May 10, 2006

EAST LANSING, Mich. -

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The Green and White softball team (34-24, 9-11 Big Ten) will travel to Evanston, Ill., May 11-13 to take part in the 2006 Big Ten Softball Tournament. MSU enters tournament play as the No. 7 seed and will face No. 2 Michigan (37-13, 13-4), Thursday, May 11 at 3 p.m. Michigan State has an all-time 6-8 record in Big Ten postseason play, and is making its fourth consecutive appearance and seventh overall. Under the direction of current head coach Jacquie Joseph, State holds a 6-6 mark and won its first-ever Big Ten Tournament title in 2004 as the No. 8 seed. Every first round and semifinal game of the tournament will be webcast live with streaming audio and video available for free through NUSports.com and CSTV's All-Access, while radio broadcasts of all of MSU's games will be available on msuspartans.com.

A Look At The Spartans Playing in its fourth consecutive Big Ten Tournament, Michigan State (34-24, 9-11 Big Ten) looks to capture its second championship title in three seasons, beginning with an opening round contest against No. 2 Michigan on Thursday. The Spartans most recently suffered a series sweep against the Wolverines last weekend. First baseman Dayna Feenstra anchors a strong Spartan lineup at the plate with 49 hits, including team-highs of 15 doubles, nine home runs and 41 runs batted in. Center fielder Nikki Nicosia owns a team-best .303 batting average, adding 25 runs and a team-high 17 stolen bases for the season. Nicosia is one of eight Spartans, along with Feenstra, Nicole Mercado, Traci Nicosia, Caitlin Mahoney, Meghan Darhower, Dana Rosenblatt and Gina Mondo, to have registered at least one home run this season. Mahoney split time at the designated player and third base positions throughout the regular season, and she tallied a career-best 38 hits, which included 11 doubles and six home runs. Darhower, one of two Spartans (Feenstra) to have started all 58 regular-season games, set new career highs in nearly every statistical category: hits (44), doubles (8), RBI (20) and tied her career mark with one home run. Mondo was a mainstay in the Green and White lineup during her freshman campaign, starting 57 games at second base, posting 34 hits, 24 runs and 18 runs batted in. Freshman catcher Kara Weigle made 42 starts behind the plate, leading the rookie class with a .291 batting average, was 10-for-13 in stolen bases, 44 hits, 17 runs scored and 12 multi-hit games. Mercado boasts a .291 batting average and a team-best five triples in 56 starts in the Spartan outfield. Traci Nicosia spent time at both the shortstop and left field positions in 2006 and has accounted for 39 hits, including 11 doubles, one home run and 16 RBI. All three Michigan State pitchers tallied at least seven wins in 2006, led by Rachel Turney with a team-best 17 wins, 18 complete games and 135 strikeouts from the circle. Hurler Lesley Noel won her first three starts against league opponents and finished the regular-season with a career-best 10 wins and 72 strikeouts. Freshman Megan Hair made an immediate impact for the Spartan pitching staff, pitching a no-hitter in her first collegiate start against Seton Hall on Feb. 17. Hair struck out 53 batters in 85.2 innings pitched and held opponents to a .223 average at the plate. The pitching staff holds a combined 2.26 ERA, has tossed nine shutouts, a no-hitter and nine two-hit games this season.

Michigan Update Michigan, the defending Big Ten Tournament and NCAA Champion, enters tournament play as the No. 2 seed having most recently swept MSU in the final series of the regular season. The Wolverines have won four straight and 12 of their last 15 games heading into Thursday's contest against the Spartans. Becky Marx boasts a team-best .336 average at the plate, accounting for 49 hits (11 doubles, 11 home runs) and a team-high 41 runs batted in. Five Wolverines have started all 50 games including Marx, Teddi Ewing, Samantha Findlay, Alessandra Giampaolo and Tiffany Haas. Center fielder Giampaolo tallied 49 hits, which includes 11 doubles and two triples, while first baseman Findlay added a .314 average at the plate, 43 hits (10 doubles, 7 home runs) and 34 RBI. Hurler Jennie Ritter holds a team-low 0.70 ERA, holding opposing batters to a .129 average at the plate. In 209.2 innings from the circle, Ritter has a 24-6 overall record, has tossed 23 complete games, 12 shutout victories, 351 strikeouts and has allowed just 92 hits. Lorilyn Wilson boasts a 1.53 ERA in 18 starts this season, allowing 79 hits in 109.2 innings. Wilson holds opposing batters to a .198 batting average and has tallied 135 strikeouts during regular-season play. The Wolverine staff holds a 1.78 ERA, has posted 20 shutout wins, a no-hitter and seven one-hit games.

