Live Stats Thur. (vs. Mercyhurst)  I  Live Stats Fri. (vs. Seton Hill)  I  Live Stats Sat. (vs. Clarion)  I  SRU Roster  I  SRU Stats  I  Mercyhurst Stats  I  Seton Hill Stats  I  Clarion Stats

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – The Slippery Rock University softball team will be on the road for three straight Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division doubleheaders in the next three days.
 
The Rock kicks off the road trip at 2:30 p.m. Thursday in Erie, Pa. against Mercyhurst, before taking on Seton Hill at 2:30 p.m. Friday in Greensburg, Pa. SRU concludes the trip with a 1 p.m. showdown with Clarion Saturday in Clarion, Pa.

Live Coverage: Live statistics will be available at the links above. Live updates will also be provided via the official SRU Athletics Twitter page (@Rock_Athletics). 
 
Records: Slippery Rock brings a 12-15 overall record and 8-6 mark in PSAC-West play into Thursday's doubleheader. The Rock swept a twin bill over Mercyhurst Saturday before splitting with Gannon Sunday.
 
Mercyhurst entered Wednesday's doubleheader against California (Pa.) at 11-17 overall and 5-7 in conference games. The Lakers dropped a pair at Slippery Rock Saturday in its most recent action.
 
Seton Hill enters Friday's contests at 16-12 overall and 6-10 in conference play. The Griffins have managed just five runs in their last four games, losing consecutive doubleheaders to Gannon Saturday and Cal U Sunday.  
 
Clarion enters Thursday's doubleheader against Edinboro at 1-18 overall and 0-12 in PSAC-West action. Prior to Saturday, the Golden Eagles also face Indiana (Pa.) Friday. Clarion has dropped 16 straight decisions after starting the season 1-2.
 
PSAC-West Standings: Entering Wednesday, Slippery Rock sat in sole possession of fourth place in the division, followed by Seton Hill in fifth. Mercyhurst was in seventh and Clarion landed in the eighth and final spot. Full PSAC-West standings can be seen here.
 
Scouting The Rock: Slippery Rock is batting .253 as a team, while opponents are hitting at a .276 clip this spring. The Rock holds a team ERA of 3.49, while opponents have an ERA of 1.93 against SRU. The offensive attack is spearheaded by sophomore infielder Ashley Samluk and freshman catcher McKenzie Popatak. Samluk leads the team with a .346 batting average, 15 runs scored and 28 hits. She adds 14 RBIs and is tied for third in the PSAC with six home runs. Popatak is hitting .343 in her rookie season with nine runs, 24 hits, three home runs and a team-best 17 RBIs. Freshman outfielder Eliza Sykes is hitting .309 with seven runs and four stolen bases, while junior outfielder Alaynna Beers is batting .303 with eight runs, 23 hits, two home runs and seven RBIs. Sophomore shortstop Katie Kaiser is hitting .262 with eight runs and four doubles to round out the top offensive performers for SRU. Senior pitcher Emily Lobdell anchors The Rock pitching staff with a 7-5 record, 2.50 ERA, eight complete games, two shutouts and 53 strikeouts. Freshman pitcher Carly DeRose owns a 5-7 record with a 4.38 ERA, six complete games and 42 strikeouts to cap the top pitchers for Slippery Rock.
 
Scouting the Lakers: Mercyhurst was hitting .268 as a team, while opponents were batting .321 heading into Wednesday's games against Cal U. The Lakers took a 5.45 team ERA into Wednesday, while opponents owned a 3.05 against Mercyhurst this spring. The offensive attack is led by senior first baseman Courtney Smith, who was batting .362 with 25 hits, eight runs, a pair of home runs and 21 RBIs. Junior third baseman Becky Malaga was batting .341 with 29 hits, eight runs and 10 RBIs. Senior shortstop Megan Smith was batting .326 with 28 hits, 20 runs, four home runs and 15 RBIs. Allison Yule was hitting .368 in 10 starts and sophomore catcher Taylor Jezuit was hitting .286 to round out the top offensive players for Mercyhurst. Juniors Alexandra Puckly and Annie Truelove anchor the Lakers' pitching staff. Puckly was 6-5 with a 3.57 ERA, while Truelove was 5-10 with a 5.75 ERA entering Wednesday.
 
