Louisville, USF, Southern Miss and DePaul have all clinched berths to the 2004 C-USA Softball Tournament. The Cardinals sit at the top of the standings with a 19-2 record in league action after a three-game sweep over Charlotte last weekend.

HITTERS OF THE WEEK
ASHLEY BRENAN, SOUTHERN MISS
So., 3B, Spring, Texas
Brenan hit safely in each game last week, helping Southern Miss to a 2-1 record. In the nightcap of the doubleheader against DePaul, the sophomore went 2-for-4 with two runs, four RBI and ended the game with a walk-off homer. Over three games, including a matchup against No. 2 LSU, Brenan went 4-for-11 and posted three runs, five RBI, while connecting on two longballs.

SHANNON NORD, LOUISVILLE
Sr., OF, Jeffersonville, Ind.
Nord led Louisville to a 3-1 mark, including a league sweep over Charlotte, as she hit .462 over the period ending April 26. The senior collected three stolen bases and struck out just once over the four contests. In game one against the 49ers, Nord went 2-for-2, with two runs, two RBI and a double. She is now No. 2 on U of L’s list for career stolen bases with 36.

PITCHER OF THE WEEK
AJA SHERMAN, LOUISVILLE
Jr., RHP, Las Vegas
Sherman posted Louisville’s first perfect game in the Cardinals’ 8-0 five-inning win over Charlotte. She retired all 15 batters she faced, while striking out six. The feat marked her second no-hitter of the season and the third of her career. Sherman also posted a win in the series finale over the 49ers. Over 12.0 innings pitched, Sherman held a 0.58 ERA, allowed one run, no extra-base hits, and limited her opponents to a .122 average. She is 10-0 in C-USA action this season.

NATIONAL POLLS
USA Today/NFCA Poll (as of Apr. 18)
1. Arizona (20)
2. LSU
3. Florida State
4. UCLA
5. California
6. Washington
7. Louisiana-Lafayette
t8. Michigan
t8. Stanford
10. Tennessee
11. Georgia
12. Oregon
13. Alabama
14. Fresno State
15. Nebraska
16. Oregon State
17. Florida
18. USF
19. Long Beach State
20. Oklahoma
21. Auburn
22. Pacific
23. Georgia Tech
24. Baylor
25. South Carolina

ARV: LOUISVILLE (14)


ESPN.com/USA Softball Poll (as of Apr. 18)
1. Arizona (20)
2. Florida State
3. UCLA
4. California
5. Washington
6. LSU
7. Louisiana-Lafayette
8. Michigan
9. Georgia
10. Stanford
11. Tennessee
12. Fresno State
13. Oregon
14. Alabama
15. Nebraska
16. Oregon State
17. USF
18. Florida
19. Auburn
20. Long Beach State
21. Oklahoma
22. Baylor
23. Pacific
24. Texas A&M
25. Florida Atlantic

ARV: LOUISVILLE (12)

USF PICKED TO WIN 2004 C-USA TITLE
CHICAGO – Nationally ranked and NCAA Tournament regular, USF (54-19, 17-6), has been selected to win the 2004 Conference USA Softball Championship, as voted on by the league’s nine head coaches. The Bulls’ Leigh Ann Ellis has been named preseason Pitcher of the Year while DePaul’s Sarah Martz has been chosen as the preseason Most Valuable Player.

PRESEASON POLL
(2003 Overall, Conference Records)

1. USF (54-19, 17-6)
2. DePaul (48-7-1, 22-2)
3. Houston (36-24, 15-9)
4. Louisville (24-26, 12-11)
5. Southern Miss (28-30, 12-12)
6. UAB (28-28, 10-14)
7. East Carolina (24-31, 5-19)
8. Charlotte (14-31, 4-19)
9. Saint Louis (21-18, 9-14)

PRESEASON ALL-LEAGUE TEAM
C: Arelis Ferreris, Houston
IF: Kattrina Dowd, USF
IF: Kristen Glowacz, Houston
IF: Carmela Liwag, USF
IF: Saskia Roberson, DePaul
IF: Christine Sheridan, East Carolina
IF: Aja Sherman, Louisville
OF: Heather Bell, Southern Miss
OF: Holly Groves, USF
OF: Shannon Nord, Louisville
OF: Shelly Riker, USF
P: Leigh Ann Ellis, USF
P: Jamie Falco, Houston
UT: Sarah Martz, Jr., DePaul
DP: Jenilee Skender, Houston

