Softball Heads to Ohio State For Weekend Pair

April 3, 2008

THIS WEEK FOR MSU SOFTBALL
Michigan State returns to the Big Ten race on April 4-5 with games at Ohio State. The Spartans will play the Buckeyes at 6 p.m. on Friday and 1 p.m. on Saturday.

The Spartans are led by a foursome of .300 hitters, including Nikki Nicosia, who is batting a team-high .384. In her last three games, four of Nicosia's five hits were home runs. Gina Mondo (.375), Bianca Mejia (.347) and Jessica LeFevre (.318) round out the Spartans' top batting averages.

On the rubber, senior Lesley Noel (9-9) continues to deliver as the Spartans' ace, while freshman Shae Bass (5-3) and junior Megan Hair (3-2) share time in the circle, adding depth to MSU's bullpen.

LAST TIME OUT
Nikki Nicosia's two-run shot over the right-field fence erased Eastern Michigan's early lead on Wednesday afternoon at Old College Field, and Abby Lincoln tallied the Spartans' winning run, after a bad pitch on a suicide squeeze forced Lincoln to out-manuever the Eagles to cross home. Michigan State (17-15, 2-2) ultimately defeated EMU 4-2, as MSU pitcher Lesley Noel earned her ninth win of the season.

SCOUTING THE BUCKEYES
Ohio State, like Michigan State, went 2-2 to open league action last weekend, splitting their series with Iowa and Illinois. On Wednesday, the Buckeyes were swept in a regular-season nonconference doubleheader for the first time since 1992 at Buckeye Field, as Marshall won, 11-0 and 6-1. OSU saw its 32-game winning streak in home regular-season nonconference games snapped with the losses.

A LOOK AT THE BIG TEN RACE
Michigan and Northwestern pulled ahead after the Big Ten Conference's opening weekend, each sweeping its two series to remain perfect at 4-0 in league action. Seven teams sit in third place with .500 winning percentages, including Michigan State, while Wisconsin and Indiana are winless in conference games.

JOSEPH INCHES CLOSER TO 600-WIN MARK
Head coach Jacquie Joseph earned her 450 and 451st wins at the helm of MSU's softball program Wednesday, March 5 when the Spartans defeated Saint Joseph's twice (7-5, 4-3) in a neutral doubleheader meeting in Clearwater, Fla.

Joseph is now two wins shy of claiming her 600th career win. With combined records from her years at Bowling Green (five years, 136-133) and Michigan State (15 years, 462-387-1), Joseph is 598-520-1 as a head coach.

JOSEPH'S FLOCK
Head coach Jacquie Joseph has mentored a number of former players who have gone on to further their careers in softball as coaches, including Jessica Beech, Keri Lemasters, and Patti Raduenz.

This year, MSU faced Raduenz's Elon Phoenix twice at the Stetson Invitational, dropping both contests in tight battles. Elon came from behind in the first game to force nine innings before defeating MSU 5-4; the next day, the Phoenix outscored the Spartans 7-6 in an 18-hit slugfest.

Raduenz played for Joseph at Michigan State from 1992-1996, where she was a three-year starting shortstop. As a senior, was named to the Second-Team All-America after leading the Spartans in hitting (.422) and hits (65).

Beech currently works for Joseph as Michigan State's assistant coach, while Keri Lemasters is the head coach at Suffolk.

N2
A member of the captain trio, senior outfielder Nikki Nicosia continues to lead the Spartans on and off the field. Nicosia currently paces her teammates in runs scored (29), hits (43), triples (5) and ties for first with Jessica LeFevre, Gina Mondo and Kara Weigle in stolen bases (9).

With four home runs in her last three games, Nicosia tied Bianca Mejia with five home runs this year to lead the team. Nicosia belted out three dingers in the doubleheader against Wisconsin on March 30, then followed with another against Eastern Michigan on April 3. Her five home runs this year surpasses her previous three seasons' total (4), giving Nicosia nine career dingers.

MONDO's MARCH MADNESS
In 22 games in March, junior second baseman Gina Mondo led the team batting .414, tallying 29 hits on 70 at bats, with five doubles and four home runs. Mondo was twice named the Big Ten Player of the Week (3/3, 3/10) with her consistent appearances at the plate, as well as flawless play in the field. Mondo was errorless on defense with 36 putouts and 35 assists.