MSU In The Big Ten Tournament, Historically Speaking The 2006 tournament marks Michigan State's seventh appearance in the Big Ten Tournament since 1982, when the league began sanctioning women's athletics. Overall, the Spartans have a 6-8 record in the tournament, with three of those wins coming during their 2004 tournament title run. Their first win came in 1997 (4-2 against Purdue) where they finished third of four teams. MSU's other appearances came in 1982, 1997, 1999, 2003, 2004 and 2005. Michigan State is 6-6 under the direction of current head coach Jacquie Joseph and has appeared in six Big Ten Tournaments.

Final Big Ten Standings Northwestern won the Big Ten regular-season title with a 16-3 record and will host the 2006 Big Ten Championship Tournament. Michigan (14-4) enters tournament play as the No. 2 seed, followed by No. 3 Iowa (12-7), No. 4 Ohio State (11-7), No. 5 Penn State (10-10), No. 6 Indiana (8-9), No. 7 Michigan State (9-11) and No. 8 Illinois (8-11). Purdue (7-12), Wisconsin (6-11) and Minnesota (1-17) did not earn a bid to postseason play.

State Against The Tournament Field MSU posted a combined 4-10 record against the 2006 Big Ten Tournament field, which included a series sweep over Indiana, splits against Iowa and Illinois and two losses to Michigan, Northwestern, Ohio State and Penn State.

The Michigan Series The Wolverines hold a 62-24 advantage in the all-time series, including an 10-5 upper hand in the last five seasons. Under the direction of Jacquie Joseph, MSU is 11-27 against its intra-state rival. During the back-to-back NCAA Regional seasons in 2003 and 2004, State won three and two games in the season series, respectively. State last defeated the Wolverines in the 2004 Big Ten Tournament, en route to its first-ever tournament title. Michigan swept the 2005 regular-season series and defeated MSU, 6-2, in the opening round of the Big Ten Tournament, and swept MSU, May 6-7 at Old College Field.

Big Ten Tournament Rivalry The rivalry between MSU and Michigan also extends into postseason play. Michigan State entered the 2004 tournament as the eighth seed and defeated top-seeded Michigan, 5-1, in the opening round. MSU went on to claim its first-ever Big Ten Tournament title, defeating Northwestern and Illinois in the process. Michigan got its revenge in 2005, defeating the Spartans, 6-2, in opening-round action.

This Season Against Michigan Michigan dominated the Spartans in the final series of the regular season, posting 13 runs against just two by the Green and White offense. Wolverine hurler Jennie Ritter held MSU to two hits and one run in a 4-1 game one win, while Ritter and Stacy Delany combined to allow three hits and one run in a 9-1 five-inning win in the series finale. Spartan pitcher Rachel Turney gave up three home runs to the Wolverine bats, while the Green and White staff combined to allow 23 hits and 12 earned runs.

Last Season Against Michigan Big Ten Tournament Although MSU dropped five of its last six Big Ten contests of the year, its 7-9 record was good enough for an eighth-place finish in the league standings and a trip to the conference tournament. After suffering consecutive losses to the top-ranked Wolverines to end the Big Ten regular season, MSU entered the 2005 Big Ten Tournament as the eighth seed, earning a first-round matchup against Michigan. State faced Jenny Ritter, the Big Ten Pitcher of the Year, for the third consecutive contest and fell 6-2 despite a fourth-inning home run from Elizabeth Peterson.

