Friday, March 3
Phoenix, Ariz.
11:00 am MT
Michigan State University
vs
Washington
Spartan Softball to Start Spring Break in Arizona
3/2/2023 10:31:00 AM | Softball
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Major League Baseball won't be the only athletes putting bats to balls in Arizona this weekend as the Michigan State softball team heads to Phoenix and Tempe to play a series of games at Grand Canyon and Arizona State this weekend. The Spartans start their journey with a pair of games at GCU before wrapping up the weekend with a trio of games hosted by the Sun Devils.
Michigan State's challenging slate of games continues this week with a pair of games against ranked opponents in #11/12 Washington and #23/RV Arizona State. MSU will also face 16-1 Grand Canyon who is not ranked despite their impressive record to date. Houston and Boise State round out the Spartans opponents for the weekend.
Links to live stats and streaming available here (only games against Grand Canyon and Arizona State will be streamed, live stats will be provided for every game)
GCU Classic Schedule (Phoenix, Arizona)
Friday, March 3
vs. #11/12 Washington - 11:00 a.m. MT
at Grand Canyon - 4:00 p.m. MT
Sun Devil Classic Schedule (Tempe, Arizona)
Saturday, March 4
vs. Houston - 11:00 a.m. MT
at #23/RV Arizona State - 4:00 p.m. MT
Sunday, March 5
vs. Boise State - 9:30 a.m. MT
THE OPPONENTS
Washington
Michigan State opens the weekend against #11/12 Washington, who is 13-3 to start the 2023 campaign, only losing to then #1 Oklahoma, then #18 Kentucky and McNeese State. The Huskies went 4-1 at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic last week winning games against Bethune-Cookman, Long Beach State, UC San Diego and San Diego State, shutting out their final three opponents. Washington ranks No. 43 nationally in batting average (.312), No. 31 in ERA (1.62), No. 23 in OBP (.422), No. 12 in scoring (7.38), No. 4 in shutouts (8), No. 24 in SLG% (.526), No. 15 in K:BB ratio (4.41) and No. 5 in walks (70).
Washington pitcher Ruby Meylan ranks No. 20 in DI with a 0.61 ERA, No. 2 in shutouts (4) and No. 10 in strikeouts with 65 despite just 46 innings pitched in 11 appearances and six starts. Kelley Lynch has the second-most innings of work behind Meylan with 24.0, pitching to the tune of a 1.46 ERA with 39 strikeouts in eight appearances. Opposing hitters are batting .207 against the Huskies.
Baylee Klingler leads Washington in batting, hitting .418 with a team-best 23 hits (ranks No. 14 in DI). The aptly named Madison Huskey ranks No. 10 nationally with six home runs and is No. 7 in DI with 21 RBIs. Six regular starters are hitting better than .333 for Washington so far this season with four owning an OPS above 1.000.
Grand Canyon
Grand Canyon is 16-1 this season with their lone loss coming against Oregon State, 5-4, on Feb. 19. GCU is coming off a back-to-back no hitter performance in their mid-week doubleheader against CSU Bakersfield on Tuesday. The Lopes rank No. 9 nationally in batting average (.360), No. 7 in ERA (1.28), No. 5 in OBP (.461), No. 7 in scoring (8.12), No. 2 in shutouts (9), No. 10 in SLG% (.581) and No. 11 in walks (66).
In the circle, Hailey Hudson sports a 0.39 ERA over 35.2 innings ranking No. 11 in DI. Ariel Thompson is the No. 2 pitcher on staff with a 1.73 ERA across 28.1 innings in six starts. Opposing batters are hitting .196 against GCU pitchers.
Kayla Rodgers is hitting .500 for the Lopes as one of seven starters hitting better than .333 to start the season. Kristin Fifield is hitting .396 and leads the team with a .1.349 OPS, 21 hits, seven home runs and 30 RBIs. Fifield's seven long balls rank No. 3 in DI while her RBIs rank No. 2 and her SLG% ranks No. 31 (.906).
