Softball Preps for Busy Six-Game Horizon League Homestand, Hosts Detroit, Valpo
4/12/2011 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Weekly Notes in PDF
The Youngstown State softball team begins its longest homestand of the season, an eight-game stretch over the next eight days, beginning with a three-game Horizon League series against Detroit (5-21, 0-6 Horizon League), April 12-13. The Guins and Titans play a single game, Tuesday, at 6 p.m. and a doubleheader, Wednesday, beginning at 3 p.m.
The Guins also host Valparaiso (22-15-1, 5-4 Horizon League) in a three-game series, April 16-17, at McCune Park and close out the homestand with a non-league doubleheader against Akron, Tuesday, April 19.
The Guins (19-14, 2-7 Horizon League) are coming off a season series win over UIC last week by taking two of three games in Chicago, Ill. The Guins defeated the Flames, 6-3 and 7-3, but lost the middle contest, 11-0.
After losing six straight games, the Guins snapped the skid with a doubleheader sweep of Toledo (4/7) before taking the season series from the Flames.
Senior Kim Klonowski led the Guins to the 4-1 record last week and was named the Horizon League Player of the Week for April 11.
About Detroit
Detroit enters the week with a 5-21 overall record and a 0-6 mark in the Horizon League. Rachel Copple leads the team with a .308 batting average while Julia Maksym leads the pitching staff with a 3-7 record. The Guins and Titans have met 24 times before and the Guins own a slim 12-11-1 edge in the all-time series. The Guins have won five of the last eight meetings, including sweeping the three-game series in 2010.
About Valparaiso
Valparaiso is currently 22-15-1 overall and 5-4 in the Horizon League. Sara Strickland leads the Crusaders offensively with a .376 batting average. Jordan Rutkowski and KC Boldt each have six home runs to share the team lead. Alex Lagesse has a team-best 3.04 earned-run average with a record of 8-8 while Sam McGee leads the staff with an 11-5 record.
Up Next
The Penguins close out the eight-game homestand with a non-league doubleheader against Akron, Tuesday, April 19, at 3 p.m.
Klonowski Named Horizon League POW
Senior Kim Klonowski was named the Horizon League Player of the Week for April 11. It marks the third time in the last five weeks a Youngstown State player has garnered the award from the league, and the fourth time this season that a YSU has received a weekly honor. Junior Jordan Ingalls was named the player of the week on March 21 and March 28, and freshman Casey Crozier was named the pitcher of the week on Feb. 28. This fourth award ties for the most number of times Youngstown State has earned a player/pitcher-of-the-week award in a season. The last time YSU received four player of the week honors was in 2005. The Guins set the mark of four awards in 2004. Klonowski batted .467, went 7-for-15 on the week, crushing her first two home runs of the season, driving in four while recording a hit in four of the five contests. In the Penguins' doubleheader versus Toledo, the senior belted her first homer of the season in a 10-0 rout that capped the sweep. Her second long ball of the week came in the opener of the League series on Saturday, helping push Youngstown State to a 6-3 win over UIC.
One From 20
With one more victory, the Guins will notch their 20th victory of the campaign. It will mark the first time since 2006 that the Penguins will reach the 20-win plateau and just the fourth time since joining the Horizon League in 2001-02.
Guins Among League's Top Offenses
Currently the Guins lead the Horizon League with a .306 batting average and also are among the league leaders in several offensive categories. Besides batting average, the Guins lead the league in on-base percentage (.380), triples (9) and walks (98). The Guins rank second in slugging percentage (.430), runs (169), hits (266), RBIs (152), doubles (41) and total bases (373).
Ingalls League's Top Hitter
Junior Jordan Ingalls currently leads the Horizon League with a .417 batting average and is just one of two Horizon League players batting at least .400. Ingalls, who leads the league with four triples, also ranks second in the league with a .680 slugging percentage, 43 hits and 33 runs batted in.
Guins in the Clutch
The Guins have done a tremendous job hitting in the clutch this season. As a team, the Guins are batting .306 (89-for-291) with two outs and have posted 64 two-out RBIs. The Guins seem to do their best work with runners in scoring position batting .326 (95-for-291). With runners on third and less than two outs, the Guins are batting an impressive .635 (47-for-74).
Somogyi Picks Up Three Wins
Sophomore Hana Somogyi picked up three important wins for the Guins last week. Somogyi tossed her first career shutout - a two-hitter against Toledo (4/7) - and earned both of the Guins' victories over UIC last weekend. Last week, Somogyi went 3-0 with a 3.89 earned-run average.
Crozier, Rendle, Rumph Among League Leaders
Freshman pitcher Casey Crozier is making a name for herself among Horizon League pitchers. Crozier ranks fourth in the league with 10 wins, but is also fourth with 111.1 innings pitched. She is sixth in the circuit with 72 strikeouts and ninth with a .246 opposing batting average. Senior Kristina Rendle and sophomore Vicky Rumph are also in the top 10 in batting average. Rendle ranks fifth in the league with a .358 batting average while Rumph is ninth at .340.
