SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – The Slippery Rock University softball team will compete in 12 games over a seven-day span as part of The Spring Games in Winter Haven, Florida March 9-15.
 
Taking a 2-5 overall record into the action, The Rock will begin their Sunshine State venture 9 a.m. Saturday in a matchup with Notre Dame College (Ohio).
 
TICKETS
Tickets can be purchased online and in advance from The Spring Games HERE. A cash-only, single-day ticketing option will also be available at the gate.
 
More information regarding The Spring Games can be found on their website HERE.
 
PAY-PER-VIEW LIVE VIDEO
The Spring Games has partnered with FloSoftball for a subscription-based livestream option HERE. 
 
Fans will also have free access to live stats for the following two games courtesy of AIC and Purdue Northwest's Athletic Communication departments:

March 14 (3:15 p.m.) vs. American International College

March 15 (9:15 a.m.) vs. Purdue University Northwest
 
GAMES 8 THROUGH 19
Date: Saturday March 9 – Friday, March 15
Location: Winter Haven, Florida
Venue: DiamondPlex
Live Video: FloSoftball (*Fees Apply*)
Updates: X, formerly Twitter, (@Rock_Athletics)
 

SERIES HISTORY
	NOTRE DAME	CALDWELL	ST. MICHAEL'S
All-time Record	2-1	1-3	3-1
Streak	L1	W1	W3
Last Meeting	March 9, 2019 L, 2-0	March 11, 2019 W, 2-1	March 14, 2023 W, 2-1
	BENTLEY	STAC	NORTHERN STATE
All-time Record	3-4	2-1	N/A
Streak	L3	W1
Last Meeting	March 17, 2023 L, 13-1	March 12, 2023 W, 3-0
	LEWIS	BLOOMFIELD	NEW HAVEN
All-time Record	0-1	1-1	1-6
Streak	L1	L1	L6
Last Meeting	March 28, 1992 L, 8-0	March 12, 2023 L, 5-3	March 17, 2022 L, 5-1
	AIC	PURDUE NW	HILLSDALE
All-time Record	3-2	N/A	1-5
Streak	W2		W1
Last Meeting	March 13, 2023 W, 5-3		March 17, 2017 W, 8-1

 
Slippery Rock will be playing Northern State University and Purdue Northwest for the first time in program history. SRU's meeting with Lewis University will mark the first time the two programs have met since 1992. The remaining opponents have all played Slippery Rock at least once since 2017.
 
ON THE DOCKET
9 a.m. Saturday, March 9 – Notre Dame (Ohio) (Roster / Stats / Field A)
11:30 a.m. Saturday, March 9 – Caldwell University (Roster / Stats / Field B)
10 a.m. Sunday, March 10 – Saint Michael's College (Roster / Stats / Field B)
12:30 p.m. Sunday, March 10 – Bentley University (Roster / Stats / Field C)
10:15 a.m. Monday, March 11 – St. Thomas Aquinas College (Roster / Stats / Field D)
12:15 p.m. Monday, March 11 – Northern State (Roster / Stats / Field A)
9 a.m. Wednesday, March 13 – Lewis (Roster / Stats / Field A)
11:30 a.m. Wednesday, March 13 – Bloomfield College (Roster / Stats / Field C)
10 a.m. Thursday, March 14 – University of New Haven (Roster / Stats / Field B)
3:15 p.m. Thursday, March 14 – AIC (Roster / Stats / Field C / LIVE STATS)
9:15 a.m. Friday, March 15 – Purdue NW (Roster / Stats / Field D / LIVE STATS)
11:30 a.m. Friday, March 15 – Hillsdale College (Roster / Stats / Field D)
 
THE ROCK BY THE NUMBERS
Overall Record: 2-5
Home Record: 0-0
Away Record: 1-3
Neutral Record: 1-2
Streak: L2
Last Five Games: 1-4
Head Coach: Stacey Rice | 10^th season at SRU (159-206-1)

LAST TIME OUT
Slippery Rock split a doubleheader with Shippensburg University before dropping a pair of games to Shepherd University March 3-4 in PSAC crossover play on the road.
 
After Shippensburg claimed the first game of the afternoon with a walk-off error, 3-2, The Rock overcame a 6-4 deficit in game two to force extra innings, earning the 9-6 win with three runs in the ninth inning.
 
Julia Nutter only recorded one hit on the day, but it ended up being the game-winning RBI-single in game two. Julia Montie led offensively by going 3-for-6 at the plate with a home run and three RBI.
 
The next day, Shepherd was able to come from behind in both contests to secure narrow 4-3 and 6-4 wins over The Rock. Emma Kennedy combined for a team-high 3-for-4 effort in the batter's box with two RBI and a double.
 
