Softball games rescheduled for mid-week
Junior outfielder Jennette Isaac bunts in a game on April 5 against Eastern Kentucky at Williams Field. The Panthers split the doubleheader 2-1 and 1-0.
March 12, 2015
The Eastern softball teams’ games have been pushed back to Wednesday and Thursday of next week.
The field at Austin Peay in Clarksville, Tenn. has been deemed unplayable for what was supposed to be a weekend series against the Governors.
This is the start of the conference games that the Panthers will be playing for the remainder of the season.
Eastern comes into the weekend with a 5-11 record, and Austin Peay comes in at 1-12.
Even though Austin Peay does not have a good record, the Panthers can’t look past them
“Austin Peay has a great deal of fight and they never give up,” Eastern coach Angie Nicholson said.
Last weekend the Panthers went 1-3 in games against Cleveland State, Northern Kentucky University, Indiana University, and Kennesaw State.
The home run ball is what got to the Panthers last weekend, and Nicholson said they need to stop giving them up.
“We have to keep the ball in the park as a pitching staff and we need to continue hitting like we did on Sunday at Kennesaw,” Nicholson said.
The pitchers for the games are going to be freshmen Jessica Wireman, Michelle Rogers, and sophomore Hannah Rachor.
Wireman and Rogers have pitched a combined 88 2/3 innings this year. Rachor has pitched 6 1/3
Rogers leads the team with a 4.23 and also leads with 32 strikeouts.
Hitting wise, the Panthers have been led by seniors Bailey O’Dell, Hannah Cole, and junior April Markowski who are all hitting above .300 on the year.
O’Dell hit three homeruns last weekend at Kennesaw state. The three have combined for 26 RBI’s.
The team’s goal is to win conference and then win the conference tournament and all of it starts with these three games next week.
O’Dell described these game’s mentalities as ‘kill or be killed.’
Markowski also knows the importance of these games.
“I think they are really important,” she said. “I feel like coming out with a sweep the first few weekends will really help us get that momentum to continue to succeed throughout conference and the conference tourney.”
After the three games against Austin Peay, the Panthers will then head to Morehead, Ky. for a pair of games against Morehead State March 21, and Richmond, Ky. for a doubleheader against Eastern Kentucky the following day.
The first home game for the Panthers will be March 28 when they take on Murray State.
Sean Hastings can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].
