LAKELAND, Fla.—After dropping a close doubleheader to Webber on Saturday, the Fire will look to bounce back with nine games over the next six days. Southeastern will meet for three doubleheaders in Clermont before returning home for a tripleheader against Calumet College.
GAME 1:
#16 Southeastern (8-4) vs. Point Park University (0-2)
Date: Monday February 26, 2018
Times: 5:30 p.m.
Location: Clermont, Fla.
Premier Pitching:
Newcomers
Hannah Bodenhorn and
Ashley Appell have handled a majority of the responsibilities in the pitching circle for the Fire this season. Both players are 4-2 through 12 games, as Southeastern boasts the third most strikeouts (80) and ninth lowest opponent batting average (.187) in the country. As of late, the Fire have shut down opposing offenses, giving up a mere 1.4 runs per contest in their last ten.
Bodenhorn, who ranks 16
th in the NAIA in opponent batting average (.135) and hits allowed per nine innings (3.31), also leads the Sun Conference in strikeouts per nine innings (9.72). The transfer from North Alabama has a 0.97 ERA and has given up only 17 hits all season, highlighted by a no-hitter on February 10
th against Trinity Baptist.
Point Park:
Point Park University softball opened its 2018 season in Clermont, Fla. with two losses against No. 22 Warner University, 9-3 and 2-0. Junior Tiffany Edwards went 2-for-3 with an RBI in the first game of the year, and wrapped up the doubleheader with an impressive showing in the circle. Edwards, who started 19 competitions for the Pioneers in 2017, pitched a complete game in the second contest of the twinbill. She allowed a single earned run and three hits in six innings of work.
GAME 2:
#16 Southeastern (8-4) vs. Mount Vernon Nazarene University (0-0)
Date: Monday February 26, 2018
Times: 7:30 p.m.
Location: Clermont, Fla.
Mount Vernon Nazarene:
Mount Vernon Nazarene ended last year with a 20-30 (13-23) record; however, the Cougars won five of their last six games of the regular season. The team only graduated one senior from their roster a year ago, giving them experience in the field and at the plate. Though MVNU finished seventh in the Crossroads League, its pitching staff ranked third in the conference, allowing only 132 runs with a 2.77 ERA.
The phenomenal pitching staff is led by senior Anna Boue', who ranked fourth in the Crossroads League with an ERA of 1.98. Boue' also ranked third in the league in strikeouts per game (5.68) and was fifth in opponents' batting average (.238), earning all-conference honors for her performance.
GAMES 3-4:
#16 Southeastern (8-4) vs. Cleary University (3-4)
Date: Tuesday February 27, 2018
Times: Game 1- 2:00 p.m., Game 2- 4:30 p.m.
Location: Clermont, Fla.
Cleary:
Cleary University enters its contest with the Fire at 3-4 after close losses to St. Francis (Ind.) and Concordia. Despite the recent downfalls, right fielder Sarah Hall has excelled. Hall is batting a team-high .550 at the plate, while registering multiple hits in four contests so far. The St. Clair Community College transfer is currently on a six-game hit streak heading to Clermont. She will look to extend that stretch today as Cleary is set to face Ave Maria before matching up with Southeastern.
GAMES 5-6:
#16 Southeastern (8-4) vs. Spring Arbor University (0-0)
Date: Friday March 2, 2018
Times: Game 1- 11:30 a.m., Game 2- 2:00 p.m.
Location: Clermont, Fla.
Spring Arbor:
The Cougars come into this season after a 19-36 (13-23) campaign in 2017. They return lone senior and all-Crossroads League Team honoree Kelsey Brown. Brown ranked ninth in the conference in strikeouts per game (3.7), recording a career-high 79 on the year. Not only does Brown pitch and play the infield, she also contributes offensively. The fourth-year player led Spring Arbor with a .355 batting average, while collecting ten doubles and launching five home runs.
GAMES 7-9:
#16 Southeastern (8-4) vs. Calumet College (0-2)
Date: Saturday March 3, 2018
Times: Game 1- 12:00 p.m., Game 2- 2:00 p.m., Game 3- 4:00 p.m.
Location: SEU Softball Complex- Lakeland, Fla.
Calumet:
The Crimson Wave are winless after a doubleheader with No. 12 Campbellsville by scores of 11-0 and 16-6, respectively. The Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference members struggled in 2017, recording their first losing season in conference play since 2010 after going 7-17 against league teams.
Claire Shapker, who ranks seventh in total hits allowed (2) and 17
th in earned runs allowed (1) in the NAIA, worked a solid three innings in the twinbill for Calumet versus Campbellsville. Last year for the Crimson Wave, Shapker struck out 37 batters and pitched seven complete games.
Game Coverage:
For the games in Clermont, live stats will be available at portal.stretchinternet.com/southeastern and in-game updates will be tweeted through @SEUFireSoftball on Twitter. For the tripleheader against Calumet, there will be live stats and video at seufire.com/watch and in-game updates will be tweeted.
