The Basics
The Drake softball team is set to close out its regular season with four games this week. The Bulldogs will first travel to Ames, Iowa to challenge Iowa State in the final non-conference game of the year on Wednesday, April 30. Drake returns to Ron Buel Field over the weekend to host Missouri State in a conference series, May 2-4. Sunday's game against Missouri State will also feature the celebration of this year's seniors on Senior Day.
Bulldogs by the Numbers
Coming into the final week of the regular season, the Bulldogs currently sit in seventh place in the MVC standings. Drake has won four of the eight conference series it has played this season and posts an overall record of 21-28 and a conference mark of 12-12. Drake went 1-3 last week losing to Iowa in a midweek contest and dropping two of three on the road against Valpo in a weekend conference series.
Overall, the Bulldogs are hitting .257 and have produced 186 runs on 329 hits. Senior
Sami Miller leads the team in batting, hitting at a clip of .371 on the season. She also leads the team in slugging at .714.
Emma Dighton continues to provide a productive bat leading Drake in home runs (11) and RBI (37). The senior from Boone, Iowa currently ranks T6th in homers and T5th in RBI in the Missouri Valley Conference.
Another senior,
Paige Bedsworth, has been impressive from the pitchers circle with a record of 10-2 on the season. She also has the best ERA among the Bulldog pitching staff at 1.98. Senior
Molly Hoekstra tops the team in strikeouts with 50 over 92.2 innings of work.
Scouting Iowa State
The Cyclones have been playing well in the month of April going 17-6 in its last 23 games of action. Iowa State is coming off a busy week that saw the team play six games in seven days. The Cyclones went 5-1, which included a road series win over Utah.
Jessie Clemons and Sereniti Trice, a pair of freshmen, lead the Iowa State offensive attack. Clemons leads the team in batting average (.389), hits (61) and doubles (13), while Trice leads the squad in runs scored (44) and stolen bases (14). Clemons has a team-high 61 hits, with Trice following right behind with 60.
ISU's pitching staff is highlighted by Lauren Schurman. She leads the way with a team-low ERA of 3.41 and has tossed 123.1 innings, a team-high, and owns 62 strikeouts, also a team-high. Jaiden Ralston has 11 starts in 38 appearances with 49 strikeouts. Meanwhile, Abby Huhn and Sami Potvin have also seen time this season.
Scouting Missouri State
Despite the Bears owning an overall record of 16-32, they have fared better in conference action with a mark of 13-11. Missouri State sits just one spot ahead of the Bulldogs in the MVC standings in sixth place and is just one game ahead of Drake. Last week, Missouri State went an even 4-4 taking a midweek victory over Tulsa, but lost two of three against Belmont.
Among qualified players, McKenzie Vaughan is hitting at a clip of .274 for the Bears this season which is a team-best. She also leads the team in runs scored (20), hits (40), home runs (13), and RBI (39). Sidney McLaughlin, who has made 33 appearances with 21 starts, has the best batting average among all Missouri State players at .338.
Vaughn also serves as the top arm in the Missouri State pitching staff. With a record of 9-8 over 27 appearances, she holds an ERA of 3.96. In 97.1 innings of work, the senior ranks second on the Bears with 42 punchouts. Meanwhile, Makenzi Swick has totaled the most appearances (35) in the circle and leads the team in strikeouts (53).
Up Next
Drake will look forward to the MVC Tournament. The Bulldogs will await their next opponent once final seeding is determined after the conclusion of all conference games on Sunday, May 4. The MVC Tournament will take place May 7-10 on the campus of Drake from Ron Buel Field.
