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Softball Ready To Take On C-USA In Annual Tournament
5/9/2005 12:00:00 AM | Softball
May 9, 2005
HOUSTON - The University of Houston softball team is set this week to compete in the annual Conference USA Tournament being held in Tampa, Fla., on the USF campus beginning Thursday, May 12 and running thru Saturday, May 14.
Houston enters the tournament as the No. 5 seed and will take on the fourth-seeded USF Bulls (38-24, 15-9) on Thursday, May 12, at 12:30 p.m (EDT). This year's tourney marks the fourth time in five years the Cougars have made the conference championship, since beginning NCAA competition in 2001.
In the first game of the tournament, third-seeded East Carolina and sixth-seeded Southern Miss face off at 10 a.m. (EDT) in a rematch of last weekend's regular season series finale, in which the Golden Eagles won, two games to one.
The winner of ECU/USM faces second-seeded DePaul at 4 p.m. on Thursday afternoon. Immediately following that matchup first-seeded Louisville will take on the winner of the UH/USF game at 6:30 p.m.
The Cougars enter the tournament with a 28-26 and 11-12 record on the season. Last weekend, Houston downed UAB twice in a double header on Saturday, 6-2 and 4-3. The last game of the series on Sunday had to be cancelled due to inclement weather.
UH holds an all-time record of 4-5 in the tournament and has placed five different players on the All-Tournament team in its previous three years of play at the annual event.
In 2001, the inaugural year for the Softball program at UH, the Cougars entered the conference tournament as the No. 5 seed and faced off against a tough Louisville team in the first round. The talented, but young, Houston team fell to the Cardinals, 8-0.
That loss put the Cougars in the consolation bracket against Charlotte. Houston represented itself well for a first year program, but eventually fell to the 49'ers, 9-6. Brighter days were ahead for this young and talented team.
The 2003 team brought a great amount of experience to the plate, and it showed in their 35-24 and 15-9 record over the season. Houston entered its second-ever C-USA Tournament with an impressive No. 3 seed and a first-round matchup against the UAB Blazers.
 Coach Holas is ready to lead the Cougars into action.  | |
In the next game of the tournament, the Cougars faced off against nationally ranked No. 19 South Florida. The Cougars fell to the Bulls in a close pitching duel, 1-0. In the consolation bracket, UH couldn't reverse its luck, as they were upset in extra innings by Southern Miss, 7-6.
In 2004, the Cougar softball team set an all-time mark for the program as they finished the season with a record of 39-25, the most wins ever in a season.
Entering the Tournament, the Cougars were 36-22 with a 12-11 league mark that landed them the No. 5 seed. Facing No. 4 seeded DePaul in the first round, UH came away victorious with a 3-1upset against the Blue Demons.
Next up for the Cougars was regular season conference champion Southern Miss. Catcher Arelis Ferreris knocked out a two-run homer to help lift Houston to a 5-1 win over the No. 1 seeded Golden Eagles.
In round three, South Florida came calling for Houston. Crystal Briscoe pitched to her 12th victory of the season and Jenny Johnson picked up the nations best 10th save on the season as the Cougars defeated the Bulls, 7-3, and punched their ticket to their first ever C-USA Championship game.
Next up for Houston was a rematch with DePaul. In that championship game, the Cougars fell in a tough contest, 4-2. The second-place finish in the tournament is the highest ever for UH and it helped propel them to an NCAA Regional birth and a first-round matchup against Seton Hall.
The 2004 Softball team finished 39-23 on the season and placed four players on the All-Tournament team. The honorees included catcher Arelis Ferreris, infielder Jenille Skender, outfielder Brooke Johnson, and pitcher Crystal Briscoe.
All the action at the 2005 Conference USA Tournament gets started this Thursday, May 12, in Tampa, Fla. In their first game of the tournament the Cougars will face off against USF at 12:30 p.m (EDT). Fans can follow the action by clicking on the Gametracker link on the main page of www.UHCougars.com.
Houston's History in the Conference USA Tournament
2004 Tournament
DePaul W 3-1
Southern Miss W 5-1
South Florida W 7-3
DePaul L 4-2
2003 Tournament
UAB W 7-1
South Florida L 1-0
Southern Miss L 7-6
2001 Tournament
Louisville L 0-8
Charlotte L 6-9
All Time C-USA All-Tournament Cougars
2004
Arelis Ferreris (C)
Jenilee Skender (IF)
Brooke Johnson (OF)
Crystal Briscoe (P)
2003
Kim Nesloney (OF)
