University of Houston Athletics
Houston Readies to Host Hilton Houston Plaza Classic
2/17/2011 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Feb. 17, 2011
Hilton Houston Plaza Classic Central
HOUSTON - The University of Houston softball team will welcome a pair of nationally ranked teams to the Hilton Houston Plaza Classic, Feb. 18-20, at Cougar Softball Stadium.
Houston will open the weekend against No. 20 Oklahoma State and is set to face No. 16 LSU twice, while also facing off against Southern University and Nicholls State in three days of action. The Cowgirls and Tigers mark the second and third top-25 teams the Cougars will face in the first two weeks of the season.
"For us, three of our five games this weekend are against teams in the top-25," head coach Kyla Holas said. "We need to make sure we're on a roll. We liked how they responded (to the competition) last weekend. We liked a lot of their approaches, some of their releases and their mental game. I felt like we got better each day, so we're hoping we are able to do that again this weekend, so that it's something that becomes a habit for us instead of something that we're still trying to do."
AT THE BALLPARK
- The first 200 fans in attendance on Friday's games against Oklahoma State and Nicholls State will receive the official 2011 Houston Softball poster. Twenty fans will receive one signed by the Cougars. - Friday's fans first 500 fans will also receive the 2011 Houston Softball schedule magnets. - Local Girl Scouts will be at Cougar Softball Stadium selling their infamous cookies on Saturday from 12 p.m. - 4 p.m. More young fans from the area will show their support this weekend. Saturday is Spring Klein Girls Softball Association Day, while Sunday is West U Softball Association Day.
HOUSTON (3-1)
The Cougars faired well against stiff competition in their opening weekend. Houston defeated Southern Illinois and Stephen F. Austin, a pair of teams picked to win their conference, as well as Ohio, who was voted to finish second in its league.
In the season opener against No. 8 Michigan (5-0), errors plagued the Cougars' attempt to hold off the top-10 Wolverines. The 10-3 loss was the only game the Cougars surrendered on the weekend. Senior Donna Bourgeois (1-1) was charged with the loss despite allowing just two earned runs.
The Michigan game also played witness to the first Cougar home run of the season, when sophomore shortstop Brooke Lathan took Michigan starter Stephanie Speierman yard in the sixth. Lathan hit two more against Ohio and Stephen F. Austin to put her at the top of Conference USA with three.
Senior designated player Baillie Lott sits right behind Lathan on the C-USA leaderboard. She drilled round trippers against SFA and Southern Illinois for her first and second of the year.
"We'd like to see it a little more spread out through the lineup to produce some more RBI," Holas said. "Those two (Lathan and Lott) are having some good at bats, they have worked really hard on their swings to fix some of the fundamental things that worked against them last year. I'm glad to see that they're having some of the results of being in the right spot at the right time."
On the mound, Holas will use her seniors for the majority of the weekend. Right-handers, Bourgeois and Amanda Crabtree (2-0) worked together to post a conference-best team ERA of 1.08 in the opening weekend. Crabtree stuck out 24 and allowed three hits in 12 innings of work, while Bourgeois surrendered just two earned runs in 14 innings.
"Those two are going to be our mainstays for the rest of the season," Holas said. "They are seniors and they want the ball as much as possible."
No. 20 Oklahoma State (4-1) | Friday, 3 p.m.
Just as they did last weekend, Houston will open the weekend against a top-25 team. Led by head coach Rich Wieligman, the Cowgirls head south after competing in the Kajikawa Classic in Tempe, Ariz., last weekend. OSU defeated Cal Poly, Cal State Fullerton and Northwestern at the Classic, and posted its only loss to No. 2 Arizona, 1-0.
Sophomore right-hander Kat Espinosa (2-0) enters play on Friday with a 0.98 ERA in 14.1 innings in the circle. She recorded the team's first save of the season against Utah and leads the team with 14 strikeouts.
At the plate, the Cowgirls are led by freshman outfielder Ari Morrison. Morrison did her damage by way of the single, going 8-for-16 in the team's first five games. Junior first baseman Julie Ward leads the team with two home runs.
NICHOLLS STATE (2-2) | Friday, 5 p.m.
Coached by Jenny Parsons, the Colonels posted back-to-back wins to close out the Lion Classic in Hammond, La., against Akron and Jackson State after falling to St. Louis and UMKC to kickoff the season.
Sophomore right-hander Ashton Bennett (1-1) paced the Colonels, allowing 17 hits in 13 innings of work, striking out nine in the process. At the plate, senior infielder Tori Lay set the tone by opening the season hitting .400 with three RBI.
No. 16 LSU (6-0) | Saturday, 1 p.m. | Sunday, 1 p.m.
The Tigers are coached by Yvette Girouard; a familiar name to the Cougar program. Girouard also coached Holas during her playing days, guiding Houston's current head coach to All-America status three times at Louisiana-Lafayette (then Southwestern Louisiana).
Girouard and the Tigers made their 12th NCAA Regional appearance last spring and head into Houston with a 6-0 record. LSU notched two wins apiece from Louisiana Tech, Bowling Green and Purdue when the team opened its season at home in the Tiger Classic, Feb. 11-13.
Sophomore right-handed pitcher Rachele Fico is one of three pitchers to head into the weekend with a flawless 2-0 mark. Fico joins Houston's Bourgeois on the USA Softball Player of the Year Top-50 Watch List. The reigning SEC Co-Freshman of the Year and NFCA All-South Region First-Team pick racked up 24 strikeouts in the 13 innings last weekend.
At the plate, the Tigers are led by freshman outfielder Simone Heyward. Heyward posted a monstrous collegiate debut, going 7-for-17 with a pair of triples to earn Tournament MVP honors.
SOUTHERN (1-4) | Saturday, 3 p.m.
In her ninth season, head coach Nancy Marshall brings her Jaguars to Houston after opening the season at Hammond, La., with a 1-4 record. Although they were at the same tournament as the Colonels of Nicholls State, the two did not face each other. The Jaguars posted an 11-7 win against Jackson State, but fell to St. Louis, UMKC, Akron and tournament host, Southeastern.
In the circle, the Jaguars are led by freshman lefty Michael Pless (0-2), who took on the majority of the workload in the opening weekend. She threw 22 innings, allowing 17 runs.
The Hilton Houston Plaza Classic will feature Southern vs. No. 16 LSU in the opening game, Friday at 9 a.m. at Cougar Softball Stadium.
No. 20 Oklahoma State will step in as the Cougars' first opponent. The first pitch is set for Friday at 3 p.m.
Fans are advised to check the previous games' status on GameTracker in the event of a slowed schedule.
