Softball | 3/12/2015 12:44:00 PM

Ellensburg, Wash. (Mar. 11)  -- The Central Washington University softball team will host Northwest Nazarene for its home opening weekend with a pair of doubleheaders this Friday and Saturday.
 
The Wildcats have played their first 15 games on the road and are eager to play at home in front of their home crowd.
 
"The energy we get from playing on our home field and our home fans is a great advantage," CWU Head Coach Mallory Holtman-Fletcher said.  "We haven't just been on the road, we had some serious travelling, and it wears on you to be on the road for 17 hours and get off a bus to get ready for a series.  We are extremely excited to wake up in the comforts of our own homes, come to our own field and play some softball."
 
Central Washington holds an 8-7 overall record, with a 2-2 mark in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play.   The Crusaders are just 2-13 on the season and 0-4 in conference.
 
The Wildcat pitching staff has been rock solid this season led by Kiana Wood and Lindsey Kamphuis.  Central Washington leads the conference in team earned run average at 2.93 with Wood and Kamphuis owning a 2.79 and 2.83 ERA respectively.  The CWU staff, which includes Brielle Copodonna, are keeping the ball in the infield with a 6 to 1 groundball to fly ball ratio.  With NNU hitting a conference low .264, the CWU pitchers should have a good week.
 
"We have a really strong one-two combo who can come in and pitch a whole game or come in relief and close a game out, "Holtman-fletcher said about her pitching staff.  "Kiana (Wood) and Lindsey (Kamphuis) have done a great job sticking to a game plan and it helps that they have total confidence in the players behind them."
 
Offensively the Wildcats will be without their shortstop and top offensive threat Taylor Ferleman who has missed the last two games after being hit by a pitch in the first inning of the team's 7-0 win over Simon Fraser.
 
In her absence, Andrea Hamada has moved from third base to shortstop and junior Alexa Olague has stepped in at third base.
 
With the loss of Ferleman the Wildcats will lead heavily on the front end of their lineup that includes, Sammy Morris, Celine Fowler, Kailyn Campbell, Austin Wilkerson and Hamada.  Morris has been a machine for the Wildcats from her leadoff roll.  She is hitting .431 and leads the team with 25 hits, 17 runs scored and 31 total bases.
 
Fowler Campbell and Wilkerson are each hitting over .320 with 47 combined hits.
 
"We need our top end to continue to be successful and keep doing what they have been doing all season," Holtman-Fletcher explained.  "At this point we really need the bottom half of the lineup to step up and create scoring opportunities, and give us a chance to capitalize with runners on base."
 
The first set of doubleheaders starts Friday at 1 p.m. Games three and four will start at Noon on Saturday.