West Chester at Shepherd
Game Details: April 4 I 1/3 P.M.
Location: Shepherdstown, W.V.
Series: 24-18
WCU Links: NEWS I ROSTER I SCHEDULE I STATS
Shepherd Links: NEWS I ROSTER I SCHEDULE I STATS
West Chester vs Bloomsburg
Game Details: April 5 I 1/3 P.M.
Location: WCU Softball Field (West Chester, Pa.)
Coverage Links: Live Stats I Watch
Series: 21-21 (Since March 2005)
Bloomsburg Links: NEWS I ROSTER I SCHEDULE I STATS
Last Time Out
West Chester returned home on Tuesday to open April with a crucial doubleheader vs No. 9 East Stroudsburg in a rematch of the 2024 PSAC Championship game. Thanks to a stellar pitching performance by Sarah Davenport in game one and five home runs in the nightcap, East Stroudsburg escaped West Chester with a sweep of the Golden Rams, marking the first time since 2006 that they left South Campus with a sweep.
Flock Talk
Danielle Ciliberto and Mairead Hopkins remain first and second on the team in batting average at .383 and .359 on the year with 23 and 37 hits, respectively. Hopkins leads the team in hits and extra-base hits (16), which includes 10 doubles and six home runs, while also leading the squad in runs scored with 28. She has driven in 24 more runs and is second on the team in this category, trailing only Paige Marabell, who is batting .341 with six home runs of her own and 27 RBI. Hopkins and Marabell are the only two Golden Rams with an OPS above 1.000, posting marks of 1.072 and 1.060, respectively.
In the circle, Ciliberto and Edwards both suffered losses on Tuesday but remain the staff leaders in wins, with records of 7-5 and 8-4 on the year, along with ERAs of 2.15 and 2.72 and opponent batting averages of .240 and .228, respectively. Edwards remains the staff leader in strikeouts with 64 in 74.2 innings of work, while Ciliberto has fanned 58 in 84.2 innings, which includes four complete games and one shutout.
Watching the Skies
West Chester will be keeping a close eye on the weather this weekend, as the team is scheduled to host Bloomsburg on Saturday afternoon, beginning at 1 p.m. Any changes regarding the weekend schedule will be announced on wcupagoldenrams.com as soon as they become available.
Late Game Heroics
West Chester is 5-7 in PSAC East play after opening league action on March 18 with a split at Millersville. Of these 12 games, four have been decided in extra innings, with another (the 7-6 victory over Kutztown on March 25) coming via a seventh-inning walk-off double by Melvin.
Series History
Since 2008, West Chester holds a 24-18 lead in the series against Shepherd, despite dropping two of three to the Rams last Spring. The fourth game of the series was cancelled due to darkness, following game one, which went 11 innings before Shepherd won by a slim 4-3 margin.
Against Bloomsburg, West Chester is 21-21 vs the Huskies since 2005, including a split at Bloomsburg last April and a 3-1 victory in the season series after sweeping a pair from Bloomsburg in dramatic fashion in late April.
Scouting Shepherd
Shepherd enters Friday at 12-12 on the year with impressive splits against both East Stroudsburg and Kutztown as part of its 8-4 mark in league action after splitting with Kutztown in West Virginia on Tuesday afternoon. Shepherd dropped the opener by a 7-6 final before winning the nightcap 7-2 behind another 14-strikeout effort from Madelayne Ruffner as she improved to 10-0 on the season.
In the circle, Ruffner is the best Shepherd has this season, going 10-0 in 13 appearances, including 10 starts with six complete games, and striking out 146 batters in 74.2 innings of work. She has a 1.08 ERA, and opponents bat just .127 against her as she is in the midst of an incredible season for the Rams. At the plate, Lauren Moore and Madelyn Chambers are first and second on the team offensively, batting .415 and .408, respectively, on the year. Moore leads the team in RBI with 20, thanks to nine doubles and three home runs, while Chambers leads in runs scored with 20 of her own.
Scouting Bloomsburg
Bloomsburg heads into the weekend as winners of three in a row after playing to a split at Millersville on Saturday and a road sweep of Lock Haven on Tuesday. Before facing West Chester, Bloomsburg will host No. 9 East Stroudsburg on Friday afternoon as the Warriors look to maintain their hot streak and continue their excellent start to PSAC East play.
At the plate, Mia Nemeth and Bella Culp once again lead the way, batting .405 and .379 on the year with a team-best 23 RBI and 18 runs scored, respectively. Emma Little is first on the team in home runs with five, which, along with 10 doubles, ties her for the team lead in extra-base hits. Little is batting .378 and has the best OPS on the team at 1.176 with 20 RBI and 17 runs scored to her name.
Callie Sowers is 8-3 in the circle with a 1.88 ERA in 12 starts, including nine complete games. Sowers has 87 strikeouts on the year and has held opponents to a .202 batting average against. Kelly Eberly is 3-5 with a 1.57 ERA, .223 batting average, and 49 strikeouts in 44.2 innings of work, including four complete games.
