A SIGH OF RELEIF

A 4-0 record at the start of the Midwest Conference has made baseball coach Roger Sander breathe just a bit easier one year after the division race took an extra day and a single elimination tournament to determine the Midwest Conference tournament field.

“It’s nice to get off to a good start,” said Sander. “To be 4-0 is a good place to be. It was a great weekend for us.”

The Scots got two complete game victories from senior Matt Bourne and sophomore Robbie Hinkle in a 6-2, 2-0 sweep of Illinois College, marking the second time in a week the tandem shut down the Blueboys. Bourne, a lefty, and Hinkle, a righty, offer a contrast – and not just with their throwing arm. Bourne typifies the image of a journeyman veteran, spending time in the bullpen and giving Sander quality innings when called. Hinkle, on the other hand (pun intended), threw only 3.1 innings as a freshman and hadn’t seen much mound time since his sophomore year in high school.

For a fleeting moment, Scots fans may have had visions of the reincarnation of another great left-right combination – Joe Larkins and Ryan Johnson from the conference championship team of 2002.

“Matt and Robbie have proven they’re the top two right now,” said Sander. “To put them on the same stage as Joe and Ryan? That’s a pretty big stage to put them on. I won’t put them there yet, but they have done a nice job. Robbie can get even better. He seems to be getting stronger with each start.”

Nice job? Bourne and Hinkle struck out eight and nine Blueboys, respectively. Hinkle tossed his second shutout in as many outings.

In Game 1, Bourne surrendered a leadoff homer for the only lead IC would have in the four games. The Scots pecked away and put together four consecutive hits in the three-run sixth to get Sander some breathing room.

Monmouth scored the only run Hinkle would need in the nightcap when Billy Herrin led off the first with a base hit and came home on Terry Davis’ sac fly. Just to make sure, Tom Shaver added an insurance run in the fifth. Herrin picked up four hits in the twinbill and Shaver three.

“Billy and Tom have done a nice job,” praised Sander. “Tom is a good leader and always seems to get the hit at the right time. Matt really settled in and pitched well in the first game. Both of our pitchers went the full nine, but that’s not something we expect out of our staff. We didn’t really have any big offensive stars. It was just a case of getting some timely hits and good pitching and defense.”

The Scots got two of the three Monday night in a split with the Milwaukee School of Engineering. Monmouth won the opener behind Brian Chandler, 9-4 despite three errors. They couldn’t overcome seven miscues in the nightcap as Drew Johnson didn’t give up an earned run through four innings of work, but suffered the 12-3 loss.

“Brian and Drew threw very good games Monday,” praised Sander. “Drew pitched well, he gave up eight runs, but none of them were earned. I knew our pitching would come along. We got off to a slow start due to the number of games we have to play in a short period of time over spring break.”

The Scots had a pair of three-run innings in the opener as Davis and Mitch Johnson drove in three runs each.

Game 2 had a face not even a mother could love. Six errors in the first four innings – seven for the game – made a hard-luck loser out of Drew Johnson. Davis drove in two more runs for the Scots with a double in the third, but the damage was done.

Monmouth will have had five days to heal their wounds before their matchup this weekend with rival Knox. The Scots would like to continue their hot streak in the Midwest Conference and a sweep would put them well in front of the pack.

“I think this is a crucial weekend for both teams,” reported Sander of the two games vs. the 2-2 Prairie Fire. “We control our own destiny. We’re playing with a lot of confidence and want to stay on a roll. We wanted our older kids to get better and our younger guys to play like veterans. They have blended really well.”

Well? As the joke goes – That’s a deep subject. But then, again, so is the Scots’ bullpen.

AN ABOUT FACE

When we last left men’s golf coach Dave Ragone, he wasn’t exactly in the best humor.

Not that Ragone is a doom-and-gloom kind of guy, just the opposite. But the Scots’ poor showing at the Illinois Wesleyan Invitational April 3-4 did raise some concern as the Midwest Conference Tournament nears at the end of the month.

Ragone ‘s outlook on life Tuesday was much better than the week before. Could it be the Easter holiday made the veteran coach take a look inward? Maybe it was his one-year-old daughter Olivia’s first true Easter egg hunt?

