Softball | 2/23/2018 8:31:00 AM

THE DETAILS
Bloomsburg (0-0, 0-0 PSAC) vs. Lees-McRae (3-9, 0-0 Conf. Carolinas)
Saturday, Feb. 24, 2018 at 10:00 a.m.
Byerly Park | Hartsville, S.C.
 
Bloomsburg (0-0, 0-0 PSAC) vs. Shepherd (0-0, 0-0 MEC)
Saturday, Feb. 24, 2018 at 3:00 p.m.
Byerly Park | Hartsville, S.C.
 
Bloomsburg (0-0, 0-0 PSAC) vs. Charleston (0-0, 0-0 MEC)
Sunday, Feb. 25, 2018 at 9:00 a.m.
Byerly Park | Hartsville, S.C.
 
Bloomsburg (0-0, 0-0 PSAC vs. Fairmont State (0-0, 0-0 MEC)
Sunday, Feb. 25, 2018 at 11:00 a.m.
Byerly Park | Hartsville, S.C.
 
TOURNAMENT COVERAGE
Tournament Central - Click here
Live Stats vs. Lees-McRae - Click here
Live Stats vs. Shepherd - Click here
Live Stats vs. Charleston - Click here
Live Stats vs. Fairmont State - Click here
 
RELATED LINKS
Bloomsburg - Schedule | Roster | Statistics
Lees-McRae - Schedule | Roster | Statistics
Shepherd - Schedule | Roster | Statistics
Charleston - Schedule | Roster | Statistics
Fairmont State - Schedule | Roster | Statistics
 
STORYLINE
BU looks to open their season in a tournament field of teams from all over the Atlantic and Southeast regions. Four teams including Bloomsburg finished last season ranked in the top 10 of their respective region.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES
This will be the first ever meeting between Bloomsburg and Lees-McRae.
 
This will be the 11^th all-time meeting between Bloomsburg and Shepherd. BU leads the all-time series 9-1.
 
Bloomsburg and Charleston have played four games all-time, with Bloomsburg holding a 3-1 series lead.
 
This will be the eighth meeting all-time between Bloomsburg and Fairmont State. Bloomsburg holds a 6-1 lead in the series.
 
LAST MEETING
Shepherd shut Bloomsburg out 9-0 in a mercy rule game back on Mar. 11, 2017. The Huskies totaled four hits in the contest, headlined by a 2-2 performance from Taylor Winkelman (Springfield, Pa/Springfield). Emily Mayhew (Perkasie, Pa./Pennridge) and Mallory Tomaschik (Catawissa, Pa./Southern Columbia) each collected one hit in the loss. Taylor Parker (Dewart, Pa./Warrior Run) took the loss in the circle, allowing four hits and four earned runs in just 1.2 innings. She also walked four, hit one and recorded one strikeout. Alyssa Davies (Mountain Top, Pa./Crestwood) logged 2.2 innings in relief, while Erin Smith (Tunkhannock, Pa./Tunkhannock Area) pitched the final 0.2 innings.
 
Charleston ended Bloomsburg's 2017 season, defeating the Huskies 5-3 in the NCAA Atlantic Regional I tournament back on May 12, 2017. Scoreless for the first three innings, BU took a 1-0 lead on a solo homer by Holly Peacock (Williamsport, Pa./Jersey Shore) in the bottom of the fourth. Charleston responded for three runs in the top of the fifth to take a 3-1 lead. Bloomsburg would tie the game on two runs in the bottom of the sixth. Abbey Remley (Berwick, Pa./Berwick Area) recorded a sacrifice fly to score Emily Getz (Hagerstown, Md./North Hagerstown), before Bridget Casey (Perkasie, Pa./Pennridge) singled to score Tomaschik and tie the game. The Golden Eagles would score twice in the top of the seventh to secure the win and move on in the Atlantic Regional tournament.
 
The Huskies defeated Fairmont State 5-1 during last season's Spring Break trip on Mar. 15, 2017. Bloomsburg scored in the second, third and fourth innings while holding the Fighting Falcons to just one run to get the win.  RBI singles in the second inning from Emily Mayhew (Perkasie, Pa./Pennridge) and Anna McElroy (Jessup, Pa./Valley View) got the Huskies in front, followed up by a Kalynn Wheeland (South Williamsport, Pa./South Williamsport) long ball in the third. To cap off the scoring in the fourth, Wheeland roped a two-RBI single to score Winkelman and McElroy to pad the BU lead. Parker got the win in the circle, allowing one unearned run on five hits while walking five and punching out nine.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Bloomsburg's 2017 season ended with the aforementioned NCAA Atlantic Regional loss to Charleston.
 
Lees-McRae split a doubleheader at Tusculum on Tuesday (Feb. 20) to move their record to 3-9. The Bobcats took game one 3-1 before the Pioneers were victorious 2-1 in game two. Game one was scoreless into the fourth, before back-to-back RBI singles from Alix Green and Caitlyn Ray put the Bobcats up 2-0. Lees-McRae padded their lead with a RBI single down the right field line by Katie Robinson to score eventual winning pitcher Kara Cunningham. Tusculum scored once in the bottom of the seventh, but that is all they would get. The Bobcats totaled 10 hits in the win, led by three from Robinson and two-apiece from Cunningham and Green. Cunningham collected her third win of the year in the circle, allowing one earned run on four hits through all seven innings. She also walked four and fired one strikeout. There would be no scoring after the fourth inning in game two, with Tusculum scoring both its runs in the third and Lees-McRae scoring once in the fourth. After a two-spot by the Pioneers in the third, Robinson poked a RBI single to left field to score Noel Cassidy. The Bobcats only collected three hits in the second game, with base knocks from Sarah Tucker, Robinson and Green. Cassidy Largen took the loss in the contest, allowing two earned runs on three hits in six innings. She issued three free passes while punching out three.
 
