Friday, March 29
Northwest Missouri State at No. 24 Washburn, 4 p.m. | WATCH | LIVE STATS
Northwest Missouri State at No. 24 Washburn, 6 p.m. | WATCH | LIVE STATS
 
Saturday, March 30
Northwest Missouri State at Emporia State, 12 p.m. | WATCH | LIVE STATS
Northwest Missouri State at Emporia State, 2 p.m. | WATCH | LIVE STATS
 
The Northwest Missouri State University softball team will be hunting for victories on Easter weekend with road matchups against No. 24-ranked Washburn and Emporia State on the docket.
 
The Bearcats (16-16 overall, 5-3 MIAA) sit in a three-way tie for fourth place in the MIAA standings. The 10 teams will qualify for the 2024 MIAA Softball Tournament set for May 1-5 at Gerry Pinkston Stadium in Edmond, Okla.
 
Washburn is ranked No. 24 in the latest NFCA Top 25 and possesses an overall record of 26-10 and 7-5 in MIAA play. The Ichabods have won three straight games heading into Friday's action in Topeka, Kan. Washburn is 7-3 at home this season. Washburn owns a 59-45 lead in the all-time series against Northwest.
 
Emporia State is 22-13 overall and 6-6 in MIAA action. The Hornets are 8-3 at home this season in Emporia, Kan. ESU leads the all-time series with Northwest, 54-24.
 
Head coach Naomi Tellez's team is batting .309 this season. Northwest is 15-5 when it out-hits the opposition and 1-9 when the opponents out-hit the Bearcats. Northwest has enjoyed a 26-7 scoring advantage in the fifth inning of games. Northwest has scored 149 runs, while allowing 156 runs in 2024.
 
Lillie Filger leads the squad and ranks No. 3 in the MIAA with a .457 batting average. Filger leads the Bearcats with 53 hits, 30 runs scored and 65 total bases. Filger ranks No. 2 in the MIAA in hits (53). She also leads the team with 17 multi-hit games this season. Filger is 29-of-52 (.558) this season when leading off an inning. She leads the team with four hits with the bases loaded. Filger is 7-of-9 in stolen base attempts. Filger has tallied 15 of her hits with two outs in an inning. Filger enters Friday's action at Washburn in the midst of a five-game hitting streak.
 
Skylar Pieper is batting .361 with 35 hits and is tied for the team lead with 20 RBI. She is tied for team-high honors with 11 extra-base hits (6 doubles, 1 triple, 4 homers). Pieper has recorded a team-best 12 two-out RBI. She has posted 11 multi-hit games and six multi-RBI contests. Pieper is tied for third in the MIAA having been hit by six pitches.
 
Sophie Mayhugh is batting .278 with 20 hits and is tied for the team lead with 20 RBI, Mayhugh is tied for the team lead with six multi-RBI games. Mayhugh hit the first two home runs of her career in Northwest's 6-1 win over Fort Hays State. Mayhugh entered the game with 103 career at-bats and no home runs. Mayhugh connected on a pair of two-run home runs vs. the Tigers.
 
Lauren Gray is batting .292 with 21 hits and 13 runs scored. She has launched a team-best five home runs and is tied for the team lead in RBI (20). She is tied for team-high honors with six doubles. She has produced five multi-RBI games. Gray became the first Bearcat to hit three home runs in a game when she launched three in the season-opening win over Ouachita Baptist. Gray hit two solo homers and a grand slam against the Tigers. She is one of 11 NCAA Div. II players to have hit three home runs in a game this season.
 
Abby Nolte is batting .269 with 25 hits, 17 runs and 20 RBI. Nolte is 8-of-11 (.727) with a runner on third and less than two outs. Nolte tied the Bearcat single-game record in RBI with seven at Henderson State. Nolte tied a mark set by Annie Melius (vs. Washburn – April 28, 1987), and Abigail Gilson (vs. Central Missouri – April 27, 2017).
 
Most Runs Batted In (Single-Game)
7, Annie Melius vs. Washburn (4/28/87)
7, Abigail Gilson vs. Central Missouri (4/27/17)
7, Abby Nolte at Henderson State (2/4/24)
 
Nolte ranks No. 4 in Bearcat history with 33 home runs and No. 6 in career RBI (121).
 
Most Home Runs (Career)
1. Kaitlyn Weis (2017-2021) - 56
2.  Olivia Daugherty (2019-2023) - 43
3. Ashley Pride (2003-2006) - 37
4. Abby Nolte (2020-pr.) - 33
5. Lindsay Stephenson (2003-2007) - 27
    Chantel Adams (2014-2017) - 27
7. Megan Simpson (2006-2009) - 26
8. Stephanie Mark (2014-2015) - 25
9. Angie McCoy (2001-2004) - 24
10. Erin Keeney (2018-2020) – 23
 
Most Runs Batted In (Career)
1. Kaitlyn Weis (2017-2021) - 191
2. Olivia Daugherty (2019-2023) - 152
3. Chantel Adams (2014-2017) - 145
4. Rebecca Maher (2015-2018) - 141
5. Ashley Pride (2003-2006) - 135
6. Abby Nolte (2020-pr.) - 121
7. Erin Leslie (2007-2010) - 118
8. Megan Spring (2001-2004) - 113
    Amanda Urquhart (1997-2000) – 113
10. Angie McCoy (2001-2004) – 109
 
Sophomore pitcher Jadyn Streigle is 6-5 on the season with a 2.13 earned run average. She has allowed only seven extra-base hits out of her 61 hits allowed. She leads the team with five complete games. She has made 10 starts and has struck out 27 batters in 65 2/23 innings.
 
Senior pitcher Hayden Simmons is 4-1 with a 2.90 earned run average. She has struck out 33 batters and allowed only 12 earned runs. Simmons tossed a one-hit, eight-strikeout shutout of Wayne State. Simmons tied a career-high with eight punchouts and walked only one in her first shutout of the season.
 
Freshman pitcher Olivia Moyer has made five starts and sits at 3-2 with a 3.82 ERA. She has appeared in 10 games and has pitched 40 1/3 innings. She has struck out 33 batters. Moyer tied her season-high with five strikeouts in a 5-2 win over Newman (March 22).
 
Senior pitcher Breck Dickey is 3-5 with a 5.53 ERA this season. She leads the squad with 47 strikeouts in 43 innings pitched. Dickey has tallied 32 career wins, which ranks No. 10 in program history. Dickey ranks No. 2 on Northwest's all-time strikeout list with 410 career punchouts. Dickey also ranks No. 5 in appearances (99) and No. 8 in innings pitched (444.2). Dickey struck out a career-high 14 batters in a 4-1 win over Nebraska-Kearney.
 
Most Wins (Career)
1. Michele Ansley (1997-2000) - 53
2. Jenna Creger (2010-2013) - 48
3. Cola Krueger (2006-2009) - 47
4. Shelly MacDonald (2002-2005) - 43
5. Kelly Morris (2006-2008) - 41
6. Shelley Lewis (1982-1985) - 39
7. Shelly McClure (1984-1987) - 37
8. Shelly Navara (1986-1987) - 35
9. Kendle Schieber (2015-2016) - 33
10. Breck Dickey (2020-pres.) - 32
 
Most Strikeouts (Career)
1. Jenna Creger (2010-2013) - 554
2. Breck Dickey (2020-pr.) - 410
3. Cola Krueger (2006-2009) - 368
4. Kelly Morris (2006-2008) - 320
5. Sarah Baldwin (2014-2016) - 302
6. Rachel Smith (2016-2020) - 285
7. Kendle Schieber (2015-2016) - 255
8. Michele Ansley (1997-2000) - 240
9. Jennifer Spencer (1995-1996) - 226
10. Shelly MacDonald (2002-2005) – 224
 
Most Appearances (Career)
1. Cola Krueger (2006-2009) - 135
2. Jenna Creger (2010-2013) - 112
3. Shelly MacDonald (2002-2005) - 105
4. Breck Dickey (2020-pres) - 99
5. Michele Ansley (1997-2000) - 94
6. Morgan Brunmeier (2010-2013) - 89
7. Christy Blankenau (1988-1991) - 88
8. Kelly Morris (2006-08) - 87
9. Abbie Vitosh (2012-2015) - 83
10. Cola Krueger (2008-2009) – 79
 
Most Innings Pitched (Career)
1. Cola Krueger (2006-2009) - 594.1
2. Jenna Creger (2010-2013) - 591.2
3. Michele Ansley (1997-2000) - 552.2
4. Shelly MacDonald (2002-2005) - 518.2
5. Shelly McClure (1984-1987) - 518.1
6. Christy Blankenau (1988-1991) - 476.1
7. Breck Dickey (2020-pr.) - 444.2
8. Shelly Lewis (1982-1985) - 430.2
9. Kristi Sweeney (1993-1996) - 416.1
10. Sarah Baldwin (2014-2016) - 405.1