MSU Heads to Clemson for ACC-B1G Challenge

**2020 Softball Week Two - Spartans Big Ten/ACC Challenge**
Dates	Friday-Sunday, February 14-16, 2020
Location	Clemson, SC \| Clemson Softball Stadium
	Clemson Clear Bag Policy \| Tickets
Spartan Schedule
Fri., 12:30 pm	vs. Pitt Live Stats \| Webstream (Facebook Live)
Sat., 3 pm	vs. Pitt Live Stats \| Webstream (Facebook Live)
Sat., 5:30 pm	vs. Clemson Live Stats \| Webstream (Facebook Live)
Sun., 12:30 pm	vs. Clemson Live Stats \| W atch: ACCNX on ESPN
Tournament Website	B1G/ACC Challenge at Clemson
Social Media	Facebook Twitter Instagram
Game Notes	Michigan State \| Clemson \| P itt

THE WEEKEND AHEAD

• Michigan State heads to Clemson, SC for the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. MSU will take on the host Tigers in addition to Pitt, playing two games against each. Maryland is the other Big Ten team in the field at Clemson.

LOGISTICS
• Links for live statistics can be found on MSUSpartans.com above or on the Spartan schedule page.

• MSU's Sunday game at the ACC/Big Ten Challenge will be streamed on the ACC Network Digital platform, which is available through the ESPN App.

• MSU will have a free webstream via Facebook Live of both of its games against Pitt as well as the Saturday game vs. Clemson. MSU's official page is Facebook.com/MichiganStateSoftball/

THE MATCHUPS
• Clemson is a first-year program under the direction of veteran coach John Rittman. The Tigers got off to a 2-3 start last weekend at the UCF Invitational, beating St. John's twice and dropping games to Duke, Indiana, and the host Knights.

• Pitt is also 2-3 on the year, opening last weekend at UCLA where it lost twice to the No. 4 Bruins and in eight innings to Cal Poly and beating CSU Bakersfield and San Diego. Longtime Ohio U coach Jodi Hermanek is in her second season at the helm in Pittsburgh.

TEAM NOTES
• The Spartans have a very youthful look in 2020, with six juniors and six freshmen, four sophomores, and just one senior (Katelyn Hendershott).

• The opening weekend was a bit of rough sledding for the young Spartan squad, as MSU dropped two games to Cal, and one each to Syracuse and Penn State in a modified schedule at the FIU Invitational.

• MSU had some self-inflicted wounds last weekend, committing 12 errors over the four games. That led to 37 runs allowed - but only 10 of them were earned.

• As expected with a young team, the offensive output was also a bit spotty. MSU hit .221 as a team with three doubles and one homer. The Spartans struggled to apply sustained offensive pressure in any of the four games.

• While MSU struggled at the plate, the team did put the ball in play. The Spartans struck out 13 times in 95 at-bats, the fewest of any team in the Big Ten.

• Michigan State finished the 2019 season with a 16-34 overall record, and went 4-18 in Big Ten play. The Spartans return three of their top five hitters and two of their pitchers from a year ago.

• MSU's non-conference schedule will be challenging, with each of its first eight non-conference contests vs. power-five opponents. The Spartans will play 28 games away from East Lansing before their scheduled home opener on March 25.

• MSU plays its first two Big Ten series - against Northwestern and Iowa - on the road. MSU has 16 games scheduled in the month of April, with 12 of those at Secchia Stadium, before wrapping up the Big Ten slate at Maryland May 1-3.

• Michigan State head coach Jacquie Joseph is in her 27th season at the helm of the Spartan softball program, and is the longest-tenured coach in program history, along with being the second-longest-tenured head coach in MSU's athletics department. She earned her 700th victory as the Spartan mentor on March 8, 2019 vs. Mercer, and she owns 844 wins overall.

• Joseph is the third-longest tenured head coach in the Big Ten Conference, behind Carol Hutchins (Michigan, 35th season) and Rhonda Revelle (Nebraska, 27th.)

