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Total Control Sports Invitational Kicks off 2017 Campaign for Leatherneck Softball

Western Illinois travels to Rosemont for five games to open the season

TOURNAMENT INFORMATION
WHEN AND WHERE:
Total Control Sports Invitational
Friday, Feb. 10 - Sunday, Feb. 12
Rosemont, Illinois
The Dome

TOURNAMENT CENTRAL
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GAME 1
Western Illinois vs. Green Bay
Feb. 10, 4:30 p.m. CT

GAME 2
Western Illinois at Loyola-Chicago
Feb. 10, 7 p.m. CT

GAME 3
Western Illinois vs. Butler
Feb. 11, 9 a.m. CT

GAME 4
Western Illinois at UIC
Feb. 11, 11:30 a.m. CT

GAME 5
Western Illinois vs. Detroit
Feb. 12, 9 a.m. CT

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WIU 2016 STATS: 
HERE
 
COVERAGE

LIVE STATS: 
Game One: HERE
Game Two: HERE
Game Three: HERE
Game Four: HERE
Game Five: HERE
 
SOCIAL MEDIA

TWITTER:
@WIUSoftball
@WIUAthletics

FACEBOOK:
Western Illinois University Softball
Western Illinois Athletics

INSTAGRAM:
Western Illinois Athletics
 
PRESEASON INFORMATION

2017 Preseason Quick Facts (.PDF)
2017 Preseason Record Book (.PDF)
2017 Schedule Release
 
MACOMB, Ill. – The 2017 softball season gets underway for Western Illinois this weekend (Feb. 10-12) at the Total Control Sports Invitational in Rosemont, Ill. On Friday, the Leathernecks open against Green Bay at 4:30 p.m. and Loyola-Chicago at 7. The following day, the Leathernecks take on Butler and UIC before wrapping up competition against Detroit the next morning.

2016 SEASON RECAP: Western finished third overall in The Summit League regular season a year ago with a 9-8 record in conference play (16-32 overall). The Leathernecks won their final five games of the season and earned the No. 3 seed in the league championship before falling to IUPUI in the first round. As a team, the Leathernecks batted .263 with 160 runs scored off of 332 hits.
 
PRESEASON POLL: Following its best finish since 2010, the Western Illinois softball team was picked to finish third overall in the 2017 Summit League Preseason Coaches' Poll. North Dakota State was projected as the preseason favorite with 36 points (six first-place votes) followed by Omaha with 27 (one first-place vote). The Leathernecks garnered 25 points, while South Dakota was picked to finish fourth with 23. South Dakota State (19), IUPUI (11) and Fort Wayne (5) rounded out the poll.
 
NEWCOMERS: Western Illinois added five freshmen to their 2017 roster in Meghan Henson (Munster, Ind. / Marian Catholic), Halle Hollatz (Lockpork, Ill. / Lockport), Sydney Hollings (Normal, Ill. / Normal Community West), Brittanee Knepper (Blackwell, Okla. / Blackwell) and Jasmine Lara (Bettendorf, Iowa / Pleasant Valley).
 
RETURNERS: The Leathernecks return 15 players from a year ago, including two Second-Team All-Summit League selections in senior Nina Maggio and sophomore Emily Ira. Ira was also tabbed to the preseason 'Players to Watch' list after compiling 136 strikeouts during her freshman campaign. She struck out a career-high 12 batters at South Dakota and recorded Western's first no-hitter since 2010 against Canisius. Kelsey Marlow returns as Western's leader in batting average (.320) from a season ago. The junior compiled 23 RBI, 47 hits, 10 doubles and led The Summit League with four triples. Rachel Beatty led the team with a .333 batting average during league play and led the team with six home runs.
 
SCOUTING THE PHOENIX: Green Bay was picked to finish seventh in the Horizon League preseason poll after finishing 12-10 in league play and 21-33 overall last season. The Phoenix return Acacia Tupa who was named to the Horizon League All-Freshman team after batting .303 with 28 RBI, 46 hits and 28 runs scored.
 
