Softball Report - May 8 (PDF)
This Week's Games
2017 OVC Softball Championship Schedule - Oxford, Ala.
Wednesday, May 10
Game 1 - #3 SIUE vs. #6 Eastern Kentucky – 10 a.m.
Game 2 - #2 UT Martin vs. #7 Tennessee Tech – 12:30 p.m.
Game 3 - #4 Eastern Illinois vs. #5 Murray State – 3 p.m.
Game 4 - #1 Jacksonville State vs. #8 Belmont – 5:30 p.m.
Thursday, May 11
Game 5 – Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2 – 10 a.m.
Game 6 – Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2 – 12:30 p.m.
Game 7 – Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4 – 3 p.m.
Game 8 – Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4 – 5:30 p.m.
Friday, May 12
Game 9 – Winner Game 5 vs. Loser Game 7 – 10 a.m.
Game 10 – Winner Game 8 vs. Loser Game 6 – 12:30 p.m.
Game 11 – Winner Game 6 vs. Winner Game 7 – 3 p.m.
Game 12 – Winner Game 9 vs. Winner Game 10 – 5:30 p.m
Saturday, May 13
Game 13 – Winner Game 12 vs. Loser Game 11 – 10 a.m.
Game 14 – Winner Game 11 vs. Winner Game 13 – 12:30 p.m.
(If necessary, Game 15 follows approximately 30 minutes after Game 14)
All times central
adidas® OVC Players of the Week - May 8
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Jordan Spicer, 1B, So., Hendersonville, Tenn. - Belmont
Spicer was perfect at the plate in the win over Southeast Missouri, 3-for-3 with a home run and a double to record a pair of RBI. On the road Murray State, she went 1-for-2 with a sacrifice bunt. In the regular-season finale versus Tennessee State, she went 3-for-5 for the day, hitting her fifth home run of the season.
Others Nominated: Kacy Acree, Austin Peay; Haley Mitchell, Eastern Illinois; Paige Murphy, Eastern Kentucky; Kaylee Ranburger, Murray State; Allison Smiley, SIUE; Carly Gonzales, UT Martin
CO-PITCHER OF THE WEEK:
Brooklin Lee, P, Fr., Buns, Tenn. - Belmont
Lee recorded the complete-game victory at Murray State, striking out six.She notched another complete game victory, striking out 11. Lee now has 18 complete games for the season. With her 17 strikeouts last week, she moved into the top spot on Belmont's all-time single season strikeouts list.
Haley Chambers-Book, P, Sr., Coatesville, Ind. - SIUE
Against Eastern Illinois, Chambers-Book took a no hitter into the top of the seventh inning for the fourth time this season. She lowered her ERA to 1.19 for the season as she tossed her 10th complete game shutout. Chambers-Book fanned six and now needs 42 strikeouts for 1,000 in her career. She earned her OVC-leading 24th win of the season and now has 86 in her career, which is No. 2 all-time.
Others Nominated: Alex Sallberg, Eastern Kentucky; Brooke Kennedy, UT Martin
2017 OVC Softball Team Notes
AUSTIN PEAY (17-31 overall, 5-15 OVC): Austin Peay split a doubleheader with Murray State to conclude the 2017 season. Sophomore Kacy Acree recorded five hits in her six at-bats in the two games. She reached base six times and scored three runs while also driving in run. With her two hits in the second game versus Murray State, sophomore Danielle Liermann tied the school for the most hits by any player in her first two seasons. The Governors finished the season with a 17-31 overall mark and a 5-15 OVC record
BELMONT (34-20 overall, 10-12 OVC): Belmont defeated Southeast Missouri and Murray State before sweeping a doubleheader with Tennessee State last week. The Bruins earned their first trip to the OVC Softball Championship. Sophomore Jordan Spicer hit .700 with two runs scored and seven RBI. She hit one double and two home runs over the four games. Freshman Brooklin Lee went 2-0 in the circle, giving up just two earned runs and striking out 17 in 14.0 innings of work. Belmont is the eighth seed in the OVC Tournament and will face top-seeded Jacksonville State on Wednesday.