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Sarah Martz, DePaul
PITCHER OF THE YEAR: Leigh Ann Ellis, USF


THE 50-WIN CLUB
With a 49-8 record, USF is only one victory away from reaching the 50-win plateau. Last year, the Bulls became only the fourth school in league history to claim 50 or more wins. Southern Miss set the C-USA record for victories when the Golden Eagles notched a 63-13 mark in 2000. DePaul followed with back-to-back 50-plus win seasons in 2001 (51-16-1) and 2002 (50-11).

AROUND THE HORN

CHARLOTTE (18-25, 4-14 C-USA): Charlotte dropped three games to Louisville at Ulmer Stadium over the weekend. In the first game of the series, the 49ers were held hitless by AJA SHERMAN who pitched a perfect game. The Niners were edged in game two, 3-2, by the Cardinals. CHRISTY MURRAY held U of L to just one earned run, scattering four hits and striking out one. JESSICA MOORE went 2-for-8 over the three contests and collected two RBI. Charlotte will be back in action on Tuesday as it hosts Garner Webb in a doubleheader beginning at 2:30 p.m.


DE PAUL (20-22-1, 10-7 C-USA): DePaul shutout cross-town rival Loyola-Chicago in a single game on Thursday before dropping two contests at Southern Miss. The third game of the league series was canceled due to heavy rain. SARAH MARTZ posted her 241st career hit in the game against the Ramblers. She is now just one hit shy of tying the Blue Demon career record that Liz Bouck currently holds at 242. LINDA SECKA went 3-for-3 against Loyola and registered a double, while CHRISTINA DOUGLAS hit her eighth home run of the year. DePaul is tied for fourth in the conference with 31 team round-trippers this season. The Blue Demons will next tangle with Notre Dame on Tuesday in a doubleheader in South Bend, Ind.

EAST CAROLINA (44-16-1, 8-10 C-USA): East Carolina captured its second C-USA series of the season with a three-game sweep at Saint Louis. KELI HARRELL recorded two complete-game wins. She pitched 12.0 innings, scattering five hits while striking out 17. CHRISTINE SHERIDAN went 7-for-10 over the conference contests and scored four runs. KATE MANUSE connected on her 26th double of the season as she continues to lead the league in that category. In game two of the series, MANDI NICHOLS went 2-for-2 with four RBI, blasting a three-run homer to lift the Pirates. ECU will next face Southern Miss at home in a conference series starting on Saturday.

HOUSTON (29-21, 8-10 C-USA): Houston used two home runs in the first two innings to power its way past USF, en route to a 7-3 win in game one of conference series in Tampa, Fla. The Cougar victory snapped a 26-game home win streak by USF. UH joins Michigan State and Florida Atlantic as the only teams to beat the Bulls at home this year. CRYSTAL BRISCOE picked up the win from the circle, scattering seven hits and striking out one. She is currently 9-9 on the season. KRISTN GLOWACZ led on offense with her second grand slam of the year. The Cougars will take a break from conference action on Tuesday with a doubleheader at McNeese State.

LOUISVILLE (38-11, 19-2 C-USA): Louisville recorded its fourth consecutive league series sweep with a trio of wins against Charlotte at Ulmer Stadium last weekend. It was the Cardinals’ fifth conference sweep of the season and their seventh series win. AJA SHERMAN threw a perfect game in the first contest against the 49ers. It was her second no-hitter of the season and the first perfect game in U of L history. The Cards outscored the Niners, 15-3, and outhit their opponents, 22-8. Louisville ranks third in the conference in team runs scored and hits with 242 and 395, respectively. Sherman is also ranked third in individual ERA with a 1.29. The Cards will close out the regular season against Evansville on Tuesday at home. The doubleheader is slated to begin at 4 p.m.

