March 26, 2010
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - The UCF softball team will hit the road for the first time in Conference USA action this weekend when it travels to Hattiesburg, Miss., for a three-game series against Southern Miss. The two squads will play a 2 p.m. ET doubleheader Saturday, before finishing out the series Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.
The Black and Gold enters the weekend with an 19-12 overall clip and a league-best 4-1 record in C-USA play after earning a three-game sweep over Houston last weekend at the UCF Softball Complex. The Knights are off to their most success start in league action through five games since joining the conference in 2006.
UCF also boasts one of the top pitching staffs in C-USA, with the Knights leading the league in with a 0.38 ERA and four wins, while ranking second in the standings with a .159 opposing batting average. The Black and Gold pitching staff has also allowed the least amount of hits (21), runs (4) and earned runs (2) in 37.9 combined innings of work.
Ashleigh Cole (Pace, Fla.) leads the staff with a 0.61 ERA in league outings, a mark that ranks second among C-USA competitors, while also ranking second in strikeouts looking and third in innings pitched.
Offensively, sophomore Natalie Land (Mayo, Fla.) leads the conference with a .500 batting average in league games and sits in second with seven hits and third with a .533 on-base percentage. The second baseman has also posted at least one hit in each of the team's C-USA contests, an average of 1.4 hit per game.
In the series against Houston, Land posted a .444 batting average with four hits, two RBI and one stolen base.
The Black and Gold earned the series sweep over the Cougars behind the play of both Cole and Land, while Southern Miss was swept by the same Houston team the week before.
The Golden Eagles are coming off a disappointing 8-7 loss to Nicholls State on Wednesday, with the squad having lost seven-straight contests and nine of its last 10. With last weekend serving as its bye weekend, Southern Miss enters the series with a 0-3 C-USA mark.
The Knights lead the all-time series against the Golden Eagles, 7-6, having won two of three games last season at the UCF Softball Complex.
Season tickets for the 2010 season are only $40 and are on sale now, while single-game tickets are also available for purchase. Tickets can be purchased online at UCFAthletics.com or through the Athletics Ticket Office by calling (407) 823-1000.
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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