Throughout the 2017 softball season, the NFCA will feature some of the sport’s highest-profile contests in our “Featured Five” Games of the Week.
Each weekly installment will be released on Thursday, providing live stat links, game notes, team info, social media accounts and any available broadcast links in hopes of becoming another reason for fans to visit us during the season for information on some of collegiate softball’s best games.
As the year continues, we will attempt to expand our focus to include matchups throughout as many divisions as possible. This week’s featured games come from the NCAA Division I, NJCAA and Cal JC.
Make sure you follow the NFCA on our social media (NFCAorg) through Twitter, (Periscope), Instagram and on Facebook and let us know what you think of our “Featured Five” segment.
DI
No. 2 Oregon (35-0, 8-0 Pac-12 at No. 9 UCLA (26-9, 2-4 Pac-12)
April 7-9/ 7 p.m. / 7 p.m. / 2 p.m. PST | Easton Stadium | Los Angelas, Calif.
Follow: Live Stats (G1 / G2 / G3) | Watch (G1 / G2 / G3 [ESPN2]) | Listen (UCLA)
On Twitter: @OregonSB | @uclasoftball
Statistics: Oregon | UCLA
The Series: UCLA leads the all-time series, 80-24, which inncludes a 33-11 record at Easton Stadium… The Ducks won the last series in Westwood in 2015, 2-1… The Bruins are the last team to beat the Ducks, grabbing a pair of 2-1 victories on May 29, 2016 in the Super Regionals.
Oregon: With two wins over Portland State on Tuesday, Oregon has matched UCLA’s NCAA DI-record for an undefeated start to a season at 35 games… The Ducks are the only undefeated team in Division I… Prior to the wins over Portland State, Oregon swept then-No. 21 Arizona State in a three-game Pac-12 series at home… They are 2-0 in Pac-12 road games, sweeping Utah in a rain-shortened series… Alexis Mack tops the squad with a .462 average and is second with 12 stolen bases… Danica Mecado is at .435 with a team-high 16 steals… Nikki Udria is hitting .427 with a team-best seven homers and 34 RBI… In the circle, Maggie Balint is 16-0 with a 0.86 ERA and 112 strikeouts in 81.2 innings… Megan Kleist is 10-0 with a 0.98 ERA and 75 strikeouts in 78.1 innings, while Miranda Elish is 8-0 with a 1.35 ERA and 63 punchouts in 62 innings.
UCLA (Preview / Notes): The Bruins took two-of-three on the road at then-No. 8 Washington… The victories catapulted UCLA back into the NFCA’s top-10… The Bruins recorded the program’s 1,800th victory with their win on March 26 against Dartmouth … UCLA entered this week’s play tied for sixth in the NCAA in home runs (42), 10th in slugging (.517) and 33rd in batting average (.316)… Junior Johann Grauer is 8-0 with 55 strikeouts in 63.1 innings… Kylee Perez leads the team with a .443 average, 51 hits and 12 doubles… Delaney Spaulding is at .380 with 11 doubles, seven homers and a team-high 30 runs scored… Madeline Jelenicki is hitting .317 with a team-high 36 RBI, while Brianna Tautalafua has launched 10 homers and knocked in 28 runs.
No. 18 Michigan (26-7-1, Big Ten) at No. 25 Ohio State (22-7, 6-0 Big Ten)
April 8 (DH) & 9 – 2 p.m. / 1 p.m. EST | Buckeye Field | Columbus, Ohio
Follow: Live Stats (G1 / G2 / G3) | Watch (G1 / G2 / G3)
On Twitter: @umichsoftball | @OhioState_SB
Stats: Michigan | Ohio State
Michigan (Preview / Notes): The Wolverines kick off a seven-game road swing with this series featuring the only two undefeated Big Ten programs left… Michigan has won 12 straight, including the last seven via shutout… During the streak, the Wolverines have outscored their opponsition, 81-6 and have not allowed a run over the last 43 innings… It’s the longest shutout streak since 2004… Megan Betsa tossed three complete-game shutouts last week with 28 strikeouts and has collected seven consecutive shutouts, not allowing a run over the last 48 innings… Over the stretch, she has fanned 87 batters and allowed just 10 hits and a .065 opposing batting average… Betsa leads the NCAA with 221 strikeouts and ranks third overall at 12.3 strikeouts per seven innings and nine shutouts.
