University of Houston Athletics
Softball On the Road for Leadoff Classic
2/26/2009 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Feb. 26, 2009
HOUSTON--The University of Houston softball team will travel to Columbus, Ga. to compete in the NFCA Leadoff Classic beginning at 10:30 a.m. CT Friday, when the Cougars play South Carolina.
Houston will then play No.25 Florida State at 3 p.m. CT Friday, No. 1/3 Alabama at 12:30 p.m. CT Saturday, No. 24/20 Ohio State at 5:30 CT Saturday and Hofstra at 11:30 a.m. Sunday.
UH enters the tournament after a 2-3 showing at the Marriott Houston Invitational with an 8-6 win over McNeese and 4-0 win over Prairie View A&M. The Cougars lost in extra innings to Texas A&M, 4-3 and Illinois, 12-11.
Senior Elaina Nordstrom leads the Cougars with her batting average of .452. Senior Jessica Valis is second on the team in batting average (.315), but leads with 17 hits.
Senior Haley Valis is currently on a seven-game hitting-streak with five doubles since the Feb. 18 double header against Baylor. She also has one triple this season.
Fans can follow live stats by clicking the Gametracker link on the softball page of UHCougars.com.
COUGARS' OPPONENTS
South Carolina
The Gamecocks are 11-1 this season with a 5-0 record at neutral locations.
They are led by Ashton Payne with a batting average of .333, including three doubles and two triples.
In the circle, the Gamecocks have two options. Audrey Broyles has an ERA of .80 and a 5-1 record. She has struck out 52 this season and her opponents hold a batting average of .199.
Kierstyn White is the other option with a 5-0 record and ERA of 1.00. She has struck out 13 this season and her opponents have a batting average of .222.
Florida State
The Seminoles are 12-4 this season with their most recent loss to No. 6 Michigan in 13 innings. Florida State lost 1-0.
Kaleigh Rafter leads Florida State with her batting average of .396. She has 21 hits this season, including two doubles, one triple and three home runs.
Ashley Stager is also a standout with her batting average of .375. She has 18 hits this season with three doubles and two home runs.
Terese Gober leads in the circle with her ERA of 1.12 and 8-2 record. Sarah Hamilton has an ERA of 1.29 and a 4-2 record with 84 strikeouts this season.
Alabama
The Crimson Tide is ranked No. 1 in the USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 poll and No. 3 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25.
They are 12-1 this season and 7-1 at neutral sites.
Four players on the Crimson Tide lineup have a .400 batting average or higher. Eight of ten starters have at least 10 hits this season.
Alabama is led by Whitney Larsen with a batting average of .441, three doubles, one triple and three home runs. She also has 10 RBIs.
In the circle, the Crimson Tide look to Amanda Locke (2-0), Kelsi Dunne (6-0) and Charlotte Morgan (4-1). Locke has an ERA of .54, while Dunne has an ERA of .56. Morgan has an ERA of 1.30. Dunne leads with 57 strikeouts.
Ohio State
The Buckeyes are 12-3 this season with an 11-2 record at neutral sites. Ohio State's most recent loss was to No. 3 Washington. OSU lost 1-0.
Ohio State is ranked No. 24 in the USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 poll.
Sam Marder leads the Buckeyes with her batting average of .400. She also leads with her 18 hits this season, including four doubles and seven home runs. She is the only Buckeye with double-digit RBIs at 17. Rebecca Schultz is in close second in batting average at .364. She has eight hits and three home runs.
Lindsay Bodeker leads in the circle with her ERA of .99. She has a 5-1 record and has struck out 47 this season. Kim Reeder is 6-2 and has an ERA of 1.17. She has struck out 55 this season and has only allowed 30 hits by her opponents.
Ohio State has outscored its opponents this season 86-26.
Hofstra
Hofstra is 2-3 this season with a 2-2 record at neutral sites.
Michele DePasquale leads the Pride with a batting average of .467 and seven hits this season including one home run and three RBIs.
Kayleigh Lotti leads in the circle with her record of 2-1 and ERA of 2.88.
Up Next
The Cougars will host their Third-Annual Striking Out Breast Cancer game at Cougar Softball Stadium at 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 4 against Texas A&M. Fans are encouraged to check out the silent auction items where 100 percent of the proceeds will benefit breast cancer research.
