Western Illinois University Leathernecks Women’s Softball will begin conference play with a three-game series against Southeast Missouri State (SEMO) at the Southeast Softball Complex in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. The games are scheduled for Sunday, March 8, with contests at noon and 2:00 p.m., and Monday, March 9, at 11:00 a.m.
The Leathernecks enter Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) play with an overall record of 5-11. SEMO holds a 4-13 record ahead of the matchup. SEMO’s offense is led by Madison Winkler, who has posted a .415 batting average across 17 starts. Winkler has tallied 22 hits in 53 at-bats, with a .566 slugging percentage and a 1.022 OPS. She leads her team with nine RBIs and has recorded one triple and two home runs.
Western Illinois comes into this series after competing in the Lindenwood Invite, where they lost to Indiana State by a score of 10–0 and then dropped a close game to Valparaiso, 4–3. In the contest against Indiana State, the Leathernecks managed only one hit. Against Valparaiso, pitcher Libby Spaulding pitched all seven innings, allowing four runs on six hits while striking out three batters.
Last season, Western Illinois was swept by SEMO at home in their series matchup. This upcoming series provides an opportunity for the Leathernecks to start OVC play strongly and seek redemption from last year’s results.
Western Illinois University Leathernecks Women’s Softball competes at the NCAA Division I level as part of the Ohio Valley Conference (official website). The team operates out of Macomb, Illinois and forms part of Western Illinois University’s intercollegiate athletics offerings (official website).
For more information about Leatherneck Softball or updates during the season, visit GoLeathernecks.com or follow the team on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook.