Ohio State (Preview / Notes): Coming off a series sweep of Rutgers and outscoring the Scarlet Knights 32-3, the Buckeyes enter the weekend on an eight-game winning streak… Over the last four games, the Buckeyes have outscored their opposition, 46-4, averaging 11.5 runs a game and batting .485 during that stretch… After a monster week, Emily Clark garnered three weekly player of the week awards (Big Ten, FastPitchNews.com, espnW)… In four games, she hit .875 with two homers, 11 RBI, a .917 OBP and a 1.750 slugging percentage… Clark is hitting .333 with seven doubles, five home runs and 33 RBI… Lilli Piper leads the Buckeyes at .443 with five doubles, two triples, nine homers, 38 RBI and 29 runs scored… Alex Bayne is hitting .344 with a team-high 11 homers, while Anna Kirk (.338) leads the team with 33 runs scoredand a .524 OBP.
No. 8 LSU (31-7, 7-2 SEC) at No. 12 Alabama (33-6, 8-4 SEC)
April 7-9 – 6:30 p.m. / 8 p.m. / 2 p.m. CST | Rhoads Stadium | Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Follow: Live Stats | Watch (G1 / G2 / G3 [ESPN2]) | Listen (Alabama / LSU)
On Twitter: @LSUsoftball |@AlabamaSB
Stats: LSU | Alabama
LSU (Preview / Notes): LSU opens a stretch of seven games away form home… Winners of nine straight, the Tigers are coming off its second straight sweep of a conference opponent last weekend, taking all three from Mississippi State… Since dropping two-of-three at Auburn, LSU has won 13 of its last 14 and made its way into back into the top 10 of the NFCA poll… Offensively, LSU is hitting .335 going into the final full month of the regular season, led by Bailey Landry’s .504 hitting clip and 62 total hits… Also making her way up hitting charts is Sahvanna Jaquish, who led the team in hits, RBIs and average last week, driving in eight RBIs in four games with a .455 hitting average which includes a double and her sixth home run of the season… Featuring two pitchers with ERA’s under 1.00, the Tiger pitching staff as the group has a mark 1.46… Allie Walljasper and Carley Hoover are the two with identical ERA’s of 0.97, as Walljasper leads the group with 11 wins in the circle, while Hoover has the most strikeouts with 113.
Alabama (Preview / Notes): Alabama heads into this weekend following a 5-0 win over Lipscomb…The Tide lead the SEC in strikeouts (364) and is second in wins (33), opposing batting average (.165) and hits allowed (150)… In conference-only games, Alabama is ranked second in hits (81), home runs (7), walks (48), strikeouts (81) and third in batting average (.269), runs scored (56) and RBIs (46)… Alexis Osorio leads the league and is third nationally with 203 strikeouts, one of only four players in the country with over 200 strikeouts… Sydney Littlejohn is third in the SEC with 142 strikeouts, making Alabama and Florida the only SEC schools with multiple 100-strikeout pitchers… Littlejohn also ranks fourth in the SEC with a 0.92 ERA… Alabama is just one win shy of its 500th at Rhoads Stadium, the Tide’s home field since 2000… The Tide are 499-77 (.866) at Rhoads Stadium.
Other Notable DI Games (All Times Eastern)
April 7
6 p.m. – No. 17 Tennessee at No. 20 Kentucky – Live Stats | Listen (UT)
7 p.m. – No. 24 Ole Miss at No. No. 5 Auburn – Live Stats | Watch | Listen (Auburn)
7:30 p.m. – No. 25 Arkansas at No. 24 Missouri – Live Stats | Watch
April 8
3 p.m. – No. 17 Tennessee at No. 20 Kentucky – Live Stats | Listen (UT)
3 p.m. – No. 25 Arkansas at No. 24 Missouri – Live Stats | Watch
4 p.m. – No. 18 Georgia at No. 3 Florida | Live Stats | Watch | Listen (Florida)
4 p.m. – No. 24 Ole Miss at No. No. 5 Auburn – Live Stats | Watch (ESPNU) | Listen (Auburn)
April 9
1 p.m. – No. 17 Tennessee at No. 20 Kentucky – Live Stats | Listen (UT)
1 p.m. – No. 25 Arkansas at No. 24 Missouri – Live Stats | Watch
2 p.m. – No. 24 Ole Miss at No. No. 5 Auburn – Live Stats | Watch (ESPNU) | Listen (Auburn)
7 p.m. – No. 18 Georgia at No. 3 Florida | Live Stats | Watch | Listen (Florida)
NJCAA
No. 1 Butler CC (32-0, 8-0 KJCCC) at Barton CC (22-7, 7-3 KJCCC)
April 7 | 2 p.m. CT | Cougar Field | Great Bend, Kan.