Houston
Houston is 9-7 entering the weekend after dropping a mid-week game at #25/RV Texas A&M by a final score of 9-1. The Cougars hosted a tournament last weekend where they split with B1G opponent Illinois.
Former Northwestern pitcher Kenna Wilkey has seen the most innings of work in the circle for Houston sporting a 3.14 ERA in 49.0 innings and nine appearances (six starts). Wilkey won her only start against the Spartans while at Northwestern, pitching a complete game on April 26, 2019 where she allowed eight hits and four runs, but struck out 13 MSU batters. Taylor Edwards has the better ERA of the two with a 1.52 ERA in 27.2 innings (six appearances, five starts). Opponents have hit .243 against Houston's pitching staff.
Turiya Coleman is hitting .500 for the Cougars ranking No. 24 in DI in batting average and No. 5 nationally in hits (26). Katy Repa is No. 18 in DI with six doubles.
Arizona State
ASU is 11-2 to start the season under first year head coach Megan Bartlett, who replaced Trisha Ford after her departure to Texas A&M. The Sun Devils have won seven straight following a loss to BYU on Feb. 16, sweeping a three-game series against Iowa State last weekend. Arizona State ranks No. 17 nationally in batting average (.344), No. 1 in home runs per game (1.92) and No. 4 in SLG% (.647).
Two ASU starters have each made five starts in Kylee Magee and Mac Osborne, but Arizona State doesn't shy away from pitchers entering in relief with each of Kenzie Brown and Marissa Schuld making eight appearances despite just three starts between the two. Brown has made a pair of starts for ASU this season, but leads the team in innings pitched with 23.1 and in ERA at 1.50. Opponents are hitting .227 against the Sun Devils.
Arizona State boasts the current 2023 DI home run queen in their lineup as Jordyn VanHook leads the country with nine home runs in 13 games. VanHook is hitting .462 with a 1.231 SLG% that ranks No. 2 nationally along with a 1.764 OPS. Virginia Tech transfer Alexa Milius leads the team with a .483 batting average.
Boise State
The Broncos are 7-7 this season and are riding a three game losing streak into the weekend after losses to No. 8 Stanford (2x) and Michigan at the Stanford Invitational. Boise State is No. 46 nationally in OBP (.394).
Pitching is a weak point for the Broncos who own a 5.50 team ERA in 84.0 total innings. Opposing batters are hitting .318 against Boise State pitchers. Taylor Claudill has a team-best 4.53 ERA in 29.1 innings of work.
Mykenzie Hanna is hitting .419 for Boise State to lead the team. Jordyn Hutchins has hit four home runs for the Broncos to go along with a team-best 14 RBIs.
HOMECOMING
Michigan State's Jessica Mabrey, Kennedy Wyllie and Macy Lee are all Arizona natives and will play in their home state for the first time during their MSU career's this upcoming weekend. Kendall Kates, Brooke Snyder, Alexis Barroso and Collete Allen all hail from California and will play in their home state the following weekend.
VERSATILITY IN THE FIELD
Redshirt junior Jenae Wash has played all over the field throughout her collegiate career. As a freshman Wash made appearances at first and second base. In her sophomore season, Wash played shortstop and left field. Junior year saw Wash stick to the outfield in right. In 2023, Wash started the season in left, but this past weekend made a move to third base. The only positions Wash hasn't played are center field, catcher and pitcher.
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. Fifth-year Jessica Mabrey walked three times in Michigan State's win over UIC on Feb. 24, the second time she has walked three times in her MSU career.
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. 26, Miller ranks tied for third for career strikeouts with 408 total.
Strikeouts, Career    No.    Years
1. Jessica Beech       659    2001-04
2. Kristina Zalewski  643    2014-18
3. Stacey Smith        408   1994-97
3. Ashley Miller      408   2021-pres
IN THE RANKINGS
Entering the weekend junior Ashley Miller ranks No. 7 in NCAA Division I in innings pitched (52.0), No. 14 in shutouts (2), No. 8 in strikeouts (65) and No. 27 in wins (5).
