Softball | 3/24/2022 10:43:00 AM

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Golden Eagles are looking forward to opening conference play with road contests at Lawrence Tech and Cleary this weekend. CU will play a double-header at Lawrence Tech on Friday starting at 2 p.m. and will follow that with a double-header at Cleary on Saturday starting at 1 p.m. Stay tuned to cugoldeneagles.com and @cuathletics for further updates on the Golden Eagle schedule and upcoming contests. 
 
Lawrence Tech (DH)
Friday, March 25 
2 p.m.
Detroit, Mich. (Wayne State Softball Field)
Live Video
Live Stats
 
Cleary (DH)
Saturday, March 26
4 p.m. 
Howell, Mich. (Lake Trust Stadium) 
Live Video
Live Stats
 
Adding a Tie to the Resume
Cornerstone has suffered quite a unique schedule to begin the year, with multiple rescheduled games. Last time out, CU traveled to the number 19 team in the country in Olivet Nazarene where they played two games and fell 9-5 in game one and then tied 4-4 due to no field lights in game two. The game went to eight innings, but the darkness shut it down putting the Golden Eagles record at 5-7-1 on the year. Second Year Head Coach Kelsey Kooistra earns her first ever tie, and that goes down as the first ever countable tie in CU program recordable history. 
 
WHAC Outlook
Cornerstone went 9-11 in the WHAC last season under first year Head Coach Kelsey Kooistra for the most conference wins CU has seen since the 2014 season. CU split with Lawrence Tech and Cleary last year, with all four of those contests taking place in Grand Rapids and being within four runs. No team has played a WHAC contest yet in 2022, as Aquinas and Madonna come into conference play each ranked within the top 20. 
 
Starting Pitching 
Cornerstone has seen a significant improvement in their starting pitching in 2022 as their two primary starters have a combine ERA of 3.17. Kaitlin Johnson has a 3.27 ERA in 30 innings pitched as she nearly averages a strikeout an inning with 29 on the year. Mikayla Meade has a 3.07 ERA in 27.1 innings pitched while being much more of a pitch to contact player with just nine K's. 
 
Scouting Lawrence Tech
The Blue Devils have had a rough go in 2022, posting a 3-17 non-conference record and losing their last 13 contests. Head Coach Karen Baird is in her fifth season at LTU and has an incredibly young team with eight freshmen on the roster. Lawrence Tech has not been afraid to play tough opponents however with 10 of their losses being to NAIA Top 25 or receiving votes programs. The offense has been the biggest weak spot for LTU as they have been outscored 132 to 46 on the year with just a .229 team batting average. 
 
Scouting Cleary 
The Cougars come into the matchup with Cornerstone at 11-17 overall with a 2-0 record at home, a 1-6 record on the road, and an 8-11 neutral site record. Despite the record, Cleary is a very solid team as they rank 29^th in the NAIA in hits with 220 through 28 contests. The team has struggled to capitalize on those hits however, ranking 68^th in the country in runs scored with 119. Seven Cleary players are hitting above .300 this year with Kate Currie the sophomore third baseman leading the team with 20 RBI. The pitching staff has been outstanding as well, with three of their five pitchers recording an ERA under three so far this season. 

Softball Contact: Jesse Campbell 
CU Athletics: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram