Friday, March 28 – Maryville, Mo.
No. 6 Central Oklahoma at Northwest Missouri State, 2 p.m./4 p.m. (Doubleheader)
MIAA NETWORK | LIVE STATS
 
Saturday, March 29 – Maryville, Mo.
Newman at Northwest Missouri State, 12 p.m./2 p.m. (Doubleheader)
MIAA NETWORK | LIVE STATS
 
The Northwest Missouri State University softball squad will defend its home field this Friday and Saturday against No. 6-ranked Central Oklahoma and Newman.
 
Friday's doubleheader action against the sixth-ranked Bronchos (26-5 overall, 7-1 MIAA) will begin at 2 p.m. Saturday's two games vs. the Jets (6-26 overall, 1-7 MIAA) will get underway beginning at noon.

Central Oklahoma has won 13 straight games in the series with Northwest. Northwest's last win over UCO came when the Bearcats swept a doubleheader against the Bronchos in Maryville on March 22, 2018. UCO holds a 40-11 lead in the all-time series.

Northwest owns a 9-2 lead in the all-time series against Newman. The Bearcats have won four consecutive matchups with the Jets. Northwest is 4-0 at home all-time against Newman.
 
Northwest sits at 12-19 overall and 2-8 in MIAA play. Northwest is 0-4 this season against top-25 ranked opponents. The Bearcats are looking for their first home win of the year after dropping its first six home contests of the season.
 
Northwest has outscored its opponents in the first two innings of games this season, 54-29. Northwest owns a 34-21 scoring advantage in the first inning and a 20-8 lead in the second inning. Overall, the Bearcats have outscored the opposition, 144-134.
 
Northwest is hitting .306 as a squad, which ranks No. 6 in the MIAA. Northwest is 12-6 when it has more hits than its opponent. The Bearcats are 0-13 when they have the same or fewer hits than their opponents.
 
The Bearcats possess a 3.78 team earned run average. Bearcat pitchers have struck out 153 batters. Opponents are hitting .273 vs. Bearcat pitching.
 
Northwest ranks No. 21 in the nation in fielding percentage (.972) and No. 4 in the MIAA. Northwest has committed 27 errors in 919 fielding chances this season. The Bearcats have turned nine double plays and have caught nine would-be base stealers.
 
Northwest is 9-2 when leading after six innings. In contrast, the Bearcats at 1-16 when trailing after six innings. Northwest is 8-2 when scoring six runs or more. The Bearcats are 4-17 when scoring five runs or less. Northwest is 9-0 when it holds the opposition to two runs or less. Northwest is 3-19 when the opponent scores three or more runs.
 
Three Bearcats have played all 31 games at the same position this season – Lille Filger (CF), Skylar Pieper (1B) and Curstin Todd (SS).
 
Senior outfielder Lillie Filger has scored a team-best 27 runs and is batting .4107. Filger ranks No. 9 in the MIAA in batting average. She is one of 11 MIAA players hitting .400 or better this season. Filger ranks No. 4 in hits in the MIAA with 46. Filger has 14 stolen bases to rank tied for No. 6 in the MIAA. Filger has tallied eight stolen bases in MIAA play, which ranks as the the second-highest total in league games this season. Filger has led off an inning with 28 hits this year (28-of-47 - .596 average). She is credited with 64 career multi-hit games, including 16 this season. Filger has produced 17 three-hit games in her Bearcat career. Filger is tied for No. 9 on Northwest's all-time hits list with 192. She has a career average of .404, which would rank first in Bearcat history. She needs eight more hits to become only the eighth Bearcat to reach 200 or more career hits. She ranks tied for No. 44 among active NCAA Div. II players with 192 hits. Filger's 40 career stolen bases ranks No. 6 on Northwest's all-time steals list.
 
