University of Houston Athletics
PREVIEW: Houston Softball Begins 2016 Campaign
2/11/2016 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Purchase Tickets | 2016 Schedule | Game Notes
STARKVILLE, Miss. â€" Houston Softball kicks off the 2016 campaign this weekend as the Cougars travel to the Bulldog Kickoff Classic in Starkville, Miss., hosted by Mississippi State.
The Cougars will play five games during the three-day tournament, opening with Tennessee Tech on Friday at 3 p.m. Immediately following that game, Houston faces off with Mississippi State at 5:30 p.m. On Saturday, Houston is set to play Georgia Southern at 11:30 a.m. and close day two with a nightcap vs. Alabama A&M at 7 p.m. The team concludes the weekend with an 11 a.m. first pitch against Mississippi State on Sunday.
The tournament will be held in the newly constructed Nusz Park located on the Mississippi State campus.
Both games against host team Mississippi State will be televised on the SEC Network+, which is available exclusively through WatchESPN.com and the WatchESPN app.
Gameday Central >> Houston at Bulldog Kickoff Classic | ||
| Date | Time | Feb. 12-14, 2015 | |
| Location | Nusz Park Starkville, Miss. | |
| Schedule | Friday, Feb. 12 Houston v. Tennessee Tech | 3 pm Houston at Mississippi State | 5:30 pm |  Saturday, Feb. 13 Houston v. Georgia Southern | 11:30 am Houston v. Alabama A&M | 7 pm Sunday, Feb. 14 Houston at Mississippi State | 11 am |  | |
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Single Game Tickets | Promo Schedule | ||
 | HITS ON HOUSTON |
• Houston opens the 2016 season on the road for the second consecutive season as the Cougars make the trek to Starkville, Miss. for the Bulldog Kickoff Classic.
• The Cougars closed out the 2015 season with a third-place finish in the American Athletic Conference and took third in the conference tournament.
• Nine returners and eight newcomers make up the 2016 Cougars. Houston lost eight letterwinners to graduation last year including All-American Athletic Conference shortstop Selena Hernandez.
• Top returners for the Cougars include senior LHP Julana Shrum who was named to the NFCA All-Region third team and the conference all-tournament team. Senior outfielder Katie St. Pierre also returns for the Cougars.
• Two freshmen pitchers, Savannah Heebner and Presley Bell, will give the Cougars depth in the circle. Heebner, a 6-0 RHP from Sedalia, Colo., was named the 2015 Gatorade Softball Player of the Year. Bell is a 5-10 RHP from Liberty, Texas. She was the District 21-5A MVP, TGCA All-State pitcher and selected to the TGCA All-Star team last season.
| ON MISSISSIPPI STATE BULLDOGS |
• 2015 Results: 36-21 (10-14, SEC)
• Head Coach: Vann Stuedeman (Huntingdon College, '94) | 5th Season | Career: 141-90
• Letterwinners returning/lost: 13/7
• Series: Houston leads, 2-0
| ON GEORGIA SOUTHERN |
• 2015 Results: 12-39 (4-20, Sun Belt)
• Head Coach: Annie Smith (Grinnell, '95) | 5th Season | Career: 122-110
• Letterwinners returning/lost: 9/7
• Series: Houston leads, 1-0
| ON TENNESSEE TECH GOLDEN EAGLES |
• 2015 Results: 33-28 (15-11, OVC)
• Head Coach: Bonnie Bynum (Tennessee Tech, '07) | 4th Season | Career: 80-90
• Letterwinners returning/lost: 14/7
• Series: First Meeting
| ON ALABAMA A&M BULLDOGS |
• 2015 Results: 18-25 (7-9, SWAC)
• Head Coach: Nakeya Hall (S.C. State, '03) | 4th Season | Career: 29-57
• Series: Houston leads, 2-0
| UP NEXT |
Winner of game one of the quarterfinals will advance to face the winner between UConn and Tulsa on Friday, May 8 at 2 p.m. (CT). The Championship game will be played on Saturday, May 9 at noon (CT). The winner of the championship game will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Regionals.
| 2015 - YEAR IN REVIEW |
Houston enters the third season of play in The American Athletic Conference. The Cougars finished the season 28-27 (10-7) to finish third in the league and advance to The American Championship tournament in Orlando, Fla.
Houston opened up the 2015 season at the Sand Dollar Classic in Gulf Shores, Ala. The Cougars went 3-4 dropping two walk-off losses to Jackson State and No. 23 South Alabama.
The Cougars opened the home slate with a 12-game stretch hosting the Hilton Houston Plaza Invitational and the Hilton Houston Plaza Classic.
Houston closed out tournament play with a 3-2 weekend in Las Vegas, Nev., at the UNLV Classic. The Cougars picked up their first shutout win of the season with a 5-0 victory over Iowa State.
Once conference play began in March, the Cougars started off hot. Houston swept USF in two games and took two out of three from East Carolina, all at home.
No. 25 Texas came to town for the 9th annual Striking Out Breast Cancer game. Four homeruns including a Julana Shrum grand slam excited a crowd of 1,500 during the game, but the Cougars came up short and fell 13-12.
After dropping three straight at No. 15 UCF, the Cougars went on a five-game win streak to improve to 9-4 in conference play and take over second place in the American.
During the final weekend of conference play, the Cougars dropped two of three at Memphis, dropping to third place in standings and claiming a no. 3 seed in the conference tournament.
Houston defeated Memphis is the first round and had to face Tulsa in the semifinal round. The Cougars fell 5-2 to the Golden Hurricane.
| TOP OF THE CLASS |
Houston Softball was on top once again for having the best semester GPA and cumulative GPA in the department.
The Cougars were also recognized as a 2014-15 National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division I All-Academic Team for their 3.290 GPA during the academic year. Houston was one of 107 teams including three others from the American Athletic Conference. Houston had 10 student-athletes named 2014-15 NFCA All-America Scholor Athletes including Sydney Gerbracht, Jaime Edwards, Courtney Klingler, Courtney Mica, Megan Noel, Katie St. Pierre, Shelby Miller, Jordan Rains, Kaylin Crumpton and De'Zha Scott.
The awards are given to players who achieved a 3.50 GPA or higher during the 2014-15 academic year.
| COUGARS PICKED TO FINISH THIRD |
Houston Softball was picked to finish third in the 2016 American Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Cougars earned 27 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 2016 American Athletic Conference softball title in voting by the league's seven head coaches. The Knights received four of the seven first place votes.
Tulsa finished second in the preseason poll with 31 points and garnered two first-place votes after posting an overall record of 36-18 and a second place finish in The American with 12-6 record.
| 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).
| JOIN THE DIAMOND CLUB |
Fans can help support the Houston Softball program by joining the Diamond Club. To find out more information about the Diamond Club, visit UHCougars.com or call Cougar Pride at (713) 743-GOUH.
