University of Houston Athletics
Softball Set For Another Home Series Against Memphis
3/23/2012 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 23, 2012
| Memphis (7-23, 0-6 C-USA at Houston (15-13, 4-2 C-USA) | |
|---|---|
| Saturday March 24, 1 p.m. | | All-Access |
| Saturday March 24, 3 p.m. | | All-Access |
| Sunday March 25, 12 p.m. | | All-Access |
HOUSTON - Riding a five-game wining streak, the Houston Cougars softball team welcomes the Memphis Tigers to town this weekend. The teams will play a double-header on Saturday starting at 1 p.m. and close the series with a noon contest on Sunday.
Houston (15-13, 4-2 C-USA) started their winning streak to stop a losing skid of five games. With the recent surge, Houston has bounced back above .500 for the season and ranked fourth in league play.
PROMOTIONS
Sunday's game will be Father-Daughter Day at the ballpark with fans being able to purchase one adult and one youth ticket for $10. Fans can take pictures on the field after the game followed by an autograph session with the UH Softball team.
Saturday's games will promote `Red Rage' with fans encouraged to wear red apparel. T-Shirts will be given away before the first game of the doubleheader.
LAST TIME OUT
Houston is riding a five-game winning streak after taking the series sweep from UTEP and posting a 6-1 win over Northwestern State last week.
The Cougars outscored UTEP 28-6 over the weekend to mark eight-straight wins over the Miners to go along with five run-rule victories in the last six games. Houston won 5-2 in the opening game of the series before unleashing the bats over the next two games. Houston tied a season-high of 13 runs scored in a game against UTEP on Sunday's game as Ashleigh Jones hit a two-RBI triple to net the Cougars the run-rule decision.
SERIES RECORD
Houston owns a 13-6 record against the Tigers, taking the series two games to one last year in Memphis. Houston outscored Memphis 15-3.
OPPONENT NOTES
The Tigers (7-23, 0-6 C-USA) split a midweek doubleheader at Samford and were shutout in all three games at home against Marshall the past weekend.
U of M's top hitter, Morgan Mosby, has posted a .367 batting average and is the only Tiger north of the .300 mark. As a team, Memphis is batting .206 and have combined to hit eight home runs. Jessica Phillips, a Preseason All-C-USA Team selection, leads the club with 17 RBIs.
Jordan Richwood has posted the team's lowest ERA at 2.98 while Ellen Roberts has accumulated the most starts (15) and appearances (20) with a 3.53 ERA.
FOLLOW THE COUGARS
Live stats for all games will be available at UHCougars.com or fans can follow @UHCougarSB on Twitter for live in-game updates.
HALEY HEATING UP
Sophomore Haley Outon went deep three games in a row last week as she totaled 10 RBIs on those three hits alone. Outon recorded her first career grand slam against UTEP on Saturday's second game and had two three-run blasts as well.
Outon ranks No. 27 in the nation in home runs with eight.
WATTS WINNING
Bailey Watts notched three wins last week, and including her win at Marshall on March 11, Watts won four games in a span of seven games. Watts has been on a winning streak ever since her record dropped below .500 (3-4).
The team as a whole found themselves below .500 as of last week, but have posted five straight wins to be back on the winning side of the season record.
GREGSON GETTING IT GOING
Preseason C-USA Player of the Year Melissa Gregson has also picked up her pace settling into league play. Through the first 21 games of the year, the senior was held without a home run before blasting three in the last seven games. Gregson's averages has also climbed from .311 to .373. Last year, Gregson recorded 10 of her 16 home runs during league play.
SEASON STORY NOTES
400
Head coach Kyla Holas reached career and program win number 400 on opening day as Houston defeated Texas A&M - Corpus Christi 10-0. Holas had to wait an extra day to get a crack and No 400 as Houston's first scheduled game of the year against North Texas was cancelled due to rain.
RANKED OPPONENTS
Houston has faced four opponents (Oklahoma State, Texas A&M, Nebraska, Louisiana) who were ranked this year, and have played a total of six games against those teams. Houston has posted a 2-4 record with the two wins coming against Oklahoma State and Texas A&M.
BEAT THE STREAK
Houston beat No. 21 Texas A&M in College Station earlier this year to end the Aggies NCAA-leading home-winning streak of 34 games.
YOUTH MOVEMENT
Seven freshman have made starts for Houston this year including Jaime Edwards who has started at first base every game this season. Sydney Gerbracht ranks second among the rookies with 15 starts coming at DP.
Big production from freshman is nothing new for Houston as nearly every returning starter has been named to the Conference USA All-Freshman Team - Diedre and Haley Outon (2011), Bailey Watts (2010), Jennifer Klinkert (2008; Freshman of the Year), Ashleigh Jones (2010) and Reina Gaber (2010).
IN A PINCH
Redshirt freshman Sydney Gerbracht has came up huge for Houston off the bench for Houston this season. While the Torrey Pines, Calif., native has made 15 starts and owns a .375 batting average, she has delivered all three of her home runs in a pinch hitting capacity this season.
ON TV
The Cougars are slated to play two conference games on Fox Sports Network this year. The first televised matchup of the year will be when ECU visit Houston on April 14 at 2 p.m. The Cougars will also appear on TV the next Saturday on April 21 at 3:30pm when Houston travels to Tulsa.
UP NEXT
The Cougars host the Sixth Annual Striking Out Breast Cancer Game against No. 5/6 Texas next Wednesday at Cougar softball Stadium. A silent auction, with all the proceeds benefiting the Susan G. Komen Houston Affiliate, takes place before and during the game, and all 1,500 fans who attend will receive a free pink t-shirt.
