The East Central University softball team will have a slow Spring Break week, playing a double-header against Minnesota Duluth, Sunday, March 16 at 1 p.m. at Lady Tiger Field and then having the rest of the week off before traveling to Bethany, Okla., for a four-game Great American Conference series with Southern Nazarene, March 21-22.  Double-headers are scheduled for 2 p.m., Friday, March 21 and noon, Saturday, March 22.

Game Notes

The Coverage
Fans who can't be at the game can find links to live stats, live video (if available) on ECUTigers.com.  Go to the softball schedule page.

Scouting Minnesota Duluth
The Bulldogs are 11-6 overall and have not started the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference season yet.  Because of the winter weather up north, UMD has been playing inside for the last nine games.  The Bulldogs will start a tour of the GAC, playing ECU, Southeastern, Southwestern and Arkansas Tech over the next week.

UMD has a team hitting percentage of .307 and is allowing a .279 for the season.  While they have a small (134/124) hitting advantage, they have scored 30 more runs (88-58) than their opponents because they have hit 12 more extra base hits (47/35).

Sami Schnyder is the team's leader at the plate with a .415 average, 12 runs scored, 22 hits and seven RBIs.  Jordan Rice leads the team with 17 RBIs, while adding 13 runs and 19 hits.

The Bulldogs have three pitchers, with two picking up most of the action.  Cayli Sadler leads the team with an 8-4 record in 60 innings pitched.  She has allowed 60 hits and 19 runs, while striking out 64 batters.  Sam Hartmann is next with 38 innings of work, 55 hits and 37 runs allowed and 29 K's.

Against the Bulldogs
Sunday's meeting will be the first between the two teams in ECU history.

Scouting Southern Nazarene
The Crimson Storm are 9-10 overall and 4-6 in the GAC heading into this weekend's games.  SNU will battle with Southeastern over the weekend and then play Mid America Nazarene at home March 17.

The Crimson Storm has a .301 batting average and are allowing a .273 mark by the opposition.  They have a slight (91/86) runs leads, but have a 160 to 135 hits advantage.  The difference is a deficit in extra base hits at 27-36.

Kylie Lang is the top producer at the plate for SNU, with a .422 batting average, 17 runs, 27 hits and five RBIs.  Megan Blevens adds a .370 average, nine runs, 20 hits and 14 RBIs.

Kayla Wyatt is one of the two key pitchers on the staff of four for the Crimson Storm.  Wyatt is 5-3 on the season in 58.2 innings.  She has allowed 62 hits and 36 runs, while striking out 54.  Andee Frazier is the other key pitcher, with a 4-4 record in 47.2 innings of work.  She has allowed 48 hits and 26 runs, while recording 24 strike outs.

Against the Crimson Storm
Last season, the Lady Tigers and SNU faced each other four times, with ECU earning three wins.

Sophomore Jordynn VanPelt and senior Gina Mengwasser led the Lady Tiger returners with .500 batting averages.  VanPelt had seven hits, two runs and five RBIs, while Mengwasser added six hits, three runs and seven RBIs.

Kylie Lang is the top returner for the Crimson Storm, with a .600 average.  She tallied six hits, scored twice and added an RBI.  SNU has no returning pitchers from the series.

Among the Nation's Best
The first set of NCAA statistics came out for games through March 9 and the Lady Tigers are ranked in the top-100 in several categories as a team and have four players in the top-50 individually.

ECU's highest ranking is no. 15 in double plays per game (1.00).  The Lady Tigers also rank No. 17 in batting average (.341), No. 21 in home runs per game (1.00) and No. 21 in slugging percentage (.521).

Individually junior Chelsea Patterson is No. 28 in triples (2).  Senior Gina Mengwasser and sophomore Jordynn VanPelt are tied for No. 47 in home runs (5) and sophomore Autumn Suydam is No. 64 in batting average (.479).

Tigert Player of the Week
Sophomore Leah Tigert had a strong first GAC weekend for the Lady Tigers and was named the GAC Player of the Week for her efforts.

Tigert notched a pair of four-hit games in the Lady Tigers' four-game series against the Lady Reddies. She hit .688 with a 1.125 slugging percentage.

The Hennepin, Okla., native collected a home run, a triple and two doubles. She scored three runs and drove in five runs. During her current six-game hitting streak, she has recorded five multiple-hit games.

Reeves Stepping Up
Sophomore Lauren Reeves came up big for ECU in the opening GAC series against Henderson State.  The Tulsa, Okla., native tallied a .467 average, seven hits, five runs scored and seven RBIs.  The biggest hits she had in the weekend came in day one.  In the opening game, Reeves hit a game-winning double that scored three of the seven runs the Lady Tigers tallied in the top of the seventh to rally and win.  Reeves also added a game-winning grand slam in game two of the day.

Nunley GAC Pitcher of Week
Junior Brianna Nunley was been named the Great American Conference Pitcher of the Week for Feb. 11.

The Moore, Okla., native earned two wins against No. 17 Angelo State at the Rambelles' George McCorkle Classic. On Saturday, she recorded her third career shutout as she held Angelo State to just five hits. On Sunday, she entered the game with the score tied at four and threw two scoreless innings as the Lady Tigers rallied for a win.

Solid Suydam
Sophomore Autumn Suydam had a strong weekend at the George McCorkle Classic, hitting .538.  Suydam led ECU with seven hits, added four runs and two RBIs.  

VanPelt Belting Some Out
Sophomore Jordynn VanPelt had a big day for the Lady Tigers in the opening day of the ASU Tournament.  VanPelt hit two game-winning home runs.  In the first game, against Texas A&M International, she hit a three-run shot over the scoreboard in center field.  In the second game of the day she sent home the only two runs of the game, with a shot to left field against Angelo State.

GAC Preseason Poll
The success from a year ago and the retention of the majority of the 2013 squad has not gone unnoticed by the GAC coaches, as ECU was picked to finish second (87 points/2 first-place votes) in the 2014 GAC Preseason Poll.

Southeastern Oklahoma State was picked to finish first, with 97 points and seven first-place votes.  Arkansas-Monticello was picked third (75 points/2 first-place votes), Arkansas Tech fourth (70 points), Southern Arkansas fifth (60 points), Henderson State sixth (59), Ouachita Baptist and Southern Nazarene seventh (36 points), Northwestern Oklahoma State ninth (33), Southwestern Oklahoma State 10th (27) and Harding 11th (25).

Up Next
After Spring Break, the Lady Tigers will travel to Southeastern Oklahoma State for a Tuesday, March 25 double-header at 1 p.m. and then return home to face Arkansas-Monticello, March 28-29 at Lady Tiger Field.