Oakland Series
When: April 30 - May 1
Friday, April 30 at 3 p.m. (DH)
Saturday, May 1 at 12 p.m.
Location: Rochester, Mich.
Field: OU Softball Complex
*all times are Eastern Standard Time*

Coverage
Radio • WIUS (88.3 FM, Macomb) Flagship station
Gary Davis, play-by-play
Greg Lautzenheiser, color analyst
Live WIUS radio broadcast (Free)

In-Game Updates via Twitter • @WIUSoftball
Live Stats • www.ougrizzlies.com

Leatherneck Notes
Against Oakland: The series
Western holds the all-time series record with Oakland, 26-12, dating back to their first meeting on March 31, 2000 in Rochester, a 8-0 win for the Leathernecks.

The Leathernecks have won four of the last five contests and 17 of the last 20 games. Western's last loss to the Golden Grizzlies came on May 12, 2007 in a 10 inning contest, 2-3, at the conference tournament in Shreveport, La.

Against Oakland: The last meeting
Western swept the series with Oakland last season on March 21-22 in Macomb. The Leathernecks took both games of the doubleheader on March 21 by scores of 6-0 and 5-0 before completing the series sweep with a 7-5 victory on March 22.

Kamren Ferguson picked up the win from the circle in all three contests, only allowing two earned runs throughout the series.

Among the nation's best
Out of nearly 300 Division I teams ranked, the Western Illinois softball team ranks 46th in the nation in team batting average. The Leathernecks are batting .296 as a team and have five players who are hitting over .300.

Summit League success
The Leathernecks have dominated Summit League play over the last two seasons, currently posting a 34-4 record with a .895 winning percentage. Western has a three-game lead on second-place IPFW and look to close out the regular season with their third conference title in the last four years.

DePolo, a consistent threat at the plate
Julie DePolo has be Western's most consistent threat at the plate this season, collecting a hit on 34 of the team's 42 contests. The senior boasts a team-high 52 hits and has recorded 16 multi-hit games.

Record watch: Julie DePolo
Senior Julie DePolo currently has 119 career runs, only four runs away from breaking the school record held by Western Illinois Hall of Famer Venus Taylor (1994-97). The New Lenox, Ill., native also ranks third in career stolen bases (62), eighth in home runs (14) and 10th in RBI (83). She also is only six hits away from cracking into the top-10 in career hits.

Record watch: Kamren Ferguson
Senior Kamren Ferguson has set three school records this season, becoming Western's all-time leader in complete games (99) and innings pitched (814.1). The Clinton, Ill., native only needs one more appearance to set the school record in that category as well as only needing four wins to become the school's all-time wins leader.

Ferguson also ranks first in Summit League history in innings pitched while ranking second in games started, complete games, shutouts and strikeouts.

Record watch: Lauren Furgala
Senior Lauren Furgala currently ranks sixth in school history in career doubles (42) and RBI (93). The Downers Grove, Ill., native also ranks eighth in career runs scored (104) and fourth in stolen bases (56).

Record watch: Lori Pankratz
Senior Lori Pankratz currently ranks 10th all-time in career strikeouts (271) in Western Illinois history. The Bettendorf, Iowa, native only needs five strikeouts to take over ninth place from Mindy Dessert (1989-93).

Ferguson named Summit League Pitcher of the Week
Kamren Ferguson was named The Summit League's pitcher of the week for her performances in the series sweep of IPFW on April 23-24.

Ferguson earns pitcher of the week honors for the fourth time this season, posting a 0.36 ERA and a 3-0 record last weekend. The Clinton, Ill., native tossed 24 strikeouts in 19.1 innings of work while only allowing nine hits and two runs.

The senior pitcher also hit the 700 career strikeout plateau in the 6-0 win over IPFW on Friday, April 23 while setting two school records in complete games (99) and innings pitched (814.1). The 814.1 innings pitched is also the most of any pitcher in Summit League history.

Ferguson has now earned pitcher of the week honors for the 10th time in her career.

Golitko named Summit League Player of the Week
Beth Golitko was named The Summit League's player of the week for her performances in the series sweep of IPFW on April 23-24.

Golitko picks up player of the week honors after batting .727 with eight hits, four RBI and a run. The junior hit a walk-off RBI single to defeat IPFW, 3-2, in 10 innings on Saturday, April 24 and help Western reclaim first place in the conference standings.

The LaGrange, Ill., native has now earned player of the week honors twice in her career.

Van Vlymen captures 100th victory
Western Illinois head coach Holly Van Vlymen captured her 100th career head coaching victory on Feb. 20 as the Leathernecks defeated Tennessee Tech, 14-0, in five innings. She has an overall record of 121-123-1 while posting a 66-25 record and a .725 winning percentage in conference play over the last five seasons.

In the last two seasons at the helm of the program, Van Vlymen has posted a 34-4 record in conference action for a .895 winning percentage.

The 2010 Schedule
Western faces a variety of opponents in 2010, playing teams from nine different conferences outside The Summit League. The Leathernecks also face six teams that participated in the 2009 NCAA Softball Tournament, including a No. 10/15 Missouri team that advanced to the College World Series.

Up Next
The Leathernecks face No. 10/15 Missouri in their final non-conference contest at Mary Ellen McKee Stadium on Wednesday, May 5 before playing host to Southern Utah on May 7-8 to finish out the regular season. The Summit League Tournament will be held in Fargo, N.D., and will showcase the top-four teams in the final regular-season standings.