Complete PDF Notes
Upcoming in Gray Wolves Softball: After 10 days off, Lourdes returns to the diamond on Wednesday to begin a stretch of four doubleheaders over eight days.  The Gray Wolves begin Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference play on Wednesday hosting Michigan-Dearborn before traveling to Madonna on Saturday.  Lourdes hosts Findlay in non-conference action Monday afternoon.

Head Coach Jo Ann Gordon: In her sixth season on the Lourdes bench, Jo Ann Gordon has a 74-136 (.352) record at the helm of the Gray Wolves.  In her 16th season overall as a head softball coach, Gordon has a 226-424 (.348) career mark.  She is the only head coach in Lourdes program's history.

Series Notes: Michigan-Dearborn leads the all-time series against Lourdes 6-5 dating back to April 3, 2013.  Last season the Wolverines swept a doubleheader from the Gray Wolves, both by 9-1 scores, in Ann Arbor, Mich.  Lourdes is 2-1 against Michigan-Dearborn at Pacesetter Park.  Madonna is 11-1 all-time against the Gray Wolves in a series that began April 14, 2013.  The Crusaders swept a twinbill at Pacesetter Park last season 8-0 and 1-0 in 10 innings.  Madonna holds a 4-0 series edge in Livonia, Mich.  Findlay is 6-0 all-time against the Gray Wolves in a series that began April 8, 2014.  Last year the Oilers were 9-3 and 12-5 victors in Findlay, Ohio.  Findlay won the only two previous games played at Pacesetter Park back in 2016.

Wrapping Up Last Week (or Two Weeks Ago): Lourdes opened the home schedule on March 18, dropping a doubleheader to 18th-ranked Saint Francis (Ill.) 11-3 and 12-3.  In the opener, the Saints scored five times in the second and limited Lourdes to just two hits.  Saint Francis scored six in the first and three more in the second of game two.  Olivia Stanton went 2-for-3 with three runs batted in in the finale.

Scouting Michigan-Dearborn: The Wolverines have been idle since March 16 when they split a doubleheader at Cumberlands, losing 10-1 and winning 5-2.  Michigan-Dearborn has won six of its last seven games.  Kaylie McConnell is batting .500 for the Wolverines while Rachel Clem is hitting .378 with two home runs and 13 runs batted in.  As a team, Michigan-Dearborn is hitting .335.  The pitching staff sports a 3.36 earned run average with opponents batting .252 against them.  Gina Verduzco is 5-1 in the circle with a 0.25 ERA in 27.2 innings of work.

Scouting Madonna: The Crusaders enter the week having been idle since March 9, when they had their five-game winning streak snapped by Northwestern (Iowa) 4-2.  Madonna travels to Northwestern Ohio on Wednesday and hosts Cleary on Thursday before facing Lourdes.  Kattie Popko is hitting .476 with 10 runs batted in for a team hitting .310 overall.  The pitching staff sports a 2.98 earned run average with opponents hitting .269.  Ciera Jones lead the way with a 5-2 record and a 1.43 ERA.

Scouting Findlay: The Oilers enter the week having won four straight after sweeping Lake Erie on Sunday 11-2 and 3-2.  They host Ohio Valley on Saturday before traveling to Lourdes.  Destinie Keeton leads Findlay batting .333 with two home runs and 12 RBI for a squad hitting .257.  The pitching staff sports a 2.94 earned run average and opponents are hitting .264 against them.  Bryan Hailey is 7-4 with a 2.09 ERA for the Oilers.

Lourdes In WHAC Openers: Lourdes is 1-4 all-time in its Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference openers.  The Gray Wolves defeated Michigan-Dearborn 13-6 in their inaugural WHAC contest in 2013, but have dropped four straight conference openers since.  Last year Lourdes suffered a 5-4, eight inning, defeat at home against Lawrence Tech to begin league play.

Stanton Produces in Return North: In the Gray Wolves' first doubleheader since returning to Florida, Olivia Stanton registered three of Lourdes' 12 total hits against Saint Francis (Ill.).  She had one of the two safeties in the opener and followed with a pair of hits, including a double, in game two of the twinbill.  Stanton also drove in all three runs in the night cap.  She now leads Lourdes in batting with a .436 average and is second with 13 runs batted in.

Ziegler Connects: Alyssa Ziegler had two hits in game two against Saint Francis (Ill.), increasing her season average to .325.  Ziegler has the top average among all of the Gray Wolf newcomers this season.

Turning Two: Lourdes has already turned six double plays this season through the first 14 games of the year.  The twin-killings have been the bright spot for a Gray Wolf defense that is fielding just .913, having committed 39 errors in the 14 contests.

Doing a Little of Everything: Marissa Kostick is second on the team with a .400 batting average this season while leading the offense with six home runs and 16 runs batted in.  Her 15 runs scored and 20 his are also tops on the squad.  Kostick has also led the way in the circle, posting a 3.28 earned run average while earning a 3-1 record pitching.  She has struck out a team-high 25 batters in 32.0 innings of work.

This and That: Olivia Stanton enters the week with the longest active hitting streak on the team at four games ... Lindsay George, Taylor Genzman, and Shylee Schmeltz are the only Gray Wolves to start all 14 contests ... head coach Jo Ann Gordon enters the week having coached exactly 650 games in her career.