Saturday, March 9
Nebraska-Kearney at Northwest Missouri State, 12 p.m. | WATCH | LIVE STATS
Nebraska-Kearney at Northwest Missouri State, 2 p.m. | WATCH | LIVE STATS
 
Sunday, March 10
Fort Hays State at Northwest Missouri State, 12 p.m. | WATCH | LIVE STATS
Fort Hays State at Northwest Missouri State, 2 p.m. | WATCH | LIVE STATS
 
The Northwest Missouri State University softball team will play its first home games of the season this weekend with doubleheaders against Nebraska-Kearney (Saturday) and Fort Hays State (Sunday) at the Bearcat Softball Field.
 
The Bearcats are 9-9 headed into the opening weekend of MIAA play. Nebraska-Kearney is 9-8 and Fort Hays State is 9-7 but have lost five in a row heading into this weekend's slate of games.
 
Head coach Naomi Tellez's squad is 8-3 when it out-hits the opposition. Northwest has out-scored its opponents, 18-8, in the first inning of contests. Northwest is 7-3 when scoring in the first inning. Northwest is 7-1 when leading after six innings.
 
Lillie Filger leads the squad and ranks No. 8 in the MIAA with a .418 batting average. She also leads the team with nine multi-hit games this season. Filger is 15-of-26 (.577) this season when leading off an inning. She is tied for the team lead with three hits with the bases loaded. Filger is 4-of-5 in stolen base attempts. Filger leads the Bearcats with 28 hits and 20 runs scored. Filger ranks No. 4 in the MIAA in hits (28) and is tied for No. 7 in runs scored (20).
 
Skylar Pieper leads the team with 10 two-out base hits. She also tops the squad in two-out RBI (9). Pieper is 8-of-11 (.727) when leading off an inning. Pieper is second on the team with three home runs. Pieper is batting .407 with 22 hits, 14 runs scored and 12 RBI. She has drawn a team-high 10 walks, which ranks No. 10 in the MIAA. She ranks No. 5 in the MIAA in on-base percentage (.536). Pieper ranks No. 10 in the league in OPS (1.184). Pieper has been hit by five pitches, which ranks third in the MIAA. Pieper ranks third on the team with seven multi-hit games. She has a five-game hitting streak heading into Saturday's action vs. Nebraska-Kearney.
 
Alexis Brown leads the team with 15 hits with runners on base. She also tops the squad with 11 hits with runners in scoring position. Brown is 4-of-5 in the stolen base department. Brown is batting .368 with 25 hits. Brown has produced eight multi-hit games.
 
Omara Love is the midst of a five-game hitting streak heading into Saturday's action. Love is tied for the team lead with seven two-out hits. Love is batting .367 with 11 hits.
 
Lauren Gray is batting .294 with 15 hits and nine runs scored. She has driven in a team-best 16 runs. Gray is tied for four in the MIAA in home runs (4). 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 two NCAA Div. II players to have hit three home runs in a game this season, joining Francis Marion's Taylor Watford.
 
Abby Nolte has been coming through with seven hits in nine at-bats with a runner on third and less than two outs. Nolte is batting .267 with 16 hits, 10 runs and 15 RBI. 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). She is one of four NCAA Div. II players with seven RBI in a game this season.
 
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 31 home runs.
 
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.) - 31
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. Erin Leslie (2007-2010) - 118
7. Abby Nolte (2020-pr.) – 117
8. Megan Spring (2001-2004) - 113
    Amanda Urquhart (1997-2000) – 113
10. Angie McCoy (2001-2004) – 109
 
Sophomore pitcher Jadyn Streigle is 3-3 on the season with a 3.60 earned run average. She has allowed only six extra-base hits out of her 33 hits given up.
 
Senior pitcher Hayden 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. Simmons is 2-0 with a 2.50 ERA this season. Simmons has struck out 13 batters in 14 innings of work.
 
Senior pitcher Breck Dickey is 2-3 with a 5.19 ERA this season. She leads the squad with 31 strikeouts in 28 1/3 innings pitched. Dickey has tallied 31 career wins, which ranks No. 10 in program history. Dickey ranks No. 2 on Northwest's all-time strikeout list with 377 career punchouts. Dickey also ranks No. 5 in appearances (95) and No. 9 in innings pitched (430 1/3).
 
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.) - 31
 
Most Strikeouts (Career)
1. Jenna Creger (2010-2013) - 554
2. Breck Dickey (2020-pr.) - 394
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) – 95
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. Kristi Sweeney (1993-1996) - 416.1
8. Shelly Lewis (1982-1985) - 430.2
9. Breck Dickey (2020-pr.) - 430.1
10. Sarah Baldwin (2014-2016) - 405.1