Softball Preview: River Falls/Blue Devil game to be played Tuesday

THIS WEEK'S GAMES: It will be crunch time for the second placed Blue Devils (20-10, 7-1 WIAC) who are scheduled to play four conference doubleheaders this week, starting by hosting UW-River Falls (15-18, 2-8  WIAC), Tuesday, April 22 at 5 p.m.,(please note the date change, moved up one day) then traveling to first place UW-Oshkosh (20-6, 8-0 WIAC) Thursday, April 24 at 2 p.m., in an already twice scheduled game. Stout will host UW-La Crosse (18-8, 6-4 WIAC), Saturday, April 26 at 2 p.m. and UW-Platteville (14-20, 3-7 WIAC)  Sunday, April 27 at noon. 

UW-STOUT: The Blue Devils are currently in second place in the WIAC, and this week will decide the Blue Devils' season. Stout is currently riding a seven game winning streak, which started when they won their second game at UW-Whitewater, April. 6. Stout has since swept conference favorite UW-Eau Claire, the University of Northwestern in the home opener and struggled, but swept UW-Superior. Shortstop Lynzi Knudtson is leading the Blue Devils at the plate, batting .390 (32-82) with eight RBIs. Knudtson has excelled dropping the sacrifice bunt this year. Knudtson racked up three sac bunts against UW-Superior Sunday, bringing her total to 16 for the season, threatening the season record of 20 by Michelle Coon. Kaitlin Stark is hitting .380 (38-100), with a team-high 11 doubles, a team-high three home runs and 14 RBI.Stark has six stolen bases. Sam Hastings is hitting .371 (33-89) with three home runs and 15 RBI. She is the team leader in stolen bases with nine. Freshman Heather Bol, who alternates at first base, is hitting .364 (16-44). Taylor Workman is hitting .333 (30-90) with 17 RBI and Nicole Rogers is hitting .321 (26-81) with a team-high 20 RBI.  Rogers has six doubles, three triples and two home runs. Tori Workman (14-8) has been handling the majority of work in the circle, leading the league with 140.0 innings pitched. Workman has an ERA of 2.00 with a league-high 130 strikeouts. Caty Schloer, a left-handed freshman, has gotten quality time in the circle, posting a 5-2 record, the team's lone save and an ERA of 2.17. The Stout pitching staff is currently leading the league in ERA (2.06) and strikeouts (164). Stout has posted six shutouts this season. 

THE 2014 BLUE DEVILS: The Blue Devils return three all-conference players in 2014 selections Sam Hastings and Taylor Workman, and 2013 pick Hannah Sweet. Hastings, a team captain, led the team in runs scored with 41 and was second in home runs with seven. Workman, the team's designated player, earned all-Great Lakes district honors, leading the team in runs batted in with 33 and finished with five home runs. Sweet moved from third base to first base last season, garnering a team-best fielding percentage of .972. While her batting average dipped, she still managed to drive in 28 RBI, fourth on the team. Returning starters include second base and team captain Lynzi Knudtson and outfielder Katilin Stark. Tori Workman, an honorable mention selection last season, returns in the circle. Workman, the younger sister of Taylor Workman, posted a 15-7 overall record in her freshman season. Workman marked an ERA of 2.70 and had 79 strikeouts. Tori Workman's batting average of .375 is tops for all returning starters. Nicole Rogers worked 15 innings, mostly in relief. 

UW-RIVER FALLS: The Falcons were swept by UW-Eau Claire, 6-1, 11-6, Monday afternoon. The Blugolds jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the opener and River Falls' only run came on a solo home run by Abbie Morris in the fourth inning. That round tripper tied the Falcons' single season home run record at 12. In the second game, Eau Claire held a 6-5 lead until they broke the game open with five runs in the sixth inning. Michelle LaCasse (16-39) and Sarah Bohlen (43-105) are hitting a team-best .410. Morris is hitting .404 (38-94) with eight doubles and 36 RBI, second in tne WIAC. In the circle,  Brooke Lauritzen and Morris have shared the vast majority of the starts. Lauritzen is 3-6 overall with an ERA of 4.86 and 47 strikeouts. Morris is 6-8 and has an ERA of 4.97 with 81 strikeouts, third in the league. Head coach Faye Perkins entered the 2014 season 17 wins away from reaching 500 in her career. UW-River Falls has won at least 21 games in each of the last eight seasons and returns eight letterwinners from the 2013 unit that had a .323 batting average, 41 home runs and 61 doubles – the second-highest marks in program archives.  The Falcons return three hurlers who pitched all but 38.2 innings last year, including junior Abbie Morris, who had a team-leading 2.81 earned run average in 84.2 innings and was second in the conference with a .723 slugging percentage.  Head coach Faye Perkins entered the 2014 season 17 wins away from reaching 500 in her career.

LAST YEAR WHEN THEY MET: The Blue Devils won both games on the Don & Nona Williams Stadium carpet in a game that was originally scheduled to be played at RIver Falls. With no sun in site and the wind whipping, Stout captured a 13-2, five-inning win in the opener, then swept the day with an 8-1 victory. Taylor Workman(So, Prior Lake, Minn) hit two home runs in the first game, Sam Hastings (Jr, Waukesha) hit one in each game and Erin Moss (Sr, Munster, Ind) kept the fireworks going throughout the afternoon with a home run in the second game and five stolen bases on the day.

