March 30, 2007
EAST LANSING, Mich. -
Spartan Game Notes
The Spartan softball team travels to No. 8 Northwestern on Sunday for its 2007 Big Ten season opener. The Spartans have won six of their last eight games entering conference play, while the Wildcats have won seven of their last eight decisions. Northwestern swept a two-game series with State last year at Old College Field. MSU will enjoy two off-days on Friday and Saturday, while NU is set to host No. 10 Michigan for a two-game set prior to Sunday's doubleheader. Both games will be available via Gametracker on www.msuspartans.com.
A Look At The Spartans
Michigan State enters weekend action with an 18-14 overall record. The Spartans dropped an 11-1 decision to visiting Bowling Green in the home opener at Old College Field on Wednesday.
All-Time Big Ten Opener Record
Michigan State is 9-16 all-time in Big Ten openers, including a 5-8 mark under current head coach Jacquie Joseph.
Series History
Northwestern holds a 56-28 advantage in the all-time series with the Spartans. Over the course of the past 10 seasons, however, MSU holds a slight 13-12 edge.
A Look At The Wildcats
Northwestern finished its preconference schedule with a 24-6 record, including a 9-3 mark against ranked teams in preparation for the Big Ten season. Senior pitcher Eileen Canney enters this weekend as the two-time defending Big Ten Pitcher of the Week, and sophomore Tammy Williams leads the Big Ten with a .515 batting average, 52 hits and 43 runs scored. Freshman hurler Lauren Delaney enters the conference season with a flawless 12-0 mark, and a league-best 1.06 ERA. Senior smasher Garland Cooper currently leads the conference with 11 home runs and 38 RBI. The Wildcats most recently completed an 11-day, 10-game Spring Break road trip with a 9-1 record, including notable wins over No. 9 Michigan and No. 25 California.
Bowling Green Recap
Meghan Darhower tallied MSU's only RBI of the day in an 11-1 home-opener loss to Bowling Green on March 23. Rachel Turney started for the Spartans in the circle, falling to 6-7 for the year in the complete-game loss.
Big Ten Statistics
In the most recent Big Ten statistics (March 27), Michigan State is seventh in team batting with a .280 average, and sixth in team pitching with a combined 2.71 ERA. Kara Weigle is seventh in individual batting (.402) while she also leads the league with eight triples, ranks fifth with 41 hits and second with 37 RBI.
Spartan Honor Roll
Sophomore catcher Kara Weigle earned her first career Big Ten Player of the Week award on Feb. 20. Weigle hit .667 (10-for-15) with four triples and two home runs to earn all-tournament honors at the Hampton Inn Bama Bash. She was the first MSU Player of the Week honoree since the 2005 season. The Naples, Fla., native earned Co-Player of the Week honors on March 27 for her contributions at the Miami Invitational. Junior outfielder Traci Nicosia joined Weigle on the Hampton Inn Bama Bash All-Tournament Team. Nicosia contributed seven hits, including three doubles and five RBI for the Spartans.
Breakout Numbers
Sophomore catcher Kara Weigle is just 13 RBI and four triples away from Michigan State single-season highs in both categories. Weigle's current totals of eight triples, four home runs and 37 RBI are all career-highs for the Naples, Fla., native, while she is just three hits shy of a career-high.
Home Openers
Michigan State is 17-18 all-time in home openers after Wednesday's loss to Bowling Green. The Spartans are now 9-5 in home openers under current head coach Jacquie Joseph.
Perfect Hair Day
Behind Megan Hair's first-career perfect game, the MSU softball team won its sixth straight, and improved to 9-6 with a non-conference doubleheader sweep (9-0, 8-0) of Saint Joseph's on March 6 at the EC Moore Complex in Clearwater Fla.. Hair's flawless game was the first in the Big Ten Conference this season, and the first individual perfect-game performance in MSU history, as the only other recorded perfect outing was a combined effort by Becky Gray and Jessica Beech against IPFW during the 2002 season.
This And That
Through the first 32 games of the season, junior Nikki Nicosia has posted the longest individual hitting streak at nine games. Both Gina Mondo and Traci Nicosia have posted five-game hitting streaks this season.
Green And White Watch List
Several Spartans continue to climb the career record chart. Nicole Mercado ranks 12th with 165 career hits. The LaHabra, Calif., native is just one triple away (10) from claiming the fifth-highest total in Spartan history, currently held by Shealee Dunavan.
