Friday, February 24
Tampa, Fla.
10:00 am
Michigan State University
vs
UIC
Photo by: Andy Mead/YCJ
Sunshine State On Deck for Spartan Softball
2/22/2023 2:36:00 PM | Softball
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State softball is set to hit the road for the third consecutive weekend, heading to Tampa, Fla. for the USF Invitational hosted by University of South Florida. The Spartans are fresh off a 2-2 weekend at the Elon Phoenix Invitational in which they defeated Elon and Fordham, while dropping games against 2022 Northeast Conference champion Saint Francis and James Madison.
The opponents don't get easier for the Spartans as MSU will take on #5 Clemson twice as well as #9 Tennessee, in addition to UIC and USF, in Tampa this weekend.
USF Invitational Schedule
Links to live stats and streaming available here
Friday, February 24
vs. Illinois Chicago – 10:00 a.m. EST
vs. #9 Tennessee – 3:00 p.m. EST
Saturday, February 25
vs. #5 Clemson – 9:00 a.m. EST
at USF – 2:00 p.m. EST
Sunday, February 26
vs. #5 Clemson – 9:00 a.m. EST
THE OPPONENTS
UIC batters are hitting better than .300, led by Hailey Cowing (.385). Anna Walker is hitting .350 and Jazmyn Casas is hitting .316. Cowing, Casas and Grace Fleming lead the team with two RBIs each. Christina Toniolo is the top pitcher for UIC tossing 24.1 innings to date with a 3.45 ERA and a 1.44 WHIP. Opposing hitters are hitting .242 against Toniolo. Carlee Jo Clark and Miranda Gomez have also started games for the Flames this season.
Tennessee is one of the premier hitting teams in the country, hitting .350 as a team (No. 17 nationally) with a .472 OBP (No. 5 nationally). The Vols are scoring 9.14 runs per game which ranks No. 2 in DI.
Mackenzie Donihoo leads the team with a .524 batting average and is No. 2 nationally in doubles with six. Kiki Milloy is tied for the second-most home runs in the country so far with five while hitting .435. Zaida Puni is hitting .348 while leading the team with 12 RBIs. Tennessee's pitching staff owns a 1.43 ERA lead by Payton Gottshall's 0.75 ERA in two starts. Opposing batters are hitting .166 against Tennessee. Volunteer pitchers have 50 strikeouts opposed to just eight walked batters this season.
Clemson is 11-0 and is coming off a pair of convincing wins over Northwestern last weekend at the ACC/B1G Challenge. The Tigers chased 2022 Big Ten Pitcher of the Year Danielle Williams in less than an inning on Friday in a 15-2 victory. Clemson ranks No. 2 nationally in batting average (.408), No. 1 in doubles (28), No. 3 in home runs per game (2.00), No. 2 in on-base percentage (.483), No. 4 in scoring (8.55), No. 2 in SLUG (.729) and No. 12 in walks (45). In the circle the Tigers rank No. 6 in ERA (1.10) and No. 13 in K/BB ratio (5.25).
JoJo Hyatt is No. 9 nationally in batting average (.583) while Valerie Cagle is No. 16 at .556. Cagle is No. 8 in DI in doubles (5), No. 3 in hits (20), No. 1 in home runs (6), No. 26 in RBIs (13), No. 7 in SLUG (1.194) and No. 11 in innings pitched (36.1). McKenzie Clark is hitting .500 with five long balls to rank second nationally. Eight of Clemson's regular starters have an OPS above 1.000.
South Florida is 2-7 to start the season, with wins over Michigan and Saint Joseph's. The Bulls will face FGCU on Wednesday night prior to the Spartans' arrival for the weekend.
Gabriella Nori is No. 28 nationally in strikeouts per seven innings averaging 10.5 per despite her 5.83 ERA. Payton Dixon leads the pitching staff with a 2.21 ERA in 19 innings of work. Seven different pitchers have seen the circle for USF this season. In the batter's box, Emilee Hanlon leads the team hitting .462 in 13 at-bats, while Meghan Sheehan is hitting .375 in addition to starting all nine games for USF. Four players are tied for the team-high in RBIs with two.
IN THE RANKINGS
Entering the weekend junior Ashley Miller ranks No. 3 in NCAA DIvision I in innings pitched (38.1), No. 6 in shutouts (2), No. 7 in strikeouts (49) and No. 9 in wins (4). Freshman Mandy Esman ranks No. 2 in NCAA Division I with two triples.
As a team Michigan State ranks No. 49 nationally in on-base percentage (.396) and is No. 23 in walks (40).
STREAKS
Freshman Mandy Esman is riding a four-game hitting streak heading into the weekend in Tampa. Senior Camryn Wincher is on a nine-game reached base streak, getting on base in all nine of MSU's games this season. Sophomore Macy Lee is second on the team with a seven-game reached base streak, reaching in all seven of her appearances.
