Week One Game Notes

EVANSVILLE, Ind. –The University of Evansville softball team will hit the road this weekend for its season opener. The Aces will travel to Troy, Ala, to compete in the Troy Invitational.
 
Evansville will face host Troy, Virginia Tech, and North Florida during the three-day tournament. The Aces begin play Friday at 1:00 p.m. CST against the Hokies.
 
Complete Schedule (Central Time)
Fri 2/15 UE vs. Virginia Tech, 1:00 p.m.
Fri 2/15 UE at Troy, 3:00 p.m.
Sat 2/16 UE vs. North Florida, 11:00 a.m.
Sat 2/16 UE vs. TBA
Sun 2/17 UE vs. TBA
 
The Aces will return six starters and 12 letterwinners for the upcoming season, including sophomore Kayla Fortner who was named Second Team All-MVC and to the NFCA All-Region Second Team for the 2012 season.
 
Head coach Mark Redburn will retain his pitching staff, including Sarah Patterson, Kendall Kautz, and Taylor Perry, while introducing two freshmen, Sarah Baldwin and Annie Moore, to the versatile bullpen.
 
The infield will have a lot of depth, as seniors Alicia Betancur and Brianna Villanueva, as well juniors Emily Morris, Niki Rahming and Kacey Rogers, all return for the Aces. Freshmen Kirsten O’Conner and Tori Griffin will also join the Aces as infielders. Senior catcher Halie Malone will also be joined by freshman Morgan Baer behind the plate.
 
To round out the lineup in the outfield, senior Tamara Robey will be joined by sophomores Victoria Dellorto and Mariah Ferguson. Fortner will also see action in the outfield.
 
Scouting the Opponents:
 
Virginia Tech (4-1, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference)
Virginia Tech enters this weekend’s series with a 4-1 record after opening its season at the Dot Richardson National Collegiate Softball Invitational, with its only loss being  against Fordham. The Hokies were picked fourth in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Kat Banks leads the Hokies with a batting average of .500 in her 10 appearances at the plate. Banks has also racked up four RBI and one home run. Courtney Liddle has also shown power at the plate with a .375 batting average with 17 at bats and one home run. Jasmin Harrell leads the pitching staff this season with 12.0 innings in the circle, tallying a 1.75 ERA and 16 strikeouts.
 
Troy (2-2, 0-0 Sun Belt Conference)
Troy enters this weekend series with a 2-2 record after splitting at the Bulldog Kickoff Classic, with its two wins coming against Georgia State and Tennessee State. The Trojans were picked to finish fourth in the Sun Belt Conference, with senior catcher Hannah Renn named an at-large selection to the Preseason Sun Belt All-Conference team. With her 13 appearances at the plate, Renn leads the Trojans with six hits, a .462 batting average, three runs and a .467 on-base percentage. The pitching staff is led by Rachel Rigney with 13.2 innings pitched, seven strikeouts and a 4.10 ERA from within the circle.
 
North Florida (4-1, 0-0 Atlantic Sun Conference)
North Florida enters this weekend’s series with a 4-1 record, with their most recent win against UCF on Wednesday. The Ospreys were picked to finish seventh in the Atlantic Sun Conference. Ashley Holton leads the Ospreys at the plate with a .417 batting average, three runs scored and three RBI. Kayla Goff leads the pitching staff with 13.1 innings pitched, six strikeouts and one shutout. Goff has also pitched two complete games and owns a 1.58 ERA.
 
-www.GoPurpleAces.com-