MSU Readies for Series With Illinois, Minnesota


Spartan Softball at Big Ten Weekend No. 2
Dates	vs. Illinois- Thursday, March 11, 4:15 pm (doubleheader)
Dates	vs. Illinois- Friday, March 12, 2 pm (single game)
	vs. Minnesota- Saturday, March 13, 4:15 pm (doubleheader)
	vs. Minnesota- Sunday, March 14, 2021 - 11:30 am (single game)
Facility	Sleepy Hollow Sports Complex; Leesburg, Florida
Fan Information	There is no general admission to this event
Television	None
Webstreams	vs. Illinois: Game One Game Two Game Three vs Minnesota: Game One Game Two Game Three
Live Statistics	None
Game Notes	Michigan State
Social Media	Facebook Twitter Instagram
Opponent Information	Illinois Minnesota

The Weekend Ahead:
• Michigan State heads back to Leesburg, Fla. with the other 13 Big Ten institutions to continue the 2021 softball season.

• The Covid-19 pandemic has changed the look of the season schedule. The Big Ten will play a conference-only slate, allowing for each team to play each of the other 13 teams in the Conference.

• The Conference will play two weekends of the season at the Sleepy Hollow Sports Complex. In week one (Feb. 26-28), each team played doubleheaders on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. In week two (March 11-14), each team will play a three-game series against two opponents. MSU will face Illinois and Minnesota in three-game sets this weekend.

• All six games will have a webstream on BTN+ (direct links above). Each game of the doubleheaders have separate webstream links. There will be no live statistics for the weekend.

• The more "traditional" portion of the season begins on March 26. Each team will play eight, four-game weekend series (four at home, four on the road). One exception is that one of the four games between MSU and Michigan will be played at Secchia Stadium (April 4) after three in Ann Arbor (April 2-3).

• For the 2021 season, no general admission tickets will be sold for any sports on the Michigan State campus. A limited number of family members of players and staff will be the only fans allowed.

The Matchups:
• Tyra Perry is in her fifth season at the helm of the Illinois program. She guided her squad to a 5-1 mark against Rutgers, Maryland and Michigan in the opening weekend.

• MSU and Illinois will play the 30th all-time game between the teams when they face off in game one on Thursday. The Illini hold a 23-6 mark all-time between the teams, but have not met since the 2017 season, when the squads played a three-game series at Davenport University due to flooded fields at Secchia Stadium. At a neutral site, the series is tied, 2-2.

• The Golden Gophers have a 57-36 all-time mark in games against Michigan State. In the 2019 meetings of the teams, Minnesota won a pair of games at home, 7-1 and 9-5. The neutral-site meetings of the squads is in favor of MSU, 4-3.

• Piper Ritter has been the pitching coach at Minnesota for 13 seasons, and undertakes her first season as the head coach in 2021. The Gophers enter the weekend at 3-3 overall, splitting doubleheaders with Maryland, Ohio State, and Indiana in the opening weekend. they will play Rutgers on Thursday and Friday before taking on MSU on Saturday and Sunday.

Team Notes:
• Michigan State went 2-4 in the opening weekend of the 2021 season, splitting doubleheaders with both Nebraska and Iowa after falling in twin 5-0 decisions in the opening DH against Northwestern.

• The Spartans return 15 letterwinners from last year's team, including starters at every position. At the end of the 2020 campaign, MSU was down to 15 healthy players on its roster. MSU went 6-16 in the abbreviated season in 2020.
• MSU struggled a bit at the plate in the first weekend of the season, hitting just .185 overall, but faced some of the best pitchers in the conference (2019 National Freshman of the Year Danielle Williams of Northwestern and Iowa ace Allison Doocy).

• MSU had an overall strong weekend from its pitching staff, which posted a 2.67 ERA. It got a complete game from freshman Ashley Miller, three starts from sophomore Sarah Ladd and two others from freshman Jala Wright, and three outstanding relief appearances from senior Alli Walker, who has not allowed an earned run.

• Spartan head coach Jacquie Joseph is in her 28th 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, 36th season) and Rhonda Revelle (Nebraska, 29th.)

• Joseph's staff consists of pitching coach Ben Sorden, hitting coach Corrie Hill, and volunteer Erin Pond. Sorden begins his fourth 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:
• Freshman Ashley Miller earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors in the opening week of the season. She posted a 0.93 ERA in three appearances, tossing a complete-game two-hitter against Iowa, a 1-0 victory. The Iowa win her her first collegiate start after two relief appearances. Overall on the first weekend, she went 2-0 in 15 innings pitched, striking out 16 and walking just four, scattering five base hits.

• MIller is seventh in the Big Ten in batters struck out looking (5) and is 11th in strikeouts (16). She is fourth in fewest hits allowed (5),

• Alli Walker threw 6.2 relief innings in three games the first weekend of Big Ten play, striking out seven, walking one, and scattering seven hits. She boasts a perfect 0.00 ERA as she has not allowed a run this season, and shares the Big Ten lead in both that and fewest walks surrendered (1).

• Walker was second in the Big Ten a year ago in relief appearances (10 of her 17 total appearances.)

• Sarah Ladd made three starts in Leesburg during the first week, one in each doubleheader. She shares the team lead in strikeouts (16), which is 11th in the Big Ten.Her ERA is 5.00 through those three starts.

• Jala Wright made two starts in her first weekend of collegiate softball, tossing 6.1 innings. She owns a 6.63 ERA.

Player Notes - Field Players:
• MSU head coach Jacquie Joseph got each of her eligible field players on the field in at least two games in the first weekend of play.

• Senior Joanna Bartz picked up where her abbreviated junior season left off, posting a .364 opening-weekend average. She had four base hits (one double) and drew a team-best three walks.

• Jenae Wash appeared in just nine games last season due to injury, and had season-ending surgery prior to the pandemic wiping out the 2020 campaign. She returned to the lineup healthy, and posted a .313 average, smacking the team's only homer and posting a pair of RBI and two walks. She started four games at short and was the DP in two others.

• Kendall Kates, MSU's transfer catcher, started five of the six games behind the plate and overall made an impressive statement in her first weekend in Green & White. She had one double among three base hits and a pair of RBI, stole two bases, and was perfect on 40 defensive chances behind the plate.

• Junior Mackenzie Meech made four starts at 1B and one other in right, and tallied four hits and an RBI (.308).

• Camryn Wincher hit .200, had three base hits and an RBI as one of four players to start all six games. She played five at third and was DP in the finale.

• Caitie Ladd was a Second Team All-Big Ten selection in 2019, and is one of two of MSU's four-year starters. She played five games at second and another at short, coming up with three base hits (one double) and an RBI.

• Courtney Callahan is the only Spartan to start all six opening-weekend games at the same position (center). She had a pair of base hits and an RBI.

• All three freshmen field players saw action in at least four games. Alexis Barroso started two games at first and was perfect in the field on 10 chances, while picking up her first collegiate base hit. Marissa Trivelpiece played in all six games (starting two on the left side of the infield and two in right field) and also picked up her first collegiate base hit and RBI. Zaquai Dumas made one start at second base.

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Players Mentioned

Alexis Barroso

Joanna Bartz

Courtney Callahan

Zaquai Dumas

Kendall Kates

Caitie Ladd

Sarah Ladd

Mackenzie Meech

Ashley Miller

Marissa Trivelpiece

Alli Walker

Jenae Wash

Camryn Wincher

Jala Wright