Senior Dayna Feenstra continues to climb her way toward the top of the career record book in multiple categories. The Lakewood, Calif., native ranks 10th with 167 career hits, third with 42 career doubles, and tied for second 20 career home runs.
In the circle, senior hurler Rachel Turney is fourth all-time with 366 career strikeouts, and junior pitcher Lesley Noel ranks third with seven career saves to her credit. On the bases, keep an eye on junior speedster Nikki Nicosia. Nicosia moved up three spots to fourth (46) with 11 stolen bases thus far in 2007. Nicosia passed two-time All-American Jessica Beech (42) to claim the fourth-highest all-time Spartan total.
Collegiate Debut
Freshman hurler Kelly Confer pitched 4.2 strong innings in the circle to lead MSU to its fifth-consecutive season-opening victory when it defeated Toledo on Feb. 16. Confer allowed four hits, while striking out four Rocket batters.
Season Openers
With its 13-9 victory over Toledo on Feb. 16, MSU has won five-straight season-opening contests. In the 36-year history of Spartan softball, Michigan State has gone 26-10 in season-opening games, including a 10-4 mark under current head coach Jacquie Joseph.
Hampton Inn Bama Bash Recap
The Spartans won their fifth-consecutive season opener, and finished weekend action at the Bama Bash with a 3-1 record. State fell to No. 5 Alabama (8-0), posted two wins over Radford (9-7, 9-2) and defeated Toledo (13-9). Sophomore catcher Kara Weigle finished weekend play with a 10-for-15 effort at the plate, including four triples and two home runs. She also added eight runs and a team high nine RBI en route to all-tournament team honors. Junior outfielder Traci Nicosia joined Weigle on the all-tournament team. Nicosia tallied seven hits, including three doubles and five RBI. Freshman hurler Kelly Confer won her collegiate debut last Friday in MSU's 13-9 victory over Toledo. Confer allowed four hits and six earned runs in 4.2 innings in the circle. Senior Rachel Turney had a rocky start to her season with a loss to Alabama on Friday, but rebounded with back-to-back victories over Radford to begin the season 2-1. Sophomore Megan Hair and junior Lesley Noel each made two relief appearances for the Spartans.
Palm Springs Classic Recap
Michigan State faced three teams ranked in the top 25, including the top-ranked Tennessee Lady Vols, in weekend action at the Palm Springs Classic, Feb. 23-25. MSU struggled against the elite field, opening weekend action with an 8-0, six-inning loss to No. 12 UCLA, before finishing day one with a 4-1 loss to Cal State Fullerton. MSU began day two with a 3-0 loss to Tennessee, and followed with a 4-0 defeat to No. 15 Washington. Oklahoma State defeated the Green and White, 6-4, in Sunday's tournament finale. Sophomore Kara Weigle and junior Traci Nicosia each tallied four hits at the Classic, while sophomore hurler Megan Hair paced MSU in the circle with three starts in weekend action.
USF-Adidas Invitational Recap
Michigan State finished play at the USF-Adidas Invitational with a 3-4 record, with victories over Mercer, Chattanooga and Robert Morris. MSU lost to Indiana in the Bronze Bracket of playoff action on Sunday. Nikki Nicosia led the Green and White with 12 hits, while sister Traci tallied a team-best six RBI in weekend play.
FAU Parents Weekend Tournament Recap
Michigan State posted a 3-2 record at the FAU Parents Weekend Tournament, March 16-18. The Spartans dropped consecutive 3-0 decisions to No. 3 Texas A&M and host FAU, before defeating Quinnipiac, 2-0, and UMass, 8-3, to finish pool play. State defeated UMass, 8-6, in the tournament playoffs Sunday. Sophomore catcher Kara Weigle led the Green and White with five hits and six RBI.
Miami Of Ohio Invitational Recap
Senior hurler Rachel Turney tossed her first career no-hitter in an 8-0 victory against Miami, and Kara Weigle led a strong offensive attack with seven hits and 12 RBI at the Miami Invitational, March 24-25. State opened weekend action with a 7-3 non-conference loss to Purdue, but answered with three consecutive victories to conclude tournament play. State run-ruled Youngstown State, 14-0, posted a comeback victory against Toledo to earn a 9-8 win, and earned the walk-off 8-0 win against host Miami. Nikki Nicosia contributed seven hits and three stolen bases, Nicole Mercado and Caitlin Mahoney added four RBI each, and Dayna Feenstra and Meghan Darhower added six and four hits, respectively.
