This Week In Drury Athletics (March 30-April 5) ...

SOFTBALL

It's an eight-game week ahead for coach Chantiel Wilson's DU Softball Panthers, starting with a Great Lakes Valley Conference doubleheader at noon today against league power Truman State at Thompson Field.

The Panthers improved to 10-14 overall and 3-7 in the league with a 2-0, 5-2 sweep of Quincy at Thompson on Sunday. Today, they'll take on a Truman team that's 19-5 overall and atop the GLVC standings with a 9-1 record.

Drury will then visit Missouri S&T (1-16, 0-10) for a pair on Tuesday in Rolla with a 2 p.m. start before playing host to Rockhurst (15-11, 6-6) for two on Friday at Thompson (1 p.m.) and then closing out this Easter weekend with a Saturday doubleheader at William Jewell (17-10, 5-7) in Liberty, with a noon start.

Sophomore pitcher Jessica Kjeldgaard has been a standout for DU particularly of late, currently riding a streak of 17 consecutive innings pitched without giving up an earned run after she fired a complete-game, two-hitter in Sunday's opener, then pitched three innings of scoreless relief for the save in the nightcap.

BASEBALL

Coach Scott Nasby's Panthers have a six-game GLVC week ahead, beginning with a Wednesday doubleheader at Missouri S&T in Rolla (noon start) before DU heads to St. Louis to play UMSL in doubleheaders on Friday (2 p.m.) and Saturday (noon).

The Miners are 11-10 overall and 6-4 in the league after sweeping a pair from UMSL in Rolla on Sunday (they'll finish the series with a pair today).

The Panthers took three of four this past weekend from Maryville at Meador Park to improve to 11-9-1 overall and 7-4-1 in the GLVC.  Drury won Friday's opener 13-8, fell 9-3 to the Saints on Saturday, then swept Sunday's doubleheader by 9-7 and 9-3 scores.

Junior designated hitter Conner Wilson had the hot bat for the Panthers over the weekend, going 7-for-16 with three runs scored and five RBIs in the four games.

MEN'S AND WOMEN'S TENNIS

Another successful week for coach Jarrod Smith's nationally-ranked Panthers, as the 15th-ranked DU men defeated Rockhurst 8-1 on Friday in Kansas City before defeating perennial NCAA Division III power Washington University of St. Louis 7-2 at the Cooper Tennis Complex on Sunday.

The Panthers (13-1, 2-0 in the GLVC) will jump back into league play this week, joining the 20th-ranked DU women in playing at Truman State in Kirksville on Friday (2 p.m.) before visiting Quincy for an 11 a.m. matchup on Saturday.

The Drury women (14-1, 2-0) won 7-2 at Rockhurst on Friday before blanking Maryville 9-0 on Saturday in a GLVC match.

WOMEN'S GOLF

Coach Dawna Jo Hartman's Lady Panthers are wrapping up their appearance in the Maryville Invitational in St. Louis today, where senior Meg Alumno shot a 77 on Sunday to grab the first-round lead and spark Drury to a second-place standing entering the final 18 holes this morning.

With Alumno finishing fifth overall, DU finished seventh last week in a 26-team regional field at the Perry Park Spring Fling outside of Louisville, Ky., strengthening both Alumno's chances of making the NCAA tourney field as an individual and the Lady Panthers as a team.

MEN'S GOLF

Coach Kellen Mast's Panthers also are wrapping up a weekend tourney today, in Columbus, Indiana for the Parkside Spring Invitational. Darkness kept the field from completing play on Sunday, so complete first-round scores were unavailable.

The Panthers will stay east this week, competing in the Midwest Regional No. 3 event Friday and Saturday in Batavia, Ohio.

TRACK AND FIELD

It's back to the track for the DU squads this weekend, as they compete Saturday in the Southwest Baptist Invitational.

Coach Don Keeton's Panthers ran Saturday at the Pittsburg State Relays, where Jamen Helton's second-place finish (in a field of 42 runners) highlighted Drury's efforts. Jessie Barton placed third in the 3,000-meter Steeplechase to highlight the showing for the DU women.

DRURY ATHLETICS CALENDAR

MONDAY
All Day - Women's Golf at Maryville Invitational, St. Louis
Noon - Softball vs. Truman State, Thompson Field (DH)

TUESDAY
3 p.m. - Softball at Missouri S&T, Rolla (DH)

WEDNESDAY
Noon - Baseball at Missouri S&T, Rolla (DH)

FRIDAY
All Day - Men's Golf at Midwest Regional No. 3, Batavia, Ohio
Noon - Baseball at Missouri-St. Louis, St. Louis (DH)
1 p.m. - Softball vs. Rockhurst, Thompson Field (DH)
2 p.m. - Men's, Women's Tennis at Truman State, Kirksville

SATURDAY
All Day - Men's, Women's Track and Field at Southwest Baptist Invitational, Bolivar
All Day - Men's Golf at Midwest Regional No. 3, Batavia, Ohio
11 a.m. - Men's, Women's Tennis at Quincy, Quincy, Ill.
Noon - Baseball at Missouri-St. Louis, St. Louis (DH)
Noon - Softball at William Jewell, Liberty (DH)