IN THE RECORD BOOK
Freshman Mandy Esman set the Spartan record for most RBI in a debut with five against Texas A&M-Commerce on Feb. 10.
Senior Anna Fox walked three times in Michigan State's game against Saint Francis on Feb. 18, tied for second-most all time at Michigan State.
Ashley Miller owns six of the top 16 single game strikeout performances in program history. In 2022 Miller had six games of 12 or more strikeouts, twice reaching 14. Miller's 14 strikeout performances against Elon and Akron are the most in regulation, with the only two ranked higher coming in extra innings. Miller struck out 14 against Elon in just six innings on March 4, 2022. Miller's 244 strikeouts in 2022 rank second all-time at MSU for a single season.
As of Feb. 23, Miller ranks sixth for career strikeouts with 392 total.
Strikeouts, Career No. Years
1. Jessica Beech 659 2001-04
2. Kristina Zalewski 643 2014-18
3. Stacey Smith 408 1994-97
4. Becky Gray 407 1999-02
5. Rachel Turney 406 2005-07
6. Ashley Miller 392 2021-pres
FAMILIAR FACES
Senior Anna Fox played three seasons at Tennessee and will face her former team this week on Feb. 24. South Florida shortstop Marissa Trivelpiece played two seasons at Michigan State prior to heading south. Trivelpiece appeared in 78 games for MSU, starting in 55 at a variety of positions.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Michigan State will have three nationally televised games during the 2023 season.
• Michigan at Michigan State - 4/5/23 - BTN
• Michigan State at Michigan - 4/18/23 - BTN
• Michigan State at Illinois - 4/22/23 - ESPNU
When Michigan State travels to Illinois in April it will represent the first meeting between two Black head coaches in Power 5 softball history, Sharonda McDonald-Kelley and Tyra Perry.
CLOSE CALLS
Michigan State is 2-0 in one run games this season. The Spartans defeated Tarleton, 5-4, and Northern Kentucky, 4-3, in eight innings. The Spartans struggled in one run games last season going 6-8.
LOOKING FORWARD
Michigan State travels to Arizona March 3-5 to play in the ASU/GCU Classic next weekend hosted by Arizona State and Grand Canyon. The Spartans will face off against #8 Washington, Grand Canyon, Houston, Arizona State (RV) and Boise State.
MSU's spring break road trip continues March 10-11 playing at the Torero Classic in San Diego, hosted by University of San Diego. There, the Spartans will meet Yale (2x), Western Carolina and San Diego.
In non-conference action, MSU will face 11 teams that appeared in an NCAA Regional last season and two of which that advanced to Super Regionals.
The opponents don't get easier for the Spartans as MSU will take on #5 Clemson twice as well as #9 Tennessee, in addition to UIC and USF, in Tampa this weekend.
USF Invitational Schedule
Links to live stats and streaming available here
Friday, February 24
vs. Illinois Chicago – 10:00 a.m. EST
vs. #9 Tennessee – 3:00 p.m. EST
Saturday, February 25
vs. #5 Clemson – 9:00 a.m. EST
at USF – 2:00 p.m. EST
Sunday, February 26
vs. #5 Clemson – 9:00 a.m. EST
THE OPPONENTS
UIC batters are hitting better than .300, led by Hailey Cowing (.385). Anna Walker is hitting .350 and Jazmyn Casas is hitting .316. Cowing, Casas and Grace Fleming lead the team with two RBIs each. Christina Toniolo is the top pitcher for UIC tossing 24.1 innings to date with a 3.45 ERA and a 1.44 WHIP. Opposing hitters are hitting .242 against Toniolo. Carlee Jo Clark and Miranda Gomez have also started games for the Flames this season.
Tennessee is one of the premier hitting teams in the country, hitting .350 as a team (No. 17 nationally) with a .472 OBP (No. 5 nationally). The Vols are scoring 9.14 runs per game which ranks No. 2 in DI.
Mackenzie Donihoo leads the team with a .524 batting average and is No. 2 nationally in doubles with six. Kiki Milloy is tied for the second-most home runs in the country so far with five while hitting .435. Zaida Puni is hitting .348 while leading the team with 12 RBIs. Tennessee's pitching staff owns a 1.43 ERA lead by Payton Gottshall's 0.75 ERA in two starts. Opposing batters are hitting .166 against Tennessee. Volunteer pitchers have 50 strikeouts opposed to just eight walked batters this season.
Clemson is 11-0 and is coming off a pair of convincing wins over Northwestern last weekend at the ACC/B1G Challenge. The Tigers chased 2022 Big Ten Pitcher of the Year Danielle Williams in less than an inning on Friday in a 15-2 victory. Clemson ranks No. 2 nationally in batting average (.408), No. 1 in doubles (28), No. 3 in home runs per game (2.00), No. 2 in on-base percentage (.483), No. 4 in scoring (8.55), No. 2 in SLUG (.729) and No. 12 in walks (45). In the circle the Tigers rank No. 6 in ERA (1.10) and No. 13 in K/BB ratio (5.25).
