NIAGARA UNIVERSITY SOFTBALL
GAMES 1-15	THE Spring Games
DATES	March 6-15
OPPONENTS	Valparaiso, Penn, Detroit Mercy, Longwood, Saint Louis, Long Island, Cleveland State, Northern Kentucky, North Florida, Stetson, Princeton
LOCATION	Boombah Soldier's Creek – Longwood, FL
OPPONENT	Army West Point
LOCATION	Clearwater, FL
OPPONENT	Creighton
LOCATION	Madeira Beach, FL
WATCH LIVE	Flosports.com

 
The Niagara University softball team is finally set to open its 2020 season during a 10-day, stint in Central Florida. The Purple Eagles will participate in 15 games as part of THE Spring Games.
 
Niagara Notes (0-0, 0-0 MAAC)

• Niagara's returners include a five-woman senior class consisting of Rachel Funk, Maria Gabriele, Emily Johnston, Bailey Stayner, and Kendall Watkins.
• Maggie Vesneske is Niagara's top returning batter. The junior shortstop hit .308 with eight RBI last season.
• Karsen Cotton is the lone returning pitcher with qualifying stats from 2019. Cotton had an ERA of 4.04 in 22 games and 71.0 innings pitched.
• Johnston, a reliever, returns with a chance to extend her school record for career saves (8). Last season, Johnston appeared in 18 games and posted a 3.43 ERA while accruing 25 strikeouts.

 
Scouting Valparaiso (7-7, 0-0 MVC)

• Valpo enters THE Spring Games with a .500 record, thanks in part to a strong weekend at the Stetson Invitational from February 29-March 1. After dropping the opening game to Colgate, 4-1, they finished the weekend strong with 11-8 and 12-1 wins over Bethune-Cookman and Stetson, respectively.
• Taylor Tonoian leads the Crusaders' offense with a .308 batting average. In the team's first 14 games, she has 12 hits in 39 at-bats with five RBI and five walks.
• In the circle, Eaton Seib (2.07), Kelsie Packard (2.35), and Jenna Edwards all boast ERAs under 3.00. Packard leads the staff with 49 strikeouts in 41.2 innings pitched.
• The Purple Eagles and Crusaders are 2-2 against each other all-time. The most recent meeting came on March 14, 2015, when Niagara came away as 4-2 winners in Kissimmee, Florida.

 
Scouting Penn (5-2, 0-0 Ivy)

• The Quakers opened their season on February 28 at the Liberty Classic in Lynchburg, Virginia. They went a combined 3-2, with losses to Liberty and Fairfield.
• Sarah Schneider's .391 batting average leads the Quakers.
• Emma Nedley's 10 RBI are a team-high.
• In 24.0 innings pitched, Jennifer Brann has an ERA of 0.88 and 23 strikeouts.
• Niagara is 1-3 in four all-time meetings with Penn. The last time these teams met was in 2018 at the Under Armour Showcase in Clearwater, Florida. Niagara won the first game, 8-6 in eight innings, but dropped the second, 7-5.

 
Scouting Detroit Mercy (1-17, 0-0 Horizon)

• The Titans have played a loaded schedule so far, with eight games against teams either in the national polls or receiving votes. Their lone win came on February 29 against Florida International.
• Detroit Mercy's offense is led by Reese Ruhlman, who is batting .286 on the season with seven RBI and two home runs.
• The pitching staff has a combined 10.21 ERA. Liz Murphy (5.77 ERA) is the lone pitcher in double-digit strikeouts (50).
• Niagara is 1-0 all-time against the Titans. The 5-3 win came on March 1, 2009.

 
Scouting Longwood (5-9, 0-0 Big South)

• The Lancers are coming off a 2-3 showing at the UCF Invitational. Longwood scored wins over Columbia and LIU during their weekend.
• Sydney Jacobsen has a team-high .396 batting average.
• Sydney Backtrom's 3.13 ERA leads the Lancers. She also has 43 strikeouts in 54.2 innings pitched.

 
Scouting Saint Louis (4-10, 0-0 A-10)

• The Billikens went 2-3 in their last action from February 21-23 at the Frost Classic in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
• Sadie Wise (.364) and Kat Lane (.349) both have atting averages above .300.
• Chloe Wendling has the lowest qualifying ERA (4.24) on the staff.
• In the lone meeting between these two schools, Niagara took a 7-3 decision on March 13, 1998.

