Softball Makes Home Debut In This Weekend's Jayhawk Classic

March 7, 2008

LAWRENCE, Kan. –

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After a four week road swing, the <?xml:namespace prefix=”st1″ ns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags”?>Kansas softball team will make its 2008 home debut when it hosts the Jayhawk Classic this weekend, March 8-10. A slightly altered scheduled has Kansas playing against Indiana State Saturday at 3 p.m. Sunday, KU returns to play Pittsburgh and Indiana State at noon and 4 p.m., respectively. The Jayhawks will wrap up the tournament Monday afternoon with a 2 p.m. contest against Western Illinois.

Jayhawk Classic Revised Schedule

Saturday, March 8

Game 1 11 a.m. Pittsburgh vs. Indiana State Gametracker

Game 2 1 p.m. Pittsburgh vs. Western Illinois Gametracker

Game 3 3 p.m. Kansas vs. Indiana State

Sunday, March 9

Game 4 10 a.m. Western Illinois vs. Pittsburgh Gametracker

Game 5 Noon Kansas vs. Pittsburgh

Game 6 2 p.m. Western Illinois vs. IndianaState Gametracker

Game 7 4 p.m. Kansas vs. Indiana State

Monday, March 10

Game 8 2 p.m. Kansas vs. Western Illinois

About Kansas

Coming off a three-game winning streak, Kansas enters its home opener with a 15-5 mark with three of its five losses coming to top 25 teams. Junior Dougie McCaulley leads the team with a .403 average, fifth in the Big 12, and has connected for a team-high 25 hits to rank third in league standings. Sophomore Amanda Jobe knocked her team-leading fourth home run out of the stadium Sunday as she now boasts 12 RBIs and is second behind McCaulley batting .286. Junior Elle Pottorf, one of four players with eight RBIs, leads KU with 11 walks, which is eighth in Big 12 stats. A trio of Jayhawks make up the team’s battery led by Val George, a junior hurler who has gone 7-1 and is third in the conference with a 0.75 ERA. In 55.2 innings, George has retired 62 batters and allowed just 32 hits as she limits hitters to a .171 average. Sophomore Sarah Vertelka (4-2, 1.60 ERA) and rookie Allie Clark (4-2, 2.21) also share time in the circle having tossed 43.2 and 38.0 innings, respectively.

George Cracks Into Record Books

Junior Val George cracked the top 10 of KU’s career strikeout list when she tallied a season-high nine K’s against Southern Illinois on March 1. After notching 20 total strikeouts during the Coach B Southern Classic, George sits in the number 10 spot with 199 career strikeouts and needs 48 more to reach ninth.

Arrocha Ballpark Facts

2008 will begin the Jayhawks’ fifth season at Arrocha Ballpark. In 2002, businesswomen Cheryl Womack pledged $2 million to help build the softball stadium. Two years later on March 6, 2004, KU played its first contest, a 2-1 win over Utah, in the new stadium, named for Demostenes Arrocha, the father of Ms. Womack. Since its first victory on opening day, Kansas has gone 46-31-1 at Arrocha, including a 29-10-1 mark in non-conference play.

Jobe and Pottorf’s Long Ball

Sophomore Amanda Jobe broke into the KU sophomore records for single season homers during the Coach B Southern Classic when she blasted her fourth home run of the season against Bradley on March 2. Jobe, who ties for fourth on the sophomore career list, needs two more to reach the number three spot.

Speaking of the long ball, junior Elle Pottorf knocked her first homer of the season against Western Illinois last Sunday and broke into the eighth spot of KU’s career home run list with 14. Pottorf is tied with current assistant coach Christi Musser (1999-2002).

Up Next

After making its 2008 home debut in this weekend’s Jayhawk Classic, the Kansas softball team will stay home to host its second tournament of the year in the Kansas Invitational next weekend, March 14-16. Buffalo and Louisiana Tech will travel to Lawrence to participate in the tournament, which kicks off Friday evening when KU and Buffalo meet up for a doubleheader at 3 p.m.

Kansas Softball Season Tickets

2008 Kansas Softball season tickets are on sale now. General admission packages are $40 and KU Faculty and Staff tickets are $32. Season tickets may be purchased in person at the Allen Fieldhouse Ticket Office, by telephone at (800) 34-HAWKS or by clicking here