THIS WEEK:
vs. Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles
Saturday (April 21) – S&T Softball Field - Rolla, Mo. @ 12 & 2 p.m. (CT)
 
vs. McKendree Bearcats
Sunday (April 22) – S&T Softball Field – Rolla, Mo. @ 12 & 2 p.m. (CT)
  
On Deck:The final home regular-season contests for the 2018 Missouri S&T softball team will take place this weekend (April 21-22) when the Lady Miners host Southern Indiana and McKendree in Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) action at the S&T Softball Field.  The Lady Miners take on Southern Indiana this Saturday (April 21) in a doubleheader before closing out their home schedule Sunday (April 22) versus McKendree in a two-game set.     
 
2018 Record: Missouri S&T has presently registered a 22-20 overall record with an 11-9 GLVC mark this season.  The Lady Miners, who are 4-6 in their last 10 appearances to date, are 10-7 at home, 11-7 on the road, and 1-6 at neutral sites this spring.  S&T split a pair of home non-conference outings with Rogers State last Tuesday (April 10) at the S&T Softball Field in Rolla, Mo., as the Lady Miners posted a 3-2 victory in the opener before dropping a 6-2 game two decision.  S&T then split a league twin bill with Missouri-St. Louis (UMSL) last Friday (April 13) at the UMSL Softball Field, suffering a 5-3 game one setback and winning 16-9 in the second game.  The Lady Miners picked up another conference doubleheader split last Sunday (April 15) versus Maryville at MU's Weber Field in St. Louis, Mo., garnering a 5-2 triumph in the first game and then dealt a 3-1 game two loss.     
 
Missouri S&T Head Coach - Cathy Monroe (Truman State, 2002), Third Season, 60-86. 1-3 vs. Southern Indiana, 1-3 vs. McKendree
 
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: Southern Indiana – The Screaming Eagles are 23-16 overall and 12-8 in the GLVC prior to this Tuesday's (April 17) home non-conference doubleheader against Kentucky Wesleyan at Evansville, Ind. Southern Indiana, which is coached by 17-year head coach Sue Kunkle, is 3-4 on the road, 10-4 at home, and 10-8 at neutral sites this season.  USI has won nine of its last 11 encounters to date, which includes a current six-game winning streak after sweeping William Jewell, 6-5 and 6-2, in a home conference twin bill this past Sunday (April 15) at Evansville, Ind.  Sophomore outfielder Allison Schubert (.364, 11 HR, 33 RBIs, 43 hits), junior second baseman Claire Johnson (.352, 4 HR, 18 RBIs, 45 hits), and senior third baseman Mena Fulton (.325, 1 HR, 13 RBIs, 37 hits) pace USI offensively while the pitching corps is led by sophomore Jennifer Leonhardt (12-8, two saves, 3.10 ERA, 115.1 IP) along with juniors Courtney Atkisson (7-4, 3.32 ERA, 84.1 IP) and Haylee Smith (3-3, 1 save, 3.68 ERA, 51.1 IP). 
 
McKendree – The Bearcats have posted a 30-13 overall record and are 15-7 in the GLVC this season entering this Wednesday's (April 18) non-league road doubleheader against Kentucky Wesleyan in Owensboro, Ky. MU, which plays two conference road games with Maryville this Saturday (April 21) in St. Louis, Mo., is 6-4 in its last 10 appearances and is coming off a home league split against Rockhurst this past Sunday (April 15).  The Bearcats tallied a 2-0 victory in game one, but then suffered a 4-0 setback in the nightcap at Bearcat Field in Lebanon, Ill.  MU, which is directed by third-year head coach Ashley Fleming, is 9-6 on the road, 14-6 at home, and 7-1 in neutral site matchups this campaign. Paving the way offensively are senior catcher Rebecca Franke (.414, 4 HR, 30 RBIs, 53 hits), freshman pitcher Miranda Gajewski (.366, 3 HR, 27 RBIs, 52 hits), senior first baseman Brooke Gajewski (.341, 11 HR, 35 RBIs, 43 hits), and sophomore shortstop Caitlyn Lowry (.307, 4 HR, 26 RBIs, 39 hits).  Miranda Gajewski (17-5, 1.82 ERA, 134.1 IP) and sophomore Kylee Silliman (5-6, 3.18 ERA, 72.2 IP) have been MU's regulars inside the pitching circle this season.       
        
All-Time Series: Missouri S&T has registered a 12-15 mark against Southern Indiana in a series dating back to 1993.  The Lady Miners, who are 6-4 at home, 3-7 on the road, and 3-4 at neutral sites, split a home twin bill last season (March 26) with the Screaming Eagles in Rolla, Mo., falling 7-1 in the opening contest before claiming a 5-4 second game victory to end a five-game series losing string.  S&T is 3-7 in its last 10 encounters versus USI.  The series with McKendree, which began in 1989, is knotted at 9-9 as the Lady Miners have generated a 5-5 ledger in their past 10 meetings.  S&T is 5-1 at home, 3-5 on the road, and 1-3 at neutral sites following a home doubleheader split with the Bearcats a season ago (April 23) in Rolla as the Lady Miners dropped a 3-2 decision in game one and then notched a 6-4 triumph in the nightcap.    
 
Senior Salute: Missouri S&T will honor its three senior student-athletes – designated player-first baseman Ashley Rausch (Washington, Iowa/Washington), pitcher Kati Viets (Sweet Springs, Mo./Sweet Springs), and third baseman-outfielder Monica Weiss (St. Louis, Mo./Marquette) following the conclusion of this Saturday's (April 21) doubleheader second game against Southern Indiana.  Rausch has compiled 32 hits with 22 RBIs in 78 career contests.  Viets presently is fourth on S&T's all-time leaders chart in games pitched (104) while listed seventh in both innings pitched (539) and complete games (53).  She's tied for 10th in strikeouts (231) and ranks 11th in victories (29).  Weiss, who has played in 166 career outings, is fourth among the Lady Miners' career leaders in batting average (.353), fifth in stolen bases (62), seventh in base hits (181), and is tied for 10th in both at bats (513) and runs scored (95).     
   
S&T Diamond Notes: Sophomore designated player-outfielder Olivia Young (Milstadt, Ill./Belleville Township) posted a school single-game record nine RBIs on a four-of-four hitting performance in the Lady Miners' 16-9 game two victory at Missouri-St. Louis last Friday (4/13).  Young, who had clubbed two-run and three-run homers in the contest, eclipsed the school mark of eight held by Jaime Ostmann versus Pittsburg State on March 23, 1996.  Young is the 28th individual in NCAA Division II history to total nine RBIs in a game and became the third player in GLVC history to accomplish the single-game feat … S&T's top base hits leaders – junior first baseman Gretchen Egly (Joliet, Ill./Plainfield Central) (44), Olivia Young (Milstadt, Ill./Belleville Township)(43), and junior outfielder Courtney Jackson (Parkville, Mo./Park Hill South)(43) have combined to generate 40.5 percent (130-321) of the team's output this season to date … Junior outfielder Carley Hamann (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln Way North) is one RBI shy of equaling her career season-best 17 RBIs in 53 matchups last season and needs four more hits to tie her career season-most 39 total established in 2017 … Olivia Young (Milstadt, Ill./Belleville Township)'steam-high 12 home runs this campaign in 42 games presently ranks tied for third on S&T's all-time leader chart with Kandi Wieberg (2007) and is two shy of tying current single-season record holder Kelsey Musselman (14 HR, 2008) … Sophomore shortstop Abby Klein (Kansas City, MO/Staley)'s 19 RBIs in 24 outings this season marks a personal career single-season best, surpassing her 18 RBIs in 53 2017 season games … Olivia Young (Milstadt, Ill./Belleville Township) currently ranks in a three-way deadlock for ninth place with Coley Naughton (2007-10) and Kassi Deibert (2008-11) among the program's career home runs leaders with 15 total in 78 contests ... Sophomore pitcher Avery English (Carterville, Ill./Carterville) is 8-3 with a 1.28 earned run average in 12 home appearances this season compared to a 6-4 mark with a 2.65 earned run average in 12 away outings ... Monica Weiss (St. Louis, Mo./Marquette) is batting a team-high .485 average (16-33) in nine home games this spring and hitting for a .304 average (14-46) in 14 road contests.                  
 
2018 GLVC Standings: Fans can view the complete 2018 GLVC Standings at this link - GLVC Standings.  Information for the conference overall and individual statistical leaders is available at GLVC Statistics.      
 
National Statistical Leaders: Both NCAA Division II team and individual national statistical leaders for the 2018 season is available by clicking on this link.  S&T's rankings, both team and individual, can be accessed via this link. 
 
2018 GLVC Preseason Poll: Missouri S&T was picked 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 compiled a 22-31 overall record with a 14-16 conference mark.         
 
On Deck: Missouri S&T concludes the regular season portion of its 2018 schedule next weekend, April 28-29, with a pair of road GLVC doubleheaders.  The Lady Miners square off against the Indianapolis Greyhounds on Friday, April 28, at UI's Baumgartner Field in Indianapolis, Ind. The opener starts at 11 a.m. (CT) with the second game to follow at 1 p.m. (CT).  S&T finishes up the regular season Saturday, April 29, versus the Wisconsin-Parkside Rangers with two contests at the Case Softball Complex in Somers, Wis.  The first game gets underway at 12 p.m. (CT) proceeded by the nightcap at 2 p.m. (CT).  

Follow Missouri S&T Softball: For more coverage of Missouri S&T athletics, follow us on Twitter (@minersports), Instagram (miner sports), Facebook (minersports) and the Miner Sports mobile app available for iPhone and Android.