No, it was more of the veteran coach seeing the results of a week of hard work by his team. The Scots fired rounds of 310-305 Friday and Saturday at the Augustana Invitational. On Monday at the one-day, 36-hole Springfield College of Illinois Invitational, the Scots carded rounds of 303-316.

“I was VERY pleased with our scores at Augustana,” said Ragone. “It’s the result of all the hard work the guys put in last week. We hit a TON of range balls. We still need work on our putting, but we’re getting there.”

“Getting there” was Ted Starkey. A week before, the junior transfer shot an opening round 84 and followed that with a DQ on Day 2. This week, Starkey led the Scots with a 75-76-151 at Augustana. Jake Kilberg paced Monmouth Monday, firing a 75-77-152 – his best back-to-back rounds of the season. While both put up great numbers, it was Ryan Tapscott who proved to be the most consistent with a 78-76-154 at Augie and a 77-79-156 at Springfield. That’s four rounds in the 70s – just what Ragone was looking for.

“This is right where we need to be,” claimed Ragone. “We dropped a few places in the standings from Day 1 to Day 2 at Augustana, but I’m more concerned about how Monmouth College is playing, and we’re playing much better.”

Also playing better were Greg Jones, a 75-80-155 at Springfield, and Rodney Clayton who carded a 76-80-156 at Springfield and a 79-77-156 at Augustana.

“Ted was very consistent last weekend,” said Ragone. “Greg was another one who came back and played very well last week. All the guys have put in a tremendous amount of effort and it shows.”

In order to gain perspective on how the weekend might compare to the MWC meet, consider this – the Scots played 72 holes of golf in four days, at the conference meet, they’ll play 72 holes in three days. The Scots’ best three back-to-back-to-back rounds of the season – the two at Augie and the first at Springfield netted a 918. That’s nearly 20 strokes better than the Scots shot to win conference two years ago.

“I’m very optimistic,” said Ragone. “The cream is rising to the top. We’re competing well and didn’t let the basically four rounds in four days wear us down. We’re in good shape physically and mentally.”

That’s a good thing. After the Scoop met with Ragone two weeks ago, we wondered about his mental well-being.

“I’m not down in the dumps anymore,” said Ragone.

HOME, SWEET HOME

Two women improved their provisional times and two others recorded their first provisional marks of the season at last weekend’s Fighting Scot Invitational track & field meet where the men finished first and the women were second.

“Overall, it went well,” reported Roger Haynes. “We feel like a lot of our kids had solid performances. Sometimes it’s hard to have good performances on back-to-back weekends, but overall, I think the kids did pretty well.”

Unlike earlier this season, the weather cooperated with warm temperatures, clear skies and negligible wind. Especially, the wind.

A week ago, Shannon Turczyn’s “wind aided” provisional time in the 100-meter hurdles did not move her into the national rankings. Wind was not a factor Saturday when the senior hurdle specialist clocked a provisional time of 14. 67 to win the event and move up to seventh on the national list.

“We were a little disappointed in her time Saturday after running faster a week ago when the wind aided time didn’t count,” said Haynes. “But, a provisional time is a provisional time. It was a good time to run for the second meet of the year. She’ll knock the time down over the next few weeks.”

Katie Vaccarello placed third in the 100- hurdles in 16.79. She then took second in the 400- hurdles with a time of 1:08.43.

Like Turczyn, Megan McKenna also gained provisional status. The senior took first in the pole vault while clearing the provisional qualifying height for the first time this season. Her vault of 11’5-3/4” moved her into the top 20 nationally. She also won in the triple jump with a season’s-best 36’1-1/4”.

A pair of throwers improved their provisional performances. Tanesha Hughes is ranked second in the nation after bettering her provisional mark the in the discus by nearly 10’. The senior took first with a throw of 152’5”, besting the runnerup by more than 30’. She also won the hammer throw with a personal-best distance of 151’8”.  The hammer throw mark is a conference-best by more than 10’. Gloria Lehr bettered her provisional distance in the shot put. Her winning throw of 42’5-1/2” was also a personal-best and placed her in the nation’s top 10. Hughes placed third in the shot put at 41’4-1/4” and Alison Renfro threw the discus 120’10” to take third.

