NCAA Tournament: Houston Set for Stillwater Super Regional
5/25/2011 12:00:00 AM | Softball
May 25, 2011
| HOUSTON vs. 25/22 OKLAHOMA STATE - Stillwater Super Regional | |
|---|---|
| Time | 6 pm CT (Fri.) | 1:30 pm CT (Sat.) | 4 pm (if nec.) |
| Location | Stillwater, Okla. |
| Television | ESPNU/Espn3.com |
| Stadium | Cowgirl Softball Stadium |
| Series Record | Houston leads, 2-0 |
| Live Stats | |
| Game Notes | Houston Notes  |
| Tournament Information | NCAA Tournament Central |
| Social Media |  Facebook •  Twitter |
HOUSTON - The University of Houston softball team will continue its NCAA Tournament run when the Cougars take on the nationally ranked Oklahoma State Cowgirls (40-17) at the Stillwater Super Regional, May 27-28.
The Cougars (43-16) are heading to the NCAA Super Regionals for the second time in program history and the first time since the 2008 season, when they played host to an NCAA Regional and Super Regional.
This time around, Houston will match up with Oklahoma State in the Cougars' first trip to Cowgirl Softball Stadium. Game one is set for Friday at 6 p.m. CT, game two is scheduled for Saturday at 1:30 p.m. CT and, if necessary, game three will begin at approximately 4 p.m. CT on Saturday. Each game of the Stillwater Super Regional will be broadcast on ESPNU with Holly Rowe and Leah Amico calling the action.
Houston swept through the NCAA Austin Regional with a flawless 3-0 record as the No. 3 seed in the bracket, beating No. 24/25 Louisiana-Lafayette and the NCAA Tournament's overall-No. 3 seed, Texas. The regional crown is the second in school history, as the Cougars also went 3-0 in the 2008 NCAA Houston Regional.
The only Super Regional team not from a major BCS Conference, Houston now stands just two wins away from the program's first Women's College World Series berth. The two wins that Houston needs to advance to the WCWS would mark career wins No. 399 and 400 for head coach, and founder of the program, Kyla Holas.
"We're trying to keep it in perspective," Holas said. "We've been working hard this whole year on the mental aspect of our game. We're taking this as just another game. Our best job is to lead by example. If we show them that the pressure gets to us, then you're going to have a team that feels that as well. We have a very clear game plan, just as we did last weekend."
ABOUT THE MATCHUP
This Sweet 16 series marks the second time the Cougars and Cowgirls have met this season. Houston defeated then-No. 20 Oklahoma State,3-2, on Feb. 18. That was the first of three wins against nationally ranked opponents during the Houston Hilton Plaza Classic (Feb. 18-20).
Although Houston has now taken down 12 different teams in the top-25 or receiving votes, OSU was the first of the year, just five games into the season. OSU has faced several of the same opponents as Houston over the course of the spring, including Cal Poly, Fresno State, Long Beach State, LSU, Nicholls State, Tulsa, Texas and Baylor. Houston went 10-4 against the duo's common opponents, while OSU went 9-3.
Houston and Oklahoma State match up extremely closely. Houston is hitting .282 as a team with 65 homeruns, while OSU is at a .291 clip with 47 bombs. OSU has five starters hitting above .300 with two in double-digit homerun figures, while Houston has four starters hitting .300 or better with two posting double-digit homerun numbers.
In the circle, the Cougars lead the nation with a team ERA of 1.25, while the Cowgirl pitchers head into the weekend with a 2.20 combined ERA.
HOUSTON (43-16)
OVERALL: Houston claimed the Austin Regional title with three-straight wins, outscoring their opponents, 11-3. The clean sweep marked Houston's 10th win in the team's last 11 games.
In the latest RPI projections (May 17), Houston checked in at No. 22 - just one spot behind Oklahoma State (No. 21). The Cougars have put themselves in a solid RPI position all season, as half of the opponents they have squared off against are in the top 50.
The Cougars have faced 16 teams featured in the top 50 of the latest RPI projections. Of those, the Cougars posted an 18-11 record, including wins against Oklahoma State, BYU, Fresno State, Texas A&M and two games against LSU, Tulsa, Baylor as well as Texas and Louisiana-Lafayette in the Austin Regional.
