University of Houston Athletics
Softball Closes Out Regular Season Against UTEP This Weekend
5/2/2008 12:00:00 AM | Softball
May 2, 2008
HOUSTON - The University of Houston softball team closes out the 2008 regular season this weekend when they play host to UTEP in a three-game series on May 3-4. Games will start at 1pm on Saturday and Sunday, with Saturday featuring a doubleheader. Prior to the start of the second game on Saturday, Houston will be honoring its four member senior class.
Angel Shamblin, Amanda Grote, Barbie Love and Courtney Spittler will be playing their final regular season game at Cougar Softball Stadium.
The ninth ranked Cougars (45-8, 18-2 C-USA) have already clinched the Conference USA regular season title for the second consecutive season. This weekend, UH looks to make it back-to-back seasons with at least 20 conference wins.
Houston notched its 45th win this season with a game-one win over Louisiana Lafayette on April 30, setting the program record for single-season wins. The previous best was the 44 wins the Cougars recorded in 2007.
As a team, Houston has already set program records for runs (321), home runs (65), RBI (286) and stolen bases (61). The pitching staff has also set a program record for shutouts with 21.
The Cougars are being led by junior Jessica Valis. The C-USA Preseason Player of the Year and reigning league hitter of the week is batting .446. Junior Laurie Wagner is a close second with a .401 batting average and a team-high 16 home runs. She needs one more home run to tie the single-season record for home runs.
Shamblin is leading all Cougar pitchers with a 0.59 ERA and holds a 28-2 record. She has a school record 14 shutouts in 2008.
The Cougars take a 3-3 all-time record against UTEP into this weekend's series. Houston won two of the three games last year in El Paso. The Miners are 29-20 this season and 10-11 in C-USA. Camilla Carrera, who is batting .403, leads UTEP at the plate. Stacie Townsend is leading all pitchers with a 2.41 ERA and holds a 12-10 record.
Up Next
Houston will play host to the 2008 Conference USA Softball Tournament May 8-10 at Cougar Softball Stadium. The first day of the tournament will feature five games beginning at 9 a.m. There will be two semifinal games at 2 p.m. on Friday. The Championship game is slated for 1:30 p.m. on Saturday and will air on CBS College Sports Network.
