University of Houston Athletics
Houston Readies for Crucial Conference Contests
4/28/2011 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 28, 2011
| HOUSTON at EAST CAROLINA | |
|---|---|
| Time | 12/2 p.m. CT (Sat.)/10 a.m. CT (Sun.) |
| Location | Greenville, N.C. |
| Stadium | ECU Softball Stadium |
| Series Record | Houston leads, 19-12 |
| Live Stats | |
| Game Notes | Houston Notes  Conference USA Notebook |
| Social Media |  Facebook •  Twitter |
Live Chat (Saturday) | Live Chat (Sunday)
HOUSTON - The University of Houston softball team will travel to Greenville, N.C., to face the fourth-place Pirates from East Carolina in a vital matchup at ECU Softball Stadium, April 30-May 1. Saturday's doubleheader is scheduled for a 12 p.m. CT start with Sunday's finale is slated for 10 a.m. CT.
Houston (33-15, 13-5) can control its destiny as the Cougars sit in a tie for second place with two C-USA series remaining. This weekend, the Cougars face fourth-place ECU (34-16, 14-7) before closing the regular-season at home against sixth-place Central Florida (18-28, 8-10) on May 7-8.
"For them, being in a good mindset and having fun is something that our team responds well to," head coach Kyla Holas said. "I hope that how little time we have left on the season increases that sense of urgency to have fun, cherish it and enjoy every moment."
With six conference games on the table, Houston has the opportunity to post the third-most C-USA wins in program history (2008 - 21, 2007 - 20) and finish in a tie for first place. Current first-place Tulsa (37-12, 16-5) has just three conference games remaining while fellow second-place UAB (33-15, 13-5) still has six to play, giving all three teams the opportunity to finish with a conference-best 19-5 record.
"Right now we're focusing on our defense, our offense and the things we can control," Holas said. "Those are always things that we can control along with our mental focus. We're working really hard at practice. Hopefully it pays off and hopefully they come in with the right mindset. They know this stretch is going to be very difficult, and understand that (Toni) Paisley is one of the best out there and they're going to have to play."
ABOUT THE MATCHUP
East Carolina ended Houston's season in the semifinals of last year's C-USA Tournament, 4-0. The Cougars took the regular-season series two games to one and holds the all-time series record advantage, 19-12.
In four games against each other last season, Houston's 4-2 win accounted for the largest margin of victory. Defending C-USA Pitcher of the Year Toni Paisley threw three of the four contests, in which she went 2-1.
HOUSTON (33-15, 13-5)
OVERALL: The Cougars are receiving votes in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll again this week as they continue to climb in their quest for a strong postseason resume. In the latest RPI projections that were released on Wednesday, Houston rose to No. 22 as the club now owns an 11-12 record against top-50 RPI teams. That record includes seven victories against top-25 teams. Although Houston fell to Texas State in its last outing, the Cougars did record its fourth no-hitter of the year, and its first from senior pitcher Donna Bourgeois, in the opening game of the doubleheader.
The Cougars finished their non-conference slate at a 21-10 mark and will have the opportunity to reach 16 wins in conference action for the third time in program history this weekend.
IN THE CIRCLE: As a staff, Houston's pitchers are leading the conference in ERA (1.41), opposing batting average (.171) and is tied with ECU as the strikeout leader (414).
Senior Amanda Crabtree (17-7) enters the weekend as the dominant force for the Cougars. Once again, the senior right-hander leads the NCAA in strikeouts per seven innings (12.1) and hits allowed per seven innings (2.67). Her 291 strikeouts on the season ranks second in the league and seventh in the NCAA, while her 0.96 ERA is second in C-USA and fifth in the nation.
The Kingwood, Texas native needs just 23 more strikeouts to set Houston's single-season strikeout record (313, Angel Shamblin).
Fellow senior Donna Bourgeois (13-6) leads the league in conference-only ERA (0.37) and has racked up a 1.75 ERA on the season. She threw her first no-hitter as a Cougar in game one Texas State, while her offense backed her with its sixth run rule in the last 11 games.
Freshman Diedre Outon (3-2) will also see time in the circle in Greenville. Although her last two starts have been rocky ones against nationally ranked Texas A&M and then Texas State, the rookie has a 2.69 ERA on the season and has walked just seven batters in 26.0 innings.
AT THE PLATE: Just as the pitchers set the bar in the circle, the Cougar lineup is setting C-USA's pace at the plate. Houston leads the conference in homeruns (56), batting average (.283), RBI (208), slugging percentage (.468) and on-base percentage (.370).
The disciplined, selective squad has struck out just 204 times - the fewest in the league - while walking 159 times. With only two strikeouts on the season, sophomore designated player Reina Gaber ranks as the fifth-toughest person to strikeout amongst all NCAA Division I hitters.
Junior Melissa Gregson will look to stay hot through the last six games of the regular season. Gregson's 15 homeruns tops the league while her 42 RBI checks in at second place. Against conference-only opponents, Gregson is having an even bigger year as she leads in batting average (.480), homeruns (9), runs scored (17), slugging percentage (1.120) and on-base percentage (.557).
Senior Katy Beth Sherman is doing work as the leadoff hitter with a C-USA top-10 batting average (.348) while the Cougars' two-hole hitter, Holly Anderson, breaks into the league's top-10 in on-base percentage (.431) and walks (21).
EAST CAROLINA (34-16, 14-7)
OVERALL: Last weekend, ECU earned its second C-USA sweep of the year, winning all three games at UTEP. The Pirates are 6-6 over their last 12 games, including a pair of losses to UCF and N.C. State before bouncing back with series victories against UAB and UTEP.
IN THE CIRCLE: Two-time C-USA Pitcher of the Year Toni Paisley (26-8) will lead the Pirates against Houston for her final time in the regular season this weekend. The All-American joins Crabtree as an NCAA leader - her 14 complete game shutouts ranks first in the country. She and Crabtree have battled for the league's top spot in strikeouts all season long. Paisley enters the weekend with 311 strikeouts to Crabtree's 291, but has thrown 65 more innings than Houston's senior.
Paisley isn't ECU's only weapon. Junior Faith Sutton (8-8)'s 2.31 ERA ranks 10th in C-USA. The duo holds a 1.47 ERA as a staff, second only to Houston.
AT THE PLATE: Unlike Houston, ECU doesn't use power numbers to back its pitching staff. The Pirates have 12 homeruns on the year and are hitting .253 as a unit. However, junior Suzanne Riggs has started all 49 games and leads the lineup with a .333 average. She also paces the team with four homers.