NORTHWEST CAREER HITS
1. 244, Rebecca Maher (2015-2018)
2. 237, Kendra Smith (1997-2000)
3. 235, Torri Blythe (2014-2017)
    235, Kaitlyn Weis (2017-2021)
5. 232, Olivia Daugherty (2019-2023)
6. 217, Erin Leslie (2007-2010)
7. 210, Chantel Adams (2014-2017)
8. 192, Katy John (2003-2006)
    192, Lillie Filger (2023-pr.)
10. 190, Angie McCoy (2001-2004)
    190, Jaedra Moses (2016-2019)
 
NORTHWEST CAREER BATTING AVERAGE (min. 250 AB)
1. - Lillie Filger (2023-pres.) - .404 (192-475)
2. - Kendra Smith (1997-2000) - .396 (236-596)
3. - Stephanie Mark (2014-2015) - .388 (126-325)
4. - Kaitlyn Weis (2017-2021) - .382 (235-615)
5. - Casey Carper (2008-2009) - .368 (117-318)
6. - Rebecca Maher (2015-2018) - .361 (244-675)
7. - Olivia Daugherty (2019-2023) - .356 (232-652
8. - S. Armstrong (1991-1993) - .345 (89-258)
9. - Erin Leslie (2007-2010) - .344 (217-631)
10. - Amanda Urquhart (1997-2000) - .341 (189-554)
11. - Megan Spring (2001-2004) - .341 (189-555)
 
NORTHWEST CAREER STOLEN BASES
1. - Torri Blythe (2014-2017) - 68
2. - Katy John (2003-2006) - 67
3. - Kendra Smith (1997-2000) - 51
4. - Lindsay Stephenson (2003-2007) - 48
5. - Erin Leslie (2007-2010) – 45
6. - Lillie Filger (2023-pr.) – 40
7. - Karen Hopewell (1982-1986) - 33
8. - Jordan Ereth (2012-2014) - 31
    - Omara Love (2023-pr.) - 31
10. - Hailee Hendricks (2010-2013) - 29
 
Junior Alexis Brown is second on the squad in hitting (.385). Brown has posted 10 multi-hit games this season. Brown has collected 24 career multi-hit games. Brown tied a Bearcat single-game record by recording five hits in a 7-6 win over Illinois-Springfield. It is the sixth time in school history a Northwest softball player has recorded five hits in a game. Prior to Brown's feat against UIS, Lindy Tomlinson was the last Bearcat to achieve a five-hit game as she did it against Central Missouri on March 29, 2001. She was named the MIAA Hitter of the Week after she went 11-of-15 at the Alvy Early Classic.
 
Junior Omara Love ranks third on the team in hitting at .363. She ranks second on the team with 18 RBI and 12 stolen bases in 14 attempts. She tops the squad in triples (4), doubles (11) and extra-base hits (15). Love is tied for third in the MIAA in doubles (11). Love has garnered 11 two-out hits this season. She has posted 13 multi-hit games this season and has 36 multi-hit games in her career. Love has stolen 31 career bases to rank tied for No. 9 on Northwest's all-time stolen base list.
 
Senior Grace Lubben put up a fantastic week as she went 10-for-17 at the plate with six runs, six RBI and two home runs in six games. In MIAA play this season, Lubben is batting .462 with 12 hits in 26 at-bats. Lubben ranks No. 9 in the MIAA in batting in league games only. She has clubbed three homers (tied for second in MIAA games only) and ripped four doubles with seven RBI. She has also drawn nine walks in 10 MIAA contests, which ranks as the second-best total in the league. She has recorded at least one hit in seven of her 10 MIAA games this season. In all games, Lubben is batting .350 with 14 hits in 40 at-bats. She is tied for the team lead in home runs (3). She is tops on the team in slugging percentage (.700).
 
Junior Gaige Pinkerton is one of seven Bearcat hitters batting above .300 (.319). She has drawn a team-best 17 base-on-balls. Pinkerton has thrown out a team-best eight would-be base stealers.
 
