ABOUT THE GAME

• Millersville, winners of four in a row, returns to PSAC East action against East Stroudsburg Friday after nearly a two-week break. The Marauders' 6-2 start is its best since 2018 and a sweep would give Millersville its best record through 10 games since also starting 8-2 in 2013.
• Millersville is mashing home runs at a record-setting pace. The Marauders have a PSAC-leading 20 through just eight games, and that's six more than Mercyhurst, the league's No. 2 home run hitting team. The single-season school record for home runs is 45, which was set in 2018. If Millersville continues its current rate of 2.5 home runs per game of the next 34 regular season games, Millersville would hit 105 home runs. The PSAC record for homers is 79, set by Lock Haven in 2006.
• Millersville Millersville's .632 slugging percentage leads the league, and Millersville also ranks third in on base percentage.
• Freshman Aleese Angelo has quickly acclimated to collegiate softball, and her most recent week on the field was certainly PSAC East Athlete of the Week-worthy. In her last four games, Angelo hit .600 with three home runs. She had at least one hit and one RBI in each game and reached base at a .750 clip. Angelo did that at the plate while also playing three positions in the field--catcher, center field and left field. Angelo is currently third in the PSAC in home runs and fourth in RBIs.
• Faith Willenbrock has continued her incredible run at the plate last week, as well. Willenbrock hit three home runs in the doubleheader at Bloomfield, giving her a PSAC-best seven on the season. Among players with at least four games played, Willenbrock leads the PSAC in slugging percentage (1.577). Dating back to last season, Willenbrock has hit a homer in eight of her last 12 games. She now has 103 career RBIs, which puts her 13 shy of breaking Millersville record.
• Maddie Guinane is coming off a career performance against Chestnut Hill on March 11. Guinane threw her first career complete-game shutout, allowing just two hits while striking out a career-high 12. Guinane has twice tossed seven innings in four starts this season. Prior to this season, her career high in innings was six.
• Millersville's two rookie pitchers had nice bounce back performances in their last outings. Morgan Crutcher went 2-0 while allowing just one run and six hits over 10 innings. She did not walk a batter in her two outings and struck out 10. Alex Schaefer tossed seven innings at Bloomfield for her first career complete game, allowing three runs while not issuing a walk and also striking out eight.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT

• East Stroudsburg has won five of its last six and is 5-3 in league play after splitting with Shippensburg and winning three of four against Mansfield. The pitching staff has limited opponents to two runs or fewer in six of 14 games. The Warriors have played just four road games, and are 2-2 in those games. While Millersville lives by the home run, East Stroudsburg has hit just three all season, and has limited opponents to just three.
• The lineup is led by Molly Nies and Lexi Wright. Among the 57 PSAC hitters with at least 30 at bats, the that duo ranks tied for fourth in batting average (.457). Wright and Reilly Vicendese are also dangerous on the base paths. Vicendese has swiped a league-leading 11 bases while Wright has nine steals in 10 tries. 
• In the circle, Marah Range owns a 6-1 record, and leads the team in innings pitched and ERA, but has done most of her work in relief, totaling just two starts compared to six relief appearances. Range earned each of the team's last two wins. 

SERIES HISTORY

• Millersville and East Stroudsburg's series goes back to 1982. While the Warriors hold a decided edge in the all-time series, Millersville has won 12 of the last 18 meetings dating back to 2015. Millersville has also won six of the last seven, two of which came in five-inning fashion. In the last regular season series (2019), Millersville won three of four, including both games played at Seaber Stadium. WIllenbrock hit two home runs in the doubleheader. 
   

SCHEDULE UPDATE

• The most recent run of postponements have pushed the Millersville/Lock Haven doubleheader at Seaber Stadium to March 30. Millersville will travel to Lock Haven on April 6. The Bowie State doubleheader has been moved to April 7 at home. The doubleheader with Jefferson will not be rescheduled.