THE STORY
• The Bloomsburg University softball team kicks off the 2019 campaign with three games at Glenville State College this weekend. The Huskies will open the season Saturday with a single game against West Liberty, before battling West Virginia State in a doubleheader Sunday afternoon. First pitch Saturday is slated for 3:00 p.m. from the Sue Morris Sports Complex.
THE HISTORY: BLOOMSBURG vs. WEST LIBERTY & WEST VIRGINIA STATE
• The Huskies are 10-0 all-time against West Liberty, including a 4-2 win over the Hilltoppers back in March of 2017. Bloomsburg has also fared well against West Virginia State, leading the all-time series with the Yellow Jackets, 4-2. The two teams have not met since 2016, with the Huskies claiming a 4-0 victory.
THE HUSKIES AT A GLANCE
• The Huskies went 20-22 overall and 11-9 in the PSAC Central in 2018, and reached the PSAC Tournament for the eighth consecutive season dating back to 2011. The second seed in the Central entering the postseason, Bloomsburg defeated California (Pa.) 4-1 on Day 2 of the Tournament to earn head coach
Susan Kocher her 250th career win at the helm of the Huskies. Bloomsburg's postseason run would come to an end later that day in a 9-4 loss to Seton Hill.
• The Huskies return three All-PSAC Central players in 2019 in Wheeland, senior
Taylor Winkelman (Springfield, Pa/Springfield), and sophomore
Tara Baney (Howard, Pa./Bellefonte). Wheeland was named to the Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) All-American second team a season ago after leading the Huskies with a .414 batting average. Her .742 slugging percentage and 46 RBI both ranked second in the PSAC, while her .448 OBP was tied for 13th
in the conference. Winkelman started in all 42 games for Bloomsburg last season, posting a .324 batting average, a .428 slugging percentage, and 12 doubles. She was named to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-Atlantic Region first team in 2018, as well as the Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) All-Atlantic Region second team.
• Baney started 12 games in the circle for the Huskies as a freshman in 2018, compiling an 8-6 record and a team-low 2.78 ERA. At the plate, Baney batted .321 in 20 starts, tallying four doubles and three homers. She drove in 13 runs and scored nine times while slugging .554 on the year. Baney and sophomore
Abby Wild (Collegeville, Pa./Perkiomen Valley) will return for the Huskies pitching staff this season, with Wild tallying three wins in 16 appearances and six starts in 2018.
• In addition, Bloomsburg will return three key starters from last season in seniors
Marissa Shelhamer (Bloomsburg, Pa./Central Columbia),
Emily Getz (Hagerstown, Md./North Hagerstown), and junior
Ashli Venokur (East Brunswick, N.J./East Brunswick). Venokur was third on the team in batting average (.365) and tallied nine RBI in 32 starts behind the plate, while Shelhamer started 37 games and batted .327. Getz posted a .254 average and tallied five RBI in 25 starts.
SCOUTING THE HILLTOPPERS
• West Liberty enters Saturday's contest at 2-8 on the young season, and are looking to snap a seven game losing skid dating back to February 9. The Hilltoppers will host Shippensburg in a single game Saturday morning before battling Bloomsburg in the afternoon.
• The Hilltoppers are powered by sophomore Kat Donzella, who leads the team in batting average (.485), home runs (6), runs batted in (10), and runs scored (12). Her 17 hits lead the Mountain East Conference (MEC) this season, and her 10 RBI are good for second in the conference. Katie Beeman has six runs batted in on the year, while Sydney Bennington is hitting .385 with two doubles, four RBI, and six runs scored.
• Mackenzie Amend has been a workhorse in the circle for West Liberty, notching five starts and eight appearances on the year. The sophomore is 2-4 with a 4.14 earned run average (ERA), and has fanned 33 batters. Riley Bennington has started four games for the Hilltoppers and has tallied 10 strikeouts.
SCOUTING THE YELLOW JACKETS
• West Virginia State is 6-3 entering the weekend, but the Yellow Jackets are looking to get back on track after dropping their last two games. West Virginia State started the season 4-0 with a wins over Kutztown and Shippensburg in early February, but the Yellow Jackets have won just two of their last five outings.
• Danielle Lebsock has been a force offensively for West Virginia State, sporting a .524 batting average with two homers, two doubles, and five RBI. Kasey Murphy leads the team in runs batted in (12) and home runs (3), while Brittany Allison is 12-of-26 (.462) at the plate with three round-trippers and 10 runs RBI.
• The West Virginia State rotation features four veterans in Murphy, Emily Thompson, Emilee Walker, and Emily Moore. Thompson is 3-0 in four appearances and has allowed just two earned runs on 12 hits, while Walker is 1-0 with a 3.18 ERA and a team-high 18 strikeouts.
LOOKING AHEAD
• The Huskies will remain on the road next Tuesday, March 12, when they travel to Harrogate, Tennessee, for a doubleheader with Lincoln Memorial. Bloomsburg will visit Tusculum College in Greeneville, TN, on Wednesday, March 13, before traveling to Salisbury, North Carolina, on March 14 to face Catawba College. First pitch with Lincoln Memorial is set for 2:00 p.m. Tuesday.
