By: Bryan Shepherd, Assistant Sports Information Director
INSTITUTE, W.Va. — The Yellow Jacket softball team will play a midweek doubleheader against the Golden Eagles today with first pitch for the first game scheduled for 2:00 p.m. Live stats and live streaming will be available for both ends of the doubleheader.
THE BUZZ ON THE YELLOW JACKETS
WVSU is 14-10, 11-1 in the Mountain East and has won six straight and 11 of their last 12 this season. Pitchers Kasey Murphy and Autumn Thompson will likely lead the charge inside the circle today. Murphy is 5-4 on the season with a 4.47 ERA and is holding opponents to a .268 batting average. Thompson is 3-2 with a 4.80 ERA. The pairing have combined for 19 of the Jackets's 24 starts.
Lindsey Phares leads the team with the bat, hitting at a .405 clip. She's tagged two out of the park and knocked in 13 RBIs. She leads the conference in two-baggers with 13. Graduate student Emily Moore has batted in the designated player position for most of the season, where she is hitting at a .357 batting average.
Head coach Mattie Best has won 93 games as the skipper of the Yellow Jackets.
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN EAGLES
The Golden Eagles are 16-12 on the season, 8-4 in the MEC. They dropped their last contest to Concord 12-1 at home.
Morgan Hoppe and Danielle Bauer are the probable starters for the Golden Eagles, combining for 26 of 28 starts. Hoppe is 7-3 with a 4.03 ERA. She's allowed five home runs and opponents hit at a .267 clip off of her. Bauer is 8-9 on the season with a 4.06 ERA. She's allowed six hits out of the park and holds opponents to a .246 average.
Hannah Rose leads the Golden Eagles with the lumber, hitting at an impressive .432 average. She's hit one out of the park and accounted for 16 RBIs. She's also scored the most runs thus far in the conference, 32, and leads the MEC in stolen bases, 26. Kendal Marshall hits at a .315 clip.
As a team, the Golden Eagles are fourth in the conference in batting average and third in ERA.
The two teams split the season series last year with both teams winning one game at home and one game away.
