DETROIT -- The Wayne State University softball squad (23-8 overall, 3-3 GLIAC) went 1-3 last week scoring a total of seven runs in the four road contests with all seven runs coming in the first game at Tiffin on Saturday as the Warriors were blanked in the final three contests.

WSU will entertain Findlay (11-8 overall, 5-5 GLIAC) for a GLIAC twinbill on Wednesday, before visiting Grand Valley State (14-5 overall, 3-1 GLIAC) on Friday, and Ferris State (7-8 overall, 2-2 GLIAC) on Sunday.  The Warriors will be in attendance at Saturday's W (Women's) Week luncheon as the 1983 squad will be recognized.

 

Setting the Stage	Wayne State University Softball vs. Findlay, at Grand Valley State & at Ferris State
Dates	Wednesday, April 9  |  Friday, April 11  |  Sunday, April 13
Times	3:30 PM on Wednesday  |  3:00 PM on Friday  |  1:00 PM on Sunday
Locations	Detroit, Mich. (WSU Softball Stadium)  l  Allendale, Mich. (GVSU Softball Field)  l  Big Rapids, Mich. (FSU Softball Field)
Web	Twitter: @WayneStWarriors  |  #WarriorSB
Live Stats	vs. Findlay  l  at Grand Valley State  l  at Ferris State
Opponent Information	Findlay Softball  l  Grand Valley State Softball  l  Ferris State Softball

GAME STORYLINES
WSU went 3-3 last week with a home sweep of Hillsdale, but lost three of four on the road over the weekend as No. 1 pitcher and No. 3 hitter Lyndsay Butler was unavailable due to illness.

SCOUTING FINDLAY
The Oilers won twice at Malone on Sunday to snap a three-game losing skein.  UF entertains NAIA foe Lourdes for a doubleheader on Tuesday.  Megan Turner leads Findlay with a .391 batting average, while Lauren Trumpler has a team-best 12 RBI.  Tawna Whited is 10-3 in the circle with a 1.92 earned-run average and 59 strikeouts in 73 innings.

SCOUTING GRAND VALLEY STATE
The Lakers have won three in a row, all by shutout, heading into Wednesday's home doubleheader vs. Lake Superior.  Miranda Cleary is batting .464 (26-56) with four home runs and 25 RBI, while Briauna Taylor leads the club in home run (7) and RBI (32) and is batting .444 (28-63).  Jenna Lenza is also hitting over .400 at .415 (27-65) with five doubles.  Lauren Gevaart is 5-0 with a 1.67 ERA and 58 strikeouts in 42 innings.  Sara Andrasik has a 6-3 record with a 2.56 ERA and 39 strikeouts in 54.2 innings.

SCOUTING FERRIS STATE
The Bulldogs enter Wednesday's twinbill at Northwood having won five of their last seven contests.  Alyssa Smith has a team-high .372 (16-43) batting average along with 11 stolen bases.  Casey Bias is hitting .364 (12-33) with a team-best 11 RBI.  FSU hurlers have just two complete games in 15 outings.  Megan Hiler is 3-2 with a 2.68 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 31.1 innings, while Amy Dunleavy has a 4-3 mark with a 3.50 ERA and 14 strikeouts in 38 innings.

ALL-TIME SERIES
Wayne State holds a 35-6 edge in the all-time series against Findlay, which began in 1998.  The Warriors are 15-3 at home vs. UF.  WSU has a 63-42-2 advantage in the all-time series with Grand Valley State dating back to the 1982 season.  Wayne State won the last two meetings on GLIAC Tournament Championship Sunday last May.  The Warriors have a 75-34 lead in the all-time series vs. Ferirs State dating back to 1982.  WSU has won five of the last six meetings.

LAST TIME OUT
WSU swept a doubleheader from visiting Hillsdale College on April 1 to start league play after having the first three conference dates postponed.  Butler was the star of game one recording her seventh shutout of the season and improving to 10-3 by striking out 13 Charger batters.  She allowed just two hits (a two-out sixth inning single by Ainsley Ellison, and leadoff single in the seventh by Jessica Knepper) before striking out the final three HC hitters to end the contest.  WSU pounded out six singles and a double by Jade McGarr, one of her two hits in the contest, off HC hurler Sarah Grunert (0-3).  The Warriors tallied singles runs in the third, fourth and sixth innings.

In the nightcap, WSU's first two runners in the eighth reached on errors, and after a wild pitch, Shelby Spano delivered a two-run double giving Wayne State a 4-2 extra-inning triumph.  Butler notched the win in relief of Briana Lee.  Butler struck out five of the 11 batters she faced.

NEXT UP
After the four-game road swing to the west side of Michigan, the Warriors return home to host Walsh on Tuesday, April 15 for a pair of league contests that will be televised by Comcast starting at 3:30 PM.

PRESEASON POLL
WSU was predicted to finish second in the GLIAC as voted on by the league's coaches announced in the GLIAC Preseason Coaches Poll.  Wayne State, the two-time GLIAC tournament champions, received six first-place votes and 156 points to finish just behind Grand Valley State's six first-place votes and 159 points.  Ashland garnered the other two first-place votes and 147 points.  Rounding out the poll were Ferris State (122 points), Ohio Dominican (113), Northwood (111), Tiffin (101), Findlay (98), Saginaw Valley (73), Hillsdale (65), Walsh (52), Lake Superior (36), Malone (26) and Lake Erie (16).

NATIONAL LEADERS
In the national stats released by the NCAA on April 8, Wayne State was second in Division II in ERA at 0.74, trailing Tampa's 0.48.  The Warriors were 20th in winning percentage (.793) and 16th in fielding percentage (.971).  Individually, junior hurler Briana Lee was third in ERA (0.58), and ninth in strikeouts per seven innings (10.1).  Butler was second in ERA (0.51), fourth in hits allowed (3.37), eighth in strikeouts per seven innings (11.0), and ninth in shutouts (7). Offensively Butler was ranked sixth in triples with five and fourth in triples per game at 0.19.

WARRIOR BENCH BOSS
Gary Bryce, who is in his 33rd season as Wayne State's head softball coach, is closing in on 1,100 career wins.  Bryce enters the week with an all-time mark of 1,094-666-7.  With six more wins, Bryce will become the 17th coach in NCAA Softball history (all three Divisions combined) to reach the 1,100-win plateau.  Assistant coach Pat Kent, who played four years (1980-1983) at WSU, is in her 31st season as an assistant coach.  Nicole Abel, a four-year Warrior letterwinner (2007-2010), is in her third season on the staff.

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