Softball Preview: Stout to host Whitewater Thursday in home opener

THIS WEEK'S GAMES: The Blue Devils open the 2015 conference season by hosting UW-Whitewater, Thursday, April 2 at 3 p.m. at Alumni Field. The two teams were picked in a WIAC preseason poll to battle for the league's top spot, with the Warhawks getting the top nod and Stout picked second. The doubleheader is expected to be available via live stats. Live Video has been cancelled for this game.

UW-STOUT: The Blue Devils are coming off a 2014 campaign that featured 27 wins, which were the most since the 2004 season.  The 2015 roster includes two seniors, six juniors, three sophomores and seven freshmen – and is led by junior Tori Workman who claimed WIAC Pitcher of the Year recognition a year ago.  She set the school single-season strikeout record with her final pitch of the season and led the conference with a 1.63 earned run average, 160 strikeouts and 176.1 innings pitched.  Head coach Chris Stainer, the WIAC coach of the year last season, recently earned her 300th career victory. In a preseason poll, the Blue Devils were picked to finish second in the WIAC.

Tori Workman (7-5) leads the Blue Devils from the circle and at the plate. Workman has tossed 78.0 innings so far this season, starting 11 games and making 17 appearances with an ERA of 2.69 and a conference-leading 73 strikeouts. When Workman is not pitching, she can be found in centerfield. At the plate, Workman is hitting .353 (24-68) with a team-best 17 runs batted in, tallying nine doubles, two triples and a home run. Among starters, Nicole Rogers is hitting .311 (14-45). Rogers plays centerfield when Workman is pitching and slides over to right field when Workman is not throwing. Left fielder Sara Griesbach is batting .300 (18-60) with nine RBI. Taylor Workman has made the move from designated player to starting first baseman and is hitting .293 (17-58) with 12 RBI.  

BLUE DEVILS LAST TIME OUT: The Blue Devils split four games last weekend at the Augustana College Tournament in Rock Island, Ill, downing Wartburg College, 4-3, to put an end to the Knights' winning streak at 13. Wartburg turned around to down Stout by the identical 4-3 score in the second half of the doubleheader. The Blue Devils could generate no offense the next afternoon, dropping a five-inning, 8-0 contest to Coe College. But the Blue Devils tightened their chin straps, and went on to take a 1-0 win over 16th ranked Augustana in their final game of the tournament. Beth Wood slapped in the game-winning run in the fourth inning, and the Blue Devils held off the Vikings in the top of the seventh. With two outs, but two runners in scoring position, Nicole Rogers made a diving catch in right-centerfield to preserve the win.

UW-WHITEWATER: The Warhawks, who entered the 2015 campaign ranked fourth in the NCAA Division III by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association and are currently ranked 13th in the latest NFCA Division III poll, captured the ninth league championship in program archives a year ago when they won the conference tournament held at Stout and went on to finish third at the finals of the NCAA Division III  Championship.  This year's team has 17 returning letterwinners, including senior Jo Jablonski, who batted .377 in 2014 with nine home runs, 33 RBI and 23 runs scored.  Senior Bekka Houda tossed 153.1 innings a season ago and registered 17 wins, a 3.01 earned run average and 137 strikeouts. The Warhawks have made a league-high 17 NCAA appearances and produced at least 30 victories in six of the last seven years.  Head coach Brenda Volk recently reached 500 career victories.

Jo Jablonski leads the WIAC in batting average at .543 (19-35) and has cracked out 16 RBI. Jablonski has three doubles, a triple and four home runs.  Deven DuCharme is hitting .484 (15-31) and Mallory Klotz is hitting .435 (20-46). Both has stolen five bases. Kelynn Sporer leads the team in stolen bases, perfect in six attempts. Sporer is hitting .324 (12-37) and ahas six RBI. Paige Evangelista has 10 RBI, while Amy Rici has 11 RBI, but is hitting .205 (9-44). Bekka Houda and Sporer have combined for all of the Warhawks starts in the circle. Houda is currently 5-2 with an ERA 2.67 and has 41 strikeouts. Sporer is 4-1 with an ERA of 3.41 with 17 strikeouts.

WARHAWKS LAST TIME OUT: Whitewater opened their home schedule by splitting a doubleheader against sixth-ranked Illinois Wesleyan Monday. The Warhawks, then ranked 14th by the NFCA, dropped the first game of the twin bill 10-5 before securing a 5-3 win in game two. The second game was called due to darkness in the bottom of the fifth, but still constitutes a complete game. Jo Jablonski had two two-run home runs in the first game and Paige Evangelista hit a grand slam to cap off a five-run, first inning of the second game. 

LAST YEAR WHEN THEY MET: The teams split during regular season action last year, with the Warhawks giving Stout their only conference loss, a 2-1 decision, but the Blue Devils took the nightcap, 6-4, in Whitewater. On their way to winning the WIAC Tournament title, the Warhawks pushed Stout into the loser's bracket with a 3-2 loss in Menomonie. 

BLUE DEVILS LAST SEASON: The Blue Devils are coming off a 2014 campaign that featured 27 wins, which were the most since the 2004 season.  The 2015 roster includes two seniors, six juniors, three sophomores and seven freshmen – and is led by junior Tori Workman who claimed WIAC Pitcher of the Year recognition a year ago.  She set the school single-season strikeout record with her final pitch of the season and led the conference with a 1.63 earned run average, 160 strikeouts and 176.1 innings pitched.  Head coach Chris Stainer, the WIAC coach of the year last season, recently earned her 300th career victory.

AWARDS AND HONORS: Tori Workman was the WIAC pitcher of the week after her first six games this season. Last season, Workman was the WIAC Pitcher of the Year and an all-region pick. Lynzi Knudtson was a WIAC honorable mention selection

2015 TEAM CAPTAINS: Team captains for the 2015 season are seniors Lynzi Knudtson and Taylor Workman and juniors Tori Workman and Nicole Rogers.

COACHES: Blue Devil coach Chris Stainer (304-382, overall; 286-357 at UW-Stout) is in her 17th season at Stout and her 18th season overall. Brenda Volk (503-208-4) is in her 17th season at UW-Whitewater

ON DECK: The Blue Devils return to Alumni Field to host UW-Eau Claire, Wednesday, April 8 at 4 p.m. Stout will hit the road the following weekend, traveling to UW-La Crosse, Saturday, April 11 and to UW-Platteville, Sunday, April 12