Eagles Travel South to Mercer Tournament

Softball at Mercer Tournament
Date	Friday-Sunday, March 17-19
Venue	Macon, Ga.
Game Notes	EMU Notes
Live Stats	Fan Stats
Twitter	@EMUSoftball \| @EMUAthletics

MACON, Ga. (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University softball team soars south for its final weekend tournament of the season, March 17-19, in Macon, Ga. There, the Eagles will take part in the Mercer Tournament and square off with four opponents, including tournament host Mercer, Eastern Illinois, Belmont, and Savannah State.
   Action gets underway with a Friday morning clash against EIU at 10 a.m., before EMU takes on Belmont at 12:15 p.m. Saturday the Eagles face Mercer at 2 p.m. before rematching with Belmont at 6 p.m. Eastern closes out the weekend with a lone game against Savannah State at 11 a.m. on Sunday.
   Live stats will be available for all five of EMU's games, and can be found on EMUEagles.com. Additionally, fans can follow the action through Twitter by following @EMUSoftball.

TALE OF THE TAPE: Eastern Michigan has had a total of 10 run-ins with this weekend's opponents, having met two of the four previously. The Eagles will battle Belmont and Savannah State for the first time in program history, while the Green and White boast a 6-4 combined record against Mercer and Eastern Illinois.
   EMU holds a 3-2 edge in the all-time series against Mercer, with the last meeting taking place Feb. 27, 2006. The Eagles topped the Bears, 4-1, back in 2006 behind a stellar outing in the circle from Nikki Denman. Denman scattered three hits and recorded nine strikeouts to earn the win. Tied heading into the final at bats, Lauren Clark cranked a three-run homer to lift Eastern over Mercer, 4-1.
   The Eagles also lead Eastern Illinois in the all-time series by a 3-2 tally, but have not met since the 1995 season. In the last game between the two, EMU came away with a 6-2 victory, March 15, 1995.

MINSKER'S MAGIC: In nine appearances, senior Abbie Minkser has compiled a 2-1 record behind a 2.01 earned run average. Minsker was sacked with her first loss of the season this past weekend, despite not yielding an earned run. Minsker's ERA is well ahead of her career-best and ranks as the second-best in the Mid-American Conference and 83rd nationally.

NEARING 100: Senior Michelle Kriegshauser sits just seven RBI's away from the century mark heading into the weekend. Currently, Kriegshauser's 93 runs batted in is slotted seventh all-time in EMU laurels, ranking two shy of Lauren Clark for sixth-place all-time. Jenny Scherer holds the program record, having driven in 131 runs during her career from 2007-2010.

GETTING BETTER WITH AGE: After injury kept her sidelined for a majority of 2016, senior Taylor Wagner is taking full advantage of her senior go-around and is amid one of the best seasons of her career. Currently, Wagner boasts a team-best batting average of .442, the second-best in the conference and 80th-ranked in the country. She's also slotted inside the top-100 in on-base percentage as her mark of .520 ranks 78th overall, as well as second in the MAC. In addition to cranking out hits, Wagner is also one of the best sacrifice hitters in the country. In fact, she is second in the league and third in the country with .41 sacrifices per game.

DEPENDS ON THE DAY: Through its first 17 games, Eastern Michigan has pieced together an 8-9 overall record.
   In wins, the Green and White are outscoring opponents 47-27, and own a .345 team batting average. EMU has cranked out 77 hits in wins, while holding opponents to 62. Additionally, the Eagles' hurlers hold a 2.67 ERA in wins.
   On the flip side, EMU has seen its struggles at the plate in losses. The Eagles are hitting just .214 at the plate in their nine setbacks this season, and have been outscored 53-14. In the circle, Eastern's pitching has seen its ERA jump to 5.14 in losses, while opposing pitchers are credited with a 1.07 ERA.

THE THREE MUSKETEERS: Eastern Michigan is the only team in the Mid-American Conference to have three players ranked inside the league's top-15 in batting average. Taylor Wagner paces the Eagles, hitting a team-best .442, which ranks second in the conference. Michelle Kriegshauser comes in fifth, hitting .400, while Brandice Olmos is slotted 14th with an average of .370.

