March 14, 2008
Orlando, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - The UCF softball team travels to Birmingham, Ala., this weekend for its first Conference USA road trip of the season. The Knights face the Blazers in a 2 p.m. ET doubleheader Saturday, before wrapping up the three-game series with a 2 p.m. ET contest Sunday.
Previewing UAB
The Blazers host the Knights with a 13-14 overall record and a 0-3 league record on the season, posting wins over teams such as Arkansas, Oklahoma State, Jacksonville and Alabama State. UAB has suffered losses to Michigan State, Florida State, California, No. 18 Mississippi State and No. 2 Alabama. Its three conference losses have come at the hands of UTEP.
Holly Krzan leads the Blazers' offense in almost every offensive category, including batting average (.373), runs (21), hits (28), home runs (3) and RBI (16). Jennifer Nelson has seen the most time for UAB in the circle, tallying 133 strikeouts in 112.2 innings pitched.
UAB leads the all-time series between the two teams, hold a 2-4 advantage over the Knights.
Approaching a Milestone
Thanks to three victories last week, UCF head coach Renee Luers-Gillispie is only one win away from posting her 500th career win as a head coach. The skipper began her career at Joliet Junior College in 1991, before moving on the start programs at both Bradley University and Texas Tech University. While at Bradley, Luers-Gillispie's squad ranked fifth in the nation in winning percentage after registering a 33-8 season, before she led Texas Tech to a No. 17 national ranking in 1998 and a No. 24 ranking the following season. Following four season with the Lady Raiders, Luers-Gillispie started the program at UCF, guiding the Knights to the NCAA Regionals in 2005. The skipper currently holds a 499-380-3 all-time record.
A Pair of Streakers
Going into this weekend's league-series with UAB, both Hillary Barrow and Tiffany Lane are currently on a five-game hitting streak. Both infielders posted two hits in the Knights' series finale win over East Carolina, before adding one hit a piece in each of the following games against Sam Houston State, Penn State, Liberty and No. 14 Baylor. Barrow recorded five RBI and three runs scored over the span, while Lane scored five runs, hit a triple and had two stolen bases.
Quick Knight Facts
UCF has outscored its opponents 21-2 in the second inning in 2008, posting a 12-2 record when they are leading after the frame. The Knights are also 10-1 when scoring in the first inning and 14-5 when they score first in a game. Last Sunday's game against East Carolina marked the first time this season that the Black and Gold were able to come back and win a game after trailing in the fourth inning. The Knights comeback was highlighted by four runs in both the fifth and sixth innings.
Big Win on Wednesday
Wednesday's shutout victory over No. 14 Baylor marked the first time this season that the Knights registered a win over a Top 25 team in 2008. Earlier in the season, UCF dropped contests to No. 12 Michigan and No. 16 Hawaii, before posting the win over the Lady Bears.
Season tickets for the 2008 season are still available and can be purchased by calling 407-UCF-1000. For the latest news and information on the Knights, tickets or apparel log on to www.ucfathletics.com - the official site for UCF varsity sports. Also check out UCFPhotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pics
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