• Joseph's staff consists of pitching coach Ben Sorden, hitting coach Corrie Hill, and volunteer Erin Pond. Sorden begins his third season with the Spartan pitchers, while Hill joined the staff in the fall of 2018. Sorden and Pond both have previous Big Ten experience - Sorden was on staff at Indiana before coming to MSU, and Pond was a Penn State letterwinner. Hill spent 16 seasons as the hitting coach at Texas after serving as the head coach at UTSA from 1998-2005.

PLAYER NOTES - PITCHERS
• MSU posted a team ERA of 2.80 last weekend despite a significant run differential. Both junior Alli Walker and freshman Sarah Ladd each saw action in all four games. Sarah Ladd started three, and redshirt sophomore Leah Shipp got the other start.

• Alli Walker was the workhorse of the Spartan pitching staff in 2019, and started off 2020 in the same manner. She threw a team-high 11.2 innings (all in relief), surrendering just four walks and posting a 3.00 ERA. SHe is tied for the B1G lead in relief appearances, and tied for third in overall appearances.

• Ladd got three starts in Miami, going 8.2 innings overall and posting a 3.23 ERA. Her longest outing came against Syracuse, when she went 4.1 innings and scattered five hits, striking out four and allowing just one earned run. She ranks in a tie for second in games started in the B1G.

• Leah Shipp got the start in the second game against Cal and went 4.2 innings, allowing one earned run.

PLAYER NOTES - FIELD PLAYERS
• Caitie Ladd earned a spot on the All-Tournament Team at FIU, posting a .417 average (5-for-12), a double, two walks, and an RBI. Her opening-weekend batting average is tied for 14th in the Big Ten.

• Redshirt junior Shae Schreckengost started all four games at FIU - two behind the plate, and two at DP. She had base hits in each of the first three games of the season - nearly matching her base hit total from 2019 (4) in the opening weekend.

• Three freshmen picked up their first career hits - Erica Holt had two vs. Syracuse, and added three diving catches in the outfield in three games. Kennedy Wyllie had base hits in the second game vs. Cal (to go with two RBI) and another vs. Syracuse. Camryn Wincher had her first base knock against Syracuse.

• Wyllie played two games behind the plate but had at least one plate appearance in all four games. Wincher started three in on the left side of the infield, and Holt started one of her three appearances in center.

• Katie Quinlan had a pair of base hits in the opener vs. Cal, and also had a stolen base on the weekend.

• Mackenzie Meech opened up her season with a bang (literally), smacking an RBI double and a grand slam in the first game of the year against Cal. She matched her career best with five RBI in the game, which is the most for any player in the Big Ten in a game so far in 2020.

• Joanna Bartz had her first career multiple-hit game in the rematch with Cal on Saturday, and picked up her first RBI of the season. She hit .250 on the weekend.

• Courtney Callahan came on strong late in the 2019 season, and opened her sophomore campaign with a double in the opener vs. Cal. She started all four games in left field, the only player to earn four starts at the same position last weekend.

• Laney Joyner has appeared in 70 career games over two seasons, starting 53. She started all four games last weekend, and picked up a base hit against Cal in the opener.

• Katelyn Hendershott has been hampered by nagging injuries throughout her career, but saw action in three of the four games last weekend. Resilient at the plate, two of her three at-bats were nine pitches or more.

• Freshman Janae Wash saw action in all three games, starting three on the right side of the infield.

• Sophomore Abby Joseph got into two games last weekend, earning a walk in one of her two plate appearances.

• Freshman Brooke Snyder saw the field in three of four games as a pinch runner, and was one of two Spartans to pick up a stolen base last weekend (Katie Quinlan was the other).

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Joanna Bartz

Courtney Callahan

Katelyn Hendershott

Erica Holt

Abby Joseph

Laney Joyner

Caitie Ladd

Sarah Ladd

Mackenzie Meech

Katie Quinlan

Shae Schreckengost

Leah Shipp

Brooke Snyder

Alli Walker

Camryn Wincher

Kennedy Wyllie