University of Northern Colorado Athletics
Friday, April 6
Pocatello, ID
3 PM
University of Northern Colorado
at
Idaho State
Photo by: Dean Popejoy
Preview: @bearssoftball Goes for Three Big Sky Series Wins in a Row this Weekend
4/5/2018 11:30:00 AM | Softball
Northern Colorado will travel to Idaho State for three games
GREELEY, Colo.- Northern Colorado softball will get back into conference play this weekend when they face Idaho State in Pocatello, Idaho for a three-game series.
Northern Colorado will look to rebound this weekend after dropping a difficult game against Colorado State, 9-1 in five innings. Despite the loss, UNC won both of its first two series in Big Sky play against Sacramento State and Southern Utah. The Bears took two-out-of-three games from both the Hornets and Thunderbirds to hold a 4-2 record in conference play. UNC is currently second in the Big Sky, trailing North Dakota by a game.
Against CSU, the Bears struggled scoring baserunners, batting 2-11(.182) in RBI opportunities and 0-5 with the bases loaded. This is a stark contrast to the season performance from UNC's lineup, as the team is 107-379(.282) in RBI opportunities and 19-62(.306) with the bases loaded.
UNC's offense has been a force in conference play as the team has scored in double figures in four of the six Big Sky games going 3-1 in those contests. The Bears lead the Big Sky in runs scored during conference games with 63 and also in conference hits with 69.
Jordyn Wiatrak and Emma Brockmann are the two lead RBI batters for UNC, with 25 apiece. Wiatrak also is tied for the team lead with a .333 batting average and is second with four home runs on the season.
Mady Young has also made an impact in her freshman season, with 22 RBIs and a .279 batting average. Young hit her first career home run and had four RBIs against Southern Utah last Friday.
Lauren Paige also has a .333 batting average and leads the Bears with seven home runs, along with 19 RBIs. Paige has been able to get on base consistently, with a team leading .518 on-base percentage, 30 walks, and nine hit by pitches. Madi Schmidt has been another staple of the Bears lineup, with a .307 batting average and 27 walks, for a .455 on-base percentage.
Paige has also been key out of the bullpen for the Bears with a 3.69 ERA in 62.2 innings pitched in 19 appearances. Paige ranks first in the Big Sky and third in the nation with a 0.56 walks-per-seven-innings figure.
Valerie Vidal ranks first in the Big Sky and 13th in the nation with 15 wins and leads the Big Sky with 6 shutouts, which also ranks 12th in the nation. Vidal also leads the Big Sky in strikeouts with 104 and that figure is also good for 71st in the nation.
Northern Colorado looks to make it three series wins in a row, with its first Big Sky road trip to play Idaho State
Scouting Idaho State
Idaho enters the weekend series with a 5-25 record and is currently on a three game losing streak. The Bengals dropped both games of a double header against Boise State (3-6, 0-16). In their most recent Big Sky series, Idaho State lost two-of-three games against Portland State on the road (1-2, 5-4, 0-5).
Junior Makenzie VanSickle leads the Bengals with a .329 average, along with three doubles and four RBIs. Redshirt-freshman Frankie Tago has been the power hitter for Idaho State with four home runs and nine RBIs, with a .485 slugging percentage. Junior Mariah Mulcahy has started 19 games for the Bengals and has a 3-11 record with an ERA at 7.00.
Northern Colorado and Idaho State closed out the 2017 season with a three-game series in Greeley. The Bears dropped the final two games of the series after winning the first.
Following the Bears
Northern Colorado opens the three-game series against Idaho State on Friday, April 6th with game one of a doubleheader starting at 3 P.M. (MT) and the second game scheduled for 5 P.M. or 30 minutes after conclusion of the first. The series wraps up on Saturday, April 7th at 1 P.M. Live stats for the games are provided by ISUBengals.com and you can follow the games on Twitter with @bearssoftball.
Â
Northern Colorado will look to rebound this weekend after dropping a difficult game against Colorado State, 9-1 in five innings. Despite the loss, UNC won both of its first two series in Big Sky play against Sacramento State and Southern Utah. The Bears took two-out-of-three games from both the Hornets and Thunderbirds to hold a 4-2 record in conference play. UNC is currently second in the Big Sky, trailing North Dakota by a game.
Against CSU, the Bears struggled scoring baserunners, batting 2-11(.182) in RBI opportunities and 0-5 with the bases loaded. This is a stark contrast to the season performance from UNC's lineup, as the team is 107-379(.282) in RBI opportunities and 19-62(.306) with the bases loaded.
UNC's offense has been a force in conference play as the team has scored in double figures in four of the six Big Sky games going 3-1 in those contests. The Bears lead the Big Sky in runs scored during conference games with 63 and also in conference hits with 69.
Jordyn Wiatrak and Emma Brockmann are the two lead RBI batters for UNC, with 25 apiece. Wiatrak also is tied for the team lead with a .333 batting average and is second with four home runs on the season.
Mady Young has also made an impact in her freshman season, with 22 RBIs and a .279 batting average. Young hit her first career home run and had four RBIs against Southern Utah last Friday.
Lauren Paige also has a .333 batting average and leads the Bears with seven home runs, along with 19 RBIs. Paige has been able to get on base consistently, with a team leading .518 on-base percentage, 30 walks, and nine hit by pitches. Madi Schmidt has been another staple of the Bears lineup, with a .307 batting average and 27 walks, for a .455 on-base percentage.
Paige has also been key out of the bullpen for the Bears with a 3.69 ERA in 62.2 innings pitched in 19 appearances. Paige ranks first in the Big Sky and third in the nation with a 0.56 walks-per-seven-innings figure.
Valerie Vidal ranks first in the Big Sky and 13th in the nation with 15 wins and leads the Big Sky with 6 shutouts, which also ranks 12th in the nation. Vidal also leads the Big Sky in strikeouts with 104 and that figure is also good for 71st in the nation.
Northern Colorado looks to make it three series wins in a row, with its first Big Sky road trip to play Idaho State
Scouting Idaho State
Idaho enters the weekend series with a 5-25 record and is currently on a three game losing streak. The Bengals dropped both games of a double header against Boise State (3-6, 0-16). In their most recent Big Sky series, Idaho State lost two-of-three games against Portland State on the road (1-2, 5-4, 0-5).
Junior Makenzie VanSickle leads the Bengals with a .329 average, along with three doubles and four RBIs. Redshirt-freshman Frankie Tago has been the power hitter for Idaho State with four home runs and nine RBIs, with a .485 slugging percentage. Junior Mariah Mulcahy has started 19 games for the Bengals and has a 3-11 record with an ERA at 7.00.
Northern Colorado and Idaho State closed out the 2017 season with a three-game series in Greeley. The Bears dropped the final two games of the series after winning the first.
Following the Bears
Northern Colorado opens the three-game series against Idaho State on Friday, April 6th with game one of a doubleheader starting at 3 P.M. (MT) and the second game scheduled for 5 P.M. or 30 minutes after conclusion of the first. The series wraps up on Saturday, April 7th at 1 P.M. Live stats for the games are provided by ISUBengals.com and you can follow the games on Twitter with @bearssoftball.
Â
Players Mentioned
C
/ Softball
INF/P
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
C/INF
/ Softball
INF
/ SoftballUniversity of Northern Colorado's 15th Annual Women's Walk
Tuesday, December 23
UNC Softball Highlights vs Portland State Game 1
Tuesday, December 23
UNC Softball Highlights vs Portland State Game 2
Tuesday, December 23
UNC Bears Softball 2023 Big Sky Tournament Champions
Tuesday, December 23
