Last Time Out:
The Manatees are coming off of a split against College of Central Florida where they fell 5-3 in eight innings in the first game before winning 6-0 in game two to snap their three-game losing streak.
Coach 150:
Head coach Mandy Schuerman reached a milestone with SCF softball. In a series split against CCF, Schuerman, who enters her fifth season as head coach, earned her 150th career win with the Manatees.
Let's rewind and recap with her wins when she came to SCF as head coach:
Win #1: 1/30/2015 vs Illinois Central (7-0)
Win #50: 3/22/2016 vs Hillsborough (6-3)
Win #100: 2/3/18 vs Seminole State (4-2)
Win #150: 3/2/19 vs CCF (6-0)
With the exclusion of the win over Illinois Central on neutral grounds at the 2015 JUCO Kickoff Classic, Schuerman's 50th, 100th and now 150th career wins were all at home.
Key Players:
At the plate, the Manatees are led by a impeccable squad in sophomores Cheyenne Nunez and Nicci Palumbo and freshmen Madi LoCastro, Makalya Benavidez, Lauren Bostwick, Sabrina "Sas" Long and Madelyn Graham.
Mainly the speedster on the team, Nunez is batting .276 with 21 hits and 13 RBI while leading the team in runs scored (22) and stolen bases (14) despite not playing against CCF.
Palumbo is batting .377 with 23 hits and 11 RBI. Palumbo was 3-for-7 at the plate against CCF with two runs and an RBI.
One of two hybrid players, LoCastro is batting .352 with 25 hits, four home runs and 19 RBI while going 2-3 with a 2.63 ERA and 12 strikeouts on the mound. LoCastro threw all eight innings in the extra inning loss against CCF while at the plate she went she was 1-for-5 with an RBI.
Benavidez is batting .383 with 23 hits, five RBI and nine stolen bases. Benavidez did not bat against CCF.
Following the footsteps of Nunez, Bostwick has been hot running the bases. Bostwick is batting .231 with 12 hits, five RBI and 13 stolen bases. Bostwick was 1-for-6 with a run against CCF.
Long follows behind LoCastro in power as she is batting .324 with 24 hits, two home runs and 18 RBI. Long was 1-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored against CCF.
A wild card in the lineup, Graham is batting .344 with 11 hits, a home run and five RBI. Graham was 3-for-7 with two RBI and two runs against CCF.
Meanwhile, freshman Kailey Christian continues her dominance not just at on the mound, but at the plate too. Like LoCastro, Christian is a hybrid player on the team. On the mound, Christian is 10-1 with a 1.75 ERA, 101 strikeouts and four shutouts while at the plate she is batting a team-leading .403, 27 hits and 18 RBI.
In fact, Christian is the fourth Manatee under the Schuerman era to throw at least 100 strikeouts (2015: Devon Morrison [122] and Jill McElderry [112], 2017: Carlee Lucas [104]). Against CCF, Christian was 1-for-5 at the plate with a run while on the mound, she threw a two-hit shutout with eight strikeouts. Christian's shutout was initially a perfect game before a two-out single broke it.
Scouting Kalamazoo Valley:
Kalamazoo Valley comes from NJCAA DII Region 12/ Michigan Community College Athletic Association (MCCAA), and the series against SCF will be their season opener. Last season, the Cougars went 29-14 with a 22-7 record in the west part of the MCCAA Conference.
The Cougars lost four players from last season: Emily Nuyen, Dylan King, Amber Mazahem and Ally Sinclair as they graduated.
This season's team has 13 freshmen and seven sophomores.
With King and Mazahem no longer on the team, sophomore Jordan Geik will more likely be their power at the plate. Geik batted .309 with six home runs and 26 RBI.
On the mound, sophomore Rachel Pijaszek was 11-4 with a 3.19 ERA, three saves and 104 strikeouts in 147 innings pitched. Pijasez will most likely be the starting pitcher in their season opening game.
Fun Fact (2012-present):
The Manatees are 40-5 against teams that are not from Florida with a 13-1 record against teams from Michigan (all against Oakland Community College).
How to Keep Up:
Livestats will be available and fans can keep up on with all three teams on Twitter:
SCF: @SCFSoftball
Kalamazoo Valley: @KVCC_Softball
Scouting Kalamazoo Valley:
Kalamazoo Valley comes from NJCAA DII Region 12/ Michigan Community College Athletic Association (MCCAA), and the series against SCF will be their season opener. Last season, the Cougars went 29-14 with a 22-7 record in the west part of the MCCAA Conference.
The Cougars lost four players from last season: Emily Nuyen, Dylan King, Amber Mazahem and Ally Sinclair as they graduated.
This season's team has 13 freshmen and seven sophomores.
With King and Mazahem no longer on the team, sophomore Jordan Geik will more likely be their power at the plate. Geik batted .309 with six home runs and 26 RBI.
On the mound, sophomore Rachel Pijaszek was 11-4 with a 3.19 ERA, three saves and 104 strikeouts in 147 innings pitched. Pijasez will most likely be the starting pitcher in their season opening game.
Fun Fact (2012-present):
The Manatees are 40-5 against teams that are not from Florida with a 13-1 record against teams from Michigan (all against Oakland Community College).
How to Keep Up:
Livestats will be available and fans can keep up on with all three teams on Twitter:
SCF: @SCFSoftball
Kalamazoo Valley: @KVCC_Softball
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