Leathernecks Open Summit League Play At South Dakota

WIU will play a three-game slate beginning on March 30 at noon

MACOMB, Ill.- Western Illinois softball begins are back on the diamond after a nine-day hiatus. The Leathernecks will begin Summit League play on Friday (March 30) against the South Dakota Coyotes. The two teams will compete in a three-game series beginning at noon on March 30, continuing after the conclusion of the finishing up at 11 a.m. on March 31.

LAST TIME OUT: WIU has not ben on the field since March 21 against Bradley. The Braves got off to a quick starting, taking a 9-0 lead after the first inning. Halle Hollatz recorded the only hit for the Leathernecks as Bradley went on to take the match, 12-0.

IMPRESSIVE IN THE FIELD: The Leathernecks rank 27th in the country and second in The Summit League in fielding percentage this season. The Purple and Gold boast a .973 fielding percentage and are led by Brooke Stulga, Rachel Beatty, Jasmine Lara, Hailey Duwa and Madison Boone, who all have a perfect 1.000 percentage.

CONTINUING DOMINANCE IN THE CIRCLE: Emily Ira leads The Summit League in strikeout-to-walk ratio, sitting down 6.21 batter to each batter she walks. This figure ranks 19th in the country. Her 87 strikeouts place third in the league, and her 7.9 strikeouts per seven innings are 58th among Division I student-athletes.

SUMMIT LEAGUE 2017: The Purple and Gold finished with an 11-7 record in The Summit League and placed second in the league.

SCOUTING THE COYOTES: South Dakota comes into the series at 13-21 and is 3-0 in league play. The Coyotes swept Omaha in their first series of Summit League action and have most recently lost Nebraska, 9-3. USD is led by Jessica Rogers, who is batting .341 and has totaled 30 hits. The Leathernecks trail the Coyotes in the all-time series 14-4, but have won the last three out of four matchups.

ON DECK: After 28-straight games away from Macomb, the Leathernecks play at home for the first time this season against Fort Wayne, in a three-game slate. The Leathernecks and Mastodons will begin play on April 7 at noon.

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Players Mentioned

#14 Rachel Beatty: OF; 5' 5"; Senior; L/L

#5 Hailey Duwa: IF; 5' 10"; Junior; L/R

#7 Halle Hollatz: IF; 5' 5"; Sophomore; R/R

#17 Emily Ira: P/OF; 5' 7"; Junior; L/L

#25 Jasmine Lara: OF; 5' 3"; Sophomore; L/L

#33 Brooke Stulga: P; 5' 10"; Senior; R/R

#15 Madison Boone: IF; 5' 10"; Junior; R/R

Players Mentioned

#14 Rachel Beatty
: 5' 5"; Senior; L/L
: OF

#5 Hailey Duwa
: 5' 10"; Junior; L/R
: IF

#7 Halle Hollatz
: 5' 5"; Sophomore; R/R
: IF

#17 Emily Ira
: 5' 7"; Junior; L/L
: P/OF

#25 Jasmine Lara
: 5' 3"; Sophomore; L/L
: OF

#33 Brooke Stulga
: 5' 10"; Senior; R/R
: P

#15 Madison Boone
: 5' 10"; Junior; R/R
: IF