Follow: Watch
On Twitter: @butlergrizzlies | @BartonSports
Stats: Butler | Barton
Butler: The Grizzlies are riding a 70-game winning streak into the weekend… Butler won the final 38 games of 2016 to claim its first NJCAA DI National Championship and have opened 2017 with 32 more wins… The Grizzlies are batting .404 with 61 home runs, 355 runs scored, a .404 OBP and .706 slugging percentage… Kenzie Young is batting a team-best .460 with six doubles, four triples, four homers, 42 RBI and a team-high 49 runs scored… Brynn Minor is hitting .459 with a team-high 17 home runs and 54 RBI, while Allison Jurgensen is at .429 with six doubles, four triples, four home runs, 31 RBI and 26 runs… As a staff, the Grizzlies own a 1.00 ERA led by NJCAA DI ERA leader Regan Mergele, who is at 0.31… She is 14-0 with 105 strikeouts in 67.1 innings of work.
Barton: Barton is the last team to defeat Butler, defeating the Grizzlies, 4-2, on March 3, 2016… The Cougars hit .381 as a team with 36 home runs, a .604 slugging percentage and .449 OBP… Maddison Schofield leads the squad with a .439 average, 12 doubles, two triples, four homers, 29 RBI, 41 runs and a .500 OBP… Jayden Gonzales has a team-best seven long balls with 32 RBI and 20 runs, while Payton Summers leads the Cougars with 35 RBI and is batting .419 with six homers and 21 runs… Payton Reynolds tops the pitching staff with 10 wins, a 3.12 ERA and 49 strikeouts in 67.1 innings.
Other notable NJCAA (All times ET)
April 7
2 p.m. (DH) – No. 5 Midland at No. 12 Odessa
3 p.m. (DH) – No. 20 Southern Idaho at No. 4 Salt Lake
April 8
11 a.m. (DH) – No. 20 East Central (Mo.) at No. 11 Kankakee
2 p.m. (DH) – No. 15 Iowa Central at No. 16 Iowa Lakes
2 p.m. (DH) – No. 5 Midland at No. 12 Odessa
2 p.m. (DH) – No. 20 Southern Idaho at No. 4 Salt Lake
3 p.m. (DH) – No. 1 Butler at Colby
4 p.m. (DH) – No. 16 Central Arizona at No. 10 Yavapai
4 p.m. (DH) – No. 15 Northwest Florida State vs. No. 2 Chipolanor (TCC Panhandle Round Robin)
April 9
1 p.m. (DH) – No. 2 Kirkwood at No. 15 Iowa Central
1 p.m. (DH) – No. 16 Iowa Lakes at No. 8 Des Moines Area
Cal JC
No. 1 Cypress (29-0) at No. 7 Santiago Canyon (21-8-1)
April 7 | 2 p.m. PT | Cypress, Calif.
Follow: Live Stats
On Twitter: @CYPRESSChargers
Stats: Cypress | Santiago Canyon
Cypress: The Chargers are the last remaining undefeated team in the California Community College Athletic Association… Cypress is coming off a midweek 10-3 win at Fullerton… They are batting .386 with a .465 OBP and .546 slugging percentage… Sydney McCollum leads the squad with a .471 average, 48 hits, 14 doubles, four triples and 36 RBI… Destiny Vasquez tops the team with five homers and has knocked in 29 runs… Melanie Okazaki (.427) is tops on the team with 29 runs scored, while adding nine doubles and a .568 OBP… In the circle, Vasquez is 16-0 with a 1.05 ERA and 80 strikeouts in 93.1 innings.
Santiago Canyon: The 2016 state champions are coming off a 10-8 win over Orange Coast College… The Hawks are hitting .418 with a .466 OBP and a .564 slugging percentage… Emili Olague leads the team with a .510 batting average, 50 hits, 10 doubles, six home runs, 39 RBI, a .560 OBP and a .816 slugging percentage… Sydney Doherty is hitting. 500 with 46 hits, a team-best 35 runs and 31 stolen bases, while posting a .531 OBP… Kristen Piazza is 14-5 with a 4.31 ERA.
Other notable NJCAA (All times PT)
April 8
Noon (DH) – No. 3 San Joaquin Delta at No. 13 Diablo Valley
Noon (DH) – No. 1 Cypress at No. 9 Palomar