“Our throwers had a great day, again,” praised Haynes. “They were all very solid in the hammer throw and moved up in the conference standings. That was nice to see.”

Distance runners also had a good weekend as Katie Staab broke the tape in the 800, clocking a winning time of 2:26.17. Mary Kate Beyer placed third in the 1500-. Her time of 5:05.40 was a lifetime best. Taryn Tang came in third in the 5000- with a time of 20:30.34.

Monmouth’s sprinters were also near the top of their game. Lindsie Pettie clocked a 1:01.59 to place second in the 400- and Jae Moore picked up a third in the 200- with a time of 26.62.

Freshman Brittany McCline placed second in the javelin, reaching a distance of 112’3”.

“Brittany is doing a nice job,” said Haynes of his newcomer to the javelin. “She’s been very consistent two weeks in a row.”

A personal-best mark in the high jump resulted in a second-place finish for Heather Hull who cleared 5’2”. Sarah Stinson tied for third at 4’10”.

Vaccarello, Turczyn, Moore and Brittany Lowdermilk teamed to win the 4x100 relay with a conference-best time of 49.96. Alicia Mockler, Kendra Newlon, Kaci Leirman and Kanisha Lampkin placed third in 54.43. Vaccarello, Turczyn and Moore added Pettie in the 4x400 where they finished first in 4:09.44.

“Katey was very solid in both relays and the hurdles,” said Haynes. “She’s making very good progress.”

Monmouth’s men won 14 of their 19 events. Peyton Lumzy and Sam Cokinos were 1-2 in the shot put. Lumzy threw a personal- and conference-best 49’11” to win while Cokinos’ throw of 48’3-1/4” placed him second. The pair duplicated the order in the discus where Lumzy’s mark of 141’1” was first and Cokinos was second at 138’4”. Lumzy also took second in the hammer throw with a lifetime-mark of 147’4”.

“Peyton and Sam had big days for us,” reported Haynes. “Some of our younger guys had good days as well.”

One of those “younger guys” – Michael Blodgett – led a 1-2 finish in the long jump. Blodgett soared 21’8-3/4” to win the event over Nick Wright who cleared 21’0-3/4”.

On the track, 1-2 finishes were also the order of the day. Damon Baustista and Patrick Mundschenk led a 1-2 charge in the 800-. Bautista was first at 1:59.55 and Mundschenk was second in 2:04.10. Brad Begyn and Geoff Bird turned the trick in the 5000-, Begyn clocking a winning time of 16:17.62 and Bird right behind in 16:30.06.

Tyler Hannam recorded a personal-best in the high jump. Hannam’s height of 6’6” won the event by 2” over teammate Sean Wells. Matt Hassler in third at 6’2” and John Gambrel in fourth with a career-best height of 6’0” completed the sweep of the top four spots.

“All four of the high jump guys had a good day,” praised Haynes. “Tyler had some good attempts at 6’8”, but just missed.”

Wells also took first in the javelin. His throw of 177’5” was nearly 30’ better than the second-place finisher. Nick Law placed third at 143’5” and Dennis Barr was fourth at 139’1”.

“The men’s throwers had a good weekend, much like the women,” said Haynes. “Sean had another quality weekend in the high jump and javelin. Dennis as a newcomer to the javelin was very good. Nick Hitterman in the discus (123’11”, sixth) had a solid performance as did Paul Terpening in the shot (43’7-3/4”, fifth).”

Alan Rosiquez turned in a first-place time of 10:57.07 in the steeplechase and Tim Bentz placed first in the 1500- with a time of 4:12.49. Logan Hohl turned in the conference’s second-fastest time in the 400- dash, winning the event in 49.76. Shane Reschke was first across the line in the 100- dash, winning in 11.31. Blodgett was third, clocking an 11.56. Saidu Sesay took top honors in the 200-, clocking a 22.61.

The men’s relays also turned in winning performances. Reschke, Sesay, Kyle Prout and Aaron Daverin broke the tape in the 4x100 with a time of 43.00. Mundschenk, Ryan Hardman, Chris Welty and Jayveer Gray placed third in 45.60. Reschke, Hardman, Mundschenk and Hohl formed the winning 4x400 team. Their time of 3:22.17 leads the conference by more than six seconds. Bautista, Sesay, Daverin and Jon Welty were third in 3:38.60.

“Logan had a good day in the open 400 and in the relay,” reported Haynes. “Shane, likewise did a nice job for us in the 400 and both relays. Our distance guys – Damon in the 800 and Tim in the 1500 ran very solid times for the conference seedings.”

The Scots women travel to Rock Island, Ill., for the Augustana Meet of Champions Friday. Monmouth’s men will be at Augustana Saturday for the men’s portion of the meet.

BOTH ENDS OF THE SPECTRUM

The Fighting Scots softball team was nearly involved in two no-hitters in the last week – one for, and one against.

In a 12-0, 13-7 sweep of Knox last week, Sarah Christensen nearly notched her first no-hitter, but there wasn’t much drama in the near-event. A sun-field pop fly that dropped for a hit and a walk in the first inning were the only blemishes on the senior’s otherwise perfect game. After the hit and walk, Christensen set down the next 13 batters – nine of those via strikeouts – in the five inning game.

“Sarah was just plain dominant,” said John Goddard. “She’s playing as you hope a senior would.”

The offense gave her plenty of support, banging out seven hits to go with eight Knox errors as the Scots jumped out to a 9-0 lead after just two innings. In a rare case of errors at the right time, the Prairie Fire’s pitcher allowed no earned runs in the12-0 game. That’s right – NO earned runs.

That’s advantageous hitting by the Scots, or to borrow a line from baseball coach Roger Sander – “timely hitting.”

Brooke Twohill and Lauren Bergstresser led Monmouth’s “timely hitting” with two hits each. For good measure, Bergstresser swiped two bases and scored a team-high three runs. Twohill’s big blow, a three-run triple in the first, was mimicked in the second when Val Stier launched a three-RBI three-bagger.

“Anytime you can get hits at the right time to shorten a game, that’s a good thing,” said Goddard. “We were able to take advantage of some mistakes and kept the pressure on the defense.”

The Scots kept the pressure on in Game 2 when they banged out 15 hits and tied their season high with 13 runs. Morgan Seiler, who had three doubles on the day, smacked two of them in her first two at-bats to account for three RBIs as the Scots led 7-3 after two innings. Erin Fitzpatrick added three RBIs with one swing of the bat – a fourth inning homer that gave the Scots a 12-3 lead.

Knox closed the gap in their half of the inning, scoring four unearned runs thanks to a pair of Monmouth errors. Fortunately for the Scots, that was all the damage the Fire would cause as Amanda Murdock struck out seven to put out the Fire and pick up her third win.

While the Scots nearly got a no-hitter against Knox, Monmouth was nearly the victim of a no-hitter Tuesday when they hosted Millikin.

In the opener, a 6-0 loss to the Big Blue, MU’s Kristina Bechtold had a perfect game going into the bottom of the sixth. That’s when Twohill played the spoiler and collected a leadoff single. The Scots actually loaded the bases in the inning on two hits, a fielder’s choice and a walk, but couldn’t manage a run.

Twohill might want to give some credit to MU coach Debbie Kiick for breaking up the perfecto.

“I have a routine after each inning where I smooth out the pitching area and give our pitcher the ball,” Kiick told the Scoop after the game. “I made some substitutions going into the bottom of the sixth inning and didn’t stick to my usual routine. The team is kidding me that it’s my fault.”

Uh, coach, it’s ALWAYS the coach’s fault.

The Scots faced a similar situation in the nightcap, a 5-4 win. The Big Blue’s freshman pitcher – Whitney Schafman, from nearby Rockridge High School – was working on her own perfect game. The lanky right-hander fanned five of the first six batters she faced and held a 2-0 lead in the third.

Enter Twohill.

Twohill worked the count and drew a leadoff walk, spoiling Schafman’s perfect game bid, but the no-hitter was still intact. That is until Seiler drilled a two run single. The Scots had scored their first run in the inning when Maggie Dort came home on a wild pitch and Seiler’s RBIs gave Monmouth a 3-2 lead.

Seiler and Colleen Zumpf drove in two much-needed insurance runs with a pair of singles in the fifth. That cushion became crucial when Millikin plated two in the sixth to trim it to a 5-4 game.

Freshman pitcher Ellissa Sexton came on in relief of Murdock to record the final four outs and earn her team-high third save.

Sexton and Murdock didn’t do it all by themselves. The Scots defense came up big – four times. Bergstresser – a catcher –  made two diving catches of foul pop ups, Twohill made a sliding catch in right field to end the sixth, and Dort at first base recorded the last out of the game with a diving catch in foul territory…well, OK, maybe it was more like a falling down catch, but you get the idea.

“We just didn’t make any mistakes,” praised Goddard of the Game 2 defense. “Our defense made some great plays and our pitching did a nice job of shutting them down. That was probably the best game that Murdock has thrown all year.”

Goddard is hoping for more of the same this weekend. After a double-header at Illinois College tonight, the Scots head to Janesville, Wis., for the annual Midwest Conference Classic where they’ll play the five North Division teams Saturday and Sunday.

A TRIP TO AMERICA’S DAIRYLAND

With his usual No. 5 singles player left at campus to recoup from an injury and his No. 3 singles man just returning from the injured list, Chad Braun would have been completely happy if someone could have guaranteed his men’s tennis team a split on last weekend’s trip to St. Norbert and Lawrence.

“I knew it was going to be a tough trip,” reported Braun of the 5-4 loss to St. Norbert and the 5-4 win at Lawrence. “I actually thought we might split the other way.”

Eric Brandhorst at No. 3 singles and Chris Utterback at No. 4 were the lone double winners on the weekend. Brandhorst won both singles matches in straight sets while Utterback defeated his St. Norbert opponent in straight sets on Thursday, but went a full three sets the next day vs. Lawrence.

If any of two singles matches and one doubles match against St. Norbert would have gone the other way, the Scots would have swept the weekend.

Utterback and Kyle Korb at No. 1 singles fell in a squeaker 9-8 (7-5) as the Scots entered singles play trailing 2-1. No. 6 singles man Brian Miller won his first set 6-2, but fell in the next two 6-2, 6-4 and Sam Graf – playing with a borrowed racket at No. 2 – lost in three 6-4, 6-7 (4-7), 6-4.

“Sam broke the strings on both his rackets and had to borrow a racket from Chris,” said Braun. “He was down 5-1 in the third set before he came back to trail 5-4, but he just couldn’t quite pull it out. We were close at No. 1 doubles, too, but we couldn’t get that one, either.”

The close matches went the Scots’ way the next day at Lawrence where Graf and Brandhorst pulled out a 9-7 win at No. 2 doubles and Utterback came back from dropping the first set at No. 4 singles to win 3-6, 6-3, 6-2. Graf and Utterback swept their doubles competition for the weekend.

“Sam and Eric had a couple of really nice doubles wins,” praised Braun who also predicted the meet outcome. “I told (assistant coach) Brian Jordan before we went out there it would come down to our 2, 3 and 4 singles players. I knew if we could win those, we would beat Lawrence.”

Graf at No. 2 won in straight sets as did Brandhorst at No. 3, although he needed a 7-5 first set win to pull it off, and Utterback’s win at No. 4 made Braun’s prediction ring true.

“Eric was down 5-2 in the first set at Lawrence,” said Braun of Brandhorst’s 7-5 first set win. “He came back and took a very, very good match for us. Chris was terrific for us all weekend. Kyle stepped it up on Friday. He and Chris had a big doubles win for us against a very good No. 1 doubles team at Lawrence.”

Next up for the Scots, a conference double-header hosting Grinnell and Illinois College Saturday.

“I’m excited to get started in the conference season,” said Braun. “I’m anxious to get our team back together after the injuries. I feel good about where we are and how we’re playing. Our doubles combinations are good and we’re ready to begin the conference portion of the schedule.”

The only question that remains is – Are the Scots’ opponents ready for THEM?

RIVALS (AND WE USE THE TERM LOOSELY) TO THE END

When senior tennis players Brittany Donnelly (Metamora, Ill./Metamora) and Cassie Frantz (Macomb, Ill./Macomb) entered Monmouth College four years ago, neither could have dreamed they would end their careers as the two winningest women’s players in Fighting Scots history.

It’s not often classmates put up the kind of numbers the former high school rivals did over their four-year collegiate careers. The duo amassed a staggering 85 singles victories between them and for the last three years of their careers were paired as doubles partners. Donnelly, who did not play doubles as a freshman, recorded 36 career doubles victories, second only to Frantz’s 50 wins.

On the singles circuit, just one win separates the two. Donnelly maintained her slim one-win edge on Frantz during the spring season to enter the record books as the title-holder for career singles wins. Her 43 victories is just one more than Frantz and 23 ahead of sophomore Kimi Wegner.

“Cassie and I never viewed the singles record as a competition,” said Donnelly. “It’s an honor to hold the record for the time being, but the way the team is growing and with the number of talented women we have, I’m sure that record will be broken in a few years.”

No other classmates in Scots’ history have won as many matches in singles or doubles as the Donnelly-Frantz duo. While Donnelly has the singles record and Frantz can lay claim to the doubles crown, when it comes to combined singles and doubles wins, Frantz holds the record with 84 combined wins, just five ahead of Donnelly.

Donnelly, a powerful baseline player, and Frantz, who possesses an overpowering serve, were a natural fit at doubles. Coach Kerry Frantz – Cassie’s father – knew a winning combination when he saw one as he took the reins of the program during the pair’s sophomore year.

“That was an easy decision,” claimed the elder Frantz. “They had always been seeded high at the conference championship for No. 1 doubles. It was a simple coaching decision due to their success and familiarity with each other’s game.”

Known as “doubles specialists” among the Midwest Conference coaches, neither played competitive tennis until their high school years. Donnelly credits her father with giving her the tennis bug.

“My dad really loves tennis and got me started the summer before my freshman year in high school,” reported Donnelly. “Everyone in my family plays, so there was always someone to play with.”

Frantz has a similar storyline, although it began much earlier than Donnelly’s.

“My parents frequently took our family to the park to play tennis,” said Frantz. “I don’t remember how old I was when I started, but I did have a tiny rainbow-colored racket.”

Both made quick adjustments to the college game. Some adjustments were made for competition’s sake, others for self-preservation.

“In high school, I usually ran up to the net to freak out my opponents,” said Frantz. “In college, I quickly learned that when I charged the net, I got a return shot right at my face.”

At 5-feet-10, Frantz could be an imposing figure at the net. Donnelly, described by her coach as someone who hits at three speeds: hard, harder and hardest, made for the perfect doubles combination. Chasing the singles record was a bonus for both.

“I tried to focus on one match at a time,” said Donnelly. “I was more focused on doubles wins because Cassie and I had so much success throughout the conference.”

Frantz agrees with her partner and credits the Monmouth community with the ability to stay focused.

“Many people on campus and in the community followed the tennis teams,” praised Frantz. “I could rely on those people to keep us updated on the win totals, so all we had to do was go out and play.”

After their collegiate careers ended with  victories over arch-rival Knox, Donnelly had claimed the singles record, Frantz had her stamp on the doubles total and owned a slight edge on the combined total. Maybe now they’ll want face each other as singles players for overall bragging rights.

“I think we’ll call it even,” said Frantz.

CONFERENCE HONORS – AKA DIAMOND GEMS

The Fighting Scots baseball and softball teams went a combined 4-0 in action last Saturday and three of their players received conference honors.

Seeing his first regular action on the mound has agreed with Robbie Hinkle (Galesburg, Ill./Galesburg) who has been named the Midwest Conference Pitcher of the Week.

Hinkle threw his second complete-game shutout in seven days with a 2-0 win over Illinois College to keep the Fighting Scots atop the South Division with a 4-0 record. The sophomore hurler fanned a career-high nine batters, walked one and scattered five hits with his second win – both shutouts – over the Blueboys in the span of a week. Hinkle didn’t allow a runner past second and allowed only two base runners over the last four innings.

The Fighting Scots’ No. 2 starter saw only 3.1 innings of action last season, but has pitched 31 innings this season while compiling a 3-0 record with a 3.19 ERA.

