SIUE COUGARS (10-19, 0-7 Ohio Valley)
VS. KANSAS CITY ROOS (5-25, 0-3 Summit League)

Thursday, March 30, 2 p.m. DH
Kansas City, Mo. / Urban Youth Academy

Follow the Game
Video: https://kcroos.com/showcase?Live=300
Audio: None
Live Stats: https://kcroos.com/sidearmstats/softball/summary

SWINGING A HOT BAT: Emma Neuman is batting .312 this season with 24 hits. She currently holds the team's longest hitting streak at seven games.
PINCH HIT POWER: Hayley Palm hit a three-run, pinch-hit home run Tuesday at Illinois. It was her first home run in a Cougar uniform. The homer also was the second pinch-hit home run of the season for the Cougars. Grace Lueke had one against Southeast Missouri.
SCHEDULE UPDATE: SIUE's doubleheader at Western Illinois has been shifted to Tuesday, April 4 at 3 p.m.
BYE WEEK: This is SIUE's bye week in the Ohio Valley Conference. SIUE's next action in the OVC is at home April 7-8 against Tennessee State.
SERIES VS. KANSAS CITY: This is the first time these two teams have scheduled a doubleheader and neither have seen each other's field. The only previous meeting was a 4-2 win during the 2013 season in a neutral site game played in Southaven, Miss.
NECK AND NECK: SIUE's Lexi King and Paige Rocha have been 1-2 in the Cougar batting order for most of the season as well as the top two hitters in the lineup. Rocha regained the team lead in hitting at .407 after two hits Tuesday at Illinois. King is just a few ticks below at .396 and has a team-leading 36 hits. King and Rocha are No. 2 and No. 3 in batting average among OVC players.
IN THE CIRCLE: Kelsey Ray is tied for the OVC lead in saves with three. She is ranked 11th nationally in that statistical category. Ray also leads the Cougars in earned run average at 3.07.
LEADING THE PITCHING STAFF: Sydney Baalman boasts the most pitching victories with five. Baalman and Ray each have 16 appearances this season..
BLANKED: SIUE pitchers have recorded four shutouts this season. That includes one each from Baalman, Ray and Lexi King. Ray and Baalman also combined on a fourth.
STEAL AWAY: SIUE has 28 stolen bases this season led by 10 from King. Ten different players have stolen at least one base this season.
SCOUTING THE ROOS: Kansas City holds a 5-25 record and have lost 12 straight games. The Roos are hitting .223 as a team.
START OF AN ERA: After spending nearly the last decade as an assistant coach in the Big Ten Conference, Ben Sorden was tapped as the new leader of the SIUE softball program. Sorden comes to SIUE after holding positions at Michigan State and Indiana, helping the pitching staffs to national honors and top-notch results. The Lone Tree, Iowa, native most recently spent five seasons at Michigan State, where the Spartans sported a 2.38 earned run average and a 1.11 WHIP over 350 innings of play.