MACOMB, Ill. – The Western Illinois softball team, who is tied for first place heading into the final weekend of regular season Summit League play, heads to Brookings, S.D. to face South Dakota State in a 3-game series... The Leathernecks and Jackrabbits are slated to play a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 12 p.m. and a single game on Sunday at 11 a.m.
SERIES HISTORY: Western leads the all-time series 20-7... The Leathernecks dropped the first meeting between the two programs in 2008, 12-9, but won the series 2-1, downing the Jackrabbits 16-9 and 6-1 in games two and three... During the last two years, WIU has won each series 2-1... During that same time frame, SDSU topped the Leathernecks 7-6 in the 2015 Summit League tournament.
LAST TIME OUT: Iowa State beat Western Illinois softball 10-6 in a non-league game in Ames on Saturday (April 29)... WIU jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the top of the first before Iowa State tied the game up in the bottom half of the inning, 4-4... ISU broke the tie with two runs in the third before WIU knotted the game back up in the fourth at 6-6... The Cyclones closed the game by scoring two runs in the fifth and two more runs in the sixth.
NATIONAL INVITATIONAL SOFTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: Tournament officials for the National Invitational Softball Championship have announced the teams under consideration for the 2017 debut of the event and Western Illinois is one of those teams... There will be 48 teams in the tournament: 32 automatic qualifiers (the highest seeded team from each conference's own regular season standings after the NCAA's selections), 12 teams based on May 14's final RPI rankings, and four teams will be determined from the season's body of work... The regional round will take place at four locations May 16-18 and the championship round (final eight teams) will take place May 21-24
COMING FOR THAT #1 SPOT: Heading into the weekend the Leathernecks, who are 4-for-5 in league series this season, sit tied for first in The Summit League standings with a 10-5 league record... North Dakota State is also tied first first at 10-5... IUPUI sits at third place at 9-5... South Dakota sits fourth at 10-8, and Omaha (4-7), South Dakota State (4-11) and Fort Wayne (3-9) round out the standings... A complete look at the standings is below:
1. Western Illinois: 10-5
  North Dakota State: 10-5
3. IUPUI: 9-5
4. South Dakota: 10-8
5. Omaha: 4-7
6. South Dakota State: 4-11
7. Fort Wayne: 3-9
SPEAKING OF BEING #1: In the program's history, Western Illinois has won nine regular season Summit League Championships, five out-right and four as co-champion... The Leathernecks have won four total Summit League Tournament Championships... During Holly Van Vlymen's 11 seasons as head coach, the Leathernecks have won three regular season titles (2007, 2009, 2010) and one tournament championship (2008).
RECORD WATCH: As a team, WIU has 33 home runs this season which ranks tied for fourth all-time in program history, six away from moving into sole possession of third place and 18 away from setting a new program record (current record 50)... Western has 134 walks this season which ranks fourth all-time, three away from sole possession of third place and 31 away from setting a new record (current record 164)... The Leatherneck pitching staff has recorded 311 strikeouts which ranks fifth all-time, 11 away from fourth and 15 away from third... WIU had only given up 66 walks this season which currently ranks third all-time in a season with three regular season games and postseason to be played.
EMILY IRA IN THE RECORD BOOKS: Emily Ira has 20 complete games, one away from breaking into the 'Top 10', and she has 198 strikeouts, which ranks tied for fourth all-time in a season, eight away from third place.
HOELTING NEARING 'TOP 10': Holly Hoelting has seven home runs, two away from breaking into WIU's 'Top 10' and she has been hit by a pitch four times this season, three away from breaking into the 'Top 10', and she has been walked 25 times this season, tied for 9th most in a season.
SUMMIT LEAGUE WEEKLY HONORS: Emily Ira was tabbed Pitcher of the Week three times in the month of April, four times this season (3/13, 4/3, 4/10, 4/24) and five times during her career… Aly Compton earned her first career Player of the Week honor on April 10th of this season.
UP AHEAD: After Western Illinois heads to South Dakota State for their final regular season series of the season versus the Jackrabbits May 6-7, the Leathernecks head to Fargo, North Dakota for The Summit League Championships.
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