Kansas travels to SIUE for Midweek Matchup

Game 30
 

Date March 22, 2017
Location Edwardsville, Ill.
Notes Game Notes

LIVE COVERAGE
Audio Audio Stream
Stats Live StatsLAWRENCE, Kan. — Kansas softball travels to SIU-Edwardsville for its final nonconference tune up before starting Big 12 Conference action on Friday. The midweek matchup against SIUE is slated for Wednesday, March 22 at 3 p.m., at Cougar Field.    

Leading off for Kansas

  • Kansas softball went 3-2 in its final nonconference tournament of the 2017 season and improved to 18-11 on the year. After back-to-back home tournaments, the Jayhawks moved to 6-2 when playing at Arrocha Ballpark in 2017.
  • Senior infielder Taylor Dodson hit her sixth home run of the season last weekend. She ranks third in the Big 12 in long balls hit this season, just two behind the leader. 
  • Junior infielder Jessie Roane has hit 10 doubles during her junior campaign, which is tied for the second-most doubles recorded by anyone in the Big 12 Conference this season.
  • KU ended the 2017 Rock Chalk Challenge with a pair of walk-off winners, including a three-run home run from freshman Madison Sykes against Southeast Missouri State.
  • The Jayhawks hosted No. 12 LSU over the weekend, marking the first nationally-ranked opponent to visit Arrocha Ballpark this season. KU is 0-2 against teams in the top-25 polls in 2017. 

About the Jayhawks
After finishing the Rock Chalk Challenge with a 3-2 mark, Kansas improved to an 18-11 record on the season. KU’s fifth meeting with SIU-Edwardsville on Wednesday is the final tune up before starting Big 12 Conference action on Friday, March 24, against No. 14 Baylor. Two of the Jayhawks’ victories last weekend were walk-off winners. KU owns a 12-9 record away from Lawrence in 2017.  

Kansas’ offense is batting .307 in 2017 with 231 hits, including the most home runs (26) in the Big 12, and 82 walks. Nine Jayhawks are hitting above .300 after 29 games. Junior utility Jessie Roane is batting .381 with five home runs, 10 doubles and 27 RBIs, which is the third-most in the league. Freshman infielder Madison Sykes recorded her second career home run over the weekend, a three-run walk-off home run against Southeast Missouri State. 

The Jayhawks’ pitching staff has posted the third-best ERA in the conference with a 2.34 ERA. After a pair of wins last weekend, sophomore Alexis Reid improves to 10-6 on the season with 59 strikeouts and a 2.02 ERA. She ranks 16th in the country in shutouts thrown with four. Senior Sophia Templin earned her first victory in the circle and has posted a 1.91 ERA after five relief appearances. 

Scouting Cougars
SIU-Edwardsville owns a 21-5 record in 2017 with four of its five losses to nationally-ranked teams. The Cougars are 2-1 when playing at home this season after having spent most of their nonconference slate on the road. SIUE was selected to finish the Ohio Valley Conference in second place behind Jacksonville State. 

Offensively, the Cougars are batting .286 with 188 hits, including 39 doubles, two triples and 10 home runs, and 61 walks. Seven players on SIUE’s roster are hitting above .300. Redshirt freshman infielder Zoe Schafer is hitting a team-high .372 in 26 starts with a team-best 29 hits. Senior infielder Allison Smiley leads the team in RBIs recorded with 27. 

In the circle, SIUE has posted a 2.05 ERA with 230 strikeouts and 48 walks in 174 and one-third innings of work. Opposing batters are hitting .210 against the Cougars’ pitching staff. Freshman Emily Ingles has a team-low 1.75 ERA with a 7-1 record. She has struck out 82 batters in 60 innings pitched. Senior hurler Haley Chambers-Book, the 2015 OVC Pitcher of the Year, is 10-4 in the circle and has thrown 11 complete games. She has struck out a team-high 118 batters and posted a 1.86 ERA in 90 and one-third innings of work. 

Following Kansas
Listen to every pitch, home and away, all season long as part of the Jayhawk Radio Network, in partnership with KJHK, the University of Kansas’ student radio station, KLWN and KWOD. All of KU’s contests will be carried live, for free, at KUAthletics.com/radio or by clicking the link on the online schedule. Fans can also get in-game updates via twitter by following @KUsoftball.

The Jayhawk Way
From the moment a student-athlete steps on campus, Kansas head softball coach Megan Smith and her staff begin the process of instilling the Jayhawk Way into their team. The philosophy guides the Jayhawks in competing on the diamond, in the classroom and being a part of the community. There are several core values that the Jayhawks learn to live by while playing at Kansas: family, academics, character and hard work.

Up Next
Kansas begins Big 12 Conference play with a three-game series against No. 14 Baylor on Friday, March 24 at 5 p.m., at Arrocha Ballpark at Rock Chalk Park. All three games will air on the Jayhawk Radio Network, while the first two games of the series will be broadcast on the Jayhawk Television Network.  

KUAthletics.com: The official online source for Kansas Athletics, Williams Education Fund contributions, tickets, merchandise, multimedia, photos and much, much more.
 

Powered by WMT Digital