KENOSHA, Wis. – Parkside softball heads back on the road this weekend for a pair of key GLIAC doubleheaders, traveling first to Hammond, Indiana, to face Purdue Northwest on Saturday before closing the trip Sunday in Allendale, Michigan, against Grand Valley State.
The weekend opens Saturday, April 18, when the Rangers take on Purdue Northwest at RUSH Physical Therapy Field in a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. CT. Parkside then heads north to face Grand Valley State on Sunday, April 19, at the GVSU Softball Field, with first pitch set for noon CT. Both twinbills are rematches from earlier this season and carry major importance in the middle of the GLIAC standings, as Parkside enters the weekend sixth at 7-9 in conference play, just behind Purdue Northwest at 7-7 and Grand Valley State at 9-7.
ABOUT THE RANGERS:
Parkside enters the weekend 16-22 overall and coming off one of its biggest stretches of the season. The Rangers split with first-place Saginaw Valley State on Saturday, dropping game one 6-1 before bouncing back for a 1-0 walk-off win in game two behind a complete-game shutout from Casey Jo Vermett and a Reese Valha RBI single in the bottom of the seventh. Parkside then followed that up with its first GLIAC sweep of the season Sunday against Wayne State, piling up 21 runs and 19 hits in a 15-3 five-inning win and a 6-2 victory.
The Rangers continue to be powered by Mia Johnson, who remains one of the best hitters in the GLIAC and one of the most productive players in Division II. Johnson enters the weekend batting .463 with 50 hits, 17 doubles, two triples, 12 home runs, 35 RBI, 41 runs scored and 40 walks while posting a .607 on-base percentage, a .991 slugging percentage and a 1.598 OPS. She leads the GLIAC in batting average, doubles, home runs, on-base percentage, runs scored, slugging percentage, total bases, OPS and walks, while also ranking second in the conference in RBI and hits. Nationally, Johnson ranks fourth in doubles, sixth in on-base percentage, sixth in slugging percentage, eighth in home runs, 18th in total bases, 29th in batting average, 46th in runs scored and second in walks.
Parkside has also gotten strong production throughout the lineup around Johnson. Isabel Aranda is batting .339 with 37 hits, nine doubles, six home runs and 24 RBI. Ava Swain is hitting .290 with 31 hits, 24 walks, seven hit-by-pitches and 18 RBI. Reese Valha has 10 doubles, three home runs and 15 RBI, while CICI Di Silvio has nine doubles and 18 RBI. As a team, the Rangers are batting .267 and lead the GLIAC in both doubles with 62 and home runs with 32.
In the circle, Vermett continues to be one of the top strikeout pitchers in the country. She enters the weekend 9-5 with a 3.37 ERA in 95.2 innings and leads the GLIAC with 135 strikeouts, a total that ranks 21st nationally and already sits ninth on Parkside's single-season list. Her 9.9 strikeouts per seven innings rank third in all of Division II. As a staff, Parkside owns a 3.88 ERA, good for third in the GLIAC.
SCOUTING PURDUE NORTHWEST:
Purdue Northwest enters the weekend 21-17 overall and 7-7 in GLIAC play after splitting a doubleheader with Davenport last Saturday. The Pride dropped game one 4-2 before rebounding for a 5-3 win in the finale. Sunday's scheduled doubleheader against Ferris State was postponed due to weather, so Purdue Northwest comes into the weekend having gone 3-3 over its last six games and 4-4 at home this season.
The Pride have been the best offensive team in the conference for much of the season. Purdue Northwest is batting .323 as a team with 330 hits, 53 doubles, 21 triples, 17 home runs and 197 runs scored. The Pride lead the GLIAC in batting average and slugging percentage and rank third in on-base percentage. They also continue to put pressure on opponents with speed, stealing 62 bases in 73 attempts.
Kylie Dugan remains one of the league's most dynamic players and enters the weekend batting .347 with 42 hits, 30 runs scored, 17 walks and a conference-best 21 stolen bases. Gracie Jensen has been one of the top run producers in the GLIAC, hitting .384 with 43 hits, nine doubles, two homers and 35 RBI. Kylie Madura is batting .358 with five home runs and a .632 slugging percentage, Amanda DeBoer is hitting .342 with 23 RBI, and Jessy Del Toro is batting .415 with a .487 on-base percentage.
