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The Shockers travel to North Carolina to play in the Niner Invitational at Charlotte this weekend. They open against Northern Iowa at 9 am on Friday and play Charlotte at 2 pm later in the day. Saturday's games are against Minnesota at 1130 am and Charlotte at 430 pm. On Sunday, the Shocks close out their play in the Invitational with a game against Minnesota at 9 am. All times are CT.
A little background about the Charlotte nickname. Obviously, Charlotte is not in California although there was gold mining in the area a few years before the Gold Rush. In 1949, a UNC off-campus center in Charlotte was changed to be Charlotte College, eventually becoming UNC-Charlotte. Although that is the official school name, the athletic teams are identified as the Charlotte Niners.
Northern Iowa is the pick to win the MVC, barely edging out Southern Illinois. They opened their season two weekends ago in the tournament they host in the UNI-Dome. They defeated Nebraska, lost twice to South Dakota State, defeated Omaha, and lost to Iowa State - a decent enough schedule. All of the games except one were decided by two runs or less. The Panthers did not play this past weekend. Mya Dodge has an OPS of 1.209 with no one else above .800. Samantha Heyer (ERA of 1.91 and WHIP of 1.09) and Kailyn Packard (2.33 and 1.58) are the leaders in the circle although Hailey Sanders has two of the five starts.
Charlotte are the preseason favorite in Conference USA. Their catcher, Bailey Vannoy is the Preseason Player of the Year and was selected to the Preseason All-Conference for the third consecutive year. Kourtney Gremillion and Cori Hendersdon were also named to the Preseason Team. The Niners have already hosted two tournaments and played a couple of mid-week games. Their record is 10-1, but the schedule is a bit soft. Notre Dame (a loss) and James Madison (a win) are two opponents RV or better. Vannoy (1.490), Henderson (1.266), and Ella Chancey (1.236) have the top three OPS. Lindsey Walljasper is the clear ace of the staff (1.69 and 1.03) with the win over JMU. Amelia Wiercioch (0.78 and 0.61) and Madelyn Wright are next in line innings-wise.
Minnesota have played at a tournament hosted by UCF and another hosted by Arizona State. Their record is 7-4. The record against RV or better teams is 3-3 including a win over UCF. Natalie DenHartog (1.159), and Chloe Evans (1.018) lead the OPS list with three others in the high .900s. Emily Leavitt (5.45 and 1.82) and Autumn Pease (3.55 and 1.42) have all of the innings but two. The Golden Gophers feel a bit like the Shockers - very nice hitting with uncertain pitching.
The Shockers are led offensivey by Sydney (1.725), Addison (1.605), and Neleigh (1.197) with Zoe just a tick behind. Alison (2.10 and 1.30), Kenzie (2.47 and 1.15), and Erin (3.50 and 1.50) have the three best ERAs, but all five (including Jordyn and Caitlin) have innings.
This may be the most challenging tournament the Shockers play pre-conference.
A little background about the Charlotte nickname. Obviously, Charlotte is not in California although there was gold mining in the area a few years before the Gold Rush. In 1949, a UNC off-campus center in Charlotte was changed to be Charlotte College, eventually becoming UNC-Charlotte. Although that is the official school name, the athletic teams are identified as the Charlotte Niners.
Northern Iowa is the pick to win the MVC, barely edging out Southern Illinois. They opened their season two weekends ago in the tournament they host in the UNI-Dome. They defeated Nebraska, lost twice to South Dakota State, defeated Omaha, and lost to Iowa State - a decent enough schedule. All of the games except one were decided by two runs or less. The Panthers did not play this past weekend. Mya Dodge has an OPS of 1.209 with no one else above .800. Samantha Heyer (ERA of 1.91 and WHIP of 1.09) and Kailyn Packard (2.33 and 1.58) are the leaders in the circle although Hailey Sanders has two of the five starts.
Charlotte are the preseason favorite in Conference USA. Their catcher, Bailey Vannoy is the Preseason Player of the Year and was selected to the Preseason All-Conference for the third consecutive year. Kourtney Gremillion and Cori Hendersdon were also named to the Preseason Team. The Niners have already hosted two tournaments and played a couple of mid-week games. Their record is 10-1, but the schedule is a bit soft. Notre Dame (a loss) and James Madison (a win) are two opponents RV or better. Vannoy (1.490), Henderson (1.266), and Ella Chancey (1.236) have the top three OPS. Lindsey Walljasper is the clear ace of the staff (1.69 and 1.03) with the win over JMU. Amelia Wiercioch (0.78 and 0.61) and Madelyn Wright are next in line innings-wise.
Minnesota have played at a tournament hosted by UCF and another hosted by Arizona State. Their record is 7-4. The record against RV or better teams is 3-3 including a win over UCF. Natalie DenHartog (1.159), and Chloe Evans (1.018) lead the OPS list with three others in the high .900s. Emily Leavitt (5.45 and 1.82) and Autumn Pease (3.55 and 1.42) have all of the innings but two. The Golden Gophers feel a bit like the Shockers - very nice hitting with uncertain pitching.
The Shockers are led offensivey by Sydney (1.725), Addison (1.605), and Neleigh (1.197) with Zoe just a tick behind. Alison (2.10 and 1.30), Kenzie (2.47 and 1.15), and Erin (3.50 and 1.50) have the three best ERAs, but all five (including Jordyn and Caitlin) have innings.
This may be the most challenging tournament the Shockers play pre-conference.
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