COMING UP: Saint Louis softball (14-16, 2-4 A-10) plays a non-conference game and four Atlantic 10 contests this week. The Billikens begin with a single tilt at SIUE (27-8) Wednesday, April 10, at 3 p.m. Then it's back to conference action as Saint Louis welcomes Fordham (23-12, 7-3 A-10) and La Salle (13-16, 2-8 A-10) to the Billiken Sports Center. The Bills and Rams square off in single games Friday, April 12, at 3 p.m. and Saturday, April 13, at noon, while the Explorers are in for a noon doubleheader Sunday, April 14.
LAST WEEK: The Billikens went 1-3 last week. SLU split a twinbill against Eastern Illinois April 3, falling 2-1 in the opener and bouncing back to win the nightcap 4-2. The Bills fell 3-1 and 5-2 at A-10 rival George Washington April 7. Kelsey Biggs and Erin Harcar had four and three hits, respectively, in the EIU doubleheader, while Katie Kroeger was 3-for-3 in game two at GW.
BILLIKEN STATISTICAL LEADERS: Jessica Van Nostrand leads Saint Louis in batting average (.284), slugging percentage (.411), hits (27) and doubles (seven) and is tied with Lindsay Friedman and Alyson Brand for the team lead with 15 RBIs. Friedman has a team-high four home runs and is 10-of-11 in stolen bases, while Brand tops the charts with 17 walks and a .390 on-base percentage. Jessica Buschjost leads the squad in stolen bases (20-of-21) and runs (16) while ranking second in hits (22), and Katie Kroeger carries a .270 batting average. In the circle, Laney Kneib is 7-5 with two saves and a 2.83 ERA, while Brianna Lore is 7-11 with two saves and a 2.92 ERA.
BILLIKENS IN THE A-10 STATISTICS REPORT: Saint Louis leads the Atlantic 10 Conference in stolen bases (52) and runners caught stealing (14) and is tied for the league lead in fielding double plays (13). The Billikens are second in saves (five); third in ERA (3.00), fewest home runs allowed (11) and walks (113); and fifth in fielding percentage (.957) and sacrifice bunts (22). Jessica Buschjost leads the league in stolen bases (20). Laney Kneib (2.83) and Brianna Lore (2.92) rank seventh and eighth, respectively, in ERA. In conference games only, the Bills are tied for first in sacrifice bunts (eight); second in fewest home runs allowed (two) and runners caught stealing (five); tied for second in stolen bases (11); third in fewest walks allowed (12); and fourth in ERA (3.00) and fielding percentage (.969). Kneib is fifth in ERA (1.91).
TRENDING UPWARD: Kelsey Biggs has hit safely in 10 of her last 12 games (13-for-37, .351). Erin Harcar was 5-for-11 (.455) with two doubles in four games last week, and Jessica Buschjost is 4-of-12 (.333) in her last three outings. In her last eight appearances, Laney Kneib is 3-2 with one save, a 1.65 ERA and just 1.85 walks per seven innings. Kneib has lowered her season ERA from 3.90 to 2.83 during that eight-game stretch.
BURNING UP THE BASEPATHS: Saint Louis ranks 30th in the nation in stolen bases per game (1.73). Jessica Buschjost, who is 20-for-21 in steal attempts, has moved up to 14th nationally with a 0.67 per-game average. The Billikens are 52-for-62 in steal attempts for an .839 success rate.
CLIMBING THE CAREER LADDER: Several current Billikens rank among the top 10 on various SLU career statistical lists. Alyson Brand is first in walks (70), tied for first in sacrifice flies (six), third in RBIs (83), tied for fourth in home runs (13), and fifth in chances (865) and putouts (709). Jessica Buschjost is second in stolen bases (88) and fifth in runs (85), while Jessica Van Nostrand is fourth in assists (315) and tied for seventh in hit by pitch (13). Laura Bohning is tied for fourth in home runs (13), Lindsay Friedman is tied for fifth in hit by pitch (18) and Erin Harcar is 10th in stolen bases (31).
THIS WEEK'S OPPONENTS:
SIUE – The Cougars carried a 10-game winning streak into Tuesday's game at Bradley. Alex McDavid leads SIUE with a .405 batting average, six home runs and 31 RBIs. Rachel Coonrod bats .338 with 23 RBIs and a team-high nine doubles, while Chelsea Yankolovich carries a .336 average. Samantha Stanicek and Brittany Toney hit .333 and .315, respectively, and have five homers apiece. Stanicek has 23 RBIs, and Toney has driven in 22 runs. Pitcher Haley Chambers is 15-2 with a 1.71 ERA and 120 strikeouts in 119 innings.
Fordham – Fordham features three players – Jamie LaBovick, Elise Fortier and Paige Ortiz – who earned first-team All-Conference plaudits a year ago. LaBovick leads this year's Rams in batting average (.434) and is 10-8 with a 2.80 ERA and three shutouts in the circle. Gabby Luety owns a .388 batting mark with team highs of 39 RBIs and 10 doubles to go with 10 home runs. Fortier has slammed a team-high 14 home runs and has a .374 average and 34 RBIs. Michele Daubman joins LaBovick as a double threat; she carries a .349 batting average and is 12-4 with three shutouts in the circle. Kayla Lombardo and Ortiz hit .311 and .305, respectively. Fordham averages six runs per game and leads the A-10 (25th nationally) with a .316 batting average.
La Salle – The Explorers were scheduled to play a doubleheader at Monmouth April 9 and A-10 single games at Butler April 12 and 13 before facing the Billikens. Paige Giunta holds a team-high .333 batting average, followed by Kendra Heyer (.307) and Casey Lester (.300). Megan Hodgson bats .284 with team highs of five home runs and 21 RBIs. Half of Alicia Aughton's eight pitching victories have been shutouts, while Mary Cate Scott has two shutouts among her five wins.
