MACOMB, Ill. – The Western Illinois Softball team will open its 2011 season when it travels to Ames, Iowa for the Iowa State Cyclone Invitational this weekend.
The Fighting Leathernecks will face three different opponents this weekend. Western will face Creighton, Iowa State and Valparaiso this weekend. The Leathernecks will play Creighton and Iowa State twice during the competition while facing Valparaiso in a single game on Saturday.
Head Coach Holly Van Vlymen returns 12 players from last year's team that finished 35-19 overall and 19-2 in Summit League play. The Leathernecks won their third Summit League Regular Season Title in four years in 2010 and Van Vlymen earned "Coach of the Year" honors for the third time in her career.
The Matchups
Who: Western Illinois vs. Creighton
When: Friday, Feb. 11 (2:30 p.m.) & Sunday, Feb. 13 (9 a.m.)
Location: Ames, Iowa
Who: Western Illinois vs. Iowa State
When: Friday, Feb. 11 (7:30 p.m.) & Saturday, Feb. 12 (2:30 p.m.)
Location: Ames, Iowa
Who: Western Illinois vs. Valparaiso
When: Saturday, Feb. 12 (12 p.m.)
Location: Ames, Iowa
Coverage
Radio • WIUS (88.3 FM, Macomb) Flagship station
Live WIUS radio broadcast (free)
Live Stats • Cyclones.com (free)
The Schedule
The Fighting Leathernecks will again face tough tests in both the non-league and Summit League portions of its schedule. Western will face two teams which advanced to last year's NCAA Regionals as well as teams from the Big XII, Big Ten, Pac-10 and SEC including nationally ranked teams in Arizona State, Illinois and Missouri.
The Leathernecks will begin the season with matchups against Creighton, Iowa State and Valparaiso at the Iowa State Cyclone Invitational in Ames, Iowa from Feb. 11-13. Creighton reached the NCAA Columbia Regional last season.
The team will then head south to Auburn, Ala., where it will face four different opponents in three days at the Auburn University Tiger Invitational from Feb. 18-20. Western will face McNeese State, Western Carolina, Campbell and tournament host Auburn.
Western Illinois heads to Athens, Ohio for the University of Ohio Tournament on March 5 & 6. The Leathernecks will play two games each against the host Bobcats and Cleveland State.
The 2011 home-opener will also double as the team's Summit League opener when it welcomes league rival Oakland to Macomb on March 11-12.
The Leathernecks will head to the sunny and warm southwest for spring break to face Arizona (March 15) and UNLV (March 16) before returning to league action at Southern Utah (March 18-19).
Western steps out of league play again when it plays host to Wichita State in a doubleheader on March 23 before IUPUI comes to town for a weekend series (March 25-26).
The team will play at Loyola in a doubleheader on March 29 before welcoming the Iowa Hawkeyes to Macomb on March 30 for a single game.
The Leathernecks will then face one of their longest road-stretches of the season with games at UMKC (April 2-3), Bradley (April 6), IPFW (April 8-9) and UNI (April 12).
Western Illinois will return home on April 15 for a weekend series against North Dakota State in a rematch of last year's Summit League Championship.
Northern Illinois comes to town on April 15 for a doubleheader before the Leathernecks play host to Centenary in a Summit League series on April 22 & 23.
The team's final league action takes place at South Dakota State on April 29 & 30 before it plays host to Bradley in the regular-season home finale.
Western ends its regular-season with doubleheader road match ups at Missouri (May 4) and Illinois (May 7).
The Leathernecks will serve as the hosts for The Summit League Tournament from May 12-14 at McKee Stadium.
Returners
The Leathernecks return 12 players from last year's squad including six seniors.
Senior outfielder Colleen Biebel is back after a stellar season in which she finished with a .310 batting average and was named as a First Team All-League selection.
Ashley Campbell returns for her junior year after playing in 41 games a year ago and tying for the second-most home runs on the team (4).
Anna Copeland is back for her second year on the squad. The senior infielder appeared in 22 games last season and started 18 contests.
Beth Golitko returns for her final year after leading the team in batting average (.357) and co-leading the team with five homers. She was also named as a First-Team All-League selection.
Jamie Goss enters her junior year after leading the team in RBI (34) while batting .308. She was one of four Leathernecks to start all 54 games a year ago.
Julia Katsaros is back for her sophomore season after appearing in 26 games and making eight starts as a freshman.
Nikki Marinec enters her senior season after starting 53 games last year. Marinec served as the catcher for a pitching staff that posted the second-lowest ERA in the league (2.19) and held opponents to a league-low in batting average (.222)
Kelsey Michelini returns for her sophomore year after playing 11 games in the field last season. She also started four times in the pitching circle and finished with a 3-1 record as a freshman.
Sandy Moore will enter her sophomore year after appearing in 36 games last year while making four starts. She finished the season with three stolen bases in five attempts.
Alex Pflieger is back for her second year after playing in 14 games as a freshman. She also made one start on the season.
Michelle Prieto returns for her senior year after starting 27 of the 44 games in which she appeared in 2010. She was a perfect 7-for-7 in stolen base attempts a year ago.
Erin Schlotfeldt will look to close out her career with another Summit League title. She started in 45 of the 50 games in which she played last season and hit three homers while driving in 15 runs.
Newcomers
Western Illinois will feature eight new players on its roster this season including seven high school recruits and one junior college player.
Hailey Bickford will look to help bolster the pitching staff. Bickford was a four-time All State selection in Iowa and broke nine school records during her high school career.
Emma Jarrell will help solidify the infield after helping lead her team to an Illinois Class 4A State Title as a senior.
Bria Jones looks to contribute at the college level after hitting a school record nine home runs and earning All-Conference honors in her final year at the high school level.
Megan Kelly joins the team after a stellar high school career where she was a four-time All-Conference selection and Player of the Year as a senior.
Monica Rondón is expected to help behind the plate. She was also a four-time All-Conference selection and three-time team MVP.
Ryleigh Sears will focus entirely on softball after a four-sport high school career. She was a two-time All-Conference selection and batted a solid .424 as a sophomore.
Briana Williams rounds out the crop of incoming freshman. Williams was an All-Conference, All-District and All-State selection as a senior at Midwest City High School in Oklahoma.
Hannah Frenell joins the team after two years at Black Hawk Community College. Frenell was a two-time All-Conference selection and earned All-Region honors at Black Hawk. She was a four time All-Conference and All-Area selection as a