SAINT LOUIS (16-37, 1-17 C-USA): Saint Louis fell in a trio of games to East Carolina over the weekend. ASHLEIGH WILLIAMS went 3-for-6 against ECU. She has set a new school record for total bases in a single season with 80. In addition, she has 51 hits on the year, the third-highest output in a season at SLU. ELIZABETH NIELSEN has tied the record for innings pitched in a season with 207. The record was first set by Heather Hubert in 2001. In addition, Nielsen started her 30th game of the year against the Pirates, the most starts by a SLU pitcher in one season. The Billikens will look to snap their losing streak at Southwest Missouri State in a doubleheader on Tuesday.


USF (49-9, 17-4 C-USA): USF captured a conference series over Houston after dropping game one to the Cougars. The Bulls bounced back to claim games two and three with scores of 3-0 and 2-0, respectively. KASEY CASH made her fifth start of the season and picked up the shutout win in game two of the series. She scattered three hits, while walking one and striking out three. HOLLY GROVES knocked in the eventual game-winning run in the finale with a double off the top of the leftfield fence. CARMELA LIWAG added the second run of the day, with her fifth home run of the season.

SOUTHERN MISS (26-22, 13-4 C-USA): Southern Miss took its fifth C-USA series of the season, sweeping the Saturday doubleheader against DePaul. The Sunday finale lasted just eight minutes before it was called due to inclement weather. The two victories over DePaul marked the first wins by USM in two years. Prior to Saturday's victory, the win over the Blue Demons came in the championship game of the 2001 C-USA tournament. CHARITY BUTLER led the team with five hits in eight at bats (.625), while AURIEL JENKINS, ASHLEY DAVIS and ASHLEY BRENAN each had four hits. JESSICA HOLAWAY picked up her sixth straight league victory and added her third save of the season.

UAB (16-32, 3-15 C-USA): On Thursday, UAB hosted its cross-town foe Samford and allowed four first-inning runs in an eventual 4-0 defeat. Despite the loss, the Blazers still hold a 2-1 advantage versus Samford on the season. Earlier this year, UAB earned a pair of victories over the Bulldogs en route to the championship title of the 2004 Magic City Classic. The Blazers will next be in action on Tuesday as they host Mississippi State at 6 p.m. at George Ward Park.

FLAWLESS ON THE BASES
East Carolina’s LACASSA HILL has stolen a conference-leading 44 bases in 44 attempts for a perfect record this season. Her mark ranked fourth in the nation as of April 18.

ONE-RUN GAMES
Charlotte 7-4
DePaul 5-7
East Carolina 14-3
Houston 8-10
Louisville 8-5
Saint Louis 10-8
USF 7-5
Southern Miss 10-1
UAB 11-12

NON-CONFERENCE RECORDS
Last season, Conference USA teams posted a non-conference record of 156-92-1, the best non-league ledger in C-USA’s first four seasons of softball. Here’s a look at this year’s non-conference marks:

Charlotte 14-11
DePaul 10-15-1
East Carolina 34-6-1
Houston 21-11
Louisville 19-9
Saint Louis 15-20
USF 32-5
Southern Miss 13-18
UAB 13-17
TOTAL 171-112-2

MARTZ NAMED NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
DePaul’s SARAH MARTZ was named Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division I Player of the Week for the period ending April 18. Martz led the Blue Demons to a 7-0 record over the week as she recorded four wins from the circle, including her second career perfect game, and hit 15-for-25 (.600). This is the third time that a DePaul player has received a national player of the week award and the seventh time in league history. Earlier this year, USF’s LEIGH ANN ELLIS garnered the honor for pitching four wins and one save while holding a 0.00 ERA at the over the week ending March 7.

GROVES AND ELLIS ON PLAYER OF THE YEAR WATCH LIST
Teammates HOLLY GROVES and LEIGH ANN ELLIS of USF have been named to the list of 25 finalists for the third annual USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Award. This award, which is considered the Heisman Trophy in women's collegiate softball and is the only softball national player of the year award, is designed to recognize outstanding athletic achievement by female collegiate softball players across the country. The initial watch list was comprised of 40 players and will be narrowed down for the second time, to ten players, on April 28.

COACHING MILESTONES
Charlotte head coach AIMEE DEVOS earned her 200th win of her career on April 9, with the 49ers’ win over Saint Louis. Devos is in her 10th year as head coach and 11th year with the Niners’ program.

Louisville’s head coach SANDY PEARSALL recorded her 400th career win in the Cardinals’ 5-0 shutout against UAB on March 28. In her fifth season with U of L, Pearsall has accumulated 165 victories.

ERIKSEN NAMED TO USA SOFTBALL COACHING STAFF
USF’s KEN ERIKSEN will serve on the 2004 Olympic Team coaching staff. Eriksen joins John Rittman (Stanford University) as an assistant to head coach Mike Candrea (University of Arizona). The trio will attempt to lead the Women’s National Team to its third (of a possible three) consecutive gold medal, in Athens, Greece this summer.

Eriksen’s teams met up on March 6 as USF matched up against the USA Olympic team at Clearwater, Fla. in an exhibition game. LEIGH ANN ELLIS struck out five batters and held USA scoreless until the bottom of the sixth inning but the Olympians rallied to win 3-0. Team USA also met up with DePaul at the Kia Klassic in Fullerton, Calif. on March 18. The Blue Demons fell 9-0.

2004 C-USA TOURNAMENT
The 2004 Dr. Mark Lynn & Assoc., PLLC Conference USA Softball Tournament will be held May 13-15 in Louisville, Kentucky. Three year old Ulmer Stadium on the University of Louisville’s campus will serve as the host site of the double-elimination tournament. The championship game on Saturday, May 15 will be televised by affiliates of the Conference USA Television Network. Louisville played host the 2001 Conference USA Tournament, where Southern Miss defeated DePaul, 2-0, in the championship. The Blue Demons are the defending tournament champion.


RE-WRITING THE BOOKS
KATE MANUSE of East Carolina has claimed the league single-season record for doubles. She has tallied 26 this year and has outdone former Pirate, Angela Manzo who set the record with 21 in 2002. Manuse’s record-setting extra base hit lifted ECU to a win over No. 18 USF on April 9.

This season, HOLLY GROVES of USF has collected 72 RBI to take over the No. 1 slot in the C-USA single-season record book. The top spot was previously held by Amy Berman of Southern Miss who batted in 58 in 2000.

Houston’s JENNY JOHNSON has also made the C-USA annals after recording eight saves this season. The previous record of five was held by Jamie Peterka of USF (2001) and Lindsay Chouinard (2000, 2002).

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Each Monday during the season Conference USA names a Hitter of the Week and a Pitcher of the Week. Here’s a look at the season’s winners:

HITTER OF THE WEEK
Feb. 9 Michelle Keith 1B Houston
Feb. 16 Mandi Nichols INF East Carolina
Audrey Rendon 3B Louisville
Feb. 23 Lisa Estes C/OF Louisville
Mar. 1 Courtney Moore SS Louisville
Mar. 8 Courtney Moore SS Louisville
Mar. 15 Holly Groves OF USF
Mar. 22 Kate Manuse INF East Carolina
Mar. 29 Auriel Jenkins OF Southern Miss
Apr. 5 Tiffany Stewart OF USF
Apr. 12 Courtney Moore SS Louisville
Apr. 19 Sarah Martz RHP DePaul
Apr. 26 Ashley Brenan 3B Southern Miss
Shannon Nord OF Louisville

PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Feb. 9 Leigh Ann Ellis LHP USF
Feb. 16 Kady Garrick RHP Louisville
Feb. 23 Jenny Johnson P Houston
Mar. 1 Catherine Bishop RHP Louisville
Erica Mascarenas RHP UAB
Mar. 8 Jenny Johnson P Houston
Leigh Ann Ellis LHP USF
Mar. 15 Jenny Johnson P Houston
Mar. 22 Leigh Ann Ellis LHP USF
Mar. 29 Leigh Ann Ellis LHP USF
Sarah Martz RHP DePaul
Apr. 5 Leigh Ann Ellis LHP USF
Aja Sherman RHP Louisville
Apr. 12 Kady Garrick RHP Louisville
Apr. 19 Sarah Martz RHP DePaul
Apr. 26 Aja Sherman RHP Louisville