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NCAA Tournament: Houston Faces Auburn Friday
5/16/2012 12:00:00 AM | Softball
May 16, 2012
NCAA Tournament | Austin RegionHouston (34-22) vs Auburn (33-21) | |
|---|---|
| Date | Friday May 18 |
| Time | 1 p.m. |
| Stadium | McCombs Field |
| Live Video | ESPN3.com |
| Live Stats | |
| Game Notes | Game Notes |
| Tournament Central | UHCougars.com |
| Tournament Info | TexasSports.com |
| Follow Houston Softball |   |
HOUSTON - The University of Houston softball team will travel to Austin, Texas, and face Auburn in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Houston returns to Austin in for postseason play for the second consecutive year and marks the programs fourth trip to the NCAA's in the last six years.
Houston (34-22) and Auburn (33-21) play Friday at 1 p.m. at McCombs Field. Host and No. 6 seeded Texas (42-10) and Northwestern (27-27) make up the rest of the field. The game between Houston and Auburn will be broadcast on ESPN3.com.
The winner of the Austin Regional matches up against the winner of the Eugene Regional with No. 11 Oregon hosting Portland State, Mississippi State and BYU.
Closing the season on a 5-1 stretch, Houston was selected for the at-large selection after finishing in a tie for third in Conference USA standings (15-9). Heading into the C-USA Championship as the No. 5 seed, Houston defeated UCF 6-2 before falling to eventual champions Tulsa 3-4.
UH ended the 2012 regular season No. 42 in the RPI. Texas checks in at No. 5 in the RPI with Auburn No. 31 and Northwestern No. 51.
NCAA POST SEASON HISTORY
For the second time in program history, the Cougars are heading to the NCAA postseason in consecutive years. Houston is 11-8 all-time in the postseason with two Super Regional appearances (2008, 2011).
Last year in the Austin Regional, Houston went 3-0 and defeated the No. 3 nationally seeded Longhorns and No. 24 ranked Louisiana-Lafayette twice to advance. Amanda Crabtree picked up all three wins and Haley Outon hit two home runs in the final matchup against ULL in the 4-1 win.
Head coach Kyla Holas, and founder of the program, has entrenched Houston as a fixture in the NCAA's reaching the postseason four times in the last years after making the trip once in the first six years.
SERIES HISTORY
This is the first matchup between the Auburn Tigers and Houston Cougars. Northwestern and Houston have also never played before while UH trails Texas 4-16 in the series. UT defeated Houston 15-4 earlier this year.
ON AUBURN
Auburn (33-21, 12-16) enters the matchup with a strong pitching staff and a trio of hurlers sporting an ERA under 2.20. All three (Lauren Schmalz, Jenee Lorree and Angel Bunner) have thrown roughly the same amount of innings with Loree leading the bunch in strikeouts (130) Schmalz has the lowers ERA checking in at 1.57 and Bunner has posted the best record at 13-4. The Tigers have the No. 26 team ERA in the nation at 1.93.
Auburn closed out the regular season with three series wins over Arkansas, South Carolina and Mississippi State going 7-2 against the squads. Losing in the opening round of the SEC Tournament to No. 5 Tennessee, Auburn sits at No. 31 in RPI.
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.
Friday's game against Auburn will be streamed online via ESPN3.com. For games against Texas, the action can be seen on the Longhorn Network.
ALL-CONFERENCE AWARDS
Five Cougars were selected to C-USA honors following the regular season. Haley Outon (C), Holly Anderson (IF) and Melissa Gregson (OF) were all named to the First Team All-Conference teams while Jennifer Klinkert (IF) was a Second Team All-Conference selection. Jaime Edwards (IF) was Houston's representative on the All-Freshman squad.
NCAA RANKINGS
The Cougars are among the NCAAs best in several categories highlighted by ranking No. 8 in stolen bases per game (1.91).
Houston is No. 17 in batting average (.312) led by Holly Anderson (.374), Haley Outon (.372) and Melissa Gregson (.355). Seven batters are above the .300 mark as they rank No. 1 in C-USA in the category. The 2012 squad trails the 2008 team for the No. 1 mark in school history (.316).
Showing balance in the field as well, Houston ranks No. 15 in double plays per game (0.43).
STOLEN BASE RECORD
The Cougars have stolen 109 bases this year and set a new program record for steals in a year (84, 2010). The Cougars rank second in C-USA in steals this year behind Marshall and No. 8 in the NCAA
Ashleigh Jones leads the pack with her total 22 and is three away from tying current assistant coach Jessica Valis (25, 2008) for the single-season record. Holly Anderson ranks second (19-for-24) giving Houston two threats at the top of their order.
Houston also set the program single-game record for steals with seven against Nevada on Feb. 25. UH was 7-for-7 in that game and has recorded six steals in three other games this year.
Haley Outon SINGLE SEASON HOME RUN RECORD - 22
Haley Outon launched her 22nd home run of the year against Tulsa in the C-USA Championships. The long ball and consequential RBI (63rd of the year) extended her own school records.
Outon's record-setting blast, the 20th of the year, came against Southern Miss in the final game of the regular season to surpass Laurie Wagner (19, 2008), and the home run also passed Wagner's (57) RBI record total in the same year.
Outon ranks No. 6 in the NCAA in home runs.
ANOTHER OUTON RECORD
Haley has hit a home run in six consecutive games to close out the regular season and start the 2012 post season. That ties an NCAA record and overthe last six games, Outon is 13-for-21 (.619) with six home runs, 14 RBIs and nine runs scored.
HIT BY PITCH RECORD
Kendra Cullum took a bean ball nine times in the last nine games to break the program record for hit by pitch in a season (17). The Conroe, Texas, native ranks No. 19 in the NCAA at 0.33 hit by pitch per game.
1,785
For the second year in a row, Houston set a program attendance record at the annual Striking Out Breast Cancer Game. The mark surpassed last year's crowd of 1,672,
NO HITTERS
The Houston pitching staff has thrown two no hitters thus far this year. Bailey Watts threw a hitless game against Louisiana Monroe, her second of her career, on Feb. 18. Diedre Outon tossed her first career no hitter on March 24 against Memphis in Houston's 8-0 win.
SENIORS
Three seniors, Melissa Gregson, Jennifer Klinkert and Kelly Lindley represent Houston for the last time this series. The trio were honored on Senior Day May 5 against USM and Gregson picked up
YOUTH MOVEMENT
Seven freshman have made starts for Houston this year including Jaime Edwards who had started at first base every game this season until a season-ending injury at Tulsa. Another rookie, Jennifer Hooker, was inserted into the line up as Houston continues to gather experience in their newcomers.
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).
