Green And White Set For IU Softball Classic

March 23, 2006

EAST LANSING, Mich. -

IU Softball Classic Tournament Notes
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The Spartan softball team will look to better its overall record of 15-8, when it travels to take part in the IU Softball Classic this Saturday and Sunday in Bloomington, Ind. MSU will face Wright State and Western Kentucky, but will not face host Indiana at the two-day event. Michigan State captured its second tournament title of 2006 last weekend, defeating Chattanooga to claim the FAU Parents' Weekend Tournament Championship in Boca Raton. Dayna Feenstra and Rachel Turney were named tournament co-MVP's, while MSU defeated its first ranked opponent in 2006 with a 5-3 win vs. No. 24/25 North Carolina.

WRAP-UP, ROUND-UP! The Spartan softball team played its final tournament south of the Mason-Dixon Line last weekend, when it traveled to Boca Raton, Fla. to take part in the FAU Parents' Weekend Tournament. Michigan State captured its second tournament title of 2006 when it defeated Chattanooga, 5-2. Dayna Feenstra and Rachel Turney were named tournament co-MVP's for their efforts throughout weekend play.

SCHEDULE CHANGE MSU was scheduled to face non-conference foe IPFW in a 3 p.m. doubleheader on March 22, however due to inclement weather that spread throughout the Midwest, the series has been rescheduled for March 29 in Ft. Wayne, Ind.

WEEKEND COMPETITION The Spartans travel to Bloomington, Ind. this weekend to take part in the IU Softball Classic. State will NOT face host Indiana, but will face Wright State and Western Kentucky on both Saturday and Sunday. MSU faced the Raiders earlier this season at the USF-Adidas Spring Break Invitational where the Green and White took the 16-6 win.

GOING, GOING, G-O-N-E! Spartan center fielder Nikki Nicosia is not your everyday home run hitter, in fact, until she hit a bomb over the right field fence in the championship game victory vs. UTC last weekend, Nikki had not registered a home run in 198 collegiate plate appearances.

CAREER WATCH Head coach Jacquie Joseph is in her 13th season at the helm of the Michigan State softball program. Four NCAA tournament appearances, one Big Ten title and numerous individual honorees later - Joseph is just seven wins shy of 400 career victories at State. She will have four chances to get closer this weekend when the Spartans face WSU and WKU on both Saturday and Sunday at the IU Softball Classic.

FIELD 101 The IU Softball Field measures 190 feet to the left and right field lines, and 220 feet to the center field fence.

AROUND THE BIG TEN State sits in the third spot among league competitors with a 15-8 overall record as the 2006 conference season continues to near. The Green and White rank third in team batting with a .284 average, while Nikki Nicosia ranks as MSU's top individual at the plate, hitting .390 in 23 games. After a strong past two weeks of play, Dayna Feenstra is tied for a league-best with nine doubles, while her team-high 22 RBI places her fourth among Big Ten competitors.

WHEN THE OPPOSITION IS RANKED... Thus far in 2006, MSU is 1-1 when facing a ranked opponent. MSU fell 5-4 in extra innings vs. then No. 12 Georgia, and most recently defeated No. 25 North Carolina, 5-3, at the FAU Parents' Weekend Tournament on March 18.

HOT STREAK After hitting a blistering .385 during the 12-game spring break stretch, Dayna Feenstra continued to impress at the plate at FAU. In five starts last weekend, Feenstra tallied two doubles, five RBI, scored one run and committed no errors for the Spartan defense. In 2006, her 22 RBI and nine doubles are both team-bests.

EAST LANSING? SEE YOU NEXT WEEK! After a solid month on the road, MSU will return home next week to host Eastern Michigan in the 2006 home opener on March 28. Game time is slated for 3:30 p.m. at Old College Field. In the 2005 home opener, MSU swept Loyola-Chicago in a non-conference doubleheader on April 5.

THE 15-WIN MARK Heading into play at the IU Classic this weekend, MSU has 15 wins against eight losses on the year. MSU reached the 15 win mark in just 23 games in 2006, the feat is the fastest the Spartans have reached 15 wins since the 2003 season when it was done in just the 18th game of the year. State's 4-0 start at the Holiday Inn Express Pirate Classic marked the best start by a Spartan squad since the 1997 season when Jacquie Joseph led MSU to a 7-0 mark to begin the year.

