|
Loyola-Chicago and ISU Visit Lincoln Park for Midweek Games
CHICAGO -- The No. 21/22 DePaul softball team breaks from BIG EAST Conference action this week for midweek games with Loyola-Chicago and Illinois State. The Blue Demons and Ramblers tangle on Tuesday at 4 p.m., while the Redbirds come to Cacciatore Stadium for a doubleheader at 3 p.m. on Wednesday. DePaul (24-9, 11-2 BIG EAST) has won its last three and 13 of its last 15 games. The Blue Demons, who swept a pivotal league doubleheader with USF over the weekend, sit atop the conference standings with Louisville. The Cardinals visit Lincoln Park on April 22 for midweek doubleheader. DePaul holds a combined 69-22-2 record against Loyola and Illinois State. The Blue Demons' 63 all-time meetings with Loyola is the second most behind their 71 games with UIC. With a long history with the Ramblers on the playing field, head Loyola coach Yvette Healy also has ties to DePaul as an assistant coach and as one of the Blue Demon’s 22 program All-Americans. In Healy’s fifth season with the Ramblers she has engineered a 20-14 record. Loyola is led by Haley Ambrosch and Stevie Bradich’s .280 average. Ambrosch leads the team with 14 RBI and a .493 slugging percentage while Bradich is 21-for-24 on the base path. ISU (18-18) is 5-5 in its last 10 games and is led by Nikki Stansell’s .341 average and 43 hits. Not a team to take the extra base, the Red Birds have attempted just nine stolen bases while Stansell is a perfect 5-for-5 on the base path. Against the Blue Demons, Illinois State holds a 12-16-2 all-time advantage and won the last series meeting 4-3 in Bloomington in 2007. Amber Patton leads the Blue Demons and the BIG EAST with a .504 average and a .559 on base percentage. The senior has a conference-best 57 hits, while she is a finalist for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award and the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year honor. DePaul returns to league action this weekend when it travels to Rutgers and Villanova for a pair of BIG EAST doubleheaders.
|
