OPPONENTS: Yale | Maine | Lehigh | Georgetown
DATE/TIME: Tue, March 10 (5 & 7:15 p.m.) | Wed, March 11 (5 & 7:15 p.m.)
LOCATION: Tampa, Fla. | USF Softball Stadium (1,600)
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TAMPA, MARCH 9, 2015 – The USF softball team will look to continue its red-hot nine-game win streak this week as they host two midweek doubleheaders at the USF Softball Stadium.
The Bulls welcome Yale and Maine on Tuesday night before taking on Lehigh and Georgetown on Wednesday.
Head coach Ken Eriksen will be seeking his 800th career win as he currently sits at 799 heading into the week. He will become only the 22nd active coach to reach the 800-win plateau. Eriksen is already the winningest coach in USF athletics history.
USF (17-7) posted a perfect 7-0 record last week, including four wins at the Under Armour Showcase. The Bulls outscored their opponents 31-6 and had three players honored in the American Athletic Conference weekly awards on Monday.
Karla Claudio was named pitcher of the week for the first time in her career after earning two wins and three saves in six appearances. She also set a new career high for strikeouts in a single game with seven in a 7-1 win over Portland State.
Freshman outfielder Astin Donovan and sophomore second baseman Kristen Wyckoff were both named to the honor roll after helping lead the Bulls high-powered offense. Donovan led the team with eight RBIs while Wyckoff led the team with nine hits and five stolen bases last week.
OPPONENTS AT A GLANCE
Yale Bulldogs
Team Record: (0-0, 0-0 Ivy League)
Player to Watch: Sarah Onorato (Sr.-C/OF)
Need to Know: The Bulldogs return two All-Ivy League selections from last season in Onorato and junior first baseman Lauren Delgadillo. Onorato was named the Ivy League Player of the Year in 2013 as a sophomore.
Maine Black Bears
Team Record: (8-8, 0-0 America East)
Player to Watch: Erika Leonard (Fr.-UT)
Need to Know: USF defeated Maine, 7-0, earlier this season, but the Black Bears come into the week on a three-game winning streak, going 4-1 at the Under Armour Showcase last weekend.
Lehigh Mountain Hawks
Team Record: (8-1, 0-0 Patriot League)
Player to Watch: Nicole Yozzo (Fr.-OF)
Need to Know: Lehigh comes into the week on a six-game winning streak and has won the Patriot League regular season title the last two seasons. They were tied for second with Bucknell in the Patriot League Preseason Poll this year.
Georgetown Hoyas
Team Record: (7-8, 0-0 Big East)
Player to Watch: Alessandra Gargicevich-Almeida (So.-IF)
Need to Know: Georgetown was picked to finish third in the Big East Preseason Coaches' Poll after finishing third in the league last season. The Hoyas return their top two pitchers and 10 letterwinners from last season's team that won a program record 26 games.
USF ALL-TIME RECORD VS…
Yale: 4-0 (Last Meeting: March 11, 2014 | W, 2-0)
Maine: 24-2 (Last Meeting: March 3, 2015 | W, 7-0)
Lehigh: 0-1 (Last Meeting: March 7, 2009 | L, 2-0)
Georgetown: 4-1 (Last Meeting: May 9, 2010 | L, 2-1)
QUICK HITTERS
Team
» USF enters this week on a season-long nine-game winning streak.
» The Bulls outscored their opponents 31-6 while going 7-0 last week.
» USF is 32-4 all-time against their four opponents on Tuesday and Wednesday.
» The Bulls lead the American in four offensive categories:
• Batting average (.315), On-Base Percentage (.400), Stolen Bases (41) & Triples (10)
» USF has seven players that ranked in the top five in the American in at least one offensive category.
» USF's freshmen have accounted for 40 percent of the team's runs (52) this season.
» The Bulls have gotten off to quick starts this season, with 61 percent of their run production coming in the first three innings.
» USF is 11-0 when scoring first this season & 8-1 when scoring in the first inning.
» The Bulls have scored five or more runs in over half of their games this season and are 12-2 in those games.
» USF has been great at holding late leads, going 13-1 when leading after four innings.
» The Bulls are 14-1 when out-hitting their opponent and 8-2 when hitting at least one home run.
Individual
» Ken Eriksen is the all-time wins leader among all coaches in USF athletics history with 799 victories. He needs only one more win to become the 22nd active coach with 800 or more victories.
» USF had three players honored in this week's conference awards.
• Karla Claudio (Pitcher of the Week) | Astin Donovan (Honor Roll) | Kristen Wyckoff (Honor Roll)
» Claudio had three saves last week and is tied for second in nation with four this season.
» Claudio ranks third in the conference with 50 strikeouts and set a new career-high with seven against Mercer last week. She is also tied for fourth in the league with a 2.48 ERA.
» Astin Donovan hit an inside the park home run for her first-career homer last week in a win over Portland State.
» Donovan also posted a career-high three RBIs in two straight games. (Portland State & Toledo)
» Freshman Lauren Evans has reached base in 18 straight games.
» Evans currently ranks fourth in the American in runs (19) and on-base percentage (.500).
» Kristen Wyckoff already has 10 more RBIs than last season with 16 so far this season. She currently ranks second in the conference with 22 runs and 10 stolen bases.
» Lee Ann Spivey ranks among the top five in the American in four offensive categories:
• Slugging Pct: 3rd (.742), RBIs: 2nd (25), Home Runs: T-3rt (4), Hits: T-5th (24), Doubles: T-3rd (6)
» Erica Nunn ranks fifth in the American in strikeouts (40). She also ranks third in opponent batting average (.224) and tied for fourth in ERA (2.48).
» Sam Greiner is tied for third in the American with five wins.
UP NEXT
The Bulls conclude their slate of tournaments in the USF Series with five games at the Michele Smith Spring Break Tournament. USF will begin play in the tournament with a doubleheader on Friday against Iowa State and Boston University at the USF Softball Stadium. The Bulls travel to Clearwater on Saturday for a doubleheader with Green Bay and Towson before wrapping up the tournament by hosting Army on Sunday for Military Appreciation Day back on campus. Purchase tickets HERE.
Be sure to follow USF softball on social media (Twitter / Facebook / Instagram) and visit GoUSFBulls.com for the most up-to-date information. The USF softball program has been one of the most successful on campus, making 12 NCAA tournament appearances, including a trip to the Women's College World Series in 2012. The Bulls made their third consecutive appearance in the NCAA tournament last season and posted their 14th season with 40 plus wins under head coach Ken Eriksen.
- #GoBulls –