EASTERN ILLINOIS (27-19 overall, 10-5 OVC): Eastern Illinois defeated No. 20 Illinois before splitting a doubleheader with SIUE to close out the regular season. Freshman Haley Mitchell went 6-for-10 over the three games with five RBI. She went 3-for-4 versus Illinois. Against SIUE, she went 3-for-4 with a grand slam. The Panthers will be the fourth seed in the OVC Softball Championship and will face No. 5 Murray State on Wednesday.
EASTERN KENTUCKY (25-29 overall, 11-9 OVC): Eastern Kentucky split a doubleheader with Western Kentucky before taking a pair from Morehead State to conclude the regular season. Junior Paige Murphy went 4-for-9, scoring five times and driving in five runs. She hit a grand slam in the first win over the Eagles. Senior Alex Sallberg went 1-1 with a 0.81 ERA last week. She picked up the win over Eagles in the second game as she came in and tossed two innings of perfect relief. She gave up just one run over her four appearances and 8.2 innings of work. The Colonels will be the sixth seed in the OVC Softball Championship and will face No. 3 SIUE on Wednesday.
JACKSONVILLE STATE (36-10 overall, 15-1 OVC): Jacksonville State had its season-ending doubleheader with Tennessee Tech rained out. The Gamecocks won the regular-season title and the No. 1 seed in the OVC Softball Championship. The Gamecocks will face No. 8 Belmont on Wednesday.
MOREHEAD STATE (26-22 overall, 6-12 OVC): Morehead State dropped a pair of games to Eastern Kentucky to close out the 2017 campaign. The Eagles finished the year with a 26-22 overall mark while going 6-12 in the OVC.
MURRAY STATE (35-16 overall, 11-7 OVC): Murray State fell to Belmont before splitting a doubleheader with Austin Peay to close out the regular-season. Sophomore Kaylee Ranburger hit .500 over the three games with one run scored and two runs batted in. She also went 2-for-2 in stolen base attempts. The Racers will be the fifth seed in the OVC Softball Championship and will face No. 4 Eastern Illinois on Wednesday.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI (23-27 overall, 8-14 OVC): Southeast Missouri fell to Belmont before splitting a doubleheader at UT Martin to close out the 2017 season. The Redhawks finished the year with a 23-27 overall mark while going 8-14 in the OVC.
SIUE (38-11 overall, 13-5 OVC): SIUE split a doubleheader with Eastern Illinois to close out the regular season. Senior Allison Smiley hit .429 with one run scored, two doubles, 1 home runs and four RBI. She recorded RBIs in three different innings in the win over the Panthers. She finished the weekend with a 1.143 slugging percentage. Senior Haley Chambers-Book took a no-hitter into the top of the seventh inning for the fourth time this season. She she notched another win in the circle and lowered her ERA to 1.19 for the season. It also marked her 10th complete-game shutout of the season. Alyssa Heren took over the team lead in home runs with her sixth at EIU. She also has 27 stolen bases, which is the most by a Cougar in the Division I era. SIUE earned the third seed in the OVC Softball Championship and will face No. 6 Eastern Kentucky on Wednesday.
TENNESSEE STATE (12-37 overall, 2-19 OVC): Tennessee State dropped a doubleheader to Belmont to close out the 2017 season. The Tigers finished the year with a 12-37 overall mark and went 2-19 in the OVC.
TENNESSEE TECH (16-28 overall, 8-8 OVC): Tennessee Tech had its season-ending doubleheader with Jacksonville State rained out. The Golden Eagles earned the seventh seed in the OVC Softball Championship and will face No. 2 UT Martin on Wednesday.
UT MARTIN (36-16 overall, 13-5 OVC): UT Martin split a doubleheader with Southeast Missouri to close out the regular-season. Senior Carly Gonzales extended her on-base streak to a season-long 28 games after going 2-for-5 in the two games versus the Redhawks. She hit a home run and drove in three. Senior Brooke Kennedy earned her 20th win over the season, becoming just the fourth Skyhawk in program history to accomplish that feat. She gave up just two hits over the final six innings of play versus the Panthers. The Skyhawks set a new OVC record with 141 stolen bases on the year and entered the weekend ranking third in the nation. UT Martin will be the No. 2 seed in the OVC Softball Championship and will face No. 7 Tennessee Tech on Wednesday.