@BearsSoftball Eyes First Home Game of 2017

Greeley, Colo - For the first time in 2017, Northern Colorado Softball will play in the friendly confines of newly renovated Gloria Rodriguez Field. Tuesday's match up features the second of a four game set against in-state rival, Colorado State.

Scouting the Bears

• Jayme Reddacliff pitched her third consecutive complete game during her victorious performance in the Bears' first game versus New Mexico.
• Jordyn Wiatrak leads UNC with seven doubles on the season and is tied with Erica Dick with 32 total bases.
• After recording her third home run of the season over the weekend, Johnson is now tied with Dick and Wiatrak for the team lead of three.
• On top of starting every game behind the plate for UNC, Adeline Coldiron is also 2-2 in stolen bases in 2017.
• Making 14 starts at second base, sophomore Alex Sonoqui is batting .250 with four RBI. Sonoqui also bolster an above .900 fielding percentage.

Scouting the Rams
• Colorado State is currently riding a five-game win streak, including two victories over Penn State.
• Amber Nelson leads the Rams, batting .429, including four home runs and two doubles.
• CSU has committed 22 errors in 14 games in 2017 for a fielding percentage of .946.
• Rams batters have already combined for 71 walks this season.
• No Colorado State pitcher has an ERA north of 3.77. In four starts, Kaylyn Pierce leads the team with a 1.25.
• The Rams are 9-10 in stolen base attempts in 2017. Defensively they have given up 11 of 14 attempts.

Who to Watch For

Rachel Johnson- In her three games against New Mexico, Johnson batted a blistering 4-7 (.571), including a home run, two doubles, two walks and nine total bases. At first base, Johnson also recorded 19 putouts and two assists without a single error.

The Rundown

Last time out
vs Colorado State
The Bears have a 5-28 record against Colorado State all-time. UNC dropped both games versus the Rams last season, most recently by a margin of 14-9, a year ago.
Picking up the Pieces
The Bears and Rams started a game exactly one weekend ago in Fort Collins, but the contest was inevitably postponed due to snow. They'll pick up with the bases loaded in the bottom of the first inning the next time UNC visits CSU.
Home Sweet Home
Tuesday's contest is the first official home game of 2017 for Northern Colorado. After spending the first month of the season on the road, the Bears will get a chance to play in front of their home fans at the newly renovated Gloria Rodriguez Field.
So Fresh(man), So Clean
Freshman pitcher, Autumn Anderson pitched 1.2 innings in the Bears loss against New Mexico on Sunday in Pueblo. The Fort Collin native did not surrender a single hit, walk or even allow a runner on base throughout her appearance.
Kudos to Kudrna
Kenzie Kudrna has come on strong as of late for head coach, Shana Easley. Kudrna is now batting .289 with three walk and a OB% of .341.
Dominant Duo
UNC's one-two punch of Erica Dick and Jojo Wiatrak are a force to be reckoned with. Both are batting well over .300 in the early part of the season and each player also ranks in the top five in the Big Sky Conference for hit totals, not to mention that they lead the team in home runs with three a piece.
Holtz' Jolt
The senior left fielder, who missed all of last season due to injury, has returned with a vengeance. Holtz has gone 12-37 (.324) at the plate to start the season, second on the team in batting average. Holtz is also 3-5 in stolen bases in 2017.
Always Safe
Cheyenne Talmadge is still 1.000 in stolen base attempts in 2017. Her 6-6 total leads all base runners in the Big Sky Conference.
Clean Games
Throughout the Bears' wins against Prairie View A&M and Abilene Christian, the Northern Colorado defense did not commit an error, the first time the defense had done so all season.
New Year New Staff
Head coach Shana Easley has hired assistant coaches, Travis Owen and Kaelene Curry over the off-season. Owen arrives from a successful Radford program and Curry makes her second stint as part of UNC's staff, arriving from Sonoma State.
New Kids on the Block
UNC adds three new faces to the program in 2017. Hunter Damico, Autumn Anderson and Sophia Taylor all arrive in Greeley looking to make an impact in their freshmen campaigns.
Seeing Triple
Last season, Northern Colorado and Erica Dick led the nation in triples per game by a team and by a player, respectively with .43 and .40.
Early Signing Success
UNC ventured out into four different states to sign new recruits during the early signing period in November. Natalie Joyner (Wash.), Mady Young (Kan.), Ally Steiner (Ariz.) and Emma Brockman (Ore.) will all arrive on campus next season.
Frequent Flyers
The Bears will spend the first month of the season traveling the Southwestern part of the United States. Tournaments in Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas keep UNC busy before coming home on March 7 against Colorado State.
Record Watch
2017 could be a monumental year for Erica Dick. The senior ranks top-10 in UNC history in 10 career categories. Dick has already scored more runs than anyone in Bear history with 123 and counting.
Chasing a Legend
Head coach Shana Easley enters 2017 one win behind Jen Schunke for second all-time in UNC DI history. Easley is 26 wins from tying Linda Witt (88) who holds the most wins in the DI era.
Recent Renovations
On top of renaming Butler-Hancock Softball Field to Gloria Rodriguez Field, UNC Softball will welcome a brand new scoreboard and backstop. Renovations to the facility continue with eyes on new dugouts as the next project.

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Players Mentioned

Adeline Coldiron

Hunter Damico

Erica Dick

Rachel Johnson

Kenzie Kudrna

Jayme Reddacliff

Alex Sonoqui

Cheyenne Talmadge

Sophia Taylor

Jordyn Wiatrak

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