Senior Skylar Pieper leads the Bearcats in RBI (28) and two-out RBI (10). She is tied for the team lead in home runs (3). She is batting .313 with a .500 slugging percentage. Pieper has 40 multi-hit games in her Bearcat career, including nine this year. Pieper has nine multi-RBI contests this season. Pieper ranks No. 3 all-time on Northwest's career putouts chart with 990. She has made only 14 errors in 1,066 chances as a Bearcat.
 
NORTHWEST CAREER PUTOUTS
1. - Janelle Krohn (2005-2008) - 1230
2. - Janet Schieber (1984-1986) - 1083
3. - Skylar Pieper (2022-pr.) – 990
4. - Nichole Strawn (1998-2001) - 902
5. - Amy Erickson (1986-1989) - 800
6. - Jessica Rawie (2015-2018) - 796
7. - Stephanie Mark (2014-2015) - 677
8. - Megan Spring (2001-2004) - 633
9. - Kristen Hessel (2008-2011) - 625
10. - Ashley Pride (2003-2006) - 610
* Putout statistics were not available in 1991, 1996
 
Freshman Malia Cuevas is hitting .309 and is tied for the team lead with 11 two-out hits. She has five multi-hit games and one multi-RBI contest this season. She gained her first three-hit game of her career at Nebraska-Kearney (March 22).
 
Freshman Curstin Todd has started all 31 games at shortstop. She has committed only two errors in 118 chances (.983 fielding percentage). She has been a part of five double plays.
 
Freshman pitcher Rien Moore is 5-2 in 31 2/3 innings of work and ranks tied for second on the team with 37 strikeouts. She ranks No. 7 in the MIAA in ERA (2.43) in 15 appearances. She has allowed 24 hits, but only four for extra bases (3 doubles; 1 home run). Opponents are batting .207 against Moore this year.
 
Sophomore pitcher Olivia Moyer has struck out a team-high 39 batters in 44.0 innings of work in the circle. Moyer is 1-5 with a 3.98 ERA. Moyer has made nine starts this season. Moyer tied a season-high with eight strikeouts in four innings of relief against Northeastern State. Her previous season high if eight strikeouts came in a start against Upper Iowa when she went six innings in the circle.
 
Junior pitcher Jadyn Streigle is 3-6 with a 3.81 ERA in 57.0 innings in the circle. Streigle is tied for second on the team in strikeouts (37). Streigle has a 2.41 ERA in MIAA games in 29.0 innings of work. She is 2-3 with 16 strikeouts in MIAA action.
 
Senior pitcher Cassidy Paulson recorded her first career shutout in a 5-0 win over Minnesota-Crookston. Paulson scattered eight hits and notched her second complete game of her Bearcat career. Paulson is 2-4 with a 4.67 ERA this season.
 
The Bearcats have posted back-to-back winning seasons for head coach Naomi Tellez with 28 wins in 2023 and 28 victories in the 2024 season. Northwest secured its first winning MIAA record (15-11) in 2024 for the first time since a 16-10 mark in the 2018 campaign.
 
Tellez is in her fourth season at the helm of the program and has generated 83 wins, including 35 triumphs in MIAA action. Tellez has an overall record of 83-104. She is 37-51 in league games.
 
The MIAA coaches projected Northwest to finish seventh in the preseason league poll.
 
2025 MIAA SOFTBALL PRESEASON POLL
1. Rogers State [7] – 139 points
2. Central Oklahoma [6] – 137 points
3. Pittsburg State – 120 points
4. Washburn – 111 points
5. Missouri Southern – 85 points
6. Missouri Western – 83 points
7. Northwest Missouri State – 79 points
8. Emporia State – 71 points
9. Central Missouri – 69 points
10. Fort Hays State – 48 points
11. Nebraska Kearney – 32 points
12. Newman – 26 points
13. Northeastern State – 14 points