Complete Game Notes
Games #1-2: Stephens (10-36 in 2019) at Lincoln (6-44 in 2019)
Date: Saturday, Feb. 15 at 12:00 p.m. & 2:00 p.m. CT
Site: LU Softball Field in Jefferson City, Mo.

Games #3-4: Lincoln at Stephens
Date: Sunday, Feb. 16 at 12:00 p.m. & 2:00 p.m. CT
Site: Battle Softball Field in Columbia, Mo.

THE LEAD OFF:  The 2020 season opens this weekend for the Lincoln softball team as the Blue Tigers play a home-and-home with Stephens. The first pitch of 2020 is scheduled to take play at LU Softball Field on Saturday (Feb. 15) at 12:00 p.m. CST, as the Blue Tigers host the Stars in the first double-header of the year. On Sunday (Feb. 16), Lincoln makes the short trip up to Columbia, Mo. for two more games against the Stars, also slated to begin at 12:00 p.m. CST. Lincoln returns five starters from last year's squad, which finished 6-44 but was playing its best in the final games of the season. Stephens is coming off a 10-36 season in 2019 and also returns five starters.

PREVIEWING THE BLUE TIGERS:  Jordan Lawson, a three-time All-MIAA player, leads six returning Blue Tigers in 2020. Lawson, who owns LU's single-season record for doubles (17 in 2018), hit .312 a year ago with 48 total hits, including 14 multiple-base hits. Shannon Greene, who led LU's rotation with 48 strikeouts, joins Mykenzie Livesay, who hit .276 with nine doubles in 2019, as Lincoln's other two seniors. Bekah Kirker, who scored 21 runs on 25 hits during her freshman campaign, and Paige Parker, who started 38 games last year, are LU's other top returners, along with Casey Grover, who was limited to just 16 games due to an injury.

HEAD COACH CHRISTINE CORE:  Now in her second year as the coach of the Blue Tigers, Core helped Lincoln improve in nearly every offensive category in 2019 while leading LU to its highest win total since 2014. Two LU players earned All-MIAA honors under Core's direction, including an all-league second team honoree in Camryn Pryor. Core was named the head coach of Lincoln in 2018 after a successful two-year run at Covenant, where she won 45 games and became the first coach to lead the Lady Scots to back-to-back years with winning records. Core was an All-American as a player at Covenant.

SCOUTING THE STARS:  Stephens returns three of its top-five batters from a season ago, led by Macy McIntosh, who hit .412 with 27 runs and 24 RBI in 2019. Jamie Wittmer had 38 hits, second only to McIntosh's 49, and Mariah Montoya had 35 hits, on which she scored 24 runs. Emma Kelly (26 hits, 23 RBI) and Olivia Williams (a .248 batter who had 27 hits) round out the returning starters while Anadelia Medina is back after appearing in five games in 2019.

ALL-MIAA ALL THE TIME:  With another strong season in 2020, Jordan Lawson could make LU history. Lawson, who was selected as an All-MIAA honorable mention following each of her first three seasons with the Blue Tigers, is poised to become the first Lincoln player in history to garner all-conference accolades four years in a row. As it stands, LU has had only one other player, Sam Kircher (2012-15), earn three All-MIAA accolades.

IN THE OUTFIELD OR IN THE CIRCLE:  Jordan Lawson spent most of the 2019 season locking down centerfield, but she also made an impact for the Blue Tigers when she was brought in to pitch. Lawson, who pitched LU to a victory over Central Missouri, struck out 12 opposing batters and had three complete games last year.

NO WALKING:  Shannon Greene, who won struck out 48 batters in 29 starts inside the circle, did not allow very many walks in 2019. In fact, Greene, who issued just 25 bases on balls in 124.2 innings of work, posted a walks allowed per seven inning average of 1.4, the second-best by any MIAA player. Greene also ranked 76th in the country in that statistic.

WHAT DO YOU SAY:  Mykenzie Livesay had her best season as a Blue Tigers in 2019, finished with 35 hits and a .276 batting average. Livesay, an every-game starter, hit nine doubles and drove in 22 runs, finishing second among the Blue Tigers in that latter stat.

BACK IN BLUE:  Before having her debut season at Lincoln cut short with an injury, Casey Grover gave the Blue Tigers boost on defense, finishing with 83 putouts and two assists for a fielding percentage of .924. Grover, who also had five hits and scored three runs, is back in the lineup for the 2020 season.

FRESH START:  True freshman Bekah Kirker had a promising start to her Lincoln career in 2019, as she spent much of the season as LU's lead-off hitter. Kirker made the most of that opportunity, scoring 21 runs on 25 hits while posting a .331 on-base percentage. Kirker, who was one of nine Blue Tigers with a homerun last year, tallied five doubles and batted in six runs.

PARKED BEHIND THE PLATE:  Paige Parker missed most of the 2018 season with an injury, but came back in 2019 to start 38 games, mostly at catcher. Parker made 90 putouts and assisted on five others, and caught two runners stealing while helping LU post a .923 fielding percentage.

DOUBLING UP:  Lincoln enjoyed one of its best hitting seasons in recent memory in 2019, though one offensive stat in particular stands out. With 72 doubles, an average of 1.4 per game, Lincoln finished sixth in the MIAA and among the top-100 in the nation in two-base hits. Lincoln had a knack for finding extra bases last year, as LU also tallied four triples and 20 homeruns. Ten of LU's 12 players with at least one plate appearance had at least one multi-base hit.

SAFE AT THE PLATE:  The Blue Tigers limited free base opportunities for their opponents, with Shannon Greene finishing second in the MIAA in walks allowed per game. Lincoln's rotation also hit just nine opposing batters, four fewer than Central Oklahoma's 13, to lead the MIAA.

ON DECK:  The Blue Tigers are back at home next Friday (Feb. 21) to host Lane at LU Softball Field in a 1:00 p.m. CST double-header.