MVP IN STYLE Spartan pitching ace Rachel Turney went 2-0 at the Pirate classic with wins vs. Army and host ECU in the championship game of the weekend. For her play, Turney was named the Holiday Inn Express Pirate Classic Tournament MVP, and also Big Ten pitcher of the week. Turney garnered her second MVP honor when she was selected, along with teammate Dayna Feenstra, as the FAU Parents' Weekend tournament co-MVP on March 19.

BACK TO BASICS Spartan head coach Jacquie Joseph stresses the importance of knowing the basics, making the game simple. If there is a runner on first, no outs - move the runner! State has four sacrifice fly's and 25 sacrifice hits in 2006. Leadoff batter Nikki Nicosia has five sac hits for the year, while second spot hitter Nicole Mercado leads the squad with six sac hits this season.

H - B - P (HIT BY PITCH) Only a select few Spartans have been hit by a pitch thus far in 2006 - Traci Nicosia, Meghan Darhower, Dayna Feenstra and Caitlin Mahoney have all been hit by one pitch, but freshman catcher Kara Weigle has been hit four times in 2006! In 2005, Feenstra led the squad with seven free trips to the bases after being hit by a pitch.

ONE AT A TIME State has posted 11 consecutive seasons with at least 21 victories - MSU's best season in the win/loss column came in 1997 under the tutelage of Jacquie Joseph, when State competed in the NCAA Regionals finishing the season with an impressive 47-22 mark. The Spartans need just six wins to reach the 21-win plateau again in 2006.

COMPARISON B-R-E-A-K-D-O-W-N State is dominant at the plate, and on the mound, hitting .284 compared to a .206 average by its 2006 opponents. The Spartans are better in nearly every offensive statistical category - hits (173-121), runs (95-58), RBI (82-52), doubles (27-21), home runs (10-4) and total bases (232-162). MSU has hit just one triple this season (Nicole Mercado), compared to four by its opponents.

TWIN-BILL - the NICOSIA SISTERS Traci and Nikki Nicosia are important aspects of the Spartan lineup. Nikki boasts a team best .390 average at the plate, coming off of a 2-4 performance vs. UTC in the championship game of the FAU Parents' Weekend Tournament. In the win, Nikki blasted her first collegiate home run. Traci has 22 hits, including five doubles and three RBI, while the duo have 34 and 27 total bases for the year, respectively. Nikki's 10 stolen bases are a team-best, while at the shortstop position, Traci has tallied just five errors in 23 starts.

WRIGHT STATE ___ Wright State enters weekend play with an overall 0-15 record, a rough start to the 2006 season. State defeated the Raiders 16-6 on March 9th. In the win, MSU first baseman Dayna Feenstra broke the Spartan single-game RBI mark with seven, while center fielder Nikki Nicosia matched the single-game mark with five hits in the win. Competing in the Horizon League, Wright State is led by Mike Larabee in his second season, where in 2005 the Raiders finished with an overall 15-24 mark.

On the field WSU is led by Amanda Cody who averages .405 at the plate with 15 hits, including four doubles on the year. From the mound, Jessie Grangers has pitched 48.0 innings, allowing 85 hits with three complete games to her credit in 2006.

Michigan State holds the all-time series advantage with a 2-0 mark after the March 9th win.

WESTERN KENTUCKY ___ Western Kentucky enters weekend play at IU with an overall 16-13 mark in 2006. Led by second-year head coach Rachel Lawson, WKU most recently split doubleheaders with IUPUI and Lipscomb on March 14 and 18, respectively. With impressive wins over USF, and then No. 21 Louisville, WKU looks to improve its record as it prepares for Sun Belt competition.

At the plate, Bailey Rolfs has 28 hits, including three doubles and six home runs, and averages .326 thus far in 2006. Shelby Smith also poses an offensive threat for WKU, hitting .295 with 23 hits and six runs scored so far this season. A trio of pitchers have seen considerable time on the mound this season. Leading the pack is Jennifer Kempf, who in nine appearances boasts a 1.51 ERA, allowing 37 hits in 51.0 innings pitched. Adrienne Lathrop holds a 10-6 record, 2.75 ERA and has struckout 59 batters in 94.1 innings pitched.

Western Kentucky holds the all-time series advantage with a 1-0 mark.