Shepherd's 2017 season came to a close with a 4-2 loss to No. 18 West Chester in the Atlantic Regional I title game back on May 14, 2017. Scoreless through five innings, Shepherd broke through first with two runs in the top of the sixth. Conor Gilligan dropped a single down the right field line to score Sarah North and move Alexandra Witt to third, before a fielder's choice off the bat of Lori Sturgill retired Gilligan at second and scored Witt. West Chester scored four times in the bottom of the sixth to take the lead for good.
 
The golden Eagles played Winston Salem State in a double-header on Friday (Feb. 23). Results were not gathered in time for this preview. Charleston's 2017 campaign ended with a 9-0 mercy rule loss to eventual Atlantic Regional II champion No. 7 West Virginia Wesleyan back on May 31, 2017. West Virginia Wesleyan scored first in the bottom of the first, then did most of their damage with a six-run third inning. The Bobcats scored twice in the bottom of the fourth to secure the victory. Four different Golden Eagles recorded hits in the loss.
 
SCOUTING BLOOMSBURG
The Huskies finished the 2017 season ranked sixth in the Atlantic Region. In 2017, Bloomsburg finished with a record of 31-20 including a 16-4 mark in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC). The Huskies were one of three league teams besides eventual league-champion West Chester (48-13, 13-3 PSAC) and Kutztown (31-17, 13-3 PSAC) to win at least 30 games last season. Bloomsburg battled its way through the PSAC tournament, reaching the title game before falling to West Chester 6-0. Moving on to the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional tournament, the Huskies dropped their first two games to Kutztown (2-1) and Charleston (5-3). Bloomsburg boasted four All-PSAC selections in Taylor Parker (Dewart, Pa./Warrior Run), Mallory Tomaschik (Catawissa, Pa./Southern Columbia), Emily Mayhew (Perkasie, Pa./Pennridge) and Taylor Winkelman (Springfield, Pa/Springfield). Parker was tabbed the division's Athlete of the Year, while Tomaschik was named Pitcher of the year in the Central. Mayhew and Winkelman were both selected all-conference in the outfield. Mayhew hit .325 in 2017, collecting 52 hits with 12 doubles. She also scored 28 runs while knocking in 20 runs. Winkelman was the team's leading hitter among qualified individuals, knocking her way to a .352 average with 59 total hits including 12 doubles and two home runs. She scored 39 runs while driving in 20.  The Huskies return a core of upper-classmen this season with six seniors, five juniors and three sophomores. The Huskies also return some arms from last season in Alyssa Davies (Mountain Top, Pa./Crestwood) and Erin Smith (Tunkhannock, Pa./Tunkhannock Area), who combined logged 43.1 innings in the circle last season. Davies totaled a 2-2 record in 15 appearances with a 3.44 earned run average (ERA), while Smith appeared in three games to pitch.
 
SCOUTING LEES-MCRAE
On the season, the Bobcats are hitting .219 as a team, along with a .292 on-base percentage and a .281 slugging percentage. Robinson's .391 average leads the team individually and is eighth in Conference Carolinas. She is also tied for second on the team in hits with nine, behind Chelsea Digregorio who has 10. In the circle, the Bobcats own a 3.68 ERA, as well as a .271 batting average against. Cunningham and Largen have each appeared in seven games with six starts, with Cunningham having a 3-4 record on the season with five complete games. Cunningham has totaled 40.0 innings in the circle, while Largen has logged 31.2. Cunningham was also recently named the Conference Carolinas Pitcher of the Week.
 
SCOUTING SHEPHERD
Shepherd finished last season ranked fourth in the Atlantic Region. The Rams were picked to win the North division of the Mountain East Conference (MEC) with 11 votes and 66 points. Shepherd's 41-22 (21-11 MEC) season was one to remember, as they reached the NCAA Atlantic Region I final. Returning for the Rams will be junior outfielder Kaitlyn Konopka who hit .350 last season, as well as Gilligan who batted .317 in 2017. Sturgill returns in the circle after going 12-5 with a 1.81 ERA a season ago, while Kaitlin Munda returns for her senior season after winning eight games in 2017.
 
SCOUTING CHARLESTON
The Golden Rams finished last season ranked fifth in the Atlantic Region. Finishing last season with a 37-21 overall record including a 22-10 record in the MEC, Charleston was picked to finish third in the MEC South division in the preseason poll. Four of the nine starters from last season return. Charleston also returns Jessie Rowe (18-9 record in 2017) to the circle, and first team all-conference backstop Haleigh Cristopher who was also picked as the conference Freshman of the Year.
 
UP NEXT
The Huskies will travel to Salem, Va. Where they will participate in the regional crossover tournament hosted by West Virginia Wesleyan. The two-day event will feature games against Wheeling-Jesuit and Chowan on Mar. 10, and Concord and West Liberty on Mar. 11.