Softball Weekly Release #6

March 26, 2007

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Player of the Week

Stephanie Chavez, UIC
Freshman * C * Yorba Linda, Calif.
Chavez picked up her first two collegiate home runs at the IU Classic this weekend. She posted a .364 batting average (4-for-11) with three runs and five RBI in five games for the Flames. The freshman also posted a 1.000 fielding average with ten putouts. Chavez was 2-for-3 with one run and one RBI in an 11-1 victory over Buffalo in pool play. The catcher picked up her first collegiate homer versus Eastern Michigan on a solo shot to left field, then went 1-for-3 against Buffalo in tournament play with a three-run home blast.

Pitcher of the Week

Karlie Burnell, Youngstown State
Senior * RHP * Brampton, Ontario
Burnell picked up both of YSU's victories over the weekend both against Miami (Ohio). On Saturday, Burnell tossed a complete-game four-hitter with seven strikeouts. On Sunday, Burnell threw 4.2 innings of scoreless relief striking out four and allowing just one hit. She also tossed a complete-game five-hitter in a 1-0 loss to Purdue. The lone Boilermaker run was unearned. Burnell also finished with a 1.88 earned-run average and limited her opponents to a .164 batting average.

Other Top Performances From the Week Ending March 25

Haley Keller, Cleveland State
Sophomore * C * Fayette, Ohio
Keller went 6-for-10 in CSU's four games last week with three runs scored and a pair of RBI. She also had two sacrifices and posted a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage behind the plate (22 chances). She scored two runs against Sacred Heart and then had five hits in six at-bats against Niagara and Holy Cross, including her first career three-hit game.

Amanda Macenko, Cleveland State
Freshman * RHP * Brunswick, Ohio
Macenko went 3-1 in four appearances last week, surrendering seven earned runs in 23.0 innings for a 2.13 ERA. She hurled a pair of complete games and struck out 15 while walking just three. On Friday, she gave up just nine hits and an earned run to earn complete-game victories over Sacred Heart and Niagara. On Sunday, she picked up the win against Holy Cross after throwing six hitless innings in relief.

Sarah Clynes, UIC
Sophomore * RHP * St. Louis, Mo.
Clynes was 3-2 in the circle for the Flames last week. She fanned 11 batters in 23.0 innings pitched and recorded her third shutout of the season. Clynes picked up a win over Eastern Michigan and two five-inning victories over Buffalo. The sophomore notched her third season shutout versus Buffalo.

Kristen Bradshaw, Wright State
Freshman * SS * Portsmouth, Ohio
Bradshaw went two-for-four with a solo home run and a stolen base in the Raiders' second game against Dayton on Wednesday. She recorded 10 RBI over final four games of Mercer Nissan Invitational. Bradshaw had three RBI against Mercer with a stolen base, went two-for-five with a three-run homer and five RBI overall in Saturday's game with Harvard, finished two-for-four with an RBI in win over Winthrop and drove in a run in Sunday's meeting with Harvard.

Jamie Perkins, Wright State
Freshman * RHP * Convoy, Ohio
Perkins struck out seven over eight innings during Wednesday's doubleheader versus Dayton, picking up the win in the first game. She then picked up the complete-game win over Winthrop, allowing no earned runs and just five hits on Sunday.

McKenzie Bedra, Youngstown State
Junior * INF * Bowling Green, Ohio
Bedra helped the Penguins to a 2-3 record over the weekend with a .333 batting average, a .917 slugging percentage and a .529 on-base percentage. Bedra belted a solo home run against Toledo and went 2-for-3 with a home run, double and four RBIs against Miami on Sunday. Her two home runs this week mark her 15th and 16th of her career and she needs just two more to tie the YSU all-time home run record.

Horizon League News & Notes

Butler Bulldogs
- Junior Amy Hyerczyk returned from Butler's spring break trip to Florida with a .500 batting average. Hyerczyk has 26 hits in 52 trips to the plate. She leads the Bulldogs in doubles (5), triples (1) and runs batted in (18), and is tied for the team lead in home runs (2).

- Freshman pitcher Jennifer Chasteen has started her collegiate career with three wins in four starts. Chasteen leads the Bulldogs with a 1.93 earned run average and a 3-1 record.

- Freshman righthander Kristen Malinkey made her first collegiate start during the Bulldogs' trip to Florida and she responded with 10 strikeouts in six innings against Vermont. The first-year hurler allowed just three earned runs, but suffered the defeat in a 7-2 loss.

- Butler returns to action after taking last week off. The Bulldogs will end a 10-day layoff when they host Bellarmine in a doubleheader on Tuesday, March 27.

Cleveland State Vikings
- At 14-3, Cleveland State is off to the best 17-game start in school history, edging the 1997 and 2006 squads by a single victory. The Vikings went 3-1 to finish second at the UMBC Spring Classic over the weekend, losing their final contest to snap a six-game winning streak.

- Eight regulars in the CSU line-up are hitting .292 or better as the Vikings are hitting .345 as a team. Junior Whitney Willard leads the way with a .426 mark.

- Freshman Amanda Macenko continued her impressive start in the circle. She has appeared in 16 of CSU's 17 games, allowing just 11 earned runs in 83.1 innings (0.92 ERA) en route to posting an 11-2 record with one save. On Saturday against Holy Cross, she threw six hitless innings in relief to win her eighth consecutive decision before falling later in the day to UMBC.