RECORD REWRITE: Senior Michelle Kriegshauser ripped a leadoff double to open EMU's game against Long Beach State, March 9, registering the 45th two-bagger of her career to break McKenna Russ' previous program standard and become the EMU record holder.

JUST HUNNIDS: Sophomore Nicolle Miranda became the second Eagle this season to eclipse the century mark in career strikeouts, ringing up the final batter of the game in EMU's game against San Diego State, March 11. Miranda joins junior Trisha Trujillo who broke into the 100 strikeout club at the EMU Madeira Beach Invitational, Feb. 24-26. Entering the final day of the weekend with 94 career K's, Trujillo struck out seven to lead the Eagles to a pair of wins.

EASTERN ILLINOIS INSIDER: Eastern Illinois carries an even 11-11 record into Friday's meeting with the Eagles, looking to snap a three-game losing skid after dropping its final three games at the SEMO Invite, March 11-12.
   Offensively, the Panthers are hitting a healthy .305 at the plate as a team and have outscored opponents 107-75 this season. Freshman outfielder Mia Davis has been EIU's top threat at the plate, hitting a team-best .468 with 14 RBI's. Davis is the lone Panther hitting above .400, while six others boast batting averages north of .300.
   Six different pitchers have made appearances for Eastern Illinois through its first 22 games, compiling a team earned run average of 2.47. Michelle Rogers and Jessica Wireman have shouldered a majority of the work, throwing 54.0 and 59.0 innings respectively. Wireman has fanned a team-best 62, while Rogers has notched seven wins this season.

BATTLING BELMONT: The Bruins enter the weekend with an 18-5 overall record, highlighted by a 10-1 mark in neutral site contests.
   As a team, Belmont hits a staggering .330 at the plate, with eight different players hitting above .320. Kayla Wells paces the BU offense, hitting a team-best .390 with 23 hits in 59 at bats. Chelsey Deloney has delivered 19 RBI's and has hit nine homers, both of which are team-highs.
   A trio leads the way for Belmont in the circle, with three pitchers having tossed 30 innings this season. Brooklin Johnson has been the ace, boasting a 2.01 ERA with 58 strikeouts in 48.2 innings of work.

MASTERING MERCER: Mercer welcomes the Eagles to Sikes Field following a midweek clash with Notre Dame, March 15, where the Bears look to improve upon their 12-15 record.
   The Bears own a .292 team batting average so far this season, and have been outscored 137-135 by their opponents. Megan Rud has been the most consistent bat in Mercer's lineup, hitting .415 at the dish. Rud has scored a team-best 27 runs this season, and has used her speed to swipe 21 bases. Overall, the Bears are aggressive on the base paths, having been successful on 63-of-69 attempts.
   Pitching has been up and down for the Bears, leading them to a staff earned run average of 4.27. Megan Bilgri and Stella Preston have split a majority of the innings, combining for 58 strikeouts and 27 walks. On the flip side, the duo has been light up for 17 home runs.

SCOUTING SAVANNAH STATE: Savannah State returns to Macon, Ga. for the second consecutive weekend in search of its first win of the season. The Cougars are 0-16 on the season and have scored more than two runs just four times this season.
   SSU has seen its struggles at the plate, making way to a .240 team batting average. The Cougars' lineup has mustered just 87 hits, while striking out 85 times.
   A lack of control has plagued SSU, as Cougars' pitchers have issued 80 walks, while striking out just 42. The staff is credited with a 15.40 team earned run average and has allowed opponents to hit .409, including 30 home runs.

ON DECK: The Eagles return to Michigan following their trip south for a midweek with Washtenaw County rival No. 19 Michigan, March 22, before setting their sights on Mid-American Conference play, March 24-25, for a three-game series against Kent State at Varsity Field.

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Players Mentioned

Michelle Kriegshauser

Nicolle Miranda

Brandice Olmos

Trisha Trujillo

Taylor Wagner

Eastern Michigan Athletics