In the circle, Purdue Northwest owns a 4.08 ERA, which places the Pride in the middle of the conference pack. Hailie Charmat has been their top arm with a 2.79 ERA and 62 strikeouts in 77.2 innings, while Abbey Bond has logged 55 innings and Jordyn Roop has made 11 appearances.
The teams split earlier this season in Kenosha on March 25. Parkside rolled to a 15-3 five-inning win in game one, scoring seven runs in the first and 10 in the first two innings. Maddie Hernandez drove in four runs, Megan Medlin had three RBI, Isabel Aranda homered and drove in three, and Johnson doubled, walked twice and drove in two. Purdue Northwest answered in game two with a 10-8 win after breaking the game open with a four-run third and a five-run fifth. Jensen went 3-for-5 with a home run and five RBI in that win, while Mudis and Del Toro combined for four hits and three RBI. For Parkside, Aranda went 3-for-3 with a home run, two doubles and six RBI, while Johnson added two doubles and scored twice.
Saturday's games will be the 28th and 29th all-time meetings between the programs. Parkside trails the all-time series 19-8, but the Rangers have won three of the last four matchups. Still, Hammond has historically been a difficult trip, as Parkside is just 1-10 there, with its lone road win over the Pride coming last season in a 20-9 victory on March 21, 2025.
SCOUTING GRAND VALLEY STATE:
Grand Valley State enters the weekend 19-19 overall and 9-7 in GLIAC play after a 1-3 road weekend. The Lakers were swept Saturday at Ferris State in a pair of close losses, 6-5 and 7-5, before splitting with Davenport on Sunday, winning game one 4-1 and dropping the finale 9-5. Before hosting Parkside on Sunday, Grand Valley State will also host Roosevelt on Saturday.
The Lakers have been one of the strongest offensive teams in the conference, batting .322 as a club with 347 hits, 51 doubles and 186 runs scored. They rank second in the GLIAC in batting average and on-base percentage and fifth in slugging percentage. Camryn Hall has led the way, hitting .432 with 54 hits, 30 runs scored and 11 stolen bases. Grace Usher is batting .373 with 30 RBI, Elizabeth Wesoloski is hitting .342 with 22 RBI, Faith Edwards has 10 doubles and 39 hits, and Kylee Hoebeke is batting .325 with 26 RBI.
In the circle, the Lakers have been just as strong. Grand Valley State owns a 3.15 ERA, the second-best mark in the GLIAC. Karli Dorr has been one of the top pitchers in the conference with a 2.39 ERA, 82 strikeouts and nine complete games in 88 innings. Nevaeh Ingram has also logged nearly 60 innings, while Allison Wright and Kylie Swierkos have given the Lakers added depth.
Parkside and Grand Valley State split their conference-opening doubleheader March 21 in Franklin, Wisconsin. The Lakers took game one 9-1 behind a 15-hit attack and a complete-game, 12-strikeout performance from Dorr. Faith Edwards had three hits, Wesoloski homered and drove in two, and Hoebeke added three hits and two RBI. The Rangers answered in game two with a 2-0 shutout win as Vermett tossed a four-hit complete game with eight strikeouts. Swain and Aranda each hit solo home runs, while Johnson added two hits.
Sunday's games will be the 43rd and 44th all-time meetings between the two programs, with Grand Valley State leading the series 27-15. Even with that overall margin, Parkside has won five of the last seven meetings. In Allendale, the Rangers are 5-13 all-time and split there last season.
LOOKING AHEAD:
After this weekend's trip to Indiana and Michigan, Parkside will close out its non-conference schedule next week at home. The Rangers return to Case Softball Complex on Wednesday, April 22, for a doubleheader against Lewis beginning at 1 p.m. CT.
To keep up with the Rangers this weekend, be sure to visit parksiderangers.com/coverage.