Big Ten Regular Season Playing in front of a record crowd at Alumni Field in Ann Arbor, No. 1 Michigan defeated Michigan State, 8-0 and 9-1, a year ago. Both games went only five innings due to the Wolverines having at least eight-run leads. Wolverine hurler Jenny Ritter pitched both games of the doubleheader sweep, holding the Spartans to just seven hits for the day. Nicole Mercado led the Spartan offense with two hits in game two and a 3-for-3 combined effort in the series.

Against Ranked Opponents In 2006, MSU is 1-3 when facing a ranked opponent. MSU fell, 5-4, in extra innings against then-No. 12 Georgia, and defeated then-No. 25 North Carolina, 5-3, at the FAU Parents' Weekend Tournament on March 18. The Spartans recently suffered a series sweep against then-No. 14 Northwestern, April 28-29, and lost the final two games of the regular season to then-No. 13 Michigan, May 6-7.

Big Ten Statistical Ranks MSU ranks fourth overall in the Big Ten in team batting and fifth in team pitching in all games played, however, in Big Ten games, State holds seventh place in both categories. Caitlin Mahoney leads the Spartan bats in conference play with a .364 average (seventh), while Megan Hair has a team-low 2.55 ERA against conference opponents.

Dayna, Dana The duo of Dayna Feenstra and Dana Rosenblatt have accounted for 30 extra base hits, 59 RBI and 15 of MSU's 27 home runs in 2006. Rosenblatt hit her first career home run in MSU's 5-3 win over then-No. 25 North Carolina and recorded her first career grand slam in State's 8-2 win against Purdue on April 8. Feenstra hit two home runs in MSU's 5-1 victory against Buffalo on March 5 and currently ranks fourth in the Spartan record book with 17 career home runs.

Career Marks Several Spartans set new career highs during the regular season. Junior Dayna Feenstra anchored the Spartan offense where she set career marks with 20 runs, 49 hits, 15 doubles and nine home runs. Junior Nicole Mercado set a new career high with five triples while Caitlin Mahoney accounted for a career-best 38 hits, which included 11 doubles and six home runs during her sophomore campaign. Nikki Nicosia hit her first collegiate home run on March 19 and posted a career-high 37 hits during the regular-season.

Pitching Woes State has gone 2-10 in its last 12 games, and the Spartan pitchers have struggled from the circle. Rachel Turney has allowed six home runs during the stretch, Lesley Noel has allowed five home runs, and Megan Hair has allowed two four-baggers, while opponents have hit .302 at the plate. In the 10 games prior to the current streak, the trio allowed a combined three home runs, and held opposing batters to a .233 batting average.

Tough Stretch Until the 5-4 victory in the second game of the doubleheader against Illinois on April 30, MSU had lost a season-high seven consecutive Big Ten contests, and enters the Big Ten Tournament with losses in nine of its last 10 conference games. In State's first eight league wins of the year, the Green and White offense tallied 63 hits, 35 runs and a .309 average at the plate. During its recent struggles, MSU has posted just 44 hits, 19 runs and a .186 average at the plate.

Coming On Strong Dayna Feenstra continues to climb in multiple categories in the Spartan record book. With three RBI against Northwestern and Illinois, Feenstra's 97 career RBI move her to fifth on the all-time list. Feenstra hit two home runs against the Wildcats and Illini, climbing to third in the MSU record book with 17 career homers.

League Dominance Spartan third baseman Caitlin Mahoney leads MSU in nearly every offensive category against league opponents. Mahoney has 20 hits including five doubles and four home runs in league play. Mahoney is the only Spartan with double-digit RBI totals (15) and holds a team-best .364 batting average.

A Closer Look At The Numbers The Spartans are better than their opponents in nearly every offensive statistical category - batting average (.270-.224), hits (409-329), runs (224-166), RBI (204-154), doubles (65-49), home runs (27-22) and total bases (569-464). MSU has hit seven triples this season, including five by Nicole Mercado and two by Nikki Nicosia.

One At A Time With 34 wins, State has posted its 12th consecutive season with at least 21 victories - MSU's best season in the win/loss column came in 1997 under the direction of Jacquie Joseph, when State competed in the NCAA Regionals and finished the season with an impressive 47-22 mark.