LOOKING FORWARD
MSU's Spring Break roadtrip continues on 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.
After Spring Break the Spartans have nine days off from competition prior to the home opener against Central Michigan on March 21. Big Ten play for Michigan State opens at home against Wisconsin on March 24-26.
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Michigan State's challenging slate of games continues this week with a pair of games against ranked opponents in #11/12 Washington and #23/RV Arizona State. MSU will also face 16-1 Grand Canyon who is not ranked despite their impressive record to date. Houston and Boise State round out the Spartans opponents for the weekend.
Links to live stats and streaming available here (only games against Grand Canyon and Arizona State will be streamed, live stats will be provided for every game)
GCU Classic Schedule (Phoenix, Arizona)
Friday, March 3
vs. #11/12 Washington - 11:00 a.m. MT
at Grand Canyon - 4:00 p.m. MT
Sun Devil Classic Schedule (Tempe, Arizona)
Saturday, March 4
vs. Houston - 11:00 a.m. MT
at #23/RV Arizona State - 4:00 p.m. MT
Sunday, March 5
vs. Boise State - 9:30 a.m. MT
THE OPPONENTS
Washington
Michigan State opens the weekend against #11/12 Washington, who is 13-3 to start the 2023 campaign, only losing to then #1 Oklahoma, then #18 Kentucky and McNeese State. The Huskies went 4-1 at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic last week winning games against Bethune-Cookman, Long Beach State, UC San Diego and San Diego State, shutting out their final three opponents. Washington ranks No. 43 nationally in batting average (.312), No. 31 in ERA (1.62), No. 23 in OBP (.422), No. 12 in scoring (7.38), No. 4 in shutouts (8), No. 24 in SLG% (.526), No. 15 in K:BB ratio (4.41) and No. 5 in walks (70).
Washington pitcher Ruby Meylan ranks No. 20 in DI with a 0.61 ERA, No. 2 in shutouts (4) and No. 10 in strikeouts with 65 despite just 46 innings pitched in 11 appearances and six starts. Kelley Lynch has the second-most innings of work behind Meylan with 24.0, pitching to the tune of a 1.46 ERA with 39 strikeouts in eight appearances. Opposing hitters are batting .207 against the Huskies.
Baylee Klingler leads Washington in batting, hitting .418 with a team-best 23 hits (ranks No. 14 in DI). The aptly named Madison Huskey ranks No. 10 nationally with six home runs and is No. 7 in DI with 21 RBIs. Six regular starters are hitting better than .333 for Washington so far this season with four owning an OPS above 1.000.
Grand Canyon
Grand Canyon is 16-1 this season with their lone loss coming against Oregon State, 5-4, on Feb. 19. GCU is coming off a back-to-back no hitter performance in their mid-week doubleheader against CSU Bakersfield on Tuesday. The Lopes rank No. 9 nationally in batting average (.360), No. 7 in ERA (1.28), No. 5 in OBP (.461), No. 7 in scoring (8.12), No. 2 in shutouts (9), No. 10 in SLG% (.581) and No. 11 in walks (66).
In the circle, Hailey Hudson sports a 0.39 ERA over 35.2 innings ranking No. 11 in DI. Ariel Thompson is the No. 2 pitcher on staff with a 1.73 ERA across 28.1 innings in six starts. Opposing batters are hitting .196 against GCU pitchers.
Kayla Rodgers is hitting .500 for the Lopes as one of seven starters hitting better than .333 to start the season. Kristin Fifield is hitting .396 and leads the team with a .1.349 OPS, 21 hits, seven home runs and 30 RBIs. Fifield's seven long balls rank No. 3 in DI while her RBIs rank No. 2 and her SLG% ranks No. 31 (.906).
Houston
Houston is 9-7 entering the weekend after dropping a mid-week game at #25/RV Texas A&M by a final score of 9-1. The Cougars hosted a tournament last weekend where they split with B1G opponent Illinois.
