PITTSBURG, Kan. -- The Pittsburg State Softball team closes out the regular season this weekend with road trips to Washburn and Fort Hays State. The Gorillas will play Washburn in a 2 p.m. doubleheader on Friday (April 20) and face Fort Hays State beginning at 1 p.m. on Saturday (April 21).

Washburn is currently 16-20 overall, including a 7-9 record in MIAA play. The Lady Blues split their last two series against Northwest Missouri and Truman State.

Senior outfielder Kacey Covert leads WU with a .398 batting average and four stolen bases. The power in the Lady Blues line up comes from senior pitcher Lindsey Moore, who is currently hitting .308, while leading the team with 12 doubles, seven home runs and 31 RBI. Alex Zordel, junior first baseman, is currently hitting .357 with five doubles and six homers.

Kayla Oldham and Moore are the main Lady Blues to step in the pitcher’s circle. Oldham currently holds a 9-9 record with a 2.93 era and 43 strikeouts in 100.1 innings of work. Moore leads the team with 45 strikeouts. She is 5-9 with a 4.43 era during the 2012 season.

As a team Washburn is batting .274 with 39 doubles, nine triples and 20 home runs. The Lady Blues are 12-of-12 in their stolen base attempts this season. 

Fort Hays State brings a 25-17 overall and 9-7 MIAA record into a home doubleheader against the Gorillas. The Tigers have won four of their last six games, all of which have come away from Hays.

FHSU currently has four players batting over .300 this season. The Tigers are led by junior pitcher Maddie Holub, who is hitting .338 with five doubles, five homers and 23 RBI. Amanda Vaupel, freshman outfielder, is hitting .326 with four doubles and 23 RBI. Fort Hays State’s homerun leader is senior infielder Adrianna Wortley with six round trippers to go along with her .307 batting average. Taylor Nelson, senior infielder, is hitting .300 with five homeruns and a team-high 25 RBI. 

Holub is the Tigers’ ace, recording a 15-8 record with a 1.79 era. She has recorded 241 strikeouts in 156.0 innings of work. Also, during the 2012 season Holub has recorded six complete game shutouts.

Collectively, FHSU is hitting .273 with 46 doubles, five triples and 26 homeruns. They have outscored their opponents 308-244 so far this season.

Pitt State is 28-23 overall and a10-6 in league play. As a team, the Gorillas are hitting .311 with a .498 slugging percentage. The team has recorded 293 runs, 256 RBI, 86 doubles, 12 triples and a school record 54 home runs.

Senior Mannie DeCastro leads the team with a .452 batting average and 49 RBI. She is second on the team in both doubles and home runs with 14 a piece. Freshman Cheslyn Mitchell hits .400 on the year and leads the team in doubles with 18. She and sophomore Tiffany Brown are second on the team in runs scored with 40 each. Brown hits .391 and is the school record holder for single season home runs with 15 so far this season. Sophomore Brenna George is hitting .368 and leads the team in runs scored (47) hits (64), triples (7) and stolen bases (20). Junior Kresleee Ketcham and Freshman Devon McCreath also hit above .300 for Pitt State at .313 and .311, respectively.

The Pitt State pitching staff has a 3.26 ERA and allows opponents to hit .304. The Gorillas have primarily used three pitchers of late. HIlary Erbert has 25 starts in 30 appearances for the Gorillas. She has thrown 148.1 innings and has a 13-11 record and a 3.07 ERA. Jessica Barnes has a 2.23 ERA and a 6-5 record with one save in 26 appearances and 12 starts. In 88.0 innings she has given up 28 earned runs for a 2.23 ERA. Cheslyn Mitchell has the best winning percentage of the group with a 6-2 record in 10 appearances with six starts. IN 39.1 innings she has given up 17 earned runs for a 3.03 ERA. Tiffany Brown has thrown 59.1 innings in 18 appearances for a 3-5 record.