Rookie Power Freshman catcher Kara Weigle has made 42 appearances behind the plate in 2006. She also leads the freshman class with a .293 batting average, 44 hits and 14 RBI. In the field, Weigle has committed just one error, gunned down nine stolen base attempts and picked off two opposing base runners.

Heavy Hitting MSU gave up double-digit hit totals in consecutive losses to Michigan last weekend, marking the first time Spartan pitchers have allowed opponents to post 10 or more hits in back-to-back contests this year. State gave up a season-high 13 hits to Ohio State in the 13-4 loss on April 23. Spartan pitchers have allowed double-digit hit totals eight times in 2006: versus Southern Illinois (10), Toledo (10) Iowa (10), Ohio State (13), Northwestern (11), Illinois (10), and in both regular season contests against Michigan (11, 12).

Bring It Home Dayna Feenstra set a single-game record with seven RBI in MSU's 16-6 win against Wright State on March 9. Caitlin Mahoney, Dana Rosenblatt, Meghan Darhower and Traci Nicosia have each posted one game with four RBI, while as a team, MSU posted 46 multi-RBI games.

Freshman At The Plate Freshman second baseman Gina Mondo posted a team-best nine-game hitting streak from March 19-March 31 and has posted six multi-hit games heading into tournament play. Freshman catcher Kara Weigle led the rookie class with 12 multi-hit games, a .291 batting average, 44 hits and 14 RBI during regular season play.

Grand Slam Performance Designated player Dana Rosenblatt hit her first career grand slam in an 8-2 victory over Purdue on April 8. During her first two seasons at MSU, she recorded just four hits in five starts; in 2006, Rosenblatt has made a significant impact on the Spartan offense with 23 hits, 18 RBI, and six home runs.

Did You Know? The Green and White offense has posted 12 games with double-digit hit totals in 2006, most recently against Detroit on April 18 (10). State has posted at least five runs in 21 games, and has scored 10 or more three times. In 2005, MSU managed six games with double-digit hit totals, and just 11 games with at least five runs scored.

Slim Margins State has played in 28 games decided by two runs or less. The Spartans are 10-8 in one-run games, and hold a 5-5 mark in games decided by two runs.

Best In A While MSU's 8-2 start in Big Ten play was the best opening to a conference season since the 1997 campaign, when State began the year 12-0 against league opponents. The Spartans earned bids to both the Big Ten Tournament and NCAA Regionals that year.

Multiple Efforts The Spartan offense has tallied 93 multi-hit and 46 multi-RBI games in 2006. Nikki Nicosia has 12 multi-hit games, highlighted with a 5-for-5 performance vs. Wright State on March 9. Dayna Feenstra has 11 multi-RBI games, including two games with at least five RBI. Feenstra tallied five RBI against Buffalo on March 5, and set a single-season record with seven RBI against Wright State on March 9.

Around The Bases Michigan State has posted 27 home runs through the first 58 games of the season. In 2005, the Spartans managed just 11 home runs in 54 games played. Dayna Feenstra and Dana Rosenblatt have each hit two home runs in Big Ten play and Caitlin Mahoney has hit a team-best four home runs against league competition.

The 15-Win Mark Michigan State reached the 15-win mark in just 23 games. It is the fastest the Spartans have reached 15 wins since the 2003 season when the Spartans started 15-3. State's 4-0 start at the Holiday Inn Express Pirate Classic marked the best start by a Spartan squad since the 1997 season when Jacquie Joseph led MSU to a 7-0 mark to begin the year.

MVP In Style Spartan pitching ace Rachel Turney went 2-0 at the Pirate Classic with wins against Army and host ECU in the championship game of the weekend. For her play, Turney was named the Holiday Inn Express Pirate Classic Tournament MVP, and also Big Ten Pitcher of the Week. Turney garnered her second MVP honor when she was selected, along with teammate Dayna Feenstra, as the FAU Parents Weekend Tournament co-MVP on March 19.