IN THE CIRCLE: When the latest NCAA statistics were released (May 22), Houston's arms were at the top. Seniors Amanda Crabtree (21-8) and Donna Bourgeois (16-6) combined with freshman Diedre Outon (6-2) currently hold the best team ERA in the NCAA (1.25).
Crabtree leads the NCAA in strikeouts per seven innings (12.0), hits allowed per seven innings (2.80) and is third in the nation in ERA (0.93). Bourgeois acts as the other half of the 1-2 punch, as she has gone 12-0 in her last 12 decisions.During the Austin Regional, the trio posted a 0.67 ERA as both nationally ranked lineups combined to hit .141 against them. Although Crabtree was charged with the only two earned runs of the weekend, she also collected 20 of the staff's 23 strikeouts.
Crabtree and Outon teamed up to throw Houston's ninth one-hitter of the season in the Austin Regional opener against Louisiana-Lafayette.
AT THE PLATE: Houston comes into the NCAA Tournament crushing the ball and ranks 21st in the nation in homeruns per game (1.16). The Cougars finished the conference season leading the league in homeruns (65), 25 more than second-place Memphis (38). Junior outfielder Melissa Gregson leads the Cougars with 16 homers, a number that ties her for 23rd in the NCAA.
Gregson and the Cougars won't mind the road trip, as six of Houston's starters are hitting .330 or better in games away from Cougar Softball Stadium. Six of Houston's starting nine also have at least three homers, while seven regulars are posting double-digit RBI numbers away from home. Gregson has hit more than half of her bombs this season (16) on the road (9).
All-C-USA First Team sophomore third baseman Holly Anderson is leading the crew with a .340 batting average, tagging at least one hit in 24 of the Cougars' last 27 games. Anderson also refuses to be the last out. She leads the team hitting at a .412 clip with two outs, complete with a team-leading two-out RBI mark (16). Anderson is also hitting .400 with bases loaded and an impressive .450 with runners in scoring position to lead a team that has produced a .319 average with RISP.
Senior outfielder Katy Beth Sherman has been a consistent force as the leadoff hitter. She currently is second on the team in batting average (.331) and leads the team in hits (55) and triples (4). The senior captain hit a two-run triple in the Cougars' opening game of the Austin Regional against ULL and was the only run of the game when Houston upset No. 3-overall seeded Texas in game two of the regional.
No. 25/22 OKLAHOMA STATE (40-17)
OVERALL: The Cowgirls snapped a five-game losing streak with their first win in the Knoxville Regional. In the final 10 games of the regular season, OSU went 3-7 before rallying to go 3-0, knocking off Georgia Tech and Tennessee twice in the Knoxville Regional.
IN THE CIRCLE: The Cowgirls are holding down a 2.20 ERA as a staff, with right-handers Kat Espinosa (22-7) and Simone Freeman (9-8) taking a majority of the workload.
Espinosa leads the staff with 192.1 innings pitched and 142 strikeouts. Freeman is second on the staff with 107.2 IP and 123 strikeouts. Opponents are hitting at a .213 clip against them.
AT THE PLATE: The Cowgirls head into the weekend hitting .291 as a team with five members of their starting lineup hitting .300 or better. All-Region Team members Alysia Hamilton (.409), Mariah Gearhart (.357) and Chelsea Garcia (.337) lead the team in batting average.
The team has clubbed 47 homers, Garcia leads with 12 while junior Julie Ward has 11. Garcia's 53 RBI also leads the team.
SCHEDULE
Game One: Friday, May 27 - 6 p.m. CT
Game Two: Saturday, May 28 - 1:30 p.m. CT
Game Three (if necessary): Saturday, May 28 - 4 p.m. CT
TICKET INFO
All session tickets are available now for $30 each. Single-session tickets will go on sale on Friday for $20 each.
Fans can call 877-ALL-4-OSU (877-255-4678) or log onto OKState.com for more information.
2012 SEASON TICKETS
Deposits are now being accepted for NEW 2012 softball season tickets. Fans can buy now to watch the 2011 NCAA Softball Regional and C-USA Regular Season Champions in action!
A $25 per seat deposit reserves your spot to watch every home game during the 2012 season. A form will be mailed to you in the winter with the remaining balance once ticket prices have been determined.
All 2011 season ticket holders will receive a renewal application in January and do not need to place a deposit for their tickets. Click here for more information.
