April 28, 2008
IRVING, Texas - Houston clinched the Conference USA regular season title on Sunday as they swept UAB. This is the second consecutive regular season title for UH. The ninth-ranked Cougars are 44-7 overall and 18-2 in C-USA. With their 44 wins this season, Houston has tied the program record for single season wins. Houston also recorded 44 wins during the 2007 season.
En route to the C-USA title, the Cougars swept five conference series over Marshall, Southern Miss, Memphis, ECU and UAB. They went 2-1 in the series against Tulsa and 1-1 against UCF. Houston was a perfect 9-0 at home in conference action.
Houston senior pitcher Angel Shamblin is alone in third on the all-time victories list and is has also just moved into third on the all-time strikeout list. Shamblin has 85 career wins and needs four more to move into second place. She has 797 career strikeouts and needs just 62 more to move into second place on that list.
RECENT RESULTS
Sunday, April 27
UCF 8, Stetson 0 (5 inn.)
*Tulsa 2, Marshall 1
*No. 9 Houston 8, UAB 0 (5 inn.)
*Southern Miss 3, UTEP 0
Saturday, April 26
*Marshall 3, Tulsa 1
*Tulsa 4, Marshall 3
*East Carolina 9, Memphis 4
*East Carolina 12, Memphis 11
*No. 9 Houston 4, UAB 0
*No. 9 Houston 8, UAB 3
*UTEP 8, Southern Miss 7
*UTEP 10, Southern Miss 2
Wednesday, April 23
Tulsa 1, Missouri State 0 (8 inn.)
Tulsa 5, Missouri State 3
Campbell 6, East Carolina 3
Campbell 12, East Carolina 4
No. 9 Houston 10, Sam Houston St. 2 (5 inn.)
No. 23 Mississippi St. 5, Southern Miss 2
Tuesday, April 22
Tulsa 6, Central Arkansas 1
Tulsa 5, Central Arkansas 0
ON THE WEB
For the latest Conference USA softball game recaps, scores, standings, stats and notes, please log on to the league's official website: www.ConferenceUSA.com
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK (4/28)
HITTER OF THE WEEK
JESSICA VALIS - Houston
SS, Jr., Shiner, Texas (St. Paul)
Valis went 8-for-14 in four games last week for a .571 batting average. In the conference series against UAB, she registered two multi-hit games to go along with a double and an RBI. The double was her ninth of the season. The junior leadoff hitter registered a .600 on-base percentage for the week and had a stolen base in UH's mid-week game to give her a team-best 16 on the season. Her stolen base total is tied for the second most in a single season and she holds the top mark with 25 in 2006. Valis is now hitting .542 in conference games and .453 overall to lead the regular season champion Cougars. This is Valis' third career weekly honor, her second consecutive (4/21, 4/28) in 2008.
PITCHER OF THE WEEK
JORDAN KINARD - Tulsa
P, Fr., San Spring, Okla. (Mannford)Kinard finished last week with a 0.75 ERA, including her fifth shutout of the season. The freshman recorded her second no-hitter of the year and the eighth in school history, with an eight-inning no-no in TU's mid-week game against Missouri State. Her efforts helped her take over the team lead in strikeouts with 121 on the season. She became only the fifth TU freshman to record more than 100 strikeouts in a season and currently has the second most Ks for a rookie at TU. The weekly honor is the second for Kinard in 2008 (Feb. 25).
HOUSTON CLINCHES C-USA REGULAR SEASON SOFTBALL TITLE
The University of Houston softball team clinched the Conference USA regular season title this weekend with their sweep of UAB in Birmingham, Ala. This is the second consecutive regular season title for UH.
The ninth-ranked Cougars are 44-7 overall and 18-2 in C-USA. With their 44 wins this season, Houston has tied the program record for single season wins. Houston also recorded 44 wins during the 2007 season.
En route to the C-USA title, the Cougars swept five conference series over Marshall, Southern Miss, Memphis, ECU and UAB. They went 2-1 in the series against Tulsa and 1-1 against UCF. Houston was a perfect 9-0 at home in conference action.
DIAMOND STARS
Each week, teams have individuals who shine both at the plate and in the circle and this is where those efforts will be highlighted throughout the season.
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES AT THE PLATE (4/22 - 4/27)
STACEY ANDREWS - East Carolina
Andrews hit 4-for-11 (.364) in three contests with two home runs, four runs scored, five RBI and a stolen base as ECU swept Memphis in a two-game C-USA series.
Rachel Folden - Marshall
Folden finished the week going 4-for-8 to increase her batting average to a conference-best .433. She recorded her 20th double and her 17th home run.
LINDSAY KELSO - Memphis
Kelso went 3-for-8 (.375) in two games with three RBI, two runs scored, a home run and a double.
MEGAN HILL- Southern Miss
Hill finished the week batting .600 (6-for-10) with one home run and two RBI. She was walked four times and hit by a pitch.
VANESSA VICE - Tulsa
Vice posted a team-best .421 average last week, including a 3-for-4 performance in the final game against Marshall.
ASHLEY PEREZ - UTEP
Perez batted .667 after going 4-for-6 with two runs, one long ball and four RBI over the weekend to help the Miners win their third consecutive C-USA series for the first time in program history.
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES IN THE CIRCLE (4/22 - 4/27)
BROOKE SWANN - East Carolina
Swann went 2-1 last week and picked up both wins against Memphis. She threw her 24th complete game of the season and notched seven strikeouts in 9.2 innings of work.
ANGEL SHAMBLIN - Houston
Shamblin moved to 13-0 in the circle in league games with two wins against UAB last week. She allowed just three hits in 12.0 innings of work and has a league-best 0.61 ERA on the season.
CAITLYN JACKSON - Marshall
Jackson went 1-1 with a complete game victory in game one against Tulsa, holding the Golden Hurricane to four hits and one run.
ALLISON KIME - UCF
Kime allowed only two hits and held Stetson scoreless on Sunday, to pick up her 25th win of the season Sunday afternoon. The senior posted seven strikeouts in the five-inning affair, giving her 277 on the season, a mark that leads the league.
C-USA NOTEBOOK
EAST CAROLINA
On The Defensive
The East Carolina softball team is lights out when it holds its opponents to two runs or less in a game. In 2008, the squad has done that 25 times. Even more impressively, the Pirates hold a record of 23-2 in those contests. Over the last two seasons, ECU holds a 60-5 record in such games.
Down The Stretch
The Pirates will not duplicate their second place league finish from a year ago, but they still have ample opportunity to move up in the standings with one more conference series left. ECU will host UAB this weekend in an attempt to move up from sixth place. The Pirates can finish as high as fourth but also as low as eighth which would mean participation in the play-in game of the nine-team C-USA Championship.
HOUSTON
Cougard Clinch
Houston clinched the Conference USA regular season title on Sunday as it swept UAB. This is the second consecutive regular season title for UH. The ninth-ranked Cougars are 44-7 overall and 18-2 in C-USA. With its 44 wins this season, Houston has tied the program record for single season wins. Houston also recorded 44 wins during the 2007 season. En route to the C-USA title, the Cougars swept five conference series over Marshall, Southern Miss, Memphis, ECU and UAB. They went 2-1 in the series against Tulsa and 1-1 against UCF. Houston was a perfect 9-0 at home in conference action.
Shamblin in Third
Houston senior pitcher Angel Shamblin is alone in third on the all-time C-USA victories list and is has also just moved into third on the all-time strikeout list. Shamblin has 85 career wins and needs four more to move into second place. She has 797 career strikeouts and needs just 62 more to move into second place on that list.
MARSHALL
Folden in Second
Senior All-American Rachel Folden smacked another home run last week and is now alone in second place on the C-USA career homer list with 49. Folden went 4-for-8 last week and increased her season batting average to a conference-best .433. She has 17 round trippers in 2008, one away from her personal season best.
Jackson Leads the Herd
Sophomore Caitlyn Jackson made an appearance in all three games last weekend for the Herd. She made starts in games one and three and was victorious in the series opener, earning the complete game victory limiting TU to four hits and one run.
MEMPHIS
Can I Get a Gross
Junior Tori Gross has been the biggest offensive threat for the Tigers in the past month and a half. Since returning to the starting lineup on March 12, the second baseman has hit .380 with a .606 slugging percentage, .470 on base percentage, 16 RBI, 10 extra base hits and only 11 strikeouts in 29 games. Prior to her hot streak, Gross was hitting .043. She now is third on the team with a .298 average, a .500 slugging percentage, seven doubles, and is second with a .429 on base percentage.
Back in Blue
In the second practice of the fall, freshman Maddie McKinley broke her ankle on a sliding drill and did not return until January, just before the start of the 2008 season. A starter in 21 of the last 22 games, McKinley is now fourth on the team with a .273 batting average and second with a .509 slugging percentage. In 55 at-bats, she has three home runs, four doubles and 11 RBI.
SOUTHERN MISS
Golden Nuggets
Kristin Chaney batted .429 with six hits and one RBI last week. Jennifer Fox batted .417 with five hits, including a double. Fox has started 234 consecutive games in her career. She moved into a tie for second in career hits with 185 with Amy Berman and second in at-bats (668)
Hill Leads USM
Megan Hill finished the week batting .600 with six hits, including one home run. She was walked four times and hit by a pitch. Hill had a slugging percentage of .900 and on-base percentage of .733. She belted her fifth home run of the season against UTEP, pushing her career total to 18 and tied for No. 8 on the all-time list. The sophomore leads the team with a .333 average
TULSA
Lindsay Tops Country in Doubles
Sophomore Lauren Lindsay currently leads Conference USA with 21 doubles. Not only is that mark the most in C-USA, it also tops the nation. Heading into this weekend's action, only two players nationally have posted over 20 doubles on the season.Last season, current senior Sara Dyer posted the most doubles in the country with a school record 25.
Friendly Confines
The Golden Hurricane moved into its current campus home in time for the 2002 softball season. Since that time TU has posted a 112-43 record at the Donna J. Hardesty Sports Complex, including a 12-3 record this season. This season has seen TU win the Holiday Inn Select-Tulsa Festival and defeat No.9 Oklahoma for the second straight season in Tulsa. TU recently had an 11 game home-winning streak, the best stretch in program history.
UAB
Blazers Close Out Season At ECU
The 2008 regular season comes to a close this weekend as the UAB softball team visits Greenville, N.C. for a three-game series with East Carolina. The crucial series could help decide seeding for the upcoming conference tournament. UAB is 8-13 and eighth in the league standings, while ECU is 8-11 and sixth. The Blazers closed out their home schedule by dropping a three-game series to No. 9 Houston last weekend.
Blazers Flaming Out
UAB has dropped its last six contests, becoming the longest losing streak in two seasons. This is the first six-game losing streak since the Blazers lost seven in a row between March 24-29 of 2006. The Blazers have had two five-game losing streaks and to go along with the recent streak.
UCF
Knights Blank Hatters
Allison Kime pitched her 11th shutout of the season in the circle, while Breanne Javier was 2-for-3 with three RBI at the plate, to lead UCF to a, 8-0, win over Stetson in five innings Sunday. The five-inning affair was the second-consecutive run-rule game for the Knights after blanking Memphis, 8-0 in five innings in their last outing. Javier extended her hitting streak to 11 games, which ties for the longest stretch this season. The junior also posted her 25th multiple-hit game and her seventh multiple-RBI game of 2008.
Fastest to 40
The win over Stetson gave the Knights 40 wins on the season through 57 games, the fastest to the number to date, and marks the fourth time in program history that UCF has posted 40 or more wins in a season. The last time the Black and Gold posted 40 or more wins in a season was in 2005, the year it made its debut in the NCAA Tournament.
UTEP
Miners Score Victory
UTEP captured its school-record 29th victory in the Miners' twin bill sweep over Southern Miss on Saturday. The mark eclipsed last year's ledger of 28 wins and the 10 league wins gave UTEP its best conference season mark in school history. The previous best conference finish was eight wins during the 2006 season. The Miners posted just eight wins their inaugural season in 2004. The series victory was also the Miners' third straight conference series victory in UTEP history. The Orange and Blue have now won four conference series' in 2008, a record mark for UTEP.
Double Double
The Miners laced seven doubles over the weekend to bring their 2008 total to 87, eclipsing the previous record of 81 set last season. Four Miners have knocked double-figure doubles - Camilla Carrera, Stacie Townsend, Amber Bennett and Ashley Perez. Carrera and Bennett lead the pack with 12 each while Townsend and Perez have tallied 11 this season.
AROUND THE HORN
EAST CAROLINA
East Carolina (32-25, 8-11) pounded out 21 runs, 21 hits and induced 11 errors as it swept a doubleheader from Memphis Saturday afternoon at the Tiger Softball Complex. The Pirates broke a four-game skid with the wins. Junior Brooke Swann picked up both wins in the circle, improving her record to 20-18 as she needs just one more victory to move her into a tie for 10th-place on the ECU single season ledger. Swann recorded seven strikeouts and threw her 24th complete game in game one. Stacey Andrews went 4-for-11 (.364) over the weekend with two home runs, four runs scores and five RBI to go along with a stolen base. She tallied a 1.000 slugging percentage and a .429 on-base percentage against the Tigers. The final game of the series was washed out due to rain and will not be made up. ECU will head to Blacksburg, Va. on Tuesday for their final road and non-conference contests of 2008 as they battle No. 18 Virginia Tech in a doubleheader at the Hokie Softball Park.
HOUSTON
No. 9 Houston (44-7, 18-2) clinched the Conference USA regular season title last weekend with their sweep of UAB in Birmingham, Ala. This is the second consecutive regular season title for UH. With their 44 wins this season, Houston has tied the program record for single season victories. Houston also recorded 44 wins during the 2007 season. En route to the C-USA title, the Cougars swept five conference series over Marshall, Southern Miss, Memphis, ECU and UAB. They went 2-1 in the series against Tulsa and 1-1 against UCF. Houston is a perfect 9-0 at home in conference action. The Cougars have one series remaining against UTEP on May 3-4 at Cougar Softball Stadium. Houston clinched the title over the weekend after defeating the Blazers in three games with scores of 4-0, 8-3 and 8-0. In the second game of the series, junior Laurie Wagner hit her 16th home run of the year. She is now one homer away from tying the single season record for home runs of 17. As a team, Houston has 64 home runs, which is a single season record. Last season, Houston won the regular season title with a 20-4 record.
MARSHALL
Marshall (24-28, 11-11) fell 2-1 to Tulsa in the home and Conference USA season finale, Sunday afternoon at Dot Hicks Field. Sophomore ace Caitlyn Jackson (12-16) was credited with the loss after going five innings allowing two runs from seven hits. She was relieved in the sixth when junior Autumn Mitchell entered the game. Mitchell closed out the final two innings limiting the Golden Hurricane to one hit, while striking out four. All-American Rachel Folden finished the weekend going 4-for-8 (.500) to increase her season batting average to a conference-best .433. She recorded her 20th double of the season along with her 17th home run, which puts her one away from breaking her personal best she set in 2006. Folden is also alone in second on the C-USA career home run chart with 49. She need just two more to tie the record and three to become the all-time home run leader. Marshall will now conclude its 2008 regular-season when it travels to Washington, D.C., for a doubleheader against Georgetown, Saturday, May 3.
MEMPHIS
Five Tigers homered on Saturday as Memphis (24-26, 4-15)scored 15 runs in a doubleheader with East Carolina at the Tiger Softball Complex, but the Pirates came from behind to win both, 9-4 and 12-11. Memphis out hit ECU 22-21 in the two games and began both contests with at least a four-run lead, but fielding errors troubled the Tigers throughout the day. Eleven errors on the day helped spur comebacks for the Pirates as ECU came from a 4-0 deficit in game one and overcame a 5-0 Memphis lead in game two. Senior Lindsay Kelso, junior Tori Gross, sophomore Leigh Rowan and freshmen Kailey Kassner and Maddie McKinley all hit home runs for Memphis. McKinley finished 4-for-5 with two runs scored and one RBI, and Kelso and Gross both had three hits and three RBI. Due to inclement weather, the final game of the series was canceled and will not be rescheduled. The cancellation ended the Tigers 2008 home season as the team will conclude the regular season next week, May 3-4, at Tulsa.
SOUTHERN MISS
Southern Miss (24-27, 8-13) finished the week 1-3 with a win and two losses to UTEP and a loss to in-state rival Mississippi State. The Golden Eagles snapped a five-game losing streak with the 3-0 win against the Miners. Several Golden Eagles turned in solid performances at the plate. Megan Hill finished the week batting .600 with six hits, including one home run. She was walked four times and hit by a pitch. Hill had a slugging percentage of .900 and on-base percentage of .733. The sophomore belted her fifth home run of the season against UTEP, pushing her career total to 18, tied for No. 8 on the all-time USM list. Southern Miss hit multiple home runs in Sunday's game against UTEP, the first time since the McNeese State game on March 5. Southern Miss concludes the regular season at home with a three-game series against UCF this weekend.
TULSA
Tulsa (30-21, 11-10) recorded a milestone on Sunday, while also moving up in the Conference USA standings. TU recorded eight hits against Marshall while also scoring two runs in a 2-1 victory over the Thundering Herd. The win was TU's 30th of the season, marking the seventh consecutive year the Golden Hurricane has won at least 30 games. The win also moved TU into third place in C-USA standings, a half game ahead of Marshall with three conference games left. Marshall is done with its league schedule. Freshman pitcher Jordan Kinard finished the week with a 0.75 ERA, including a mid-week no-hitter against Missouri State. The no-no was the eighth in school history and the second for Kinard this season. For her efforts, she was named C-USA Pitcher of the Week. Vanessa Vice posted a team-best .421 batting average, including a 3-for-4 performance in the final game against the Herd. Tulsa will close out the regular season with a midweek double header against Wichita State.
UAB
UAB (23-32, 8-13) fell to No. 9 Houston, 8-0 in five innings, in its final home game of the season Sunday at George Ward Park. The Blazers stayed in the contest for the first few innings, before the Cougars scored four runs in the fourth and fifth innings, forcing the eight-run five-inning run rule. Senior hurler Jennifer Nelson pitched 7.1 innings in the series and notched seven strikeouts. Kayla Harris saw action in all three contests, earning the start in game one and appearing in relief in games two and threes. Harris tallied four strikeouts 11.2 innings of work. Leigh Walker finished the series 2-for-7 with one runs scored and two walks. The Blazer bats were helped in check by the league-leading Houston pitching as they recorded just seven hits all weekend, while committing eight errors. UAB travels to Greenville, N.C. next weekend to face East Carolina in its final regular season games. The Blazers and Pirates will play a doubleheader beginning at 12 p.m.
UCF
Allison Kime pitched her 11th shutout of the season in the circle, while Breanne Javier was 2-for-3 with three RBI at the plate, to lead UCF (40-17, 14-6) to an, 8-0, win over in-state rival Stetson (37-21) in five innings Sunday afternoon at the UCF Softball Complex. The five-inning affair was the second-consecutive run-rule game for the Knights after blanking Memphis, 8-0 in five innings in their last outing on April 20. With her single in the third inning, Javier extended her hitting streak to 11 games, which ties for the longest stretch this season. The junior also posted her 25th multiple-hit game and her seventh multiple-RBI game of 2008; both are marks that lead her team. Kime allowed only two hits in the contest, while striking out seven to pick up her 25th victory of the season in her last outing at the UCF Softball Complex. The Knights play one final mid-week contest on April 30 at Bethune-Cookman, before concluding their regular-season schedule at Southern Miss May 3-4.
UTEP
UTEP's (29-20, 10-11) first four year senior class - a group of seven - played their final game at Helen of Troy Field on Sunday, as the Miners fell 3-0 to Southern Miss. Despite the loss, the Miners have clinched their last three conference series' (UCF, ECU, USM) the most in school history, while shattering two UTEP victory records - overall and league wins in a season. Renee DiPuccio, Kandice Henry, Simone Holland, Ashley Perez, Rachel Schaeffer, Nichole Tunget and Andi Zolton were honored after the game. DiPuccio started in the circle for the Miners. She struck out eight batters, one strike out short of her personal best. Tunget, who came in relief, received the loss and moves to 8-5 on the season. On the week, Perez batted .667 going 4-for-6 with two runs scored, one long ball and four RBI. UTEP will head to No. 9 Houston next weekend to close out its regular season. They will then participate in the 2008 Conference USA Softball Championships, hosted by Houston.