Of her 18 RBI this season, 17 were tallied in March, and while on base, Mondo has successfully stolen nine bases on 10 attempts.

Batting .378 overall this season, Mondo also leads the Spartans in doubles (7) and on base percentage (.440). Additionally, Mondo is second in home runs (4), runs scored (23), hits (37), triples (1), RBIs (18) and slugging percentage (.592).

NOEL's Ks
Senior pitcher Lesley Noel tallied her 200th career strikeout against Florida State on Feb. 17. Noel began the year with 190 strikeouts and has since added 94 for a career total of 284, good for eighth in MSU's pitching record books.

Against Saint Joseph's on March 5, Noel tied her season high of eight strikeouts, just one shy of tying her career high (nine - vs. IPFW, 3/29.2006).

Additionally, Noel has thrown three shutouts this year (3/8/08 vs. Coastal Carolina, 3/15/08 vs. Stetson, 3/30/08 vs. Wisconsin (game two of doubleheader)).

Noel is 9-9 this year (1-1 Big Ten) after pitching 129.1 innings with a 2.11 ERA.

BASS PITCHING
Freshman hurler Shae Bass returned to the circle for the first time since March 5, after suffering a back injury, and pitched a complete 8-2 victory in the opening contest of the Wisconsin doubleheader. Bass rung up six batters, setting a new career high for strikeouts in a single game.

Bass opened her collegiate career with a perfect 3-0 mark at the Seminole Classic on Feb. 15-17, tallying her first career win on Feb. 16 with a 14-2 victory over Bethune-Cookman. She 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.

Overall this year, Bass is 5-3 with a 3.83 ERA, giving up 21 earned runs while striking out 23 batters in 38.1 innings.

WEIGLE'S WEEKLY AWARD
Junior Kara Weigle was named softball's Big Ten Player of the Week on March 24, as announced by the Big Ten Office. Weigle exploded on offense with six hits, including her second career grand slam, in the three-game, two-day Best Western Miami Invitational on March 22-23. Additionally, Weigle stole three bases over the weekend, moving into 10th place on MSU's all-time stolen bases records list. She has stolen nine bases this year, for a career total of 33.

HALTING A SLIDE
The Spartans halted a nine-game losting streak with two wins (7-5, 4-3) on March 5 over Saint Joseph's. Since, Michigan State is 13-6, improving its overall record to 17-15.

SUCCESS IN THE SUNSHINE STATE
Michigan State went 12-3 this year in games played in Florida. The Spartans swept the four-game Seminole Classic in Tallahasse, Fla., and also their March 5 doubleheader against Saint Joseph's in Clearwater, Fla.

At the USF/Under Armour Invitational, MSU won its first four games, including a 6-1 extra-inning upset over then-ranked No. 13 Baylor, before falling in a 2-0 loss to Hofstra in the Pool C's championship game. And in their final Sunshine State tournament, the Spartans went 2-2 at the Stetson Classic.

THE GRASS IS ALWAYS GREENER
For Michigan State, the grass is certainly greener on the other side of the fence, as seven Spartans have gone yard this season, cranking out 20 home runs in 32 games.

Senior Nikki Nicosia and redshirt freshman Bianca Mejia pace the Spartans with five home runs each, while junior Gina Mondo has four. Senior Caitlin Mahoney has three, and senior Traci Nicosia, junior Kara Weigle and freshman Heidi Purtzer have one apiece.

Among the 19, Nikki Nicosia, Kara Weigle and Gina Mondo have each cranked out a grand slam.

OH CAPTAIN, MY THREE CAPTAINS
This year's squad is led by a trio of captains, senior Nikki Nicosia, senior Lesley Noel and redshirt freshman Bianca Mejia.

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. Keely Gruner made her collegiate debut in game one of the Saint Joseph's series, pinch running for Bianca Mejia on March 4. (The first two innings of the doublehearder's first game were played on Tuesday until rain suspended the game. The doubleheader was completed on March 5.)

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 heads back to Old College Field hosting Western Michigan on Wednesday, April 9 at 4 p.m.