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SLIAC Game of the Week - Greenville at Eureka

SLIAC Game of the Week - Greenville at Eureka

This week's SLIAC Game of the Week features a pair of teams in middle of the softball postseason race; Eureka College and Greenville College.

At a Glance
Eureka and Greenville are currently tied for third place in the SLIAC standings with a 3-1 conference record. This week's softball double header is scheduled to be played Wednesday in Eureka, Ill. with the first game starting at 3 p.m. Greenville comes into the week with a 12-9 record while Eureka 8-10 overall.

About Greenville
Greenville's 12 overall wins are the second most in the SLIAC this season and were expected to make a run into the postseason as they were picked second in the 2015 SLIAC Softball Preseason Poll. The Panthers are coming off a split double header against MacMurray, winning game one 6-4 and falling 10-1 in game two.

The Panthers are the league's top hitting team with a .348 batting average and 11 home runs, both tops in the conference. They are second in the league in stolen bases with 36 and average 5.3 runs scored per game. Tiffany Samsoe and Bryn McKie have had red hot bats this spring. Samsoe, a sophomore, is hitting .545 with five home runs and 24 runs batted in while center fielder McKie, a junior, is hitting .493 with 13 stolen bases. A total of six players in the lineup have a batting average of .300 or better with five players recording at least 10 runs batted in. The Panthers pitching staff is led by senior Hannah Burger. Burger has made 11 starts this season, picking up eight wins and striking out 38 batters in 72 innings pitched while holding a 3.89 earned-run average.

About Eureka
Eureka has been on a roll of late, going 7-3 in their last ten games including a current three game winning streak. Their winning streak has come out of conference, playing Robert Morris-Springfield and St. Louis College of Pharmacy last week. The Red Devils have made some early noise this season after being picked eighth in the SLIAC Preseason Poll by sweeping Principia and splitting with second place Westminster. 

Eureka is hitting .274 as a team and average 5.6 runs per game while their pitching staff ranks second in the league with a 4.02 earned-run average. The Red Devils offense is a three player attack. Freshman Kali George leads the team with a .357 batting average, adding 14 runs batted in. Deidre Whightsil, a freshman, is hitting .315 with a team best 18 RBI while senior Kim Lamar is hitting .250 with 16 runs batted in. The Eureka pitching staff consists of three freshmen, led by the aforementioned George. George has made 11 starts this year, recording six wins and 30 strikeouts in 64 innings pitched.

Game Notes

  • Greenville leads the all-time series against Eureka 10-7 including a sweep last year.
  • Eureka has already surpassed last year's conference win total. They currently have three wins in 2015 after recording just four in 2014.
  • Greenville's Tiffany Samsoe is currently pursuing a Triple Crown as she leads the conference in batting average, home runs, and runs batted in.
  • Eureka is looking for just their third winning conference record in program history. They previously finished with a winning record in the 2010 and 2013 seasons, both marking the only seasons they have made the SLIAC Tournament.
  • Greenville hosts Spalding on Friday and travels to Principia on Saturday to continue their SLIAC play.
  • Eureka continues their conference schedule with games against Blackburn and Fontbonne this weekend.