MSU Set to Battle Concordia Thursday

3/23/2011 5:14:13 PM

What's Lies Ahead: The #15 Minnesota State softball team will square off with the Golden Bears of Concordia on Thursday in a nonconference doubleheader. The first pitch is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m., inside the Vadnais Sports Center in Vadnais Heights, Minn.

Up Until Now: Minnesota State enters the week with a 21-4 record and is coming off a 3-1 weekend in Rochester, Minn., beating Upper Iowa twice and went 1-1 against #8 Winona State.

Honors, Accolades and More: Three different Mavericks have earned weekly honor awards, including most recently NSIC Player of the Week Natalie Spicer and NSIC Pitcher of the Week Courtney McKelvogue.
    To earn her Player of the Week award, Spicer batted .667 as she went 8-for-12 from the plate against WSC and UIU. The senior power-hitter hit four home runs in four games, while tallying 13 runs batted in. The Minnetonka, Minn., native touched 20 bases, recording a 1.667 slugging percentage and had a .714 on base percentage.
    In her second Pitcher of the Week award on the season, McKelvogue picked up two wins last weekend, beating #8 Winona State Friday, 4-1, and Upper Iowa Sunday, 8-0. In both games combined, the sophomore pitcher gave up seven hits, struck out 13, including a one-hitter in her five inning performance Sunday against the Peacocks. Opponents hit .167 against McKelvogue this weekend as she allowed only one extra base hit in her 12 innings.
    Minnesota State freshman Lindsay Erickson received the NSIC Player of the Week award on March 14.

Nationally Speaking: In the nation, MSU ranks tenth in batting average (.336), 15th in fielding percentage (.973) and stolen bases per game (2.24)
    McKelvogue is currently 15th in the nation in ERA (0.94), 12th in hits allowed per seven innings and 36th in strike outs. Freshman Kelly Wood sits 22nd in the nation in batting average (.471), while freshman teammate, Lindsay Erickson, sits 42nd in the nation in batting average (.447). Erickson also is 21st in the nation in doubles averaging .44 per game. Spicer sits 48th in the nation in runs batted in per game (1.12) and 45th in the nation for walks per game (0.69). The speedsters Lauryn Morris and Melanie Upchurch sit tied with one another 19th in the nation in stolen bases per game (0.72). Upchurch is tied in 15th in the nation in triples (3).

Lead Me: MSU's Erickson is posting a .737 slugging percentage and leading the team in extra base hits (15). Spicer is leading the Mavericks with 28 runs batted in, while hitting .397. Spicer is also leading the team in home runs (6), slugging percentage (.512) and walks (17) and on base percentage (.512). The junior Upchurch tallies 24 runs, 18 stolen bases and three triples on the season.
    Sophomore pitcher McKelvogue gathers a 11-2 record on the season, including a 0.94 earned run average. McKelvogue has given up just nine extra base hits in her 74.1 innings pitched, with batters hitting just .162 against her. Junior pitcher Kendra Huettl is 9-2 on the season with a 3.25 earned run average.

What Lies Ahead: Minnesota State is schedule to open its NSIC schedule against Minnesota Duluth April 2, in Mankato, Minn.

For live stats on Thursdays game click HERE

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