The C-USA softball season concluded over the weekend with Southern Miss sitting on top of the standings with a 19-4 league record. The Golden Eagles earned the regular season crown after a three-game sweep over Louisville. The Cardinals will enter the tournament with the No. 2 seed after posting a 19-5 record.

HITTER OF THE WEEK
KRISTEN GLOWACZ, HOUSTON
Jr., 3B, Katy, Texas
Glowacz sparked the Houston offense in a three-game sweep over Saint Louis last weekend. She went 5-for-8 (.625) while collecting two doubles and a home run. Glowacz also scored six runs, recorded five RBI, and finished with a 1.250 slugging percentage. The junior collected 10 total bases in just three games and successfully stole three bases on three attempts.

PITCHERS OF THE WEEK
JESSICA HOLAWAY, SOUTHERN MISS
Sr., RHP, Baker, La.
Holaway led Southern Miss to three clutch wins over Louisville last weekend to capture the C-USA regular season championship as well as the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament. She pitched two complete game wins, including an eight-inning victory in game one. Holaway, who has won her last 10 C-USA starts, struck out nine batters and allowed just three earned runs in 15.0 innings pitched.

LEIGH ANN ELLIS, USF
Sr., LHP, Barboursville, W. Va.
Ellis went a perfect 5-0 this week with a 0.58 ERA. She came out of the bullpen to pitch two of the Bulls’ wins and improved her record to 39-4 on the year. In 24.1 innings of work, the senior struck out 33 batters and walked just three. Ellis scattered nine hits and allowed just two earned runs. Her ERA for the season now stands at 0.73.

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

ARV: LOUISVILLE (12)


ESPN.com/USA Softball Poll (as of May 2)
1. Arizona (19)
2. Florida State (1)
3. UCLA
4. LSU
5. California
6. Stanford
7. Michigan
8. Washington
9. Louisiana-Lafayette
10. Oregon
11. Tennessee
12. Georgia
13. Alabama
14. Nebraska
15. Fresno State
16. Auburn
17. Oregon State
18. USF
19. Long Beach State
20. Oklahoma
21. Florida
t22. Baylor
t22. Georgia Tech
24. Texas A&M
25. Notre Dame

ARV: LOUISVILLE (3), SOUTHERN MISS (1)

SOUTHERN MISS CAPTURES REGULAR SEASON TITLE

Southern Miss captured the Conference USA regular season title for the first time since 2000, the first year that the league sponsored softball as a sport. It is the Golden Eagles’ first crown under head coach GAY MCNUTT. This year’s tournament will be hosted by the University of Louisville and will take place from May 13-15 at Ulmer Stadium in Louisville, Ky.

Southern Miss (32-22) laid claim to the title in dramatic fashion as AURIEL JENKINS connected on a solo home run in the bottom of the sixth inning to edge Louisville 3-2 in the deciding game on Sunday. The win gave USM a 19-4 (.823) league record that edged the Cardinals 19-5 mark (.792) and earned the No. 1 seed in the tournament. Southern Miss, who won back-to-back conference tournament titles in C-USA’s first two seasons (2000 and 2001), will look to repeat history after a two-year hiatus. Jenkins has led the Golden Eagles all season on offense, hitting .399 for the year and blasting eight home runs.

Second-seeded Louisville posted a 19-5 league ledger and boasts an overall mark of 40-15, the most wins in program history. AJA SHERMAN led the Cards from the mound this year with a 15-5 record. The junior recorded three no-hitters this season including a perfect game. The squad will vie for the tournament title as it seeks U of L’s first ever softball NCAA appearance.

USF has earned the third seed and will be looking for its first C-USA Tournament title. The Bulls are ranked 17th in the nation in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll and finished the regular season at 18-5 in league play and 55-10 overall. For the second year in a row, the Bulls have collected 50-plus wins. They are just the fifth squad to reach the 50-win plateau in league history. The Bulls will open against sixth-seeded East Carolina in the first round on Thursday. East Carolina (46-22-1, 10-14) is making its second tournament appearance in three years. In 2002, the Pirates made the trip to Tampa, Fla. also as the No. 6 seed.

Two-time and defending C-USA Tournament Champion DePaul (25-28-1) finished fourth in the league standings with a mark of 13-9 to earn the No. 4 seed in the tournament. The Blue Demons will face No. 5 seed Houston (35-22), who finished with a 12-11 conference mark.

AROUND THE HORN

CHARLOTTE (23-29, 6-17 C-USA): Charlotte closed out the 2004 season on Sunday, dropping a 9-0 decision to East Carolina. It was the final game for seniors DENISE ATMAR and AUTUMN LAWSON. The 49ers' 23 wins are the second most for the program since 1997, when the team won 29. Freshman JESSICA MOORE ended the year with nine home runs, a single-season record, and is tied for fourth on the school's career list. KRISTEN BOWEN finished with 134 strikeouts, which is third in Charlotte’s program history.

DE PAUL (25-28-1, 13-9 C-USA): DePaul went 2-1 with UAB at Wish Field in its last weekend of regular season competition. The Blue Demons’ league record of 13-9 earns them the No. 4 seed at the conference tournament. It marks the first time that DePaul did not finish first or second in the league’s regular season standings. SARAH MARTZ pitched her sixth shutout of the season in the Blue Demons’ 8-0 win over the Blazers on Saturday. She also connected on her fourth home run of the year. DePaul will face No. 5 Houston on Thursday at 11 a.m. in Louisville, Ky. at the C-USA Tournament.

EAST CAROLINA (46-22-1, 10-14 C-USA): East Carolina took two from Charlotte to secure a spot in the C-USA Tournament this week. With a 10-14 league mark, the Pirates will enter as the No. 6 seed. It marks the second time in three years that East Carolina will compete in the tournament. CHRISTINE SHERIDAN led the squad in its final regular season series against the 49ers. She went 5-for-9 over three games while picking up a triple and two stolen bases. LACASSA HILL hit her eighth triple of the year to set a C-USA single-season record. The previous record of seven was set by DePaul’s SARAH MARTZ in 2001. The Pirates will face third-seeded USF on Thursday at 1:30 p.m. in the first round of the league tournament at Louisville, Ky.

HOUSTON (35-22, 12-11 C-USA): Houston swept a three-game series at Saint Louis over the weekend. CRYSTAL BRISCOE threw a two-hitter in game one and struck out a career-high 11 batters. In the 9-1 win over the Billikens in game two, KRISTEN GLOWACZ finished with four RBI on three hits including a two-run homer. CARLA KENNIMER picked up her seventh win of the season from the circle after tossing a one-hitter and striking out five in the series finale. Houston earns the fifth seed in the C-USA Tournament and will face No. 4 DePaul on Thursday in the first round.

LOUISVILLE (40-15, 19-5 C-USA): Louisville dropped its first league series of the year at Southern miss over the weekend. The losses put Louisville in the No. 2 spot in the standings and earned the Cardinals a second seed for the tournament. U of L fell victim to six Golden Eagle home runs from five different players. In game one, Louisville started off with a 1-0 league but dropped the contest in extra innings to a USM longball. The Cards will look for a home field advantage when they face the winner of USF/East Carolina on Thursday at the C-USA Tournament held at Ulmer Stadium.

SAINT LOUIS (16-45, 1-23 C-USA): Saint Louis closed its season with a three-game loss to Houston at home over the weekend. Sophomore ASHLEIGH WILLIAMS led the Billikens on offense throughout the 2004 season, batting .309 and collecting 28 RBI. Williams was also the home run and doubles leader after registering six and nine, respectively. Freshman ELIZABETH NIELSEN led the Bills from the mound with a 13-27 record. The rookie pitched 236.2 innings in her first collegiate year and struck out 132.

USF (55-10, 18-5 C-USA): USF won a pair of doubleheaders over the weekend. The Bulls took two from UCF on Friday before finishing up with back-to-back wins against Stetson on Sunday. Against the Hatters, USF pulled out two com-from-behind wins. In game one KRISTA HOLLE tied the game at 1-1 and then in the bottom of the seventh in game two, she delivered the game winning single. HOLLY GROVES batted 6-for-15 over the entire week and picked up five RBI, as well as two doubles and her 17th home run of the year. USF has earned the No. 3 seed in the C-USA Tournament and will face off against No. 6 East Carolina in Thursday’s first round.

SOUTHERN MISS (32-22, 19-4 C-USA): Southern Miss won its second Conference USA regular season title with a dramatic three-game sweep over Louisville. The title was the first under head coach GAY McNUTT. The victories also gave the Golden Eagles the top seed in this week’s C-USA Tournament. The current eight-game win streak is the longest streak for Southern Miss this season, while 32 wins are the most for the USM in three seasons, surpassing the 28-wins in both 2002 and 2003. Southern Miss will face the winner of the DePaul/Houston game on Thursday in Louisville, Ky.

UAB (20-36, 7-17 C-USA): UAB concluded its campaign with its first win in five seasons against DePaul. Prior to the victory, UAB trailed in the all-time series versus DePaul, 18-0. With the victory, the Blazers reached the 20-win plateau for a fifth-consecutive season and solidified a seventh-place finish in the C-USA standings. BETH MULLINS hit her fifth home run of the season against the Blue Demons. She is now tied for first place on UAB's all-time home run list at 15 with former Blazer Cliffanie Engram.

WINNING BIG
Houston and Louisville have combined to post five wins over nationally-ranked teams. USF has also recorded a win, beating then-No. 7 Stanford. Here's a look at this season's ranked wins:

2004 RANKED NON-CONFERENCE WINS
Feb. 18 Houston 6, (15) Texas A&M 5
Feb. 18 Houston, 3, (15) Texas A&M 0
Feb. 20 Louisville 3, (4) Oklahoma 1
Feb. 28 (22) USF 8, (7) Stanford 0
Feb. 29 Louisville 2, (19) Iowa 0
Mar. 6 Houston 2, (5) Oklahoma 1

FLAWLESS ON THE BASES
East Carolina’s LACASSA HILL has stolen a conference-leading 53 bases in 53 attempts for a perfect record this season. Her mark of 44 ranked seventh in the nation as of May 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.

THE 50-WIN CLUB
With a 6-3 win over DePaul on May 2, USF (55-10) reached 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).

COACHING MILESTONES
EUGENE LENTI of DePaul recorded his 800th career win last Wednesday at home against Northwestern. Lenti has been at the helm of the Blue Demon program for 23 seasons and becomes the 16th softball coach in NCAA Division I to reach the 800 mark.

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 167 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
This season, HOLLY GROVES of USF has set two new league single-season records. She had made her mark in the record books with 17 home runs and also with 80 RBI. Groves’ record-setting longball led the Bulls to a 5-0 victory at Jacksonville last Wednesday.

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.

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
May 3 Sarah Boyd DP Southern Miss
May 10 Kristen Glowacz 3B Houston

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
May 3 Aja Sherman RHP Louisville
May 10 Jessica Holaway RHP Southern Miss
Leigh Ann Ellis LHP USF


JUST SAY NO
AJA SHERMAN of Louisville became the fourth player in C-USA history to record three or more no-hitters in a single season. Here’s a look at the top four single-season leaders:
No-Hitters
2001 Felicia Gonzales, Southern Miss 4
2000 Courtney Blades, Southern Miss 3
2002 Lindsay Chouinard, DePaul 3
2004 Aja Sherman, Louisville 3