Former Northwestern pitcher Kenna Wilkey has seen the most innings of work in the circle for Houston sporting a 3.14 ERA in 49.0 innings and nine appearances (six starts). Wilkey won her only start against the Spartans while at Northwestern, pitching a complete game on April 26, 2019 where she allowed eight hits and four runs, but struck out 13 MSU batters. Taylor Edwards has the better ERA of the two with a 1.52 ERA in 27.2 innings (six appearances, five starts). Opponents have hit .243 against Houston's pitching staff.
Turiya Coleman is hitting .500 for the Cougars ranking No. 24 in DI in batting average and No. 5 nationally in hits (26). Katy Repa is No. 18 in DI with six doubles.
Arizona State
ASU is 11-2 to start the season under first year head coach Megan Bartlett, who replaced Trisha Ford after her departure to Texas A&M. The Sun Devils have won seven straight following a loss to BYU on Feb. 16, sweeping a three-game series against Iowa State last weekend. Arizona State ranks No. 17 nationally in batting average (.344), No. 1 in home runs per game (1.92) and No. 4 in SLG% (.647).
Two ASU starters have each made five starts in Kylee Magee and Mac Osborne, but Arizona State doesn't shy away from pitchers entering in relief with each of Kenzie Brown and Marissa Schuld making eight appearances despite just three starts between the two. Brown has made a pair of starts for ASU this season, but leads the team in innings pitched with 23.1 and in ERA at 1.50. Opponents are hitting .227 against the Sun Devils.
Arizona State boasts the current 2023 DI home run queen in their lineup as Jordyn VanHook leads the country with nine home runs in 13 games. VanHook is hitting .462 with a 1.231 SLG% that ranks No. 2 nationally along with a 1.764 OPS. Virginia Tech transfer Alexa Milius leads the team with a .483 batting average.
Boise State
The Broncos are 7-7 this season and are riding a three game losing streak into the weekend after losses to No. 8 Stanford (2x) and Michigan at the Stanford Invitational. Boise State is No. 46 nationally in OBP (.394).
Pitching is a weak point for the Broncos who own a 5.50 team ERA in 84.0 total innings. Opposing batters are hitting .318 against Boise State pitchers. Taylor Claudill has a team-best 4.53 ERA in 29.1 innings of work.
Mykenzie Hanna is hitting .419 for Boise State to lead the team. Jordyn Hutchins has hit four home runs for the Broncos to go along with a team-best 14 RBIs.
HOMECOMING
Michigan State's Jessica Mabrey, Kennedy Wyllie and Macy Lee are all Arizona natives and will play in their home state for the first time during their MSU career's this upcoming weekend. Kendall Kates, Brooke Snyder, Alexis Barroso and Collete Allen all hail from California and will play in their home state the following weekend.
VERSATILITY IN THE FIELD
Redshirt junior Jenae Wash has played all over the field throughout her collegiate career. As a freshman Wash made appearances at first and second base. In her sophomore season, Wash played shortstop and left field. Junior year saw Wash stick to the outfield in right. In 2023, Wash started the season in left, but this past weekend made a move to third base. The only positions Wash hasn't played are center field, catcher and pitcher.
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. Fifth-year Jessica Mabrey walked three times in Michigan State's win over UIC on Feb. 24, the second time she has walked three times in her MSU career.
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. 26, Miller ranks tied for third for career strikeouts with 408 total.
Strikeouts, Career    No.    Years
1. Jessica Beech       659    2001-04
2. Kristina Zalewski  643    2014-18
3. Stacey Smith        408   1994-97
3. Ashley Miller      408   2021-pres
IN THE RANKINGS
Entering the weekend junior Ashley Miller ranks No. 7 in NCAA Division I in innings pitched (52.0), No. 14 in shutouts (2), No. 8 in strikeouts (65) and No. 27 in wins (5).
LOOKING FORWARD
MSU's Spring Break roadtrip continues on 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.
After Spring Break the Spartans have nine days off from competition prior to the home opener against Central Michigan on March 21. Big Ten play for Michigan State opens at home against Wisconsin on March 24-26.
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Players Mentioned
3B
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2B
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C
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OF
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RHP
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OF
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OF
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C
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