Michigan State University Athletics
Spartans Kick Off Spring Break At Georgia Classic
2/29/2008 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Feb. 29, 2008
THIS WEEK FOR MSU SOFTBALL
Michgan State softball (4-5) will play at least 11 games over the next 10 days as the Spartans participate in two tournaments and a neutral-site doubleheader over the spring break week. MSU kicks off action with the two-day, four-game Georgia Classic in Athens, Ga., played in UGA's Soccer/Softball Complex on March 1-2. The Spartans first take on Longwood (5-3) at 12 p.m. on Saturday before playing a pair of games against host No. 17 Georgia (12-4) and a single contest against Butler (0-0).
PDF of Complete Game Notes: Click Here
Listen To Spartan Podcasts:
Senior Pitcher Lesley
Senior Utility Player Traci
Freshman First Baseman Heidi
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In mid-week action, Michigan State will face Saint Joseph's on Tues., March 4 in neutral territory at the Eddie C. Moore Sports Complex in Clearwater, Fla. The doubleheader starts at 1 p.m. on field No. 7.
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The Spartans will stay in Clearwater for the remainder of the week as they play in the USF-Under Armour Invitational hosted by South Florida at the ECM Sports Complex on March 6-9. MSU tangles with East Tennessee State, Hofstra, Illinois-Chicago, Baylor and Coastal Carolina in scheduled games, while the Spartans could face a number of other programs in the playoffs.
HALTING A SLIDE
The Spartans look to snap a five-game losing streak after dropping as many games at Oregon State's Palm Springs Classic on Feb. 22-24, with losses to #21 UNLV, #23 Cal State Fullerton, Oregon, #14 Hawai'i and Massachusetts. The last time MSU lost five straight was at last year's Palm Springs Classic.
FEBRUARY HIGHS AND LOWS
The Spartans won their first four games of the season, Feb. 15-17, before dropping the next five to finish the month 4-5.
BASS PITCHING
Freshman hurler Shae Bass opened her collegiate career with a perfect 3-0 mark at the Seminole Classic on Feb. 15-17, but has since dropped to 3-2 after losing to #23 Cal State Fullerton and #14 Hawai'i on Feb. 22 and 24, respectively, in the Palm Springs Classic. At the Seminole Classic, Bass tallied her first career win on Feb. 16 with a 14-2 victory over Bethune-Cookman, then factored as the pitcher of record against Jacksonville, a 6-5 tally, later that afternoon. On Feb. 17, Bass closed out Michigan State's 6-5 win over Florida State en route to her hat trick weekend.
CATCHING KARA
Catcher Kara Weigle kicked off her junior year with an outstanding performance at the Seminole Classic. Over the four-game stretch, Weigle threw out three opponents attempting to steal second for a solid defensive effort behind the plate.
On the other side of the plate, Weigle hit .400 (3H, 3RBI) and scored three times in the Spartans' opening weekend. And while covering the bases offensively, Weigle got the better of her opposing counterparts, arriving safely at second base on both stealing attempts.
CHASING NUMBERS
Head coach Jacquie Joseph is inching closer to reaching two career milestones this season. With the four wins at the Seminole Classic, Joseph is now just one win shy of totaling 450 while at the helm MSU's softball program. Additionally, Joseph needs just 15 victories to total 600 career wins.
IMMEDIATE IMPACT
Michigan State debuted six of its seven freshmen at the Seminole Classic for opening weekend. Kristen Aidem, Shae Bass, Jessica Bracamonte and Heidi Purtzer started their first collegiate games while in Tallahassee, Fla., on Feb. 15-17, while Lindsey Hansen made her first career start at the Palm Springs Classic at left field against Oregon on Feb. 23.
NOEL's Ks
Senior pitcher Lesley Noel tallied her 200th career strikeout against Florida State on Feb. 17, 2008. Noel began the year with 190 strikeouts and has since added 27 for a career total of 117, good for ninth in MSU's pitching record books.
OPENING SUCCESS
The Spartans' 5-1 opening-game win over UAB was the sixth straight, dating back to the 2003 season, and marks head coach Jacquie Joseph's 11th season-opening win while at MSU. In program history, Michigan State is 27-10 in season openers, including Joseph's 11-4 mark.
SPARTAN SOFTBALL ON TV
The Big Ten Network will nationally televise 25 regular-season softball games and the Big Ten Tournament championship game. Michigan State is slotted to appear three times this spring, twice live and once on tape delay. The Spartans' May 3-4 series at Northwestern will be televised live, while MSU's BTN premier will be a tape-delayed airing of April 12's game at Iowa. The game will be played at 1 p.m. and will be televised at 8 p.m. that same Saturday evening.
NEXT TIME FOR THE SPARTANS
Michigan State will continue spring break in Florida when they take on Saint Joseph's in a neutral-site doubleheader on Tuesday, March 4. The following weekend, the Spartans play five games in three days at the USF-Under Armour Invitational from March 6-9; playoffs games are scheduled for final day.
