Who | Western Illinois (9-13) vs. North Dakota State (5-15)

Where | Macomb, Ill. (Mary Ellen McKee Stadium) 

When | March 27 (12 p.m. & 2 p.m.) and March 28 (11 a.m. & 1 p.m.)

Twitter | @WIUSoftball

Quick Hits

• Good news: Summit League play has finally arrived for Western Illinois softball

• More good news: the team will have the advantage of being home for their first league series. North Dakota State comes to town for a four-game weekend slate, Saturday through Sunday.

• This statistic may turn some heads: Saturday will mark 700 days since the Leathernecks' most recent home appearance. The last time folks watched Western play in McKee Stadium was on Apr. 27, 2019, a 9-3 victory over Purdue Fort Wayne.

• WIU was picked to finish eighth in this year's preseason poll, released by the league office on Feb. 9

• This weekend will be first-year head coach Alisa Goler's first time coaching her squad in their own backyard

Previously…

Yesterday (Mar. 24), Western visited Missouri for a mid-week meeting. The nationally-ranked Tigers, #18 by USA Today/NFCA Division I, finished the night with two shutout wins, 10-0 and 6-0.

Western's defense did well in ending a few opportunities for Missouri runners during the first two innings of game one. A sprint by Piper Foote in the outfield for a foul out was an example worth noting. Later, in the bottom of the fourth, a double play involving Abrianna Gracia, Sydney Hollings, and Maddy Anderson concluded the period.

A final Missouri offensive explosion happened in the bottom of the fifth. After loading the bases with three straight singles, a grand slam followed, extending the lead to double-digits and ending things in five frames.

Gracia and Bella Alvarez each delivered a hit for WIU.

During game two, Missouri again scored first, homering for two runs in the bottom of the first. WIU's first hits came in the form of singles by Savannah Rodriguez and Alvarez early into the second. The Leathernecks' defense then completed a '1-2-3' inning to finish off the period.

In one of the third's closing plays, the Tigers doubled to right-center, piling up three runs. The team's fourth homer of the day happened in the fifth, upping the lead to 6-0. Western batted a couple more hits down the stretch, including a leadoff single from Foote to begin the seventh. Nevertheless, the Tigers used a double-play and final strikeout to end on a walk-off.

WIU outhit Missouri 8-6 in the night closer. Foote and Alyssa Ealy both had two of those. Gracia collected four putouts in the infield.

Staying Strong

The Leathernecks rank third in league standings for pitching with a 4.12 team ERA. Anderson's personal 3.76 ERA stands sixth-best of all league pitchers, and Abby Carlin's 75 strikeouts are second-highest. 

WIU also sits at third within team standings on the batting end, posting a .268 team average. Foote is fourth among Summit hitters, carrying a .383 average. The sophomore's .479 on-base percentage is also good for fourth-highest, and she has drawn a league-best 11 walks. 

Hollings (5) and Rodriguez (3) both place in the top five for league home runs. Three of Hollings' dingers recently happened during the Middle Tennessee State spring tournament (March 20-21).

A Historical Glance

NDSU holds a 33-9 lead in the all-time series, which began back in 2008. WIU's last victory over the Bison happened in a first-round, 4-3 victory at the 2017 Summit League Championships. NDSU has won seven consecutive meetings since then.

The Scout

NDSU was picked to win the league in the aforementioned preseason poll… The Bison's last bit of action happened at the Kansas Jayhawk Invitational (March 20-21, where they finished 1-4 after two days… Paige Vargas has made the most pitching starts (9) and holds a team-best 4.44 ERA and 30 strikeouts… Madyson Camacho leads the bunch with a .295 batting average, a team-best 18 hits, and four stolen bases… Skylar Padgett is hitting .293 and has collected a team-high 12 RBIs… Padgett also owns a .483 slugging percentage and two homers… Stephanie Soriano and Avery Wysong are tied for the team lead in doubles (4)… Ciara Jensen's ten runs scored is at the top of the category.

Weekends Well-Spent

This year, due to reductions in non-conference play for most programs, The Summit League has expanded its league schedule to four-game series, as opponents will face off in two doubleheaders each weekend. The previous league format was a three-game weekend series - one doubleheader and one single game. WIU will hold three home series and also a single-game matchup versus Eastern Illinois on Apr. 22.