JoJo Hyatt is No. 9 nationally in batting average (.583) while Valerie Cagle is No. 16 at .556. Cagle is No. 8 in DI in doubles (5), No. 3 in hits (20), No. 1 in home runs (6), No. 26 in RBIs (13), No. 7 in SLUG (1.194) and No. 11 in innings pitched (36.1). McKenzie Clark is hitting .500 with five long balls to rank second nationally. Eight of Clemson's regular starters have an OPS above 1.000.
South Florida is 2-7 to start the season, with wins over Michigan and Saint Joseph's. The Bulls will face FGCU on Wednesday night prior to the Spartans' arrival for the weekend.
Gabriella Nori is No. 28 nationally in strikeouts per seven innings averaging 10.5 per despite her 5.83 ERA. Payton Dixon leads the pitching staff with a 2.21 ERA in 19 innings of work. Seven different pitchers have seen the circle for USF this season. In the batter's box, Emilee Hanlon leads the team hitting .462 in 13 at-bats, while Meghan Sheehan is hitting .375 in addition to starting all nine games for USF. Four players are tied for the team-high in RBIs with two.
IN THE RANKINGS
Entering the weekend junior Ashley Miller ranks No. 3 in NCAA DIvision I in innings pitched (38.1), No. 6 in shutouts (2), No. 7 in strikeouts (49) and No. 9 in wins (4). Freshman Mandy Esman ranks No. 2 in NCAA Division I with two triples.
As a team Michigan State ranks No. 49 nationally in on-base percentage (.396) and is No. 23 in walks (40).
STREAKS
Freshman Mandy Esman is riding a four-game hitting streak heading into the weekend in Tampa. Senior Camryn Wincher is on a nine-game reached base streak, getting on base in all nine of MSU's games this season. Sophomore Macy Lee is second on the team with a seven-game reached base streak, reaching in all seven of her appearances.
IN THE RECORD BOOK
Freshman Mandy Esman set the Spartan record for most RBI in a debut with five against Texas A&M-Commerce on Feb. 10.
Senior Anna Fox walked three times in Michigan State's game against Saint Francis on Feb. 18, tied for second-most all time at Michigan State.
Ashley Miller owns six of the top 16 single game strikeout performances in program history. In 2022 Miller had six games of 12 or more strikeouts, twice reaching 14. Miller's 14 strikeout performances against Elon and Akron are the most in regulation, with the only two ranked higher coming in extra innings. Miller struck out 14 against Elon in just six innings on March 4, 2022. Miller's 244 strikeouts in 2022 rank second all-time at MSU for a single season.
As of Feb. 23, Miller ranks sixth for career strikeouts with 392 total.
Strikeouts, Career No. Years
1. Jessica Beech 659 2001-04
2. Kristina Zalewski 643 2014-18
3. Stacey Smith 408 1994-97
4. Becky Gray 407 1999-02
5. Rachel Turney 406 2005-07
6. Ashley Miller 392 2021-pres
FAMILIAR FACES
Senior Anna Fox played three seasons at Tennessee and will face her former team this week on Feb. 24. South Florida shortstop Marissa Trivelpiece played two seasons at Michigan State prior to heading south. Trivelpiece appeared in 78 games for MSU, starting in 55 at a variety of positions.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Michigan State will have three nationally televised games during the 2023 season.
• Michigan at Michigan State - 4/5/23 - BTN
• Michigan State at Michigan - 4/18/23 - BTN
• Michigan State at Illinois - 4/22/23 - ESPNU
When Michigan State travels to Illinois in April it will represent the first meeting between two Black head coaches in Power 5 softball history, Sharonda McDonald-Kelley and Tyra Perry.
CLOSE CALLS
Michigan State is 2-0 in one run games this season. The Spartans defeated Tarleton, 5-4, and Northern Kentucky, 4-3, in eight innings. The Spartans struggled in one run games last season going 6-8.
LOOKING FORWARD
Michigan State travels to Arizona March 3-5 to play in the ASU/GCU Classic next weekend hosted by Arizona State and Grand Canyon. The Spartans will face off against #8 Washington, Grand Canyon, Houston, Arizona State (RV) and Boise State.
MSU's spring break road trip continues March 10-11 playing at the Torero Classic in San Diego, hosted by University of San Diego. There, the Spartans will meet Yale (2x), Western Carolina and San Diego.
In non-conference action, MSU will face 11 teams that appeared in an NCAA Regional last season and two of which that advanced to Super Regionals.
Players Mentioned
2B
/ Softball
RHP
/ Softball
SS/UTL
/ Softball
1B
/ SoftballA Road Less Traveled | Spartans All-Access
Thursday, April 17
A Higher Standard | Spartans All-Access
Tuesday, February 11
Spartans All-Access: Jenae Wash
Thursday, April 11
Spartans All-Access: Coach Sharonda McDonald-Kelley
Thursday, April 20