KENOSHA, Wis. – Parkside softball faces another six-game week beginning at home Wednesday before heading to Michigan for a pair of crucial GLIAC road doubleheaders over the weekend.
The week opens Wednesday, April 22, when the Rangers host Lewis for their final non-conference doubleheader of the season at Case Softball Complex beginning at 1 p.m. CT. Parkside then returns to conference play on the road Saturday, April 25, against Ferris State at FSU Softball Field in Big Rapids, Michigan, with first pitch set for noon CT. The Rangers wrap up the week Sunday, April 26, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, taking on Davenport at the Farmers Insurance Athletic Complex in another doubleheader beginning at noon CT.
ABOUT THE RANGERS:
Parkside enters the week 18-24 overall and 9-11 in GLIAC play, sitting fifth in the conference standings after a 2-2 weekend on the road. The Rangers opened the trip with a sweep at Purdue Northwest, where Casey Jo Vermett struck out 19 across the two wins, before falling twice at Grand Valley State on Sunday.
The Rangers continue to be led by one of the top hitters in both the GLIAC and Division II in Mia Johnson. Through 42 games, Johnson is batting .446 with 54 hits, 18 doubles, two triples, 12 home runs, 35 RBI, 43 runs scored and 43 walks. She owns a .590 on-base percentage and a .926 slugging percentage. Johnson leads the GLIAC in batting average, doubles, home runs, on-base percentage, runs scored, slugging percentage, total bases and walks, while also sitting third in the conference in RBI. Nationally, she ranks fifth in on-base percentage, fifth in slugging percentage, eighth in doubles, 17th in home runs, 18th in total bases, 28th in batting average, 49th in runs scored and second in walks. She has also posted 20 multi-hit games and 10 multi-RBI games this season and enters the week on a six-game on-base streak.
Parkside has also received key offensive production throughout the lineup. Isabel Aranda has six home runs and 25 RBI, Ava Swain has reached base at a .422 clip with 25 walks and 19 RBI, Reese Valha has 10 doubles and 16 RBI, Megan Medlin has four home runs and 18 RBI, and CICI Di Silvio has 11 doubles and 21 RBI. As a team, the Rangers are batting .261, rank sixth in the GLIAC in average, and lead the conference in both doubles with 65 and home runs with 36.
In the circle, Vermett continues to set the tone. She is 11-7 with a 3.06 ERA in 114.1 innings and leads the GLIAC with 161 strikeouts. That total ranks among the top strikeout marks in Division II, and her 9.9 strikeouts per seven innings rank third nationally. Parkside as a staff owns the third-best ERA in the GLIAC at 3.90.
SCOUTING LEWIS:
Lewis enters Wednesday's twinbill 21-19 overall and 10-8 in GLVC play, sitting sixth in the conference standings. The Flyers are led by reigning GLVC Coach of the Year Becky Pearl, now in her 12th season, and are coming off a 1-3 road weekend in which they split with Lincoln before being swept by Missouri-St. Louis. Wednesday's games also mark Lewis' final non-conference action of the season.
The Flyers have one of the best offenses in the GLVC, ranking second in the league in batting average and on-base percentage and third in slugging percentage. Lewis is hitting .331 as a team with 362 hits, 74 doubles, 28 triples and 15 home runs while averaging just under six runs per game. The Flyers' 28 triples lead all of Division II.
Nicole Magdziasz leads the offense with a .414 average and 58 hits, while Morgan Spodarek is one of the most dangerous all-around bats in the lineup, hitting .377 with 17 doubles, six triples, four home runs and 32 RBI. Anna Frafjord has driven in 40 runs and slugged .630 with seven home runs, Kristen Graham owns a .515 on-base percentage with 36 walks, and Erica Hoffman is batting .381.
In the circle, Lewis has been less consistent, ranking near the bottom third of the GLVC in team ERA. Jolee Strohmeyer has carried the bulk of the innings with a 4.98 ERA and nine wins, while Chloe Gust has posted a 2.93 ERA in 43 innings.
These games will be the 109th and 110th all-time meetings between Parkside and Lewis, with the Flyers leading the series 60-48. The two old GLVC rivals met in Parkside's season opener on Feb. 18 at the Lewis Dome Invitational in Rosemont, where Lewis held off the Rangers 5-4. Parkside got two hits and an RBI from Johnson, two hits and an RBI from CICI Di Silvio, and doubles from Maddie Hernandez and Kendall Woods, but Lewis answered a 3-3 tie with single runs in the second and third innings and held on behind a complete-game effort from Chloe Gust. In Kenosha, Lewis owns a 22-17 edge in the series, and the Flyers have won eight of the last 10 meetings overall.
