Complete PDF Notes
Upcoming in Gray Wolves Softball: Lourdes opens the home portion of its 2017 schedule this week as well as the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference slate.  The Gray Wolves begin a six-game homestand on Wednesday afternoon, entertaining Lawrence Tech before hosting Cornerstone in a twinbill on Friday evening.

Head Coach Jo Ann Gordon: In her fifth season on the Lourdes bench, Jo Ann Gordon has a 58-110 (.345) record at the helm of the Gray Wolves.  In her 15th season overall as a head softball coach, Gordon has a 210-398 (.345) career mark.  She is the only head coach in Lourdes program's history.

Series Notes: Lourdes and Lawrence Tech are meeting on the softball diamond for the first time ever on Wednesday.  Cornerstone leads the all-time series against Lourdes 6-4 dating back to March 4, 2013.  The Gray Wolves have won four of the last five games though, including two of three last season.  Lourdes won the opener of a doubleheader 5-4 at Pacesetter Park before falling in game two 8-1.  The two teams met again in the WHAC tournament with the Gray Wolves scoring a 2-1 victory.

Wrapping Up Last Week: Lourdes dropped both ends of a doubleheader against Findlay last Tuesday.  The Oilers won the opener 9-3, scoring seven straight runs from the third through the fifth innings.  Findlay won game two 12-5, aided by a five-run first and a six-run sixth.
 
Scouting Lawrence Tech: The Blue Devils have won two straight games and three of their last four overall after defeating Cleary 9-1 on Friday afternoon.  Meredith Adams leads Lawrence Tech batting .486 while Brooke Dillon is hitting .387 with three home runs and 13 runs batted in.  As a team Lawrence Tech is hitting .331 while the pitching staff sports a 3.92 earned run average with opponents batting .280 against them.

Scouting Cornerstone: The Golden Eagles snapped a nine-game losing streak on March 21, winning both ends of a doubleheader 5-3 and 6-2 at Purdue-Northwest.  Rachel Younts leads Cornerstone hitting .311 with nine runs batted in.  As a team the Golden Eagles are hitting just .198.  The Cornerstone pitching staff sports a 6.46 earned run average with the opposition hitting .370 against them.

Schedule Update: Lourdes' scheduled game at Huntington last Friday was cancelled and will not be made up.  Wednesday's doubleheader against Lawrence Tech was originally slated to be played in Novi, Mich., but will now be played at Pacesetter Park.

Looking for a Home Opening Win: Lourdes is 1-3 all-time in its home opener dating back to 2013.  The Gray Wolves defeated Northwestern Ohio on April 5, 2014 for the lone win.  Lourdes fell to Davenport (2013), and Siena Heights (2015) prior to last year's 9-1 setback to Huntington.  Lourdes sports a 21-33 record all-time at Pacesetter Park.

WHAC Openers: Lourdes is 1-3 all-time in its first Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference game of the season.  The Gray Wolves have not won a conference opener since 2013 when they defeated Michigan-Dearborn 13-6 to open the campaign.  Last year Lourdes suffered a 12-4 setback to Michigan-Dearborn to begin league play.

Churchfield Heating Up: Paige Churchfield hit her second home run of the season, and her career, last Tuesday in game two at Findlay.  The sophomore is now six for her last 10 at the plate over the past three games, and has seen her average rise nearly 200 points from .154 to .348, a mark that is second highest on the team.

Stanton Driving Home Runs: Olivia Stanton drove home a total of three runs over both games of the doubleheader at Findlay, and now leads Lourdes with 10 RBI on the year.  Stanton has an RBI in four straight games and five of her last six contests overall.

Crossing the Plate: Taylor Genzman leads the Gray Wolves with 15 runs scored this season, accounting for more than a quarter of the team's total of 57 runs.  The sophomore infielder has crossed the plate in six straight games, and scored a season-high three times against Hannibal-LaGrange on March 11.

Doing the Little Things: Meghan Birr leads Lourdes with four stolen bases in four attempts this season.  Kayla Encalado has laid down a team-high five sacrifice bunts while Taylor Genzman and Kelsey Beck have each drawn seven walks.  Olivia Stanton has been hit by four pitches.

Allowing Runs Early: Lourdes has surrendered 48 of its 108 runs in the first two innings this season.  The Gray Wolves have allowed 20 first inning runs and 28 more in the second while scoring just a total of 17 in the two frames total.

This and That: Hitters leading off innings are reaching base 44% (40-of-90) the time for the Gray Wolves ... the Gray Wolves have struck out looking just 14 times in 14 games ... Lourdes is 0-9 when trailing after four innings but 4-1 when leading or tied at the same point ... Kayla Encalado and Taylor Tafelski both have hit safely in three straight games.