Detroit Titans
- Junior Kaleigh Rafter slugged a pair of homers, including a game-winning, walk-off blast in the Titans' 8-7 come from behind win over UNC Wilmington on March 17. The homers increased Rafter's career total to 16, which puts her into a tie for second all-time at Detroit with former teammate Katrina Klemp (2003-06). Rafter needs just two more round-trippers to move into a tie for first place and three to claim the spot outright.

- Senior pitcher Adrienne Baran hit her first three career homers this past weekend at the Catamount Classic. Baran, who had not hit a homer in her first three seasons in Detroit, connected on her third to help her own cause during a 7-1 win over UNC Wilmington on March 18.

- Sophomore Jacqueline Nortman must like the water in North Carolina as the 5-1 "slugger" hit her third career homer and second long ball at the Western Carolina Catamount Classic last weekend. A year ago Nortman connected on her first career blast en route to All-Tournament honors. This year Nortman hit at a .455 clip in the five games in Cullowhee, N.C.

UIC Flames
- UIC was the runner up in the 2007 IU Classic in Bloomington last weekend after a close championship game against Eastern Michigan. The Flames host their home opener on Thursday, March 29 in a doubleheader against Bradley. UIC then jumps into Horizon League action next weekend with a three-game series versus Youngstown State on March 30 and April 1.

- After a year off of pitching her sophomore year, junior Lauren Brennan made her first UIC start since 2005 against Eastern Michigan on Sunday. Freshman Stephanie Chavez notched her first two collegiate home runs in the IU Classic against Buffalo and Eastern Michigan.

- The Flames committed posted a .350 batting average and a .510 slugging percentage with five home runs in six games. UIC also posted a .940 fielding average after committing just three errors in 34 innings of play.

Loyola Ramblers
- Loyola notched its first win over a ranked opponent when it topped No. 17 Illinois State, 3-0 in game one of a doubleheader on March 14.

- Over the last four games, junior Kat Krause is batting .545 (6-for-11) with two homers, two triples and six RBI to raise her batting average from .214 to .308.

- Right-hander Krista Crosson picked up her first shutout the year and only the second of her career, by scattering three hits in the 3-0 win at Illinois State.

- Loyola returns to action after 12 days off as its faces two Big Ten Conference foes and lifts the lid on Horizon League action this week. The Ramblers travel to Wisconsin on March 27 for a single game before opening the home portion of the 2007 slate on March 28 with a doubleheader versus Illinois, which is coached by former Loyola pitcher Terri Sullivan. Loyola heads to Detroit this weekend for a three-game series as it opens Horizon League play.

UW-Green Bay Phoenix
- After starting the season 2-6, UW-Green Bay has won six of its last eight. The Phoenix posted a 7-5 record overall at the Rebel Spring Games.

- Senior Andrea Kurzynske led the Phoenix with a .474 batting average (9-for-19) at the Rebel Spring Games, while freshman Katie Cooney posted a .371 batting average (13-for-35) in the 12 contests. Cooney had five of her team-high nine RBI in an 11-5 win over Florida A&M. The five RBI were the most by a UW-Green Bay player in a game since at least the 1998 season.

- UW-Green Bay returns to action March 31 and April 1 when it opens Horizon League play at Cleveland State. That series will wrap up a stretch during which the Phoenix will have played its 19 games of the season away from home. The Phoenix will make up for it by playing 15 of the ensuing 18 games in Green Bay.

Wright State Raiders
- Despite going just 1-4 at the Mercer Nissan Invitational over the weekend, Wright State was the tournament runner-up as the Raiders defeated Winthrop in the semifinals before falling to Harvard in the finals. Winthrop entered the semifinals on a 10-game winning streak and had not allowed a run in its last 34 innings, but WSU snapped both streaks in a 7-2 win.

- WSU was in every game at the Mercer Nissan Invitational as the four losses came by a total of five runs, including one-run decisions in each of the final three setbacks. The nine-inning game with Mercer was the first extra-inning contest of the year for the Raiders.

- Earlier in the week, the Raiders opened the home portion of their schedule with a sweep of crosstown rival Dayton. The two wins allowed Wright State to eclipse its entire win total from last season (7-41).

Youngstown State Penguins
- Senior pitcher Karlie Burnell, who has 32 career victories, needs four more wins to move into a tie for third place on the YSU all-time wins list.

- Senior Megan Bricker and junior Becky Hibner each extended their hitting streaks to nine games with hits in each of the Penguins' five games.

- Junior McKenzie Bedra blasted her 16th career home runs against Miami (Ohio) on Sunday. She needs two more to tie and three more to set the YSU all-time home run record (18 - Chris Notareschi, 1995-98).

Valparaiso Crusaders (join HL July 1, 2007)
- The UMKC series sweep marked the fourth time Valpo has swept a conference set in Randy Schneider's four seasons at the helm.

- Alicia Ashburn belted a two-run homer in the seventh inning of the 4-2 victory on Saturday. The homer was the sixth of her career, tying her for fifth all-time in Crusader history.

- Valpo scored 14 runs in the series finale with UMKC, the most runs in a win since a 15-0 victory over St. Thomas Aquinas in 2002.

- The Crusaders host Purdue on Wednesday, whom they beat last year in West Lafayette, 2-0. They then will welcome Southern Utah to northwest Indiana for a three-game series on Friday and Saturday.