University of Houston Athletics
PREVIEW: Houston Softball v. No. 2 Oregon Tuesday
2/16/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
HOUSTON - The University of Houston Softball team gears up to host No. 2 Oregon at Cougar Softball Stadium Tuesday at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.
The doubleheader was originally scheduled for Monday at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. but was postponed due to potential thunderstorms in the area.
| Gameday Central >> Houston vs. No. 2 Oregon | ||
| Date | Time | Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2015 | 2 pm | 4 pm | |
| Location | Cougar Softball Stadium Houston , Texas | |
| Coverage | Houston Game Notes | Oregon Game Notes GAME 1: | Live Video  GAME 2: | Live Video | |
| Social Media |    | |
Single Game Tickets | Season Tickets | Promo Schedule | ||
THE MATCH UP
• Oregon leads all-time series, 3-2
• Last Meeting: Cougars upset No. 22 Oregon at home, 3-0, on Feb. 12, 2006 during the Marriott Houston Hobby Invitational
ON OREGON
• Head Coach: Mike White - 6th Season
• 2014 Record: 56-9-1 (20-3-1) - 1st - PAC 12
• Returns 15 letterwinners, welcomes 6 newcomers
• two All-Americans: Hawkins (1st), Takeda (3rd)
• Opened 2015 season 6-0 at Arizona Tournament
• Oregon travels to Texas for nine-game week, opening up with Cougars on Tuesday.
LAST WEEK AT A GLANCE
Houston went 3-2 in the home opening weekend as the Cougars hosted the Hilton Houston Plaza Invitational.
Northern Iowa | W, 5-2 |
McNeese State | L, 3-1 |
UMass | W, 5-4 (Walk-off) |
DePaul | W, 6-3 |
SFA | L, 5-1 |
McNeese State went 4-1 this weekend and was named the tournament winner. Houston followed with a 3-2 finish in 2nd place.
LIGHTNING ST. PIERRE
St. Pierre is off to another great start this season as she has racked up 17 hits in just 12 games. Of those hits, three have been extra base hits and the centerfielder is slugging .525, the fifth best in the American Athletic Conference.
St. Pierre has wheels! She is now 6-6 in stolen base attempts. St. Pierre's career best is 15 stolen bases (2013).
TAKING ONE FOR THE TEAM
Freshman outfielder Kaylin Crumpton has taken several for the team as she has been hit by a pitch eight times in the 10 games played this season. She is well on her way to the record books for most HBP in a single season.
Kendra Cullum broke the school record in 2013 with 38 and is ranked No. 2 in NCAA history for career hit by pitched (89).
VS. RANKED OPPONENTS
Houston is 44-100 when playing ranked teams and is 0-5 when playing the No. 2 ranked team. If Houston picks up a win over Oregon on Tuesday it will mark the highest ranked opponent defeated.
DOUBLE THE TROUBLE
In the 12 games played so far this season, Houston has already turned 10 double plays. The Cougars turned six this weekend including two against UNI & DePaul and one against McNeese & SFA.
Last season, the Cougars broke the single season record for most double plays turned (28).
2014 - YEAR IN REVIEW
Houston enters the second season of play in The American Athletic Conference. The Cougars went 33-23 (13-8) during the 2014 season to finish fourth in the league and advance to the Waco Regional for the fourth-straight season. The feat marks the first time in program history as the Cougars continue their quest to extend the streak to five consecutive postseason appearances.
LARGEST TEAM IN SCHOOL HISTORY
Houston returns 11 letterwinners, seven position starters and two pitchers from last year's squad. Head coach Kyla Holas also welcomes 10 newcomers including six transfers and four freshmen to the team.
The Cougars lost three to graduation last season including pitcher/catcher duo and twin sisters Haley and Diedre Outon. Haley became the first Cougar in school history to be named CoSIDA Academic All-American while also receiving NFCA All-Region team honors. Following the 2014 season, Haley signed to play professional softball with the Akron Racers.
Houston returns 11 letterwinners including starting middle infielders Kayla Holland and Selena Hernandez.
