BY: KALEB CENTER
CSC Sports Information Director
CHADRON, Neb. -- April 12, 2022 -- A Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference softball series, which was scheduled for Thursday, April 14 and Friday, April 15, between Chadron State College and Black Hills State University in Spearfish, South Dakota, has been moved to Chadron due to freezing temperatures and high winds forecast for Spearfish.
Per RMAC by-laws, the "feels like" temperature must be 25 degrees or above in order to begin a softball game. Therefore, CSC will host the games at CSC Softball Field on Thursday and Friday, instead of BHSU.
Black Hills State will remain the "home" team for game management purposes.
The Yellow Jackets are 10-20 (8-20 RMAC) and occupy ninth place in the league standings, while CSC is 6-32 (5-21) and in 11th place.
Black Hills features several strong batters in the lineup, ranking them fifth in the conference with a team average of .306.
Seniors Lizzy Johnson, an outfielder, and Crystal Amaral, a utility pitcher, as well as freshmen Fallyn Marshall, a shortstop, and outfielder Tyler Whitlock, all have batting averages over .350.Amaral leads the team with 27 RBI and eight home runs, while Johnson has a team-high 22 runs scored.
In the bullpen, the Yellow Jackets have the ninth-best ERA in the league, one spot behind CSC. Amaral leads the three regular pitchers in most statistical categories, with an ERA of 4.89, an opponent batting average of .301, and 70 strikeouts on the season. BHSU's No. 2 is sophomore Shayla Tuschen. Both starters are credited with five wins apiece.
The Yellow Jackets are coached by first-year skipper Aubrey Voboril, a graduate of Peru State College.
BHSU is coming off a 0-4 series against RMAC co-leader Colorado Mesa in Grand Junction, during which the Yellow Jackets scored only two runs on 10 base hits.
The doubleheaders this week are scheduled for noon on Thursday and 11 a.m. on Friday, with Saturday a potential make-up day.