 
Scouting Army West Point (8-7, 0-0 Patriot)

• The Black Knights are on a three-game win streak after closing out a 3-2 showing at the Charleston Invitational from February 21-23.
• Two batters for Army West Point – Ally Snelling (.442) and Alicyn Grete (.432) have qualifying batting averages above .400. Four others are above a .300 on the season.
• All four pitchers have sub-6.00 ERAs, with Jolie Duong's 2.58 leading the staff.
• Niagara is 0-1 all-time against the Black Knights. Army West Point took the game by a 4-1 score during the 2002 Rebel Spring Games.

 
Scouting Creighton (8-8, 0-0 Big East)

• The Blue Jays went 1-3 last weekend at the Coach B Classic hosted by Southern Illinois. Their lone win was a 14-1 romp over Purdue Fort Wayne on February 28.
• Creighton's leading batter, Ashley Cantu, has hit .457 in 13 games this season.
• Kiele Miller's 2.91 ERA is a team-best.
• The Purple Eagles are 0-2 all-time against the Blue Jays. The two teams last met on March 12, 2015, with Creighton winning 8-0.

 
Scouting Long Island (7-11, 0-0 NEC)

• In their first program as the Sharks, LIU was 2-3 at the UCF Invitational last weekend, defeating Columbia, 4-1, and Drexel, 1-0.
• Ciara Granado's .270 batting average leads the Sharks. She also has a team-high two home runs in 14 appearances.
• Elena Valenzuela (45.2 IP) and Tallie Woodson (43.2) have thrown the bulk of innings for the Sharks, but Victoria Lowe (2.67 ERA) has the best qualifying earned-run average on the staff.
• This will be Niagara's first-ever meeting against this iteration of Long Island, which consolidated locations prior to the 2019-20 academic year.

 
Scouting Cleveland State (3-6, 0-0 Horizon)

• The Vikings most recent action came on February 29-March 1, when they went 1-3 against Wagner and Presbyterian.
• Three batters in the lineup – Mackenzie Tucker (.389), Lindsay Ward (.385), and Kelly Hysong (.300) – have plus-.300 batting averages.
• Hysong is also the lone pitcher on the staff with qualifying numbers, and holds a 1.87 ERA and 29 strikeouts through 30.0 innings.
• The Purple Eagles are 6-9 in their last 15 meetings with the Vikings. Niagara won two of the three meetings in 2018 by a combined 21-7 margin.

 
Scouting Northern Kentucky (7-6, 0-0 Horizon)

• At the Coach B Classic on February 28-March 1, the Norse went 3-1 in four games, capping off the weekend with a 7-1 victory over Creighton.
• Hailey Whitmer leads all Norse hitters with a .395 batting average.
• Taylor Ginther has thrown 39.0 innings across seven appearances, and has a team-best 1.79 ERA, 21 strikeouts, and four complete games.
• Niagara fell, 2-1, in the only other meeting between these two schools, on February 14, 2013.

 
Scouting North Florida (11-6, 0-0 A-Sun)

• At their own UNF Spring Break Challenge from February 28-Feb. 29, the Ospreys went 4-0 on the weekend. They opened the showcase with a 3-2 win over No. 19/20 Virginia Tech.
• Shannon Glover (.459) and Rebecca Koskey (.438) have the teams two highest batting averages.
• Through 49.0 innings, Morgan Clausen has the lowest ERA (3.14) of the four Osprey pitchers that have seen the circle so far this season.

 
Scouting Stetson (8-12, 0-0 A-Sun)

• The Hatters won a single game contest, 2-0, at home against Valparaiso on March 4.
• With a .295 batting average, Molly McLaughlin leads the Hatters' offense.
• Chloe Temples has thrown a team-high 84.0 innings and has a team-best 2.17 ERA.
• Niagara lost both games at Stetson in the teams' last meetings, a doubleheader on March 1, 2013.

 
Scouting Princeton (4-4, 0-0 Ivy)

• The Tigers are coming off a 4-1 weekend at the George Washington Tournament from February 28-March 1.
• Serena Starks' .529 batting average is tied for 10th-best in the nation.
• Alexis Laudenslager's ERA of 3.11 is the best on the Princeton roster.
• Niagara is 2-1 all-time against the Tigers. In their last meeting, in 2012, Niagara won 4-3.

 
 
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