WARRENSBURG, Mo. (Mar. 4, 2020) - With 11 games under their belts, Central Missouri Softball will open league play this weekend with two MIAA doubleheaders on the road.

Opponents:
Fort Hays State Tigers (13-9, 0-0 MIAA)
Nebraska-Kearney Lopers (10-10, 0-0 MIAA)

When:
vs FHSU - Friday, Mar. 6 at 2 p.m.
vs UNK - Saturday, Mar. 7 at 12 p.m.

Where:
vs FHSU - Tiger Stadium - Hays, Kan. 
vs UNK - Patriot Park - Kearney, Neb. 

Leading Off:
• The Jennies travel to Hays after suffering two losses to William Jewell this past Tuesday in UCM's first doubleheader of the season.  
• The doubleheader against the Tigers will be the Jennies first MIAA match of the season. 
• Nebraska-Kearney opens league competition against Lincoln on Friday night before faces the Jennies on Saturday. 
• Central Missouri's .347 team batting average currently leads the MIAA. 
• Freshman first baseman Sydney Wellshear leads UCM's offense with a .529 batting average which also ranks at the top of the league. Wellshear's .588 on base percentage also ranks first in the MIAA.
• Ashlyn Cook's .457 batting average ranks sixth in the MIAA. The right fielder leads UCM in runs batting in with 17. 
• This past weekend in the Washburn Invitational, Wellshear led the Jennies going 7-14 with three walks and two runs scored while Cook drove in the team-high of nine runs going 6-15.
• Alexa Bradley leads UCM in the circle with a 2.14 ERA in 19.2 innings pitched. 
• Freshman pitcher Paige Petefish is off to a 4-1 start to the season. She suffered her first lose on Tuesday to the Cardinals. In 41.1 innings Petefish has allowed 42 hits and 16 runs while leading the Jens in strikeouts with 30 to post a 2.37 ERA.
• Senior center fielder Lauryn Deer leads the Jennies in runs scored with 19 and is 7-7 in stolen base attempts. 

Scouting the Competition:
Fort Hays State Tigers (13-9, 0-0 MIAA)
• After posting a 24-25 overall record and finishing 13-13 in league play, the Tigers were selected 10th in the MIAA 2020 Preseason Poll. 
• The Tigers played the same schedule as UCM last weekend in the Washburn Invitational.  Fort Hays went 2-3, losing to Rockhurst, Sioux Falls and St. Cloud State and defeated Missouri-St. Louis and Southwest Minnesota. 
• Fort Hays team batting average of .268 currently ranks 12th in the league. 
• Kristen Reed leads FHSU with 23 hits and 22 RBI. The freshman posts the team-high on base percentage of .485 while also leading the Tigers with seven doubles. 
• Terran Caldwell leads the Tigers with a .368 batting average and 13 runs scored. 
• The Tigers ace in the circle, Michaelanne Nelson posts a 1.71 ERA which ranks second in the MIAA. In 69.2 innings she's only allowed 17 earned runs while collecting 78 strikeouts. 

Nebraska-Kearney Lopers (10-10, 0-0 MIAA)
• Last season the Lopers finished 20-24 overall and 12-14 in MIAA competition to be selected 11th in the MIAA 2020 Preseason Poll. 
• UNK also played the same schedule as UCM and FHSU this past weekend in the Washburn Invitational. Like the Jennies, the Lopers went 3-2 with losses to Rockhurst and Sioux Falls. 
• As a team, UNK posts a .320 batting average which ranks fourth in the MIAA.
• Nicole Spykstra leads the Lopers with a .490 batting average to rank third in the league.    The redshirt junior has the UNK team-high 25 hits and 23 RBI.
• Erin Hallman has made the most appearances in the circle for the Lopers. In 33 innings she's allowed 48 hits, 42 runs and 18 walks. 

Previously Against the Tigers:
• Central Missouri leads the all-time series against the Tigers 24-14.
• The Jennies have won the last seven consecutive match ups against FHSU. 
• While playing in Hays, the Jennies are 6-6.

Previously Against the Lopers:
• Central Missouri leads the all-time series against UNK 15-7.
• The Jennies and the Lopers met three times last season. UCM won two of the match ups 6-4 and 14-4 (5 innings) before losing in their final meeting 3-4.  
• UCM is 4-2 while playing in Kearney. 

Last Time Out:
LIBERTY, Mo. (Mar. 3, 2020) - Central Missouri Softball lost two close games to William Jewell Tuesday night on the road. The Jennies lost the first game 1-0 in eight innings, then gave up a 5-2 lead in the bottom of the seventh in game two.
• Makenzie Cooper lead the Jennies game one with two hits in three at bats. 
• Abbey Fischer went 3-3 and scored the game-high three runs in game two.
• Sydney Wellshear went 3-4 in game two and was the only Jennies to have an extra base hit.
• Ashlyn Cook drove in the team-high of two runs. 
• Central Missouri out hit UNK 16-12 but left 15 runners on base compared to the Lopers 10. 

Milestones:
• Alexa Bradley ranks fifth in career appearances on the mound with 102 and seventh in career innings pitched with 422. 
• Lauryn Deer is nine hits away from reaching 200 in her career. Deer also ranks fifth in career stolen bases with 71. 

Do it With Two:
• In the 2019 season, the Jennies have drove in 89 two-out RBI's this season. Ashlyn Cook lead the team with 18 while Jessica Sader had 14.
• So far this season, 34 of UCM's 62 total RBI's have been with two outs. 
• Wellshear, Cook and Makenzie McAtee are the Jennies you want up with two outs. Wellshear is 7-12 with two outs, McAtee is 5-9 and Cook is 9-19. 

Jennies Notes: 
• Central Missouri finished the 2019 regular season with a 34-21 record and 17-9 mark in league competition, earning the No. 4 seed in the 2019 MIAA Tournament.
• UCM was picked to finish third in the 2020 MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll. The Jennies tallied 136 points in the poll.
• The Jennies 34 wins were the most since 2015 and ties for the 10th most wins in school history UCM has reached the 30-win win total.
• 2020 marks the 49th season of Jennies softball. It will also be the 14th season under the direction of Head Coach Susan Anderson.