LