TUCSON, Ariz. (March 3, 2022) – The Loyola University Chicago softball team is back in action as they travel to sunny Tucson, Arizona, to play in the Wildcat Invitational. During this tournament, the Ramblers will take on the No. 9 Arizona Wildcats, RV Iowa State Cyclones, the Boise State Broncos, the North Dakota Fighting Hawks and the Texas State Bobcats.
Heading into this contest, the Ramblers are 4-5, grabbing multiple wins against Bucknell and Mercer.
WITHSTANDING THE WILDCATS
Arizona is one of the top 10 teams in the country with a 10-4 record. The Wildcats have only lost games to No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 2 Alabama, RV Cal-State Fullerton and Loyola Marymount.
The team ranks in the top 15 in two different statistical categories including home runs per game and slugging percentage. They average 1.43 home runs per game while maintaining a .574.
Individually, they have multiple players ranked in the top 20. The highest ranked player is Sharlize Palacios, who is sixth in the nation in RBI's with 21. Her teammate Carlie Scupin is 18th in slugging percentage (1.026) and 19th in home runs with six.
The pitching staff is outstanding as they have a team ERA of 2.26. Together, they have a combined 65 strikeouts.
The team does better in the field than their opponents as they have a .958 fielding percentage.
BATTLING THE BRONCOS
Boise State is on a hot start with a 13-2 record, only dropping games to Omaha and Idaho State. The team has a new head coach in Justin Schults, who comes to Boise from the University of Oregon.
The Broncos have many key contributors ranked in the top 10 including Hannah Bailey, who is third in the nation in shutouts with 3, Jordyn Hutchins who is 10th in the NCAA for RBI's with 20, and Alycia Flores who is fourth in hits (25) and eighth in doubles (7).
Looking at their stats, Flores is their top athlete on offense with a .472 batting average while having the most at-bats on the team.
The Broncos are almost perfect in the field with a .983.
CHALLENGING THE CYCLONES
Iowa State continues to receive votes in the UNFCA Division I Coaches Poll after going 10-4 to start the season. They only have losses to MVC foe Drake, No. 5 UCLA, Loyola Marymount and No. 7 Washington.
Senior Mikayla Ramos is the biggest key for this offense. The catcher is second in the nation in home runs (8), RBI's (24) and total bases (48) while sitting in fourth for RBI's per game (1.71), sixth for home runs per game (.57), and eighth in slugging percentage (1.091).
The Cyclones also have a strong group of pitchers. The team has an overall 2.67 ERA with junior Karlie Charles owning the lowest of staff with a 1.94.
In the field, Iowa State is not perfect, but they are good. Their team current has a .968 fielding percentage.
HANDLING THE FIGHTING HAWKS
North Dakota comes into this tournament with the lowest winning percentage at .400 with a 6-9 record. They are led by head coach Jordan Stevens, who is in his 13th season with North Dakota.
As a team, the Fighting Hawks rank 24th in the NCAA for doubles per game as they have an average of .53.
On the mound, Jannay Jones is a key contributor. She came in and secured one save so far, which puts her in 33rd in the NCAA for this category. Out of the whole pitching staff, she has the lowest ERA with a 1.78, grabbing 23 strikeouts along the way.
The biggest offensive weapon is junior Madi Moore. She has the highest batting average on the team with a .381, grabbing 16 hits and four RBI's.
Compared to their opponents, North Dakota has a better fielding percentage. They have a .968 whereas their opponents had a .946. Madison Pederson has a perfect percentage on 136 putouts.
CLASHING WITH THE BOBCATS
Texas State has had a decent start to their season as they currently sit at 6-5. They grabbed wins against New Mexico State, Houston, McNeese and No. 23 Arizona State.
One of their players is ranked highly in runs per game, and that is sophomore Piper Randolph. The outfielder has 1.09 per game which is good enough to be 58th in the nation.
Serving as their biggest offensive threat is junior Sarah Vanderford. The infielder has a .333 batting average. Along with that, she has two home runs and 11 RBI's on the season.
The Bobcats have a well-rounded pitching staff, but their most efficient pitcher is sophomore Jessica Mullins. She has the lowest ERA with a 1.95 while pitching the most innings with 28.2. She has more strikeouts than the other four pitchers combined, giving her 35 on the year. She has faced 135 batters.
WHEREABOUTS
The games for this tournament will take place at Hildebrand Stadium on the University of Arizona's campus. Games will take place on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Live streams will be available for all games through FloSoftball for a fee. When the Ramblers play the Wildcats, the game will be available for free from the Pac-12 Network.
