KU Travels to SIU for Kay Brechtelsbauer Classic
March 4, 2005
CARBONDALE, Ill. –
The Jayhawks continue their 19-game road swing Saturday and Sunday at the Kay Brechtelsbauer Classic in Carbondale, Ill. Kansas (7-7) will open the tournament Saturday against Ball State at 10 a.m. and host Southern Illinois at 2 p.m. KU will then wrap up the weekend Sunday against Valparaiso at 10 a.m. and play the championship/consolation game at 2 or 4 p.m.
All games can be followed via Gametracker by logging on to the Softball Schedule/Results page.
About Kansas
The Jayhawks moved to 7-7 on the season after going 3-2 in the prestigious 2005 Palm Springs Classic last weekend. KU won two extra-inning battles with Utah (2-1) and Cal State Fullerton (3-2) in day games but was no-hit by BYU (3-0) and No. 12 Washington (4-0) in the nightcaps. KU finished on another high note by shutting out Arizona State 3-0 behind 11 hits and no errors.
The Jayhawk defense remains solid behind junior infielders Destiny Frankenstein, Nettie Fierros and Jessica Moppin, and ranks fifth in the Big 12 with a .970 fielding percentage.
Frankenstein leads the KU offense with 13 hits for a .333 batting average. Fierros is close behind at a .313 clip with four doubles and a team-best .531 slugging percentage. The Jayhawks are hitting .242 on the season while their opponents are posting a .228 average at the plate.
KU uses three starters in its pitching rotation. Junior right-hander Serena Settlemier (4-2), who went 3-0 in Palm Springs last weekend and posted a 0.50 ERA, has emerged as the Jayhawks’ No. 1. Freshman lefty Christina Ross (2-3) has been impressive, pitching a team-high 35.1 innings and 26 strikeouts while posting a 2.29 ERA. Sophomore righty Kassie Humphreys (1-2) sat out two days at the Palm Springs Classic due to illness, but is expected to be back in the circle at Southern Illinois.
The Jayhawks finished 33-28-1 overall and 7-11 in the Big 12 last season. KU lost eight letterwinners, including six seniors, but welcomed four talented freshman to the squad in 2005.
KU Probable Starters
P/DP – Serena Settlemier (Jr./Kelso, Wash.)
C – Elle Pottorf (Fr./Topeka, Kan.)
1B – Nicole Washburn (So./O’Fallon, Mo.)
2B – Jessica Moppin (Jr./Olathe, Kan.)
SS – Destiny Frankenstein (Jr./Broken Arrow, Okla.)
3B – Nettie Fierros (Jr./Avondale, Ariz.)
RF – Ashley Frazer (Jr./Shawnee, Kan.)
CF – Cyndi Duran (Fr./Tucson, Ariz.)
LF – Heather Stanley (Jr./Houston, Texas)
About Ball State
The Cardinals (1-7) have lost six straight games dating back to a Feb. 12 win over Louisiana-Monroe. Kelli Jeziorski leads the Ball State offense with a .353 batting average while three other Cardinals have at least six hits on the season. Nicki Hellem (1-2) leads the pitching staff with a 4.20 ERA and 16 strikeouts in 18.1 innings of work.
About Southern Illinois
The Salukis (5-6) are receiving votes in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Poll and went 2-2 last weekend at the prestigious NFCA Leadoff Classic in Columbus, Ga. The Salukis lost 2-0 to South Carolina and beat #15 Georgia Tech 5-1 on Friday, and lost to #8 Michigan 3-0 and beat Cal State Northridge 4-0 on Saturday, before Sunday’s game with #7 Alabama was cancelled due to rain.
The SIU offense is led by Kelly Creek, who boasts a team-high .370 batting average with 10 hits and .444 slugging percentage. Cassidy Scoggins (2-1) has a team-best 0.54 ERA while starter Amy Harre (1-5) leads the team with 35 strikeouts in 41.2 innings pitched.
About Valpo
Valparaiso opens its season in Carbondale this weekend. The Crusaders finished 21-34 overall last season which included a 13-11 mark in the Mid-Continent Conference. Sunday’s meeting will be the first between Kansas and Valpo.
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