UW-OSHKOSH: Scott Beyer inherits a UW-Oshkosh program that has won at least 20 games each of the last 10 years.  He replaces Cindy Suess who accumulated 229 victories in nine seasons.  Beyer previously served as an assistant coach at UW-Green Bay since 2011.  The Titans return six of their top seven hitters from 2013, including senior Tess Fadness, junior Katie Koepsel and sophomore Hayden Krueger.  The trio combined with sophomore Lindsey Luedke to belt 27 homers, which was more than six WIAC teams had.  Krueger led the squad with a .402 batting average, while Fadness contributed a team-best .697 slugging percentage and Koepsel was second with 24 RBI.  Tess Fadness leads the Titans at the plate, batting .464 (32-69) with a league-high 28 RBI. Lindsay Luedke is batting .423 (30-71) with 18 RBI and four home runs. Katie Koepsel is hitting .420 (29-69) with 30 RBI and Hayden Krueger is hitting .409 (27-66) with 23 RBI. Jill Vondrak and Sara Brunlieb alternate in the pitching circle. Vondrak has an ERA of 2.03 with 76.0 innings pitched and 43 strikeouts. Brunleib has an ERA of 2.76 in 66.0 innings pitched with 29 strikeouts. The Titans had series with UW-La Crosse and UW-Stout postponed last week. The Titans' only game last week was Wednesday, April 9 when they swept UW-Platteville, 4-1, 14-7. Oshkosh is scheduled to host St.Norbert, Wednesday, April 16 in a non-conference game. The Titans have yet to lose a game this April and are carrying a eight game winning streak, with their last loss coming to the University of Chicago, March 28. 

LAST YEAR WHEN THEY MET: The Blue Devils won the first game, 4-3, in nine innings when Taylor Workman hit an RBI single in the bottom of the ninth and Stout earned a bid to the WIAC tournament. The Titans came back with a 15-0 five-inning win in game two.

UW-LA CROSSE: UW-La Crosse returns seven of its top eight hitters in batting average from last year, including five players who hit over .300.  The Eagles also posted seven shutout victories a season ago, the third-most in the last eight seasons.  Senior Katie Fink led the team with a .509 slugging percentage, while ranking second with a .368 batting average and 20 runs scored.  UW-La Crosse has won at least 20 games in six straight seasons, which matches the longest stretch in program history (1998-2003).  Head coach Chris Helixon, a Menomonie native, reached 200 career wins earlier this season. La Crosse is scheduled to be at UW-Stevens Point, Wednesday, April 23, then host the University of Dubuque, Thursday, April 24

LAST YEAR WHEN THEY MET: The teams played three exciting games last season, with Stout winning two of the three contests. The teams met in conference play in early April, with Stout winning a 4-3, 11-inning affair, then dropping a 5-2 nightcap decision. The teams met in the first round of the weather-shortened WIAC tournament, with Stout taking a 5-4 decision by scoring three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning.

UW-PLATTEVILLE: Senior Becca Lowe leads UW-Platteville's group of nine returning letterwinners.  She led the 2013 squad with a .440 on-base percentage, 16 runs scored and 11 stolen bases, while ranking second with a .349 batting average, .395 slugging percentage and 30 hits.  The Pioneers must replace both of their pitchers that combined to start all 28 games last year. Platteville broke a seven game losing streak when they split with UW-La Crosse, April 17.  The Pioneers are at UW-Stevens Point, Tuesday, April 22 and at UW-River Falls, Saturday, April 26 before concluding the season in Menomonie.  

LAST YEAR WHEN THEY MET: UW-Stout came from behind in both games to earn a sweep over UW-Platteville April 7, 2013, at Pioneer Stadium, winning the first, 5-4, in nine innings and taking the second 13-6.

BLUE DEVILS LAST SEASON: UW-Stout finished the 2013 season at 23-13 overall, 8-7 in the WIAC, good for fourth. The Blue Devils advanced to the weather-shortened, one-day WIAC Championship tournament where they defeated UW-La Crosse in the first round, but were eliminated by UW-Eau Claire in the second round. Weather was the winner of the 2013 season. Stout did not play a single game on their home Alumni Field, but rather played all of their home games on the Don & Nona Williams Stadium turf. 

AWARDS AND HONORS: Lynzi Knudtson was selected at the UW-Stout Northwestern Mutual athlete of the week April 15...Tori Workman was the WIAC pitcher of the week and the UW-Stout Northwestern Mutual athlete of the week April 8...Tori Workman was the WIAC pitcher of the week March 11 after a strong start...Catcher Sam Hastings and designated player Taylor Workman earned 2013  first-team all-WIAC honors, and pitcher Tori Workman earned honorable mention honors, along with Alison Gray and Erin Moss. Taylor Workman earned all-region honors.

2014 TEAM CAPTAINS: Team captains for the 2014 season are senior Sam Hastings and junior Lynzi Knudtson..

COACHES: Blue Devil coach Chris Stainer (289-368, overall; 271-343, at UW-Stout, as of April 21, 2014) is in her 15th season at Stout and her 16th season overall. Oshkosh is coached by first year coach Scott Beyer.

ON DECK: The Blue Devils final home game of the season is scheduled for Tuesday, April 29 with Hamline University. The WIAC Tournament is May 2-4 at the highest seeded team.