BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Western Washington University softball team opens the home and league portion of the 2018 schedule Thursday and Friday hosting Northwest Nazarene in a pair of doubleheaders at Viking Field on the WWU campus.
The Vikings (3-8) have won three of their last four games after opening the season 0-7. WWU has been off the last two weeks after going 3-3 in the Dixie State Easton Softball Classic in St. George, Utah.
WWU opens the 28-game GNAC schedule with four games against Northwest Nazarene (7-10, 0-0 GNAC). The Vikings were picked to finish 2nd in the preseason GNAC coaches poll after finishing the 2017 season 34-19 overall and 19-9 in league play. Western advanced to the NCAA II Championships for the fourth time in program history by winning the GNAC Championship Tournament.
All four games vs. NNU will stream in HD and offer live statistical updates at WWUVikings.com/Live.
SCHEDULE CHANGE…due to expected inclement weather, this week’s GNAC doubleheader vs. NNU has been moved to Thursday and Friday, instead of the original Friday-Saturday plan…both doubleheaders start at noon, with the second game starting 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first game.
LABASAN LEADING THE WAY…junior third baseman/pitcher Shearyna Labasan leads the Vikings batting .559 (19-for-34) with 5 doubles, one home run and 4 RBI…she has reached base safely in 9 of 11 games and has recorded 7 multi-hit games…ranks 4th in the GNAC in batting average and doubles, and leads the conference with a .643 on-base percentage…in the circle she is 2-3 with a 4.83 ERA (20 ER, 29.0 IP).
KASNER 200 STRIKEOUTS…sophomore Anna Kasner recorded her 200th strikeout in the Dixie State tournament, becoming the 9th pitcher in WWU history to pass 200 strikeouts for a career…ranks 9th in WWU history with 216 strikeouts and is the current leader with 8.88 strikeouts per 7.0 innings pitched.
RBI MACHINE…sophomore outfielder Jackie Lucido leads the team and is tied for 4th in the GNAC with 14 RBI…Lucido has recorded three multi-RBI games, including tying the WWU single-game record with 7 RBI vs. Colorado Mines (2/10)…she hit a pair of 3-run home runs in consecutive at-bats, becoming the second player in WWU history to homer in consecutive plate appearances (Jackie Rothenberger in 2011).
YOUNG ROSTER…14 players have seen action for the Vikings in the first 11 games of the season, with 11 listed as either sophomores (4) or freshmen (7).
HOME RUN HITTERS…the Vikings are 3rd amongst GNAC teams with 14 home runs, led by 4 home runs from sophomore shortstop Paityn Cyr…Cyr is tied for the GNAC lead (with four other players) in home runs…WWU tied the program single-season record with 37 home runs last season, but needed 20 games to reach the 14-home run mark.
RUNS SCORED RECORD…three times this season the Vikings have had a player score 4 runs in a game, tying the WWU single-game record…Carlie Richards (2/10 vs. Colorado Mines) and Rylie Wales (2/10 vs. Colorado Mines & 2/10 vs. Fort Lewis College)…Wales leads the team and is tied for 9th in the GNAC with 12 runs scored.
SUITER NEARING 200 WWU WINS…WWU head coach Amy Suiter is in her eighth season leading the program, the second-longest tenure by a Western softball coach (Lonnie Hicks, 9 seasons, 2002-10)…Suiter has an all-time 214-197 (.521) head coaching record and is 199-155 (.562) at the helm of the Vikings.
THE HOME SCHEDULE…WWU’s home schedule features seven GNAC doubleheaders that will be played on Viking Field on the WWU campus, beginning with back-to-back doubleheaders against Northwest Nazarene (Thursday-Friday)…five of the seven home doubleheaders are scheduled for the month of March, while seven of the final nine conference doubleheaders will be played away from Bellingham.