SB Series Preview: WBU vs Hendrix (Feb. 25 | 1 & 3 PM)

WALNUT RIDGE, Ark. (2/24/25) – The Williams Baptist University softball team will face Hendrix in a doubleheader on Tuesday, Feb. 25 at the WBU Softball Field.

SERIES INFORMATION

WILLIAMS BAPTIST EAGLES (4-0, 0-0 AMC) vs HENDRIX WARRIORS (1-1, 0-0 SAA)

GAME ONE - Tuesday, Feb. 25 - 1:00 p.m. CST - WBU Softball Field (Walnut Ridge, Ark.)
Live stats - https://wbueagles.com/sports/sball/2024-25/boxscores/20250225_9t3t.xml
Live video - wbueagles.com/watch 

GAME TWO - Tuesday, Feb. 25 - 3:00 p.m. CST - WBU Softball Field (Walnut Ridge, Ark.)
Live stats - https://wbueagles.com/sports/sball/2024-25/boxscores/20250225_5qnm.xml
Live video - wbueagles.com/watch 

MATCHUP FACTS

Last Game: Mar. 5, 2022 (WBU 6-2)
Current Streak: WBU W1

WBU QUICK FACTS

2025 Record: 4-0 (0-0 AMC)
Current Streak: W4
2024 Record: 37-17 (14-4 AMC)
2023-24 Postseason: None
Head Coach: Jessica Nutt (6th)
HC Record: 108-108 (40-34 AMC)
Assistant Coach: Ashlie Dahl (4th)

ABOUT HENDRIX

2024-25 Record: 1-1 (0-0 SAA)
Current Streak: L1
2023-24 Record: 10-26 (3-14 SCAC)
2023-24 Postseason: None
Head Coach: Kara LeLeux (1st season)
Assistant Coach: Brooke Kinley

HENDRIX NOTABLES

• Blue Mountain is coming off a series split with Mississippi University for Women on Feb. 23

• The Warriors won game one 4-3

• Betty Wolfe led the way on offense, going 3-for-4 with a double and two RBI's in the win

• A double from Ella Boling drove in the first run in the top of the first inning

• Tori Maldonado drove in another run in the third, then Wolfe extended the lead to four with a two-run double in the fourth

• MUW got three back but Hendrix held on for the season-opening win.

• Emma Salis threw five innings with three unearned runs before Tori Veith tossed a scoreless sixth and seventh to earn the save

• The Warriors dropped game two 9-8 in extra innings

• Hendrix went up early with a three-spot in the first inning before MUW tied it in the second and went up 6-3 in the third

• The Warriors took a 7-6 lead in the seventh on a two-run double from Rylee Harris in the seventh, and added on with an RBI single from Boling

• MUW tied the game on an error in the bottom half of the seventh, then won the game on an RBI single in the eighth.

• Emmaline Trosclair tossed all seven innings for Hendrix in the loss

• Betty Wolfe leads the way with a .556 AVG through the first two games of the season

• Wolfe also leads the team in extra base-hits with three

• Ella Boling leads the team in RBI's with three through two games

• Emma Salis leads the Warriors in opposing batting average with a .174

• Hendrix sports a team batting average of .292 through the first two games

• The Warriors hold a 3.00 ERA as a staff 

• Next, Hendrix will travel to Batesville to face Lyon College on Friday, Feb. 28

• BMCU was picked to finish sixth in the SAA Preseason Coaches Poll

LAST TIME OUT

• WBU is coming off a two-game sweep over Blue Mountain Christian on Friday, Feb. 14

• Williams won game one 4-2

• Emberlin Caldwell got the start and went seven innings with eight punchouts and two earned runs

• BMCU took the lead with two runs in the third

• WBU responded to cut the lead to one with with an RBI single from Madyson Busselle

• Busselle struck again for a two-run double in the fifth to take a 3-2 lead, then added another later in the frame from Ashlyn Michael

• Caldwell did not allow a baserunner in the final two innings to secure the win

• WBU won game two 9-6 

• Paige Thomas cracked a two-run homer in the second inning to put WBU up 2-0

• The Eagles added two more in the third and two more in the fourth to take a 6-0 lead

• Blue Mountain rallied for a five-run fifth to cut the lead to one

• Williams responded with an RBI double from Jadyn Kobrin to push the lead back to two

• A Toppers solo shot in the sixth cut the lead back to one, but WBU posted two more insurance runs in the bottom half of the frame 

• Morgan Garner earned the win in the circle after throwing five innings

• Emberlin Caldwell shut down the Toppers in the final two innings for her first save of the season

• Madyson Busselle led the way at the plate on 4-for-7 with four RBI's through both games

• Freshman Ashlyn Michael broke out with a 3-for-7 performance with three RBI's

WBU NOTABLES

• Madyson Busselle and Natalia Watkins lead the team in AVG through four games, each with a .385 clip

• Busselle also leads the team with seven RBI's

• The Eagles sport a team batting average of .276 through the first four games

• Emberlin Caldwell leads the team in ERA with a 1.40, while Morgan Garner follows behind with a 2.33

• Caldwell leads with 18 strikeouts on the season, Garner trails with 11

• Williams returns the AMC Player of the Year and AMC Freshman of the Year in SS Madyson Busselle (Shoebottom) and RHP Emberlin Caldwell

• Five AMC All-Conference players return for WBU in Emberlin Caldwell, Madyson Busselle, Morgan Garner, Natalia Watkins, and Kaylee Wolfe

• Newcomers McKenna Bittle and Ashlyn Michael look to make immediate impacts in the lineup.  Bittle posted a 2.45 ERA in 126 innings for UA-Rich Mountain, and Michael led Van Buren High School in almost every offensive category as a senior.

• The Lady Eagles thrived at the plate last season with a .323 batting average as a team (T-3rd AMC)

• Madyson Shoebottom led the AMC with a .432 AVG.  Shoebottom also ranked third in RBI's with 51, and tied for fifth in home runs with 10.  Shoebottom only struck out five times.

• Pitching powered WBU to a successful season, as the Lady Eagles posted a 2.54 ERA as a staff (2nd AMC)

• Emberlin Caldwell led WBU with a 2.19 ERA last season (3rd AMC).  She led the conference with 19 wins in the circle, and struck out 142 batters (2nd AMC).

• Williams was picked to finish second in the AMC Preseason Coaches Poll

AMC PRESEASON POLL

1 Missouri Baptist (106)
2 Williams Baptist (99)
3 Central Baptist (89)
4 Columbia (86)
5 Cottey (85)
6 William Woods (70)
7 Stephens (54)
8 Crowley's Ridge (48)
9 UHSP (46)
10 Mission (41)
11 Hannibal-LaGrange (27)
12 Harris-Stowe (18)

SCHEDULE NOTES

• Next, Williams will travel to Henderson, Tenn. to take on Lindsey Wilson and Freed-Hardeman in the FHU Classic on Friday, Feb. 28 and Saturday, Mar. 1.  First pitch of game one against Lindsey Wilson is scheduled for noon.

• WBU's 2025 schedule features 22 home games at the WBU Softball Field.