Softball Travels To Memphis For Crucial Three-Game Series
April 21, 2006 | Softball
April 21, 2006
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
East Carolina heads to Memphis this weekend for a crucial three-game Conference USA series. Memphis leads ECU by percentage points in the race for the sixth and final spot in the 2006 C-USA Tournament. Both teams have won six games in league play, however the Tigers had one of their conference games rained out and thus have a better record by percentage points. ECU is coming off a three-game C-USA series sweep of league newcomer UTEP a week ago, while Memphis is looking to bounce back after losing 2-of-3 against UCF last weekend. The Pirates will play six of their final nine Conference USA games on the road. They will host Southern Miss at home next weekend before closing out the regular season at UCF during the first weekend of May.
Scouting Memphis
After salvaging the final game of the series against UCF on Saturday, Memphis extended its winning streak to three games with a mid-week doubleheader sweep of Tennessee State on Wednesday. The Tigers are led by junior Cara Stiles, who leads C-USA with a .390 batting average and 57 hits. As a team, Memphis is the top hitting club in the league with a .290 average. Its pitching staff ranks third in conference behind ECU and Houston with a 1.96 ERA. Jenna Kubesch has the second lowest ERA (.158) in Conference USA behind Pirate freshman Brooke Swann (1.31).
The 2006 season is the inaugural season of softball at the University of Memphis coached by Wendy Thees. She came to Memphis from Georgia College & State University where she led the Division II school to a runner-up finish at the 2003 National Championship. Thees compiled a 163-92 record in six years as the head coach at the Milledgeville, Ga. school.
What's At Stake...
Inclusion in the 2006 Conference USA Tournament. The winner of the series will hold the tie-breaker advantage. A sweep by either team would be a huge step forward to qualifying for the league's postseason gathering in Tulsa with only six games remaining in the regular season.
Harrell Named C-USA Pitcher Of The Week For Third Time This Season
Junior Keli Harrell was named C-USA Pitcher of the Week for the third time this season after posting a pair of wins and a save in three games against conference foe UTEP last weekend. For the week, the junior tossed three complete games, allowing five earned runs and fanning 18 batters in 22 innings of work. In game one against UTEP, Harrell tossed a three-hit shutout with seven strikeouts. The right-hander saved game two with an inning of scoreless relief and picked up her 19th victory of the season in game three.
Baggett On 10-Game Hitting Streak
Sophomore Paige Baggett appears to have broken out of a season-long slump. She has hit safely in 10 consecutive games and is batting .481 (13-for-27) during her current streak. The longest hitting streak of the season by any Pirate, Baggett has raised her average by 67 points from .198 to .265 since the calendar changed to April. She has struck out just once in her last 32 plate appearances, while drawing three base-on-balls.
