KENOSHA, Wis. – Parkside softball continues its homestand this week with three GLIAC doubleheaders over five days at Case Softball Complex, hosting Davenport on Wednesday before welcoming in first-place Saginaw Valley State on Saturday and Wayne State on Sunday.
The stretch begins Wednesday, April 8, when the Rangers take on Davenport in a makeup doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. CT. Parkside then returns to the field Saturday, April 11, for Senior Day against Saginaw Valley State, with first pitch scheduled for noon CT as the Rangers honor three seniors before the twinbill. The week wraps up Sunday, April 12, when Parkside hosts Wayne State for another conference doubleheader beginning at noon CT.
ABOUT THE RANGERS:
Parkside enters the week 12-20 overall and 3-7 in GLIAC play as the Rangers continue an eight-game homestand in Kenosha. The week also begins a stretch of conference rematches for Parkside, which has already seen both Saginaw Valley State and Wayne State on the road earlier this season.
Offensively, Parkside continues to be led by one of the best hitters in the GLIAC and one of the most productive bats in Division II in Mia Johnson. Through 32 games, Johnson is batting .461 with 41 hits, 17 doubles, one triple, nine home runs, 27 RBI, 35 runs scored and 38 walks. She owns a .978 slugging percentage and a .622 on-base percentage, numbers that continue to place her among the national leaders. Johnson's 17 doubles rank among the top totals in the country, while her on-base percentage and walk total also sit among the top marks in Division II.
The Rangers have also received production throughout the lineup around Johnson. Isabel Aranda is batting .333 with seven doubles, four home runs and 19 RBI. Ava Swain is hitting .308 with 28 hits, 20 walks, six hit-by-pitches, three home runs and 17 RBI, while Reese Valha has eight doubles, three home runs and 12 RBI. CICI Di Silvio has collected nine doubles and 18 RBI, Maddie Hernandez has driven in 11 runs and been hit 10 times, and Megan Medlin has added 16 RBI.
As a team, Parkside is hitting .266 and has shown plenty of extra-base ability, with 56 doubles and 26 home runs through 32 games. In the circle, the Rangers carry a 4.05 ERA and have leaned heavily on Holly Lowenberg and Casey Jo Vermett. Lowenberg's nine complete games are second in the GLIAC, while Vermett's 101 strikeouts are the top mark in the conference and translate to 9.0 strikeouts per seven innings.
SCOUTING DAVENPORT:
Davenport enters Wednesday's makeup doubleheader 8-24 overall and 4-6 in GLIAC play. The Panthers are batting .242 as a team with 207 hits, 29 doubles, seven triples, nine home runs and 86 RBI through 32 games.
Alaina Schwanke leads the Davenport lineup with a .311 average, 32 hits and 17 RBI. Chloe Bruman is batting .333 and has been one of the Panthers' biggest table-setters with 12 stolen bases and a .425 on-base percentage. Kailyne Luna is hitting .300 with seven doubles, three triples and 11 RBI, while Chloe Parker has provided the most power with four home runs and a .508 slugging percentage. Ally Prasnjak has also scored 17 runs and driven in 10.
Pitching has been the biggest challenge for Davenport this season. The Panthers own a 5.33 team ERA and opponents are batting .322 against them. Hannah Tahaney has been their top arm with a 3.96 ERA and 56 strikeouts in 70.2 innings, while Kayla Widner has added 34 strikeouts in 33 innings.
SCOUTING SAGINAW VALLEY STATE:
Saginaw Valley State brings a 19-9 overall record and a 9-1 GLIAC mark into the weekend and sits atop the conference standings entering the week. The Cardinals have once again paired one of the league's best offenses with one of its top pitching staffs.
SVSU is batting .299 as a team with 229 hits, 34 doubles, 10 triples, 16 home runs and 141 RBI. Aalana Kimble is hitting .430 with 34 hits and a .516 on-base percentage, while Emma Helvie is batting .371 with six doubles, three home runs and 23 RBI. Ella Reifschneider is hitting .348 and has scored 19 runs, Mya Purdy has 11 stolen bases, Olivia Elliott has four home runs and 19 RBI, and Natalie Savage has driven in 14.
The Cardinals are just as strong in the circle. Macy Irelan owns a 2.42 ERA with 77 strikeouts in 69.1 innings, while Kimble has gone 8-4 with a 1.81 ERA and 45 strikeouts in 58 innings. As a staff, Saginaw Valley State has a 2.57 ERA and is holding opponents to a .214 batting average.
Parkside saw the Cardinals on March 29 in University Center, where Saginaw Valley State swept the Rangers 5-4 and 2-0. In the opener, Parkside rallied from a 4-0 deficit with a four-run fifth inning fueled by back-to-back two-run home runs from Reese Valha and Johnson before SVSU answered with the winning run in the sixth. In game two, Vermett tossed a complete game and limited the Cardinals to four hits, but Parkside was held to three hits in a 2-0 loss.
SCOUTING WAYNE STATE:
Wayne State enters the week 12-15 overall and 4-6 in GLIAC play. The Warriors are batting .294 as a team with 205 hits, 39 doubles, eight triples, seven home runs and 88 RBI.
Elly Koopman leads the offense with a .333 average, eight doubles and 11 RBI. Hunter Near is batting .329 with 25 hits, four triples and 10 RBI, while Kate DeWitt is hitting .317 with five doubles, three home runs and 14 RBI. Molly Hool has added eight doubles and 10 RBI, Brooke Bunch has 11 stolen bases, and Sydney Long is hitting .319 with two home runs while also serving as one of the Warriors' top pitchers.
In the circle, Wayne State has posted a 4.01 team ERA. Long is 5-7 with a 3.24 ERA in 73.1 innings, while Hayden Batton has a 2.88 ERA in 26.2 innings. Kyra Shadduck has also worked 41.2 innings with a 4.20 ERA.
Parkside faced Wayne State on March 28 in Detroit, where the Warriors swept a pair of close games by scores of 3-2 in 12 innings and 1-0. In the opener, Di Silvio and Medlin drove in the Rangers' runs before Wayne State walked it off in the 12th. In game two, Vermett struck out 10 and allowed just four hits, but the Rangers were shut out despite getting two hits from Swain.
LOOKING AHEAD:
After this week's three home doubleheaders, the Rangers head back on the road next weekend for two more GLIAC rematches. Parkside will travel to Hammond, Indiana, on Saturday, April 18, for a doubleheader at Purdue Northwest beginning at 1 p.m. CT before heading to Allendale, Michigan, on Sunday, April 19, for a twinbill against Grand Valley State starting at noon CT.
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