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Molly McLaughlin 2018
Steve Simoneau

Softball Athletic Communications

Renewed Confidence Sparking Molly McLaughlin

Hats Set to Open ASUN Play at FGCU

What a home stand.  

The Hatters recently went 18-3 on their 21-game stint at Patricia Wilson Field that featured clutch individual performances throughout the lineup.  Ashly Smith smashed everything in sight, Kasey Fava burned up the basepaths, and Devin Lewis delivered not one, not two, but three walk-off hits in three consecutive games.

Also making an impact during the home stand was sophomore Molly McLaughlin. The Hatter second baseman had 27 hits, including her first two career home runs, she drove in 25, and she raised her season batting average from .179 to .344.

"My confidence is so much higher now than it was last year," McLaughlin said.  "I am much more relaxed and believing that every time I get in the box I am going to get a hit for my team. Coach (Franklin) Drury has helped me a lot with my mental approach and my confidence."

As McLaughlin's numbers have risen, so has her position in the lineup.  Head coach Frank Griffin has moved her from eighth, to fifth, to fourth, and now up to third.

"I have definitely seen more confidence in Molly, both offensively and defensively," Griffin said.  "That first year can be a little unnerving, going from high school to Division I.  Now she is swinging at better pitches, and that makes a world of difference."

After driving in just 11 runs as a freshman, McLaughlin finds herself tied for the ASUN lead with 26 RBI this season.  Her two-out, two-run single in the bottom of the seventh against Brown helped Stetson rally for a 3-2 win early in the home stand.  The team has taken off since.

"I never really thought that I would be leading the ASUN in RBI, but it's exciting and I'm just glad I am able to help my team score runs and win games," McLaughlin said.

The Hatters (20-10) will look to stay hot on the road this weekend when they open ASUN play in Fort Myers against the FGCU Eagles (25-6).  The teams will play a doubleheader Saturday at 2 p.m. and a single game Sunday at 1.  Fans can follow the action via the FGCU YouTube live stream, live stats (StetsonStats.com) and Twitter updates (@StetsonSoftball).  Sign up for HatCheck to receive news and scores via text message. 


STETSON (20-10) at FGCU (25-6)
WHEN |Saturday at 2/4 p.m., Sunday at 1 p.m.
WHERE | FGCU Softball Complex, Fort Myers, Fla.
VIDEO | YouTube
LIVE STATS | StetsonStats.com
TWITTER | @StetsonSoftball
TEXT ALERTS | HatCheck
GAME NOTES | Stetson (PDF)

Offense vs. Pitching
Stetson leads the ASUN in batting average (.308), hits (227) and runs-per-game (5.2) while FGCU leads the ASUN in ERA (1.37) and fewest runs-allowed-per-game (2.2).

The All-Time Series
Stetson leads the all-time series 17-13 over FGCU.  The Eagles, however, lead the series 9-1 in Fort Myers.  FGCU won two-of-three against Stetson in DeLand last year.

Nicely Done
Stetson hit .323 as a team with 17 home runs during the home stand, averaging 6.0 runs-per-game.  Helping lead the offensive attack were Ashly Smith (.462, 2 HR, 20 RBI), Molly McLaughlin (.415, 2 HR, 25 RBI), and Kasey Fava (.375, 20 stolen bases).  Tori Perkins went 11-1 with a 2.24 ERA.

A Little Rest
After playing 21 home games in a span of 22 days, the Hatters are enjoying a little rest as the team goes eight days between games, thanks to a rainout of the Princeton doubleheader on Tuesday.

NCAA Statistics
In this week's NCAA stat rankings, the Hatters are:
  • 17th in on-base percentage (.408)
  • 6th in stolen bases (70)
  • 8th in steals/game (2.33)
  • 37th in batting average (.308)
  • 63rd in scoring (5.2 rpg)

ASUN leaders
As a team, the Hatters lead the ASUN in the following offensive categories:
  • Batting Avg. - .308
  • On-Base Pct. - .408
  • Runs Scored - 156
  • Hits - 227
  • RBI - 141
  • Base on Balls - 120
  • Stolen Bases - 70

ASUN Individual Leaders
Ashly Smith leads the ASUN in on-base pct. (.532), runs (27), triples (4), extra-base hits (16) and total bases (68). Kasey Fava leads in runs (27), Molly McLaughlin leads in RBI (26), Maggie Fritts leads in sacrifice flies (4), and Tori Perkins leads in wins (12). 

