George Washington University Athletics
Softball Hosts Saint Joseph's for Senior Day
4/26/2018 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Elena ShelepakSo. || 5-7 || IF
Binghamton, N.Y.
Shelepak sparked GW offensively last week, hitting .421 with an .895 slugging percentage in five games. The sophomore from New York had three multi-hit games en route to eight hits in 19 at-bats with five of them for extra bases via three doubles and a pair of home runs. She posted seven RBIs and scored five times. Her top performance came in a win at George Mason on Wednesday when she finished a triple shy of the cycle.
After playing a doubleheader Saturday afternoon, the Colonials are set to honor their four seniors before Sunday's series finale. Senior Day festivities recognizing Sarah Costlow, Rochelle Draper, Ashley Pilcher and Morgan Rinehart will begin at 12:30 p.m. before the 1 p.m.first pitch.
GW (28-17, 8-9 A-10) enters the weekend in fifth place in the A-10 standings with six conference games remaining. The top six squads will advance to the A-10 Championship, which begins May 9 at Fordham's Bahoshy Field.
LAST TIME OUT: GW has been off since last weekend's series at Dayton after a midweek trip to Hampton was canceled due to inclement weather. The Colonials went 1-2 in the tightly contested set against the Flyers.
GW won the opener of a Saturday doubleheader in a 14-12 slugfest, boosted by home runs from Rinehart, Elena Shelepak and Sierra Lange. Lange had the first four-hit game of her career, while Shelepak drove in four runs.
With the victory, the Colonials equaled the program record for wins in a season at 28. It was also the most runs for the program in an A-10 contest since April 2012.
Dayton picked up a pair of one-run victories to close the weekend. Lange homered in Sunday's finale and finished the series 6-for-10 with two home runs, four RBIs and three runs scored.
SUPER SENIORS: All four of GW's seniors have made key contributions over the past four seasons.
- Costlow's 50 career wins are 14 more than any other Colonial, and she's the career leader in appearances (117), games started (101), innings pitched (619 2/3) and complete games (59). Her 3.02 career ERA ranks No. 2 on GW's all-time list, and her 247 strikeouts check in at No. 5.
- Draper has started 194 of a possible 197 games in her collegiate career, including every game over the past three seasons. The Garden Grove, Calif., native currently ranks fourth in games played and third in games started in program history with a chance to take over the top spot in both categories.
- Pilcher has totaled 47 appearances in her collegiate career, including 14 this spring. The right-hander from The Woodlands, Texas, has been a part of five shutouts, including a combined no-hitter against Howard on Feb. 28 in which she pitched the final two innings. It was the program's first since 2013.
- Rinehart has been a steady presence in center field, totaling a .290 batting average and 48 steals in 54 attempts in her 155 career starts. Her 86 runs scored rank fourth on GW's all-time list, and she's tied for second in program history with six triples.
COUNT ON CONE: Jenna Cone enters the weekend with a 29-game on-base streak, a run that began March 9 with a doubleheader in the Colonial Classic. The sophomore from California is currently one shy of tying Megan Linn's program record, set during the 2014 season.
Cone has recorded hits in 23 of the games, including 15 straight during one stretch to set the program's hit-streak record. She's hitting .463 over the 29 games with 10 doubles, seven home runs, 39 RBIs and 23 runs scored, plus 16 walks and eight HBPs. She's earned three A-10 Player of the Week awards during the run, as well.
HIT PARADE: GW's .327 team batting average ranks sixth in the nation with production coming throughout the lineup.
Eight different Colonial regulars are hitting at least .330 this season, paced by Alessandra Ponce (.420 in 88 at-bats). Cone (.398), Sidney Bloomfield (.379) and Lange (.366) are next on the list followed by Shelepak (.361), Marta Fuentes (.358), Rinehart (.348) and Priscilla Martinez (.330).
Through 45 games, GW has already broken the single-season program record with 288 runs. The Colonials also have 411 hits and need just 15 more to match that single-season mark.
SCOUTING SAINT JOSEPH'S: The Hawks (20-22, 7-10) have won six straight games, including a weekend sweep of A-10 foe Rhode Island in which they outscored the Rams 28-3. On Thursday, they swept a conference doubleheader against La Salle, highlighted by a no-hitter from Chelsea Evans in the second game.
First baseman Caela Abadie is the reigning A-10 Player of the Week after hitting .562 with eight RBIs last week, while Ashley Ventura (9-13, 3.13 ERA) paces a pitching staff that has a combined 3.25 ERA this season.
ON DECK: GW wraps up the regular season next weekend with a three-game set at Saint Louis. (Note: GW's non-conference home game originally slated for Wednesday, May 2, has been canceled due to weather-related changes in UMBC's schedule.)
WATCH THIS: Hear from all four of GW's seniors ahead of their final home series.
This weekend, we'll celebrate a great group of seniors! Hear from Sarah Costlow, Rochelle Draper, Morgan Rinehart and Ashley Pilcher before their final home series in Buff and Blue! #RaiseHigh pic.twitter.com/BUHl4kqrUP
-- GW Softball (@GW_Softball) April 26, 2018
