Game Notes • Live Stats (Southern Miss) • Live Stats (Miss.Valley) • Live Stats (Nicholls) • Live Stats (Troy)
With the first games of the 2011 season under its belt, the University of Evansville softball team will hit the road again this weekend. This time, the Aces will travel to Hattiesburg, Miss., to compete in the Southern Mississippi Invitational.
Evansville (1-4) will face host Southern Mississippi, Mississippi Valley State, Nicholls State and Troy during the two-day tournament. The Aces begin play Saturday at 4:30 CST against Southern Miss.
“Last weekend was our first weekend on the field, and we were going up against teams that had been outside and competing for going on two weeks,” said head coach Mark Redburn. “This weekend I think we feel much more ready to go. We know what to expect.”
The Aces opened the 2011 season last weekend with a 1-4 showing at the South Alabama Mardi Gras Tournament. UE’s lone win came in the fashion of a 10-3 victory over Southeastern Louisiana.
“For us, this part of the season is all about learning and growing in preparation for Missouri Valley Conference play,” added Redburn. “We were able to learn a lot about our player personnel last weekend. Hopefully we will improve and make better adjustments from here on out.”
Freshman Katie Sears led UE in almost every offensive category, going 7-for-15 at the plate with a double and a triple last weekend. She posted a .467 batting average and had 10 total bases while scoring five of the Aces’ 18 runs. Senior Jen Stahlhut batted in six runs for UE over the weekend and had a perfect 3-for-3 appearance at the plate in UE’s win over Southeastern Louisiana. In the circle, sophomore Kendall Kautz leads the staff with a 3.18 ERA and three strikeouts in 5.2 innings of work.
Scouting the Opponents:
Southern Mississippi (5-5, 0-0 C-USA)
The Golden Eagles most recently lost a mid-week game to Mississippi State to round out their record to 5-5 on the season. Conference USA Player of the Week Jill Mathis is hitting .324 at the plate with five home runs and 12 runs batted in. As a team, the Golden Eagles carry a .282 batting average into this weekend. Beth Dietrich holds a 3.25 ERA with 17 strikeouts in 28 innings in the circle.
Mississippi Valley State (3-3, 0-0 SWAC)
The Devilettes bring a 3-3 record into this weekend, coming off Tuesday’s 6-1 loss against Ole Miss. Rashundra Bass is the only Devilette hitter to send a ball over the fence this season. Bass leads the offense with two total home runs and 10 RBI. With three pitchers on staff, Kim Spivey has pitched a majority of the innings, racking up a 5.09 ERA in 22 innings on the mound.
Nicholls State (5-6, 0-0 Southland)
The Colonels improved to a 5-6 record with a midweek win over Southern University. Batting .300, Ashley Ray leads Nicholls offensively with five home runs and 15 RBI this season. In the circle, Ashton Bennett leads the Colonel pitchers with a 2.36 ERA in 32.2 innings pitched.
Troy (7-3, 0-0 Sun Belt)
The Trojans carry a 7-3 record into this weekend after a 3-2 showing at Quality Inn Classic last weekend. Sun Belt Player of the Week Nikki Hollet leads the Trojans’ offense, hitting .471 in 34 at bats with seven home runs and 16 RBI. On the mound, Troy boasts a 1.93 ERA. Haley Hutchins leads the pitching staff with 22 strikeouts in 25.2 innings of work.
