April 23, 2009
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - The UCF softball team will play its final Conference USA road series of the season when it travels to Tennessee for a match-up with Memphis at the Tiger Softball Complex this weekend. The opening contest is slated for 7 p.m. ET on Friday, while the teams will conclude the series with a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. ET on Saturday.
GAME DAY ESSENTIALS
? Schedule
Friday, April 24
7:00 p.m. ET - UCF at Memphis
Saturday, April 25
1:00 p.m. ET - UCF at Memphis
3:00 p.m. ET - UCF at Memphis
? The Coaches
UCF: Renee Luers-Gillispie
Memphis: Windy Thees
? Records
UCF: 23-24, 7-10 C-USA
Memphis: 20-25, 5-13 C-USA
? C-USA Standing
UCF: 7th (7-10)
Memphis: 9th (5-13)
? Series
UCF leads Memphis, 5-4
? Last Meeting
UCF 8, Memphis 0 (2008)
Five Innings
? Last C-USA Series
Marshall 0 at ECU 3
UCF 1 at Houston 1
? UCF'S Last Time Out
4.22.2009
at Bethune-Cookman, W, 3-0
? Live Stats
Gametracker
(UCFAthletics.com)
? Live Video
Memphis Tigers All-Access
(gotigersgo.com)
? The UCF softball team concludes its seven-game road swing this weekend when it travels to Tennessee for its final Conference USA road series of 2009 against Memphis. The Knights are 23-24 overall on the season and hold a 7-10 league record heading into the three-game stint, after splitting with Houston last weekend and picking up a non-conference victory over Bethune-Cookman on Wednesday.
? The Tigers enter the C-USA series Friday with a 20-25 record on the season and a 5-13 league mark after dropping all three games of their series vs. East Carolina last weekend. Despite getting off to a slow start in league play this season, Memphis took three games from Houston at home on April 10-11 and put up a fight in all three games against the league's top-ranked Pirates.
? The Knights hold a narrow lead in the team's all-time series, entering Friday's contest with a 5-4 advantage over the Tigers. UCF swept Memphis last season in their C-USA series, outscoring its opponent 17-2 at the UCF Softball Complex, which included an 8-0, five-inning victory in the series finale.
? C-USA's leader in double-plays turned, UCF has totaled 27 DPs this season, including three on Wednesday afternoon alone. The closest to the Knights in fielding double plays in the league is this weekend's opponent, Memphis, who has turned 19 double plays this season. Not only do the Knights lead the league in double plays, but they also rank 5th nationally in the category with a 0.52 double-plays per game average. Oregon State is the NCAA leader, with a 0.59 average. The Knights' 27 double plays are also the most for UCF in a single season. Prior to this season, the most turned in a single year was 22, set in both 2007 and 2004.
300 WINS FOR KNIGHTS, GILLISPIE
With its nightcap win over Houston on Sunday, the UCF softball team and head coach Renee Luers-Gillispie earned their 300th win in their eighth year as a program at the Division I level. The Knights and Gillispie then extended their all-time record to 301-207-1 with their win at Bethune-Cookman Wednesday night.
STREAKER
Freshman Natalie Land could not come up with a hit in Wednesday's contest at Bethune-Cookman, but still left the game with a career-high 10-game hitting streak, which began in the first game of the doubleheader vs. Southern Miss at home on April 4. During the span, Land led the team with a .462 (12-for-26) batting average, while adding four runs scored, two doubles and a RBI. The 10-game streak was the longest for the Knights this season and the longest since Breanne Javier's record-setting 15-game hitting streak last season. The mark also matched the ninth-longest streak in program history.
TWO-HIT JAVIER
Breanne Javier enters this weekend's series with the team-lead in two-hit games this season with 11 after registering two hits in the win over the Wildcats on Wednesday. The senior has posted five of those 11 two-hit games in the Knights' last 11 contests and seven in the team's last 17 games. In those seven games that Javier posted two hits, the Black and Gold went 4-3 and batted .325 as a team.
ON DECK FOR THE KNIGHTS
The Knights will welcome UTEP to the UCF Softball Complex May 2-3 in their final regular-season series of the year. Following Saturday's doubleheader against the Miners, the Black and Gold will celebrate Senior Day at the complex on Sunday. The Knights' four seniors - Lindsay Dean, Lexi Gresham, Breanne Javier and Magon Paul - will all be honored prior to the final contest.
OUT OF POSITION
Freshman Natalie Land made her fifth start at shortstop for UCF on Wednesday at Bethune-Cookman, in place of an injured Tiffany Lane. When Land has received the starting nod at shortstop in 2009, the Black and Gold are a perfect 5-0.
The UCF softball team will play its final C-USA series of 2009 against UTEP at the UCF Softball Complex on May 2-3. For the latest news on the Knights, log on to www.UCFAthletics.com - the official site for UCF varsity sports. The site, which also contains ticket and Golden Knights Club donor information, is also the home of UCF's new online apparel store. Also visit www.UCFPhotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pictures.
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