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University of Houston Athletics
Softball Looks to Regain Momentum at UCF
3/24/2006 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 24, 2006
Houston at UCF Game Notes (PDF)
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HOUSTON - After dropping two of three games in a soggy weekend at Tulsa, the University of Houston softball team (21-12, 3-3 C-USA) heads to the Sunshine State looking to regain its momentum at UCF (13-20, 0-6 C-USA) this weekend.
"We know that UCF at 0-6 is going to play hard," head coach Kyla Holas said. "At 3-3, we have to respond and be just as desperate. If you want to win a conference championship, we have to string together some wins and pick up some sweeps."
This weekend marks the first time that Houston and UCF will square off on the softball diamond. The Cougars are 9-14 all-time against squads from the Sunshine State, including a 6-2 setback to then-No. 19 Florida (Feb. 11) in the season opener.
The Cougars are 10-6 all-time in games played in the Sunshine State, including a 2-2 mark in last season's Conference USA Tournament hosted by USF.
UCF will be the sixth first-time opponent for the Cougars this season. Houston is 6-2 against first-time opponents, including two wins over Mississippi at the Time Warner Texas Invitational. The Cougars will also face UTEP, Marshall, Grambling State and Memphis for the initial time later this season.
Angel Shamblin has jumped out to a 8-5 start with a 1.91 ERA holding the opposition to a .216 batting clip. Her ERA and opponent batting average against are in the Top 10 of Conference USA.
On offense, Shamblin is hitting .306 with two home runs and 16 RBIs. Her eight doubles on the season are a team-best and tied for fifth in C-USA.
Laura Durham has provided pop in the middle of the Houston batting lineup with a team-best six home runs and 22 RBIs. The Texas A&M transfer is hitting .301 and has also ripped six doubles for the Cougars.
The Pearland, Texas native has already racked up nine multi-hit games and paces the squad with five multi-RBI games. She has hit safely in five of her last seven games, and has produced a RBI in four of those contests. Durham has also hit three long balls during that stretch, including a solo blast in the final game of the series at Tulsa.
Jessica Valis has been a spark at the top of the Cougar lineup and has started every game at shortstop this season. She paces the squad and is ninth in Conference USA with a .339 batting average. She has also tallied a team-best 12 multi-hit games and is ranked in six different categories in C-USA.
Valis has scored a run in 18 of her last 28 contests. Her 23 runs scored are tied for the C-USA lead. She also leads the squad and is second in C-USA racking up 37 hits. Of her 37 hits, 26 of them have not left the infield. The Shiner, Texas, native has also reeked havoc on the base paths, going 12-for-16 in the stolen base department.
Saturday's doubleheader with the Golden Knights begins at 1pm . The two teams conclude the weekend set Sunday playing a single-game with first pitch slated also for 1pm.
All games from the UCF Softball Stadium will have live stats available on UHCougars.com, and a live radio broadcast will be provided by UCFAthletics.com for fans who have purchased the CSTV All-Access package.
