KIRKSVILLE, Mo. - The Truman Softball team will shift gears this weekend as the Midwest Region Crossover has changed locations. The Bulldogs will open their 2020 season with four games now at Grand Park in suburban Indianapolis, Indiana.
The Bulldogs are scheduled to play in four games in the two-day crossover event featuring teams from the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC), Great Midwest Athletic Conference (GMAC) and Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletics Conference (GLIAC).
The Bulldogs, led by first-year head coach Amanda Bradberry, open on Saturday with a 2 p.m. (CT) game against Ferris State (1-3) followed by a 4 p.m. (CT) game against West Virginia State (8-6). On Sunday, the crossover will continue with games against Northwood University (2-1) at 9 a.m. (ET) and Ohio Dominican (2-4) at 11 a.m. (ET).
Game updates will be provided throughout the crossover through the @TrumanSoftball twitter account and daily recaps will be posted on TrumanBulldogs.com following completion of games.
Truman last played in the event in 2017 with the 2018 and 2019 games being washed out due to weather. In 2017, the Bulldogs went 1-3 with a 10-1 win over Ferris State and losses to Ohio Dominician (4-1), Saginaw Valley State (10-5) and Northwood (6-4).
Bulldogs Against The Opponents:
The Bulldogs are 6-1 all-time against Ferris State, 2-1 against Northwood and 9-4 against Ohio Dominican. This will be the first meeting between the Bulldogs and West Virginia State..
About the Bulldogs:
Truman is coming off of a 32-19 season in 2019 which included a 14-12 record in the GLVC and a trip to the conference tournament. The Bulldogs were also picked sixth in the preseason GLVC Coaches Poll.
Truman returns 11 players from last season's squad including third-team all-conference pitcher Alyssa Hajduk, second-team all-conference infielder Adrienne Compton, and GLVC Freshman of the Year Emma Walbert.
Hajduk was 17-6 in the circle for the Bulldogs with a 2.44 ERA. She struck out 118 hitters last season in 146.1 innings pitched with an opposing batting average of .200.
Compton batted .329 with six home runs and 25 RBI. She added 15 doubles and scored 20 runs.
Walbert was second behind All-American Christa Reisinger in hitting with a .357 batting average in 51 games played and starter. Walbert had a pair of doubles, a triple and swiped 21 of 22 bases for the Bulldogs.
Scouting The Competition:
All three of the Truman opponents have games under their belt this season. ODU is 2-4 on the season after going 32-22 last season and are the defending G-MAC regular season champions. The Panthers were the top pick in the conference by league coaches this season.
Ferris started the season 1-3 will four games against GLVC member Illinois Springfield last weekend. The Bulldogs were 20-34 a year ago and were slotted eighth in the GLIAC preseason poll.
Northwood was picked third in the GLIAC survey and was 31-26-1 overall last year with a date in the conference's tournament championship game. The Timberwolves will be making their season debut this weekend.
West Virginia State has the most game action thus far of any team the Bulldogs will face this weekend. The Yellow Jackets are 8-6 this season with a split with GLVC member Maryville University included in that record. Last year, they were 35-16 with a trip to the NCAA regional tournament. They were the top pick for the Mountain East South Division in the preseason coaches poll picking up 10 first-place votes.
Up Next:
The next scheduled action for the team will be in Polk County, Florida as part of The Spring Games. Truman will play eight games for a five-day span from March 6-10.