SERIES HISTORY: Western Illinois owns the all-time series 23-5. This is the second straight season that the Leathernecks have opened their season against Green Bay. The Leathernecks and the Phoenix split two games last season, with Green Bay taking the opening day decision 6-4 before Western claimed an 8-4 victory eight days later.
 
SCOUTING THE RAMBLERS: Loyola (Chicago) posted a 21-28 record during the 2016. Erica Nagel hit .453 last season and was named to the Missouri Valley Conference Preseason First-Team.
 
SERIES HISTORY: Western and Loyola meet for the 13th time in series history, with Western holding a 7-5 advantage. The two teams last faced off a season ago when the Ramblers edged the Leathernecks 2-1.
 
SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS: Butler won the 2016 Big East championship and made its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Bulldogs were picked third in the Big East preseason poll after posting a 28-24 overall record and a 9-7 mark in conference play.
 
SERIES HISTORY: The Leathernecks lead the all-time series 2-0 over Butler. The most recent victory came on Feb. 7, 2015 where Western cruised to an 8-4 victory to open the 2015 campaign.
 
SCOUTING THE FLAMES: UIC was picked to finish first in the Horizon League preseason poll after winning the regular season title last season. The Flames return three players that received all-league accolades from a year again, including 'Pitcher of the Year', Elaine Heflin who recorded a 19-9 record in the circle with a 1.43 ERA.
 
SERIES HISTORY: Western Illinois holds a 16-9 advantage in the all-time series and have claimed four-straight victories over the Flames dating back to 2010. Last season, the Leathernecks shut out UIC by a score of 1-0.
 
SCOUTING THE TITANS: Detroit was picked to finish eighth in Horizon League preseason poll after posting a 17-39 record a year ago (7-17 in league play). The Titans return eight letter-winners from a year ago and add nine newcomers.
 
SERIES HISTORY: Sunday will mark the first meeting between Western and Detroit since the 2002 season where the Leathernecks earned an 8-0 shutout. It will also be only the seventh time the teams have met, with WIU holding the 5-1 all-time series lead.
   











 
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Players Mentioned

Rachel Beatty

#14 Rachel Beatty

OF
5' 5"
Junior
L/L
Emily Ira

#17 Emily Ira

P/OF
5' 7"
Sophomore
L/L
Nina Maggio

#18 Nina Maggio

IF
5' 3"
Senior
R/R
Kelsey Marlow

#10 Kelsey Marlow

IF
5' 8"
Junior
R/R
Halle Hollatz

#7 Halle Hollatz

IF
5' 5"
Freshman
R/R
Sydney Hollings

#4 Sydney Hollings

C/IF
5' 4"
Freshman
R/R
Brittanee Knepper

#20 Brittanee Knepper

IF
5' 4"
Freshman
L/R
Jasmine Lara

#25 Jasmine Lara

OF
5' 3"
Freshman
L/L
Meghan Henson

#22 Meghan Henson

C
5' 6"
Freshman
R/R

Players Mentioned

Rachel Beatty

#14 Rachel Beatty

5' 5"
Junior
L/L
OF
Emily Ira

#17 Emily Ira

5' 7"
Sophomore
L/L
P/OF
Nina Maggio

#18 Nina Maggio

5' 3"
Senior
R/R
IF
Kelsey Marlow

#10 Kelsey Marlow

5' 8"
Junior
R/R
IF
Halle Hollatz

#7 Halle Hollatz

5' 5"
Freshman
R/R
IF
Sydney Hollings

#4 Sydney Hollings

5' 4"
Freshman
R/R
C/IF
Brittanee Knepper

#20 Brittanee Knepper

5' 4"
Freshman
L/R
IF
Jasmine Lara

#25 Jasmine Lara

5' 3"
Freshman
L/L
OF
Meghan Henson

#22 Meghan Henson

5' 6"
Freshman
R/R
C