Kansas Looks to Stretch Win Streak at Seahawk Classic
Feb. 22, 2012
Seahawk Classic Game Notes
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LAWRENCE, Kan.- With a seven-game win streak in tow, the Kansas softball team will look to continue its early success when the Jayhawks head to North Carolina for the second-straight weekend for the UNC Wilmington Seahawk Classic, Feb. 24-26.
KU (7-2) rolled through the Charlotte Classic, hosted by the Charlotte 49ers, with a 4-0 record. The Jayhawks defeated Middle Tennessee twice (7-3/6-3), Stony Brook (2-0) and Charlotte (9-6) to earn the No. 1 seed in the tournament before rained washed out the championship game. As the only undefeated team left in the tournament, Kansas was declared the tournament champion.
After a quick, three-day stay in Lawrence during the heavy early travel schedule, the Jayhawks are off to Wilmington, N.C., to take on Fairfield, Gardner-Webb and UNC Wilmington. All three will be first-time meetings against Kansas.
SCHEDULE
Friday, Feb. 24
vs. Fairfield: 9 a.m. CT
vs. Gardner-Webb: 11:15 a.m. CT
Saturday, Feb. 25
vs. UNC Wilmington: 11:15 a.m. CT
vs. Bracket Play Decision, TBA
Sunday, Feb. 26
vs. Bracket Play Decision, TBA
FOLLOW THE HAWKS
Fans can follow the action on GameTracker for all fives games, located on the softball schedule page on KUAthletics.com. Live scoring updates can also be found by following JayhawkSoftball on Twitter.
DUE UP
– Junior left fielder Maggie Hull and freshman pitcher Alicia Pille were named the Charlotte Classic Tournament Player and Pitcher MVPs after posting stellar numbers to help the Jayhawks’ to a 4-0 record on the weekend.
-Hull went 7-for-16 with four runs scored and four RBIs, Her double and triple against Charlotte helped power Kansas past the tournament host in a 9-6 comeback victory.
– Pille (4-2) recorded her fourth victory in as many decisions by defeating Charlotte and Stony Brook. The rookie tossed her third complete game shutout against Stony Brook, striking out 11 and walking one. She finished the weekend with a 1.59 ERA and 17 strikeouts compared to two walks.
– After surrendering 14 runs in the first two games, Kansas has allowed only 15 during the win streak, thanks in large part to a pitching staff running on all cylinders. In their only losses, KU’s pitchers walked a combined 21 batters – in the last seven games the pitching staff has allowed just 17 free passes while striking out 62.
ABOUT KANSAS
The Jayhawk lineup is hitting .297 as a unit with six of its everyday players hitting at a .300 clip or better. Junior outfielders Rosie and Maggie Hull and redshirt senior Liz Kocon are hitting .400 or better as the third weekend approaches. Maggie Hull leads the Big 12 with five doubles while Kocon is second in the league with 13 RBIs. Heading into the weekend, Kocon needs just five RBIs to become the all-time leader at Kansas.
In the circle, KU’s pitching staff has lowered its ERA to 3.84 with Pille leading the way. Aside from her impressive weekend that earned her the Charlotte Classic Pitcher MVP, Pille she already has 49 Ks to her credit – nearly two-thirds of the way towards surpassing last year’s leader (78). Of her five starts, three resulted in complete game shutouts. She has posted one double-digit strikeout performance in each tournament, while her 13 Ks against Northern Colorado (2/12) are the second-most recorded by a Jayhawk in a game in program history.
Along with junior Morgan Druhan (2-0) and Kristin Martinez (1-0), the pitching staff is holding opposing batters to a .205 batting average, has struck out 82 and walked 37.
SCOUTING REPORT
Fairfield (0-0)
Overall: Kansas will serve as the season opener for Fairfield, who was selected to finish third in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC). The Stags posted a 31-22 record last season and advanced to the MAAC tournament championship game after winning the regular season crown.In the Circle: Sophomore Rebecca Trott was the No. 2 starter in 2011, making 13 starts with a 3-5 record. Trott struck out 60 a year ago and posted a perfect 0.00 Sophomore infielder Kristen Filicia earned MAAC preseason honors after ERA through the MAAC Tournament.At the Plate: Sophomore infielder Kristen Filicia was placed on the MAAC All-Preseason Team, while Mikayla Shumate was selected as an outfielder. Filicia ranked second on the team with a .305 batting average, one of three Fairfield players over .300 during the season. She led the team with 40 runs scored and with 22 walks.posting a .305 batting average in 2011. She led the MAAC in stolen bases with 28.
Gardner-Webb (4-2)
Overall: The Runnin’ Bulldogs swept a doubleheader against North Carolina AT&T on Feb. 21 and their only losses came against Furman in the previous weekend. GWU is hitting .306 as a team while its pitching staff has racked up a 1.74 ERA.In the Circle: Sophomore pitcher Alyssa Gutierrez tossed a complete game one-hitter in Gardner-Webb’s last time out, walking one and striking out eight. She leads the team with 10 strikeouts with a 2.71 ERA.At the Plate: Redshirt junior outfielder Melinda Dulokowski has started all six games and leads the regulars with a .412 batting average and six RBIs.
UNC Wilmington (1-4)
Overall: UNCW defeated North Carolina Central to open the season, but has since gone on to a four-game losing streak.In the Circle: Freshman Casey Rowland (0-2) leads the team with a 3.46 ERA in 13 innings, while senior Amanda Davenport leads with 17.2 innings pitched.At the Plate: Senior outfielder Kelsey Eddinger leads the team with a .357 batting average, while fellow senior Ashley Shingleton has two home runs to her credit this season.
UP NEXT
Kansas will check out the southern half of the Carolinas when the Jayhawks travel to Charleston, S.C., for the Charleston Southern Tournament, March 2-4. KU will open the weekend against Big East foe Connecticut at 10 a.m. CT.