SCOUTING FERRIS STATE:
Ferris State enters the week 23-16 overall and 9-5 in GLIAC play, tied for second in the conference standings. The Bulldogs bring a three-game winning streak into the week and are set to face Wayne State on Monday and Saginaw Valley State on Tuesday before hosting the Rangers on Saturday.
Ferris State has been one of the better offensive teams in the league all season, ranking fourth in the GLIAC in batting average, fourth in on-base percentage and third in slugging percentage. The Bulldogs are hitting .295 as a team with 307 hits, 52 doubles, 25 home runs and 223 runs scored, the most runs of any team in the conference.
Ava Gardner has been one of the top power hitters in the league, batting .382 with 10 doubles, two triples, seven home runs and 26 RBI. Emma Gillard has added seven home runs and 37 RBI while batting .348, Alexis Kozlowski is hitting .352 with 35 RBI, and Emma Herremans has reached base at a .463 clip with 28 walks. Ella McDonald has also scored 30 runs and stolen 11 bases.
The Bulldogs rank fourth in the GLIAC in ERA. Cecelia Bell has been their top arm with a 3.36 ERA in 102 innings, while Katie Shuboy has also provided major innings with a 3.55 ERA.
Saturday's games will be the 49th and 50th all-time meetings between the two programs. Ferris State leads the all-time series 24-23-1, although Parkside has taken three of the last four matchups. The teams split earlier this season on April 4 in Romeoville, Illinois. Parkside claimed game one 5-3 behind Vermett's complete-game 12-strikeout effort, with Johnson scoring twice and driving in one, Di Silvio adding two hits and an RBI, and Swain going 2-for-3 with two RBI. Ferris State answered in game two with a 15-5 six-inning win, piling up 15 hits as Emma Herremans drove in four, Addison Wangler added four RBI and Alexis Kozlowski homered. Parkside is 3-12-1 all-time in Big Rapids and has not won there since April 20, 2024.
SCOUTING DAVENPORT:
Davenport enters the weekend 12-30 overall and 8-12 in GLIAC play, sitting sixth in the conference standings and just one game behind the Rangers. The Panthers are coming off a 1-3 weekend in which they were swept by first-place Saginaw Valley State before splitting with Wayne State. Davenport will also host Roosevelt on Saturday before facing Parkside on Sunday.
The Panthers have had a tougher year offensively, ranking near the bottom of the GLIAC in batting average at .240, but they have created pressure with small ball and lead the conference in sacrifice hits. Kailyne Luna has been the top offensive threat, batting .330 with 11 doubles, three triples, three home runs and 17 RBI. Alaina Schwanke is hitting .300 with 21 RBI, Chloe Parker has six home runs and 20 RBI, and Chloe Bruman has stolen 18 bases while batting .295.
In the circle, Davenport owns one of the bottom ERAs in the conference at 4.84. Hannah Tahaney has been their most reliable option with a 3.46 ERA and 77 strikeouts in 99 innings, while Kayla Widner has posted a 3.29 ERA in 44.2 innings.
Sunday's twinbill will be the 28th and 29th all-time meetings between Parkside and Davenport, with the Panthers holding a 15-12 advantage in the series. The teams split in Kenosha on April 8. In game one, Vermett struck out 16 and allowed just three hits in a 4-1 Parkside win, while Johnson went 2-for-3 with a home run, a triple and three RBI. Davenport answered in game two with a 6-1 victory behind 10 hits, including a home run from Luna and a three-hit game from Lyla Reynolds, while Johnson went 3-for-4 and Valha added two hits for the Rangers. Parkside is 6-6 all-time on the road against Davenport and has won seven of the last 10 meetings overall.
LOOKING AHEAD:
The Rangers close out the regular season next week with two more doubleheaders against Roosevelt. Parkside will travel to Rosemont on Wednesday, April 29, for a 3 p.m. CT twinbill before returning home to Case Softball Complex for the regular-season finale on Saturday, May 2, starting at noon CT.
To follow along with the Rangers this week, be sure to visit parksiderangers.com/coverage.
