Western Michigan softball travels to Champaign, Ill., for its final early season tournament this weekend (March 15-17). The Broncos are a combined 15-9 against the three opponents they will face, including 2-0 against host Illinois.
Tournament:
Fighting Illini Invitational
Opponents:
3/15 - St. Louis (Series tied, 1-1)
3/15 - Illinois (WMU leads series, 2-0)
3/16 - Loyola-Chicago (WMU leads series, 12-8)
3/16 - Semifinal
3/17 - Consolation/Championship
WMU SOFTBALL NEWS & NOTES
• Western Michigan went 3-3 this past week with wins over Penn State out of the Big Ten and 2012 NCAA Tournament participant Massachusetts
• Two of WMU's three wins over the past week came in the Broncos' final at bat
• Becca Shemberger picked two more wins this past week, including two complete game wins, one over Maine, a shutout win, and the other against Penn State
• In the two complete game victories, Shemberger registered her first two career double-digit strikeout games with 10 against the Black Bears and a new career high 14 against the Nittany Lions
• In a loss against Loyola-Chicago, Shemberger allowed no earned runs, despite working only 1.2 innings
• In WMU's win over UMass, freshmen accounted for all nine of the Broncos' RBIs
• Freshman Sabrina Gamboa leads the team with four home runs through 22 games, she is three home runs from overtaking Meredith Whitney for the WMU freshman record
• Gamboa is one of only seven freshmen to ever have 20 or more RBIs in their first season (and has accomplished the feat in less than half of the 2013 schedule)
• Senior Diana Patterson is the program's career active leader in at bats (318), hits (79), doubles (14), home runs (6) and RBIs (40)
• WMU Softball has a new twitter account (@WMUSoftball) for scores, milestones and pics from the road