LEADING THE ROCK
Montie enters The Spring Games as The Rock's leading batter, averaging .450 at the plate with three home runs and two doubles on the year. Aubrey Mansfield, who has the only other home run on the season, joins Montie in having driven in a team-high five RBI this season.
 
Arielle Brown has jumped in on the success from the batter's box, converting 8-of-22 (.364) from the plate. She has four RBI and one double this year.
 
From the circle, Mackenzie Borkovich (1-2) has garnered a 0.43 ERA after making four relief appearances in both games against Shippensburg and Shepherd. She has pitched a team-leading 16.1 innings through the first seven games of the season.
 
TWO WEEKLY AWARDS IN TWO WEEKS
Slippery Rock has now had a pitcher named PSAC West Pitcher of the Week in each of the two weeks that SRU has played softball this year. After Alexsa Hurd's initial honor as PSAC West Pitcher of the Week, Borkovich earned the award for the first time in her career March 5.
 
Borkovich being named the PSAC West Pitcher of the Week marks the first time that SRU has won the award in two straight weeks since Kelsi Anderson earned the accolade for a second consecutive week March 14, 2022.
 
Through the Shippensburg and Shepherd doubleheaders, Borkovich went 1-2 after combining for six strikeouts over 11.2 innings with an ERA of 0.00. The sophomore from Fox Chapel, Pennsylvania threw for at least 1.2 innings in each game, highlighted by her game two performance against Shippensburg.
 
Borkovich fanned two batters in 4.1 innings, allowing just two hits from the Raiders and keeping Shippensburg's bats cold through extra innings, setting up the opportunity for The Rock to claim a 9-6 victory in the ninth.  
 
LEADING OFF...
Slippery Rock has scored first-inning runs in the last five straight games. More specifically, The Rock have scored at least two runs in the top of the first of the last four games. SRU tallied all four of its runs in game two against Shepherd in the first inning.
 
...MONTIE GOES YARD
After freshman and sophomore campaigns that each saw three home runs, Montie has already matched that output with three homers in the first seven games of the season.
 
Montie, a junior from Johnstown, Ohio, began the season with two home runs in her first two at-bats against Fairmont State University. That marked just the seventh time in 10 years that an SRU player has recorded two home runs in the same game.
 
Her 1.000 slugging percentage ranks second in the conference and 10^th throughout all of Division II. Likewise, at 0.43 home runs per game, Montie ranks third in the conference and 13^th nationally.
 
TURNING TWO
As a team, Slippery Rock's fielders have put together three double plays in just their first seven games of the year. At 0.43 double plays per game, The Rock rank second in the PSAC just behind Millersville University's 0.45. Nationally, turning two an average of 0.43 times per game is good enough to rank 32^nd in Division II.
 
Slippery Rock turned a double play in each of the two Shippensburg matchups as well as in the 4-3 game one loss to Shepherd.
 
BROWN ON BASE
An ongoing streak, Brown has reached a base in 20 straight games for Slippery Rock. She is the second SRU player since 2008 to reach base in 20 consecutive games.
 
Emily Nagle got on the bag in 29 straight games in the 2018 season, leading the record book in that category.
 
WINNING AFTER SEVEN
Slippery Rock's 9-6 victory in the ninth inning over Shippensburg was SRU's sixth win in the team's last nine trips to extra innings. Last year, Slippery Rock went 2-1 when playing past seven innings, defeating D'Youville University, 4-3 in eight innings, and Clarion, 6-5 in 11 innings.
 
Coincidentally, SRU's lone loss in extra innings a year ago was in an 8-7 defeat to Shippensburg in the PSAC Tournament.
 
PLAYING IN THE SUNSHINE STATE
In The Rock's last five trips to Florida, Slippery Rock has accrued a 26-30 (.464) record. Slippery Rock will look to duplicate the success it had last year, when it went 8-4 at The Spring Games. That performance marked the team's first winning record in Florida since a 6-5 showing in the 2012 season.
 
THE BULLPEN REPORT
On top of Borkovich's (1-2, 0.43 ERA) 13 strikeouts thrown, Anderson (0-2, 4.42 ERA) and Hurd (1-0, 4.47 ERA) have added 15 and 16 strikeouts, respectively. Paige Gresgott (0-1, 7.87 ERA), who has appeared in 2.2 innings, has also struck out two batters on the season. At 6.8 strikeouts per seven innings, Slippery Rock ranks fifth as a team in the PSAC and 33^rd in Division II.
 
SRU's pitchers have also combined for a 3.25 ERA, which ranks sixth in the conference. The Rock have limited their opponents to a .264 batting average on the year, fifth in the PSAC.
 
RECORD WATCH
With 29 career wins, Anderson is one win away from tying Shauna Walker's 30 wins from 2008-11, ranking second all-time in program history. Anderson needs four wins to tie Brooke Dawson's all-time record of 33 set over her career from 2015-18.
 
Additionally, Anderson needs five shutouts this season to tie Dawson for first all-time with 12.
 
At the plate, Hurd's 17 home runs rank her eighth all-time in Slippery Rock history. She could break into the top five with four more homers, tying Meghan McHenry's 21 in 2006-08.
 
Brown has started 98 straight games for SRU, ranking 10^th all-time at Slippery Rock. Taylor Welch sits just three games ahead of Brown, having started 101 consecutive contests. Brown could move to eighth all-time with 12 more straight starts, matching Megan Brown's 110.
 
SCOUTING BRIEFS (School – Location – Conference)
NOTRE DAME COLLEGE – South Euclid, Ohio – Mountain East Conference
The Falcons will be competing in their last day of The Spring Games when Slippery Rock opens its time in Florida against them. Notre Dame kicked off the year with a 4-2 record, going to Florida on a four-game winning streak. The Falcons went 31-27 last year, including a 2-3 mark against PSAC West schools.
 
CALDWELL – Caldwell, N.J. – Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference
The Cougars, who were selected fifth out of 12 in the CACC preseason poll, will be opening up their season Saturday against Slippery Rock. Caldwell is coming off a 2023 season that saw a 19-5 run through the CACC and a brief appearance in the NCAA East Regional Tournament via an at-large bid.
 
SAINT MICHAEL'S – Colchester, Vt. – Northeast-10 Conference
The Purple Knights will also be playing their first games of the season in Florida, also seeing Indiana University (Pa.) and Pitt-Johnstown on their schedule. Saint Michael's went 0-3 against PSAC schools last year at The Spring Games, including a 2-1 loss to The Rock.  
 
BENTLEY – Waltham, Mass. – NE-10
The Falcons began their 2024 season with a 1-5 record playing in the Panther Invitational in Longwood, Florida. Bentley will play a 10-game slate in The Spring Games, seeing Slippery Rock in its first day of action. The Falcons' 30-16-1 run from a year ago ended in the NCAA East Regional Championship game in a 4-3 loss to Adelphi University.
 
ST. THOMAS AQUINAS – Sparkill, N.Y. – East Coast Conference
The Spartans head to The Spring Games with a 2-6 record, most recently getting swept by PSAC opponents East Stroudsburg University. It will be STAC's second trip south after the team began play at the Valkyrie Classic at Converse University in South Carolina. The Spartans went 32-18 last year, winning their first ECC title in program history.  
 
NORTHERN STATE – Aberdeen, S.D. – Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference
The team making the furthest trip of anyone SRU will see in Florida are the Wolves of Northern State, who are hot off an outstanding 8-2 start to the year. Northern State will see SRU in its first day in Florida, beginning play March 11.
 
LEWIS – Romeoville, Ill. – Great Lakes Valley Conference
The Flyers are heading to The Spring Games with a 6-3 record, set to take on four PSAC opponents while they are there. Lewis earned its league-best 11^th GLVC Championship a year ago by defeating the University of Indianapolis, 5-2. Coincidentally, it was a 2-1 loss to Indy that ended the Flyers' season in the NCAA Midwest Regional Tournament.
 
BLOOMFIELD – Bloomfield, N.J. – CACC
The only two games that the Bears will have played before heading to Florida came via a pair of losses to PSAC foes Millersville, 6-1 and 12-4. Slippery Rock will be the final team that Bloomfield faces at The Spring Games in a 10-game schedule. The Bears defeated The Rock a year ago in Leesburg, Florida, 5-3.
 
NEW HAVEN – West Haven, Conn. – NE-10
A 10-game slate is how the Chargers will begin their 2024 season after posting a 17-30 overall record a season ago. While at The Spring Games last year, New Haven went 0-2 to PSAC schools, falling to both Shepherd and IUP.
 
AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL – Springfield, Mass. – NE-10
Slippery Rock is scheduled to be the sixth of eight teams that the Yellow Jackets open their season with at The Spring Games. AIC fell to The Rock in Florida last year by a score of 5-3. The Yellow Jackets went 7-39 overall a year ago with a 3-21 mark in the NE-10.
 
PURDUE NORTHWEST – Hammond, Ind. – Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
The Pride have been quite busy to begin their 2024 campaign, already accounting for an 8-8 record before heading to Florida. Purdue Northwest, which has never played Slippery Rock, went 33-22 last year in a season that ended on day two of the GLIAC Tournament.
 
HILLSDALE – Hillsdale, Mich. – Great Midwest Athletic Conference
Similarly, the Chargers will have had 18 games under their belt by the time they begin play in The Spring Games. Hillsdale's 2023 season resulted in the team's third GMAC Championship and an appearance in the NCAA Midwest Regional Tournament.
 
LOOKING AHEAD
With its non-conference schedule being wrapped up in Florida, The Rock will head home to open up PSAC West competition with a doubleheader against IUP 2 p.m. March 19 at Kasnevich Field.




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