Softball Weekly Release #9

April 10, 2006

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Player of the Week

Brittany Dixon, UIC - OF
Sophomore * Orland Park, Ill.
Dixon helped pace UIC to a perfect 5-0 record last week, all Horizon League victories, batting .636 (7-for-11) with a double and eight runs scored while also posting three walks for a .714 on-base percentage. The sophomore crossed the plate in all five outings as the Flames averaged over eight runs per game on the week.

Co-Pitchers of the Week

Sarah Clynes, UIC - RHP
Freshman * Florissant, Mo.
Clynes had a near picture perfect week in the circle for UIC, highlighted by a no-hitter in the Flames' 8-0, five-inning win over Detroit on Saturday. Overall, Clynes went 3-0 in four appearances while also notching her first career save and posting a minuscule 0.71 ERA. In 19.2 innings of work, the rookie allowed just six hits and struck out 20, walking just three.

Lisa Meissner, UW-Green Bay - RHP
Senior * Two Rivers, Wis.
Meissner struck out a whopping 47 batters and allowed just 10 hits in 28.1 innings pitched last week. Included in her efforts were a 13-strikeout, one-hit 7-0 shutout win over Loyola. She also fanned 14 and allowed just two hits in 7.2 innings of work but got little help from her teammates in a 1-0 eight-inning loss at Wright State on Saturday. For the week, Meissner posted a 0.49 ERA.

Horizon League News and Notes

Butler Bulldogs
- Sophomore first baseman Amy Hyerczyk continues to lead the Bulldogs with a .350 average and five home runs. She had her 10-game hitting streak snapped on Tuesday in the second game of the doubleheader with UIC.

- Butler started the season strong defensively, but has committed at least two errors in each of the last 10 games. Most of that has to do with players being out of position due to injury. Only three players are playing their normal position in the field currently.

Cleveland State
- At 19-7, the Vikings are tied with the 1997 team for the second-best start in school history, trailing only the 1995 squad that opened 21-5.

- Junior center fielder Michele Penney extended her hitting streak to a season-high nine games with seven hits last week. She is hitting .444 during the streak (12-for-27), .471 in League play and .367 overall.

- Wednesday's tilt with Youngstown State is CSU's only home contest in a nine-game span.

Detroit Titans
- The Titans stay at home for four more games in a seven-game homestand this week, hosting in-state rival Oakland on Tuesday and NAIA entry Notre Dame College on Wednesday at Buysse Ballpark.

- Due to the Easter holiday, the Titans and Loyola will alter the normal weekend schedule and play the single game on Good Friday in Rogers Park and the doubleheader on Saturday.

- Detroit's offense has been paced by sophomore catcher/infielder Kaleigh Rafter so far this season. Rafter is hitting a team-best .362 while also leading the team in slugging percentage (.696), home runs (5), doubles (8) and RBI (15).

UIC Flames
- UIC has won a season-best five straight games, all of which have come against League opponents.

- UIC exploded on offense last week, batting .336 as a team while averaging over eight runs per game. The Flames scored six or more runs in all five of their games, going a perfect 5-0.

- Freshman Sarah Clynes tossed the first no-hitter by a UIC pitcher since Alison Aguilar blanked Fordham on March 16, 2002, when she tossed a no-no against Detroit on April 8th.

Loyola Ramblers
- Sophomore shortstop Kat Krause has team highs of eight home runs and 20 RBI this season. Krause's next round-tripper will equal the Loyola single-season record set by Stephanie Trenerry in 1994. With 12 career homers, Krause is only two shy of moving into a tie for first place on the Loyola career list.

- Loyola is 8-1 this season when scoring four or more runs.

- After not scoring more than seven runs in a game through the first 25 contests of the year, the Ramblers have exploded for 10 or more runs three times in their last 11 contests.

UW-Green Bay Phoenix
- This weekend's series between UW-Green Bay and Cleveland State features the top two strikeout pitchers in the Horizon League. The Phoenix's senior Lisa Meissner leads the league with 133 strikeouts on the season, including an average of 11.1 per seven innings, while the Vikings' Grace Luginbuhl has fanned 124 batters. No other Horizon League pitcher has more than 79 strikeouts.

- Senior Kate Sullivan has 19 RBI in 18 games played this season for an average of 1.06 per game. No other player in the top eight in the league is averaging more than 0.65 RBI per contest.

Wright State Raiders
- It was quite a home debut for Wright State as the Raiders won both ends of Saturday's doubleheader against UW-Green Bay, both coming on the final pitch of each game. Michelle Logan's hit in the eighth plated the only run in a 1-0 decision in the opener and a wild pitch gave WSU a 5-4 win in the second game.

- Freshman Jessie Granger picked up her first two collegiate wins in the sweep Saturday of UW-Green Bay, including a four-hit shutout with seven strikeouts in the opener.

Youngstown State
- Senior shortstop Tiffany Patteson needs 15 more hits to become YSU's all-time hits leader. She currently ranks second with 194, trailing only Amanda Berry (208, 2001-04).

- Junior Karlie Burnell went 1-0 with two saves and a 1.37 ERA last week. On the season, Burnell has three saves.

- Last week, freshman infielder Allyse Ledford batted .500 (6-for-12) with a double and four runs batted in. She also recorded .625 on-base percentage and went 3-for-3 in the series finale against Butler.