T Head Coach - Cathy Monroe (Truman State, 2002), Third Season, 52-78. 2-4 vs. Truman State, 3-1 vs. Quincy.

Monroe guided the 2016 Lady Miners to a five-win improvement in her first season with the squad as S&T made another six-game jump in the win column in 2017 going 22-31 overall and 14-16 in the GLVC.  The Lady Miners were in contention for a spot in the GLVC Tournament all the way to the final day of the season with a team that had two all-conference performers. Monroe led S&T to a 16-35 mark in her first year after spending the previous 11 seasons as an assistant coach at Truman State University, the last two as the program's associate head coach.  While at Truman, Monroe served as the acting head coach for the Bulldogs for an eight-game stretch during the early stages of the 2015 season and compiled a 7-1 record.  Truman State concluded the 2015 campaign with a 33-16 overall record, which included a 21-7 GLVC mark and a second straight NCAA Division II Midwest Regional appearance.

The Opposition: Truman State - The Bulldogs, under 12th-year head coach Erin Brown, have registered a 9-7 overall record and are 2-2 in the GLVC this season to date.  TSU, which is 3-1 at home, 4-4 on the road, and 2-2 at neutral sites this campaign, has compiled a 5-5 ledger in its last 10 games.  The Bulldogs, who host Lincoln (Mo.) this Wednesday (March 21) in a non-league doubleheader, feature junior outfielder Christa Reisinger (.565, 2 HR, 11 RBIs, 26 hits), junior infielder Brooke VunCannon (.368, 0 HR, 6 RBIs, 14 hits), and sophomore infielder Alyssa Rivera (.315, 1 HR, 7 RBIs, 17 hits).  Sophomore Alyssa Hajduk (7-1, 2.45 ERA, 40.0 IP), junior Lauren Dale (1-5, 3.18 ERA, 44.0 IP), and senior Nicolette Simpson (1-1, 4.27 ERA, 21.1 IP) have accounted for all of the Bulldogs' pitching this season   

Quincy - The Hawks are presently 11-11 overall and 1-4 in the GLVC this season under third-year head coach Carla Passini.  QU, which is 4-6 in its last 10 outings to date, is 3-1 at home, 5-5 on the road, and 3-5 at neutral sites this campaign.  Leading the way offensively for Quincy this season are junior utility Morgan Heckman (.474, 3 HR, 19 RBIs, 36 hits), junior infielder Jessica Poore (.395, 0 HR, 10 RBIs, 17 hits), and freshman catcher Remi Ferguson (.383, 3 HR, 10 RBIs, 23 hits).  A pair of freshmen, Mac Kenzie Collier (6-3, 3.22 ERA, 50.0 IP) and Sara Demuth (5-3, 4.39 ERA, 44.4 IP) have been the Hawks' top pitchers to date this spring.     

All-Time Series: Missouri S&T is 18-35 against Truman State in an all-time series which originated in the 1984 season.  The Lady Miners, who are 3-12 in away contests versus TSU, snapped an eight-game series losing string earlier this season (2/18) by garnering a pair of home wins (W 10-2 and W 4-2) over the Bulldogs.  S&T trails Quincy 25-16 in their all-time series dating back to the 1982 campaign and is 2-12 in away encounters versus the Hawks.  The Lady Miners have won three of the last four meetings to date, which includes a home two-game series sweep (W 2-1 and W 13-7) a season ago (4/1). 

S&T Diamond Notes: Sophomore pitcher Avery English (Carterville, Ill./Carterville) posted a 3-0 record with a save and a 1.59 earned run average in 22.0 inning pitched this past week.  She tossed a three-hitter in an 8-1 win over against Illinois Springfield (3/17) and then threw a five-hit shutout in a 5-0 triumph versus Lewis (3/18) …. Sophomore shortstop Abby Klein (Kansas City, MO/Staley) batted a team-best .524 average (11-21) with eight RBIs, four multiple-hit game performances, and scored a squad-high nine runs in S&T's six games last week and leads the Lady Miners in hitting for this month with a .462 average (12-26) in eight March games … S&T has outscored its opponent 33-13 in the fourth inning this season … Junior first baseman Gretchen Egly (Joliet, Ill./Plainfield Central) has hit safely in 10 of her last 11 games and is batting .471 (16-34) with 11 RBIs during that span (3/3-18) … Junior third baseman Hannah Franceschini (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield Central) is four hits away from attaining the 100th of her career … Junior outfielder Courtney Jackson (Parkville, Mo./Park Hill South) has posted at least a base hit in 10 of her last 12 outings and hitting for a .341 average (14-41) in those 12 contests (3/3-18) … Avery English (Carterville, Ill./Carterville)'s 11 victories (11-5 record) in 20 appearances this season equals her wins output (11-15) in 27 2017 games …. Gretchen Egly (Joliet, Ill./Plainfield Central) and sophomore designated player Olivia Young (Milstadt, Ill./Belleville Township) each have accumulated a team-most 27 RBIs to date this campaign, which represents 48.2 percent (54-112) of the squad's output … S&T has outscored its opponent by 25 runs (42-17) in its last six outings and is averaging 7.0 runs per game.       

2018 GLVC Preseason Poll: Missouri S&T was chosen to finish 12th in the 2018 GLVC Preseason Softball Coaches Poll as the Lady Miners received 51 points.  Southern Indiana was tabbed as preseason favorite with 193 points followed by Missouri-St. Louis (182 pts.) and Truman State (166 pts.). S&T finished six points behind 11th-place Maryville (57 pts.) and 10 points in front of 13th-place Quincy (41 pts.).  A season ago, the Lady Miners posted a 22-31 overall record with a 14-16 conference mark.         

Up Next: Missouri S&T is scheduled to play six games, beginning Tuesday, March 27, with a two-game non-conference set against the Lindenwood Lions at the Lou Brock Sports Complex in St. Charles, Mo.  First pitch for game one is 2 p.m. (CT) proceeded by the the second game at 4 p.m. (CT).  S&T then resumes GLVC play Friday, March 30, versus the Rockhurst Hawks in a doubleheader at the S&T Softball Field in Rolla, Mo., with the opener starting at 12 p.m. (CT) and game two at 2 p.m. (CT).  The Lady Miners wrap up the weekend's action on the diamond hosting the William Jewell Cardinals Saturday, March 31, at S&T Field.  Game one begins at 12 p.m. (CT) with the nightcap to follow at 2 p.m. (CT).          

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