In softball, pitcher Sarah Christensen (Galesburg, Ill./Galesburg) picked up her second MWC Pitcher of the Week award this season. The senior was nearly untouchable in a pair of wins last week while posting a 2-0 record with a pair of five inning victories – a 10-2 win over Robert Morris-Springfield and a 12-0 league win over Knox College. Christensen rebounded from a shaky first inning against Robert Morris, allowing three hits in the inning as RMS scored both their runs. The only runners to reach after the first inning were by errors as Christensen faced just two batters over the minimum over the last four innings. Against Knox, Christensen nearly earned her first career no-hitter in a shutout over the Prairie Fire. A sun-field fly ball that dropped for a base hit in the first inning was the only hit the senior allowed in a one hit, one walk, 10 strikeout game. She faced just two batters over the minimum, allowing the hit and walk in the first inning. For the week, Christensen held opponents to a .111 batting average and had a 1.40 ERA with 16 Ks, one walk, four hits and two runs.

Freshman shortstop Morgan Seiler (Chillicothe, Ill./IVC) earned her first Position Performer of the Week honor. Seiler did her best to help the Fighting Scots to a 3-1 week, splitting a double-header with Robert Morris-Springfield, winning the opener 10-2 and dropping nightcap 5-2, then sweeping Knox 12-0 and 13-7. The freshman slugged a two-run homer in the second inning of Game 1 against Robert Morris to give the Scots a 5-2 lead. She then picked up a pair of singles in the nightcap to go 3-for-7 in the twinbill. Seiler owned the pitchers in the conference matchup against Knox as she went 4-for-6 with three doubles and four RBIs in the two games. Her first double in the opener scored the first run in the five-run first. She then hit back-to-back doubles in her first two at-bats in Game 2, driving in three runs. For the week, the slugging shortstop hit .538 with a 1.000 slugging percentage, driving in seven runs while going 7-for13 with five runs scored, no strikeouts and a .600 on-base percentage.

CONFERENCE HONORS – PART II

Sophomore Peyton Lumzy (Dixon, Ill./Dixon) picked up his first Midwest Conference Performer of the Week award after a stellar performance at last weekend’s Fighting Scot Invitational.

Lumzy was named the men’s Field Event Performer of the Week after picking up two firsts and a second in his three events last weekend. Competing in Monmouth’s only home meet of the year, Lumzy made it a memorable one, throwing a personal-best 49’11” to win the shot put with the Midwest Conference’s best mark. He logged the meet’s best mark in the discus, sailing the disc 141’1” for his second win on the day and placed second in the hammer throw with a career-best mark of 147’4”. His hammer distance is second in the league.

CONFERENCE HONORS – SIDE NOTE

Each week, sports information director Dan Nolan asks the coaches who they would like to nominate for the MWC Performer of the Week award.

It was a very good week. Four of the six nominations for this week’s awards were named winners. In baseball terms, that’s batting .667 – or as softball coach John Goddard said, “Hall of Fame numbers.” The Scoop can’t remember any week being that successful, although a few times all four track and field nominees were named award winners.

If the awards are any indication of the spring teams’ success, it looks like the Scots may need to build a trophy case…or room.

THE WEEK AHEAD

Thurs., Apr. 16
Softball – at Illinois College (2), 3:30 pm

 Fri., Apr. 17
Women’s Golf – at Millikin Spring Invitational, 9:00 am
Track – Women at Augustana Meet of Champions, 4:00 pm 

Sat., Apr. 18
Women’s Golf – at Millikin Spring Invitational, TBA
Track – Men at Augustana Meet of Champions, Noon
Men’s Tennis – hosts Grinnell & Illinois College, 10:00 am & 1:00 pm
Baseball – hosts Knox (2), Noon
Softball – at MWC Classic – vs. Lawrence (1), 9:00 am
Softball – at MWC Classic – vs. Carroll (1), 11:00 am
Softball – at MWC Classic – vs. Ripon (1), 1:00 pm 

Sun., Apr. 19
Softball – at MWC Classic – vs. St. Norbert (1), Noon
Softball – at MWC Classic – vs. Beloit (1), 2:00 pm
Baseball – at University of Chicago (2), 1:00 pm 

Mon., Apr. 20
Men’s Golf – at WIU Invitational, 8:00 am 

Tues., Apr. 21
Men’s Golf – at WIU Invitational, 8:00 am 

Wed., Apr. 22
Softball – hosts Augustana (2), 3:00 pm

 SCOTSIVATIONAL

“Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.” - John Wooden