The softball season started with the Valley going 17-13 over the first weekend.  Of the seven teams that played, only Creighton remains undefeated.  Jordan Gronewold (Drake), Jordan Birch (Illinois State) and Rebekah Schmidt (Drake) recorded the first three double-digit strikeout performances of the year.  This week's State Farm MVC Player and Pitcher of the Week are Amy Baker of Creighton and Illinois State's Jordan Birch, respectively.

National Exposure
It was announced today that the Southern Illinois versus Florida State game on February 25 will be broadcast on ESPN 3.  This is the first time in program history that the Salukis will be featured on any ESPN network.

State Farm MVC Player of the Week
Amy Baker, Jr., Omaha Neb. - Creighton
Amy Baker had an explosive first weekend of the season, going an impressive 10-for-15 (.667) at the plate in a four-game sweep at Arkansas-Pine Bluff.  The junior had at least three hits in three of her four games and drove in at least one run in each contest to collect 13 RBI through four games.  Baker, who made two starts at catcher and two at first base, went 3-for-4 with four RBI in the season-opener and followed by going 3-for-3 with three RBI and two doubles in Saturday’s night cap.  On Sunday she drove in five runs on three hits in the final game of the series.  For the week she batted .667 with 10 hits, four doubles, 13 RBI and three runs scored to lead Creighton to its highest scoring four-game span in school history. 

State Farm MVC Pitcher of the Week
Jordan Birch, Sr., Monroe, Wash. - Illinois State
Birch won all three games in which she appeared by tossing 11.0 scoreless innings, allowing just three hits and posting a pair of complete-game shutouts.  The junior righty earned the win in relief against Maine, notching a pair of strikeouts in her inning of work.  In the very next game, Birch allowed just one hit in a shutout win over Long Island and struck out eight Blackbirds.  The Monroe, Wash., native closed the weekend with another stellar performance in the circle, tossing a two-hitter in a shutout win over Florida Gulf Coast, in which she added 10 more strikeouts. 

Other notable performances:

Players
Julie Sherman, Bradley
Sherman had a hit in each of Bradley’s first four games, and boasted a team-best .375 batting average at the season-opening Kajikawa Classic for the Braves. In BU’s season-opening 2-1 win against UC Santa Barbara, Sherman went 2-for-4 at the plate and followed it with a 1-for-3 effort against Idaho State. She had one of Bradley’s two hits, going 1-for-3 against third-ranked California and helped highlight the Braves’ 2-1 win against Mid American Conference West Division preseason favorite Western Michigan with a 2-for-3 day at the plate.

Torrey Craddock, Drake
Craddock was 3-10 with three runs scored, one home run and three RBI in the four games played this weekend. Drake was 2-2 with wins over Western Illinois and Green Bay.

Lizzie Andrews, Illinois State
Andrews led the Illinois State offense by going 5-for-10 at the plate with a pair of homers and five RBI. The senior outfielder recorded a hit in every game for the Redbirds with her best performance coming against Florida Gulf Coast. In that contest, Andrews went 2-for-3 with a homer, four RBI and three runs scored. For the week, she tallied 11 total bases for a 1.100 slugging percentage.

Meredith Wilson, Southern Illinois
Freshman Meredith Wilson shined in her first weekend of collegiate softball as she helped the Salukis to a 2-1 record at the KSU Classic. The Granite City, Ill. native went 5-for-9 in opening weekend (.556) including three doubles, a home run, five RBI, 11 total bases, drew two walks, and held a 1.222 slugging percentage and .636 on-base percentage. Wilson launched her first career home run in the 8-1 win over Austin Peay, where she went 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored. Against Mercer, she went 2-for-2 with four RBI and started in all three games for the Salukis during the weekend, twice in right field and once as the designated player. Wilson was also named to the KSU Classic All-Tournament Team.

Pitchers
Madeline Lynch-Crumrine, Bradley
Lynch-Crumrine went 1-2 with a save and a 2.00 ERA in 21 innings of work at the season-opening Kajikawa Classic in Tempe, Ariz. Lynch-Crumrine went the distance in a 2-1, eight-inning victory against UC Santa Barbara; scattering three strikeouts and five hits in the complete game victory. Against third-ranked California, Lynch-Crumrine gave up eight hits and two walks, while striking out four in a 5-0 setback against the Golden Bears. She earned the save in Bradley’s 2-1 victory against preseason Mid American Conference West Division preseason favorite Western Michigan and was the hard-luck loser in BU’s 2-1 loss to McNeese State, who upset #1 Arizona State earlier in the weekend. Lynch-Crumrine gave up just one earned run in the game, giving up an unearned run in the bottom of the seventh after a BU error to open the inning.

Sammy Snygg, Creighton
Sammy Snygg recorded the finest outing of her career on Sunday at Arkansas-Pine Bluff, combining with Alexis Cantu for a no-hitter of the Lady Lions. The junior right-hander, who pitched two scoreless innings of relief on Saturday, started and struck out a career-high eight in five innings of no-hit ball against UAPB on Sunday. For the week, Snygg went 1-0 with a 1.29 ERA, as she did not allow a base hit in seven innings of work, striking out nine and walking one in CU’s four-game sweep of UAPB.

Brittney Lang, Southern Illinois
Junior Brittney Lang came four outs from throwing a no-hitter as she completed opening weekend with a 1-0 record with a save at the KSU Classic. In her first win of the season over Austin Peay, Lang earned her first complete game since March 6, 2010. Lang was flawless until the bottom of the sixth against the Lady Govs, when she allowed the only hit of the day. She also earned her first career save in 3.1 innings of relief in a win over Mercer. Overall, she held a 0.66 ERA, allowing only one earned run, with 11 strikeouts in 10.2 innings of work and held opponents to a .111 batting average and gave up just one hit.