University of Houston Athletics
Preview: Houston Round Robin
3/16/2018 12:00:00 AM | Softball
HOUSTON -- The University of Houston Softball team will host Dartmouth and Eastern Kentucky in the Houston Round Robin across March 17-18 at Cougar Softball Stadium.
| HOUSTON ROUND ROBIN | ||
Saturday, March 17 | • 12 p.m. | Eastern Kentucky vs. Dartmouth | | |
Sunday, March 18 | • 10 a.m. | Dartmouth vs. Eastern Kentucky | | |
TOURNAMENT PROMOTIONS
• For the tournament, each day has its own ticket, and that ticket will get you into all of the games on that particular day. For example, a ticket purchased on Saturday is good for every game on that day. In addition, it's "Shasta's Kids Club Weekend" at Cougar Softball Stadium, and members will get free admission at the gate by showing their membership card
SINGLES
• Houston, which enters the weekend with a 15-7 record, is coming off a 5-4, nine-inning win at McNeese on Tuesday. Junior Savannah Heebner tossed three scoreless innings of relief, retiring all nine batters she faced with three strikeouts to pick up the win. Senior shortstop Mariah Garcia highlighted the offense with a three-run home run against the Cowgirls, who are receiving votes in the latest USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Coaches Poll.
• As an offense, the Cougars are outscoring the opposition, 89-43. Through 12 home games, Houston has scored 49 runs to its opponents' 15.
• At Cougar Softball Stadium, Houston has authored a 9-3 record. The Cougars went 4-0 both in the Houston Hilton Plaza Invitational and the Houston Red & White Showcase to start 8-0 at home, their best since 2008. Last weekend, Houston went 1-3 in the Houston Hilton Plaza Classic, posting a 3-0 victory over Penn State in the tournament finale.
• Against the Nittany Lions, Heebner tossed a one-hitter, her second of the week. Heebner also threw a one-hitter at Texas Southern last Wednesday in Houston's first midweek game of the season. In both outings, the native of Sedalia, Colo., carried a perfect game through five and two-third innings.
• Entering the weekend, sophomore third baseman Sarah Queen leads the team in batting average (.379) and slugging percentage (.621). She (13 RBI) and Garcia (14 RBI) are tied for the team lead with four home runs, also ranking one-two in RBI. As a team, Houston is batting .291.
• Houston leads The American in hit by pitch (23), while senior left fielder Kaylin Crumpton holds the top individual mark with nine, currently tied for 12th in the NCAA.
• In the circle, Heebner leads the team with a 9-2 record and 0.75 ERA. She leads The American in both ERA and opponent batting average (163). Pitchers Presley Bell (2-2) and Trystan Melancon (4-3) have 1.27 and 1.86 ERAs, respectively.
• As a staff, the Cougars rank second in The American in ERA (1.20), a mark that sits 10th in the NCAA. Houston also leads the league in opponent batting average (.196), allowing the fewest runs scored (43) and walks (25) amongst conference members.
ON THE TOURNAMENT FIELD
• Houston is 1-0 all-time against the tournament field, defeating Eastern Kentucky, 7-2, at the UNLV Classic back in 2015.
Dartmouth
• The Big Green enter the weekend with a 2-8 record and are coming off 2-3 showing in the Razorback Invitational where they picked up a pair of wins over Central Connecticut State.
• Dartmouth, a member of the Ivy League, is batting .203 as a team and has a 3.72 ERA.
• Micah Schroder leads the team with a .345 average, while Shelby Wilkison is 1-4 with a staff-best 2.22 ERA.
• The Big Green are led by Head Coach Shannon Doepking, who owns a 65-69-1 record in fourth season at the helm. For her career, Doepking is 86-80-1, spending one season at Amherst prior to taking the reigns at Dartmouth.
• The Colonels enter the weekend with a 16-7 record and are coming off a 5-4 loss down the road at Houston Baptist on Wednesday.
• As a team, EKU is batting .302 and holds a 2.48 ERA.
• Paige Murphy leads the team and the Ohio Valley Conference with a .486 average. In the circle, Mollie Paulick sports a 6-2 record and 2.01 ERA.
• The Colonels are led by Head Coach Jane Worthington, who is 704-652 in her 26th season at the helm.
ON DECK
After the Houston Robin, the Cougars will visit Sam Houston State for a doubleheader on Tuesday, March 20, before opening play in The American with a three-game series at ECU across Match 23-25.
COUGAR SOFTBALL STADIUM UPGRADES
Thanks to a record year for the Diamond Club, Houston Softball announced the addition of an LED, Daktronics video board (completed) and indoor practice facility as major upgrades to Cougar Softball Stadium.
According to Daktronics, the new outfield video board will be the fifth largest at an on-campus softball stadium in the country and the largest in the state of Texas. The board, which will sit just beyond the left-field wall, will stand 29-feet-3.1-inches tall and measure 24-feet-4.0-inches wide with 576 square feet of space (24-feet by 24-feet) for live video, instant replays, statistics and scoring information, graphics and animations, and sponsor messages. The display features a 13HD pixel layout for crisp, clear imagery for a great view from every seat at the stadium.
The indoor facility, which will replace the current batting cage down the right-field line, will measure 70-feet by 80-feet. The 5,600-square-foot space will feature five batting cages, measuring 60-feet long by 15-feet wide each, with retractable nets for the space to be used in a variety of ways. The facility will have a synthetic turf floor and will be temperature controlled.
In total, the two capital projects represent $1.2 million in upgrades.
SHASTA PASS
The Houston Athletics Ticket Office is once again proud to offer the Shasta Pass for the 2017-18 season. For just $80, Cougar fans can purchase one Shasta Pass, which allows season-long general admission entrance to all Houston Volleyball, Soccer, Women's Basketball and Softball home games.
The Shasta Pass offers Houston fans a substantial saving as single-game tickets start at $5 for all four sports. To purchase a Shasta Pass, call 713-GO-COOGS or CLICK HERE.
STAY CONNECTED
Follow Houston Softball on Twitter and Instagram at UHCougarSB, and "Like" UHCougarSB on Facebook.
JOIN 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. For more information, CLICK HERE.