Scouting the Griffins: Seton Hill is batting .330 as a team, while opponents are connecting at a .279 clip this spring. The Griffins hold a 3.49 team ERA, while opponents own a 4.38 ERA against Seton Hill. The high-powered offense is led by Lauren Sauerwein, Christine Henderson and Carlee Wickstrom. Saurewein is hitting .404 with 26 runs, 38 hits, four home runs and 15 RBIs. Henderson is batting .391 with 16 runs, 26 hits, three home runs and 21 RBIs. Wickstrom owns a .382 batting average and has 20 runs, 24 hits, seven home runs and 26 RBIs. Dani Treaster is hitting .376 with 22 runs and Kaitlyn Kutchman is hitting .333 with 17 RBIs to round out the top offensive performers for Seton Hill. Henderson anchors the pitching staff with an 8-5 record and 3.19 ERA in 17 appearances. Amanda Huff is 4-5 with a 3.16 ERA and Hope Pehrson is 4-1 with a 3.50 ERA to cap the top pitchers for the Griffins.
 
Scouting the Golden Eagles: Clarion entered Thursday's games hitting .205 as a team, while opponents were clicking at a .345 mark against the Golden Eagles. The pitching staff owned a 5.42 team ERA, while opponents took a 1.65 ERA against Clarion into Thursday. The offense was led by Christina Tressler with a 3.70 batting average, 20 hits and eight RBIs. Kirsten Wilcox was hitting .261 with 12 hits, 10 runs, a pair of home runs and five RBIs. Megan Anderson was hitting .225 with four RBIs and Lydia Middaugh was hitting .286 in five starts to round out the top offensive performers for Clarion. Shawnna Crago anchors the Golden Eagles' pitching staff with a 1-6 record and 3.44 ERA in eight appearances. Lyndsey Jones was 0-4 with a 5.31 ERA and Paige Baker was 0-6 with a 6.93 ERA entering Thursday to cap the top pitchers for Clarion.
 
 
Head Coaches: Becky Sciacca is in her third season as head coach at Slippery Rock. Prior to becoming the head coach, Sciacca spent five seasons (2007-2011) as an assistant coach for The Rock. In her first two seasons at the helm, she guided Slippery Rock to a 32-37 overall record.
 
Leanne Baker will be beginning her first season as the head coach of the Mercyhurst University softball program. Baker is a two-time graduate of Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) foe Edinboro University. She was an All-PSAC West Second Team choice in 2006 and helped the Fighting Scots advance to the NCAA Tournament in 2007.
 
Jen Mineau returns to the Griffin coaching staff for her second season in 2014 as interim head coach.  Mineau brings a strong pitching background to the staff as she spent the summers of 2012 and 2013 playing professionally for the Akron Racers of the National Pro Fastpitch League.  Prior to playing professionally, Jen played for four seasons at Fordham.
 
Shintrika Hudson, a former starter for the Clarion University softball team, is in her third year as the head coach of the Golden Eagles. Clarion is 14-51 in Hudson's two seasons. 
 
All-Time Series: The Rock is 22-28 in the all-time series against the Lakers. Slippery Rock swept Mercyhurst on a walk-off win in extra innings earlier this season.
 
The Rock is 6-1 all-time against Seton Hill after splitting a pair of decisions earlier this spring.
 
The Rock is 53-35 in the all-time series against Clarion. Slippery Rock recorded a pair of victories over the Golden Eagles earlier this season.
 
Up Next: Slippery Rock returns home for non-conference action Monday against Salem International University. First pitch of the doubleheader from the SRU Softball Complex is slated for 3 p.m.