Hernandez was named Second Team All-American Athletic Conference shortstop as she led the league with 46 runs scored and ranked third with 37 RBI. She started every game at shortstop and recorded a .324 batting average.
Holland returns for her final season as a Cougar. Last season, she started all 53 games at second base and tallied 45 hits with three home runs. On defense, Holland was a part of 11 of the Cougars' record-setting 28 double plays turned last season.
Junior Katie St. Pierre returns for the Cougars in center field. She was named Third Team NFCA All-Region outfielder for her outstanding 2014 season. She led the league with a .399 batting average and ranked second in on base percentage (.497) while racking up 12 stolen bases on 17 attempts.
In the circle, senior Summer Groholski and junior Julana Shrum are the only two returning pitchers this season. Houston can also rely on the efforts of newcomers Kayla Maxwell and Shelby Miller as potential starters.
Miller is a division I transfer from Southern Arkansas. Last season, she pitched and played outfield for the Mule Riders. Miller led her team to a Great American Conference Championship and was named Honorable Mention All-American, First Team All-Region, Conference Freshman of the Year, First Team All-Conference and Conference Tournament MVP.
Houston added 10 newcomers to the program including six transfers headlining the group. Juniors Courtney Mica, Megan Noel, Courtney Klingler, sophomores Shelby Miller, Savannah Martin, Jaylin Baldridge and freshmen Kendall Brown, De'Zha Scott, Kaylin Crumpton, and Kayla Maxwell comprise the Cougars new class.
TOP OF THE CLASS
Houston Softball had 14 student-athletes named to the American Athletic Conference All-Academic Team for the 2013-14 school year.
Seven members of the team were also named 2013-14 National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-American Scholar Athletes.
Houston student-athletes named to the list were Hayley Chamberlain, Kendra Cullum, Sydney Gerbracht, Jaime Edwards, Haley Outon, Julia Pecina and Katie St. Pierre.
These athletes were among 4,687 softball players across seven membership divisions to earn NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete honors for the 2013-14 academic year.
The awards are given to players who achieved a 3.50 GPA or higher during the 2013-14 academic year.
Houston Softball was also named one of the 2013-14 NFCA NCAA Division I All-Academic Teams for the 3.37 team GPA.
COUGARS PICKED TO FINISH 4TH
Houston Softball was picked to finish fourth in the 2015 American Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Cougars earned 24 total points and a first place vote by the league's six other head coaches.
UCF was picked as the preseason favorite to claim the 2015 American Athletic Conference softball title in voting by the league's seven head coaches. The Knights received five of the seven first place votes.
Tulsa finished second in the preseason poll with 29 points and garnered a first-place vote after posting an overall record of 53-9 last year that included Conference USA regular season and tournament championships.
BUY SEASON TICKETS
Fans can purchase season tickets online by visiting UHCougars.com/SBtickets and following the appropriate links or by clicking here.
To purchase tickets in person, fans can visit the Athletics Ticket Office located on the northeast corner of TDECU Stadium, just outside of Gate 1 off Cullen Boulevard. Parking is available in the TDECU Stadium parking garage with the first 30 minutes free of charge. Regular business hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
All UH main campus students are admitted FREE to regular-season softball home games with a valid student ID.
SINGLE-GAME TICKETS ON SALE NOW
Fans can purchase general admission single-game tickets beginning as low as $5 for youth and $8 for adults through UHCougars.com or by contacting the Houston Athletics Ticket Office at 713-GO-COOGS (462-6647).
While single-game tickets are available, fans are encouraged to save and purchase 2015 season tickets. General admission season tickets are just $75 for 28 home games ($2.68 per ticket). Fans can also purchase season tickets online by clicking here or calling the ticket office 713-GO-COOGS (462-6647).
STAY CONNECTED
For all the behind-the-scenes action, follow Houston Softball on Twitter @UHCougarSB and "Like" /HoustonCougarSoftball on Facebook. Houston Softball is now on Instagram (@uhcougarsb).
