April 23, 2010
| Game Day Essentials UCF vs. Tulsa Senior Weekend |
| Where ? UCF Softball Complex (600) Orlando, Fla. Schedule ? 3:00 p.m. Sunday, April 25 Team Records Series Record Promotions |
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Coming off a mid-week victory over Bethune-Cookman, the UCF softball team entertains Tulsa this weekend in its final Conference USA home series of the season at the UCF Softball Complex. The two squads will square off in a doubleheader Saturday at 1 p.m., before hosting Senior Day Sunday a 12 p.m.
Prior to Sunday's series finale, the Knights will honor their five seniors, Hillary Barrow (Miami, Fla.), Morgan Bullard (Columbia, S.C.), Ashleigh Cole (Pace, Fla.), Kristina DeMello (Mead, Wash.) and Mary Helen Tyler (Marianna, Fla.), with a Senior Day ceremony recognizing their commitment and dedication to both UCF and the softball program.
On the year, these five seniors have paced the Black and Gold to a 27-19 overall record and an 11-6 C-USA clip. Their efforts have secured UCF a fourth-place position in league standings heading into the weekend, with the series against the Golden Hurricane proving to be one of the most critical down the stretch.
Tulsa currently holds down second-place honors in C-USA standings with an 8-3 conference mark and a 25-17 overall record, having taken two wins from Houston last weekend at the Donna J. Hardesty Sports Complex and a non-conference victory from Missouri State on Wednesday on the road.
In order to regain the top spot in C-USA standings this week, the Knights would have to take three wins from the Golden Hurricane this weekend, while Houston would need to win at least two games in their home series with East Carolina. UCF would also need some help from UTEP, who would need to claim a victory in at least one game of its three-game series vs. UAB.
The Knights are batting .234 as a team in 2010, with sophomore Natalie Land (Mayo, Fla.) pacing the squad with a .302 average. The speedy second baseman also leads the team with 39 hits, 12 sacrifice hits and 16 stolen bases.
Barrow has also proven to be one of the Knights' clutch performers in her senior season, as she leads the Knights in runs scored (25), home runs (5), RBI (27) and total bases (55). Barrow's five home runs and .410 slugging percentage in 2010 are both career-highs for the third baseman, while her two intentional walks rank in a tie for No. 7 on the UCF single-season register. Her 27 RBI also match the No. 9 spot among C-USA competitors on the year.
Another clutch performer from UCF's senior class spends the majority of her time in the circle. Cole, who boasts a 17-11 record, leads C-USA in innings pitched (186.2), while also ranking third in ERA (1.50), wins (17) and games started (27). Nationally, Cole ranks 33rd in ERA, 34th in wins, 55th in fewest hits allowed per seven innings and fewest walks allowed per seven innings.
Tulsa enters the series with a .287 team batting average and is led at the plate by Lauren Lindsay, who leads the league in seven major offensive categories, including batting average (.438), slugging percentage (.967), on-base percentage (.555), runs scored (40), hits (53), RBI (45), home runs (17) and total bases (117).
In the circle for the Golden Hurricane, Kalynn Schrock boasts a 9-5 record on the season and a team-best 2.65 ERA, having allowed 30 earned runs on 56 hits in 79.1 innings pitched. The rookie has tallied 105 strikeouts and a .193 opponent batting average in a team-best 21 appearances in 2010.
The visiting Golden Hurricane holds a slight, 7-6, edge over the Knights in the all-time series, but the Black and Gold holds a 3-4 advantage over Tulsa when playing at the UCF Softball Complex. UCF was swept by the Golden Hurricane last season on the road, after having won three-games against Tulsa in Orlando a year earlier.
All games of the C-USA series against Tulsa this weekend will be available for viewing through Knights All-Access, with live stats and radio also available to fans by visiting UCFAthletics.com.
The first 200 UCF students to enter the gates Saturday will receive a free UCF koozie in honor of Student Appreciation Day. UCF softball player cards and posters will be available Sunday for all fans.
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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