Bases Loaded 
Stetson is batting .442 (19-43) as a team with the bases loaded with four doubles, a triple, no grand slams and 42 RBI. Maggie Fritts is 4-for-5 this season and 8-for-14 (.571) in her career with the bases loaded.

Fab Freshmen
Stetson's freshmen have combined to start 128 games.  At least four freshmen have started in the same game 27 times and all five freshmen have started together 11 times.  The freshmen hitters have combined for 94 hits, 10 home runs, and 48 RBI.  Freshman pitcher Jaime Tino has eight wins and 68 strikeouts.

Stetson By The Numbers
This season, the Hatters are:
•    16-3  when scoring four runs or more
•    14-3 when scoring first
•    11-2 when hitting a home run
•    11-1 when leading after five innings
•    7-3 in 1-run games

Three Consecutive Walk-Offs
Freshman Devin Lewis had three consecutive walk-off hits against Holy Cross. Two of them came on the same day, a doubleheader sweep on March 7 (both seventh-inning singles).  She also hit a two-run home run on March 9 that gave Stetson a 9-1 run-rule victory.  Linda Ross also delivered a walk-off victory against Brown (Feb. 24).

Streaking
  • Stetson has at least one stolen base in 16 straight games
  • Kasey Fava has a 25-game reached base streak. It is the longest streak since Jessica Griffin had a 28-game streak in 2013
  • Ashly Smith has hit safely in 18 of her last 19 games
  • Tori Perkins has won nine in a row
Miscellaneous
  • This weekend will be Stetson's second road trip of the season
  • Stetson has outscored opponents 29-9 in first innings this year
  • The Hatters have eight come-from-behind victories
  • Danielle Diaz has played 16 straight errorless games at third base
Extra Innings
Stetson played six extra-inning affairs in conference play last season, including three in a row against Jacksonville.  The Hatters have not played any extra-inning games so far in 2018.

About Stetson University Athletics: Stetson University's Athletics Program has a vision of developing a culture of champions athletically, academically and within the community. This vision is accomplished through a mission of recruiting and developing student-athletes, coaches and staff, creating a culture of champions, within and outside of competition. The department operates with five core values: Championship Culture, Integrity, Excellence, Pride/Tradition and Leadership. To learn more about the Vision, Mission and Core Values for Stetson Athletics, visit GoHatters.com and click on Mission Statement under the Inside Athletics tab.

 
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Players Mentioned

Jessica Griffin

#17 Jessica Griffin

C
5' 7"
Senior
Maggie Fritts

#12 Maggie Fritts

OF
5' 7"
Senior
Molly McLaughlin

#8 Molly McLaughlin

INF
5' 4"
Sophomore
Tori Perkins

#5 Tori Perkins

P
5' 5"
Junior
Linda Ross

#3 Linda Ross

INF
5' 4"
Sophomore
Ashly Smith

#1 Ashly Smith

IF
5' 7"
Junior
Danielle Diaz

#19 Danielle Diaz

IF/OF
5' 1"
Freshman
Kasey Fava

#14 Kasey Fava

OF
5' 10"
Freshman
Devin Lewis

#16 Devin Lewis

UTIL
5' 4"
Freshman
Jaime Tino

#4 Jaime Tino

P
5' 9"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Jessica Griffin

#17 Jessica Griffin

5' 7"
Senior
C
Maggie Fritts

#12 Maggie Fritts

5' 7"
Senior
OF
Molly McLaughlin

#8 Molly McLaughlin

5' 4"
Sophomore
INF
Tori Perkins

#5 Tori Perkins

5' 5"
Junior
P
Linda Ross

#3 Linda Ross

5' 4"
Sophomore
INF
Ashly Smith

#1 Ashly Smith

5' 7"
Junior
IF
Danielle Diaz

#19 Danielle Diaz

5' 1"
Freshman
IF/OF
Kasey Fava

#14 Kasey Fava

5' 10"
Freshman
OF
Devin Lewis

#16 Devin Lewis

5' 4"
Freshman
UTIL
Jaime Tino

#4 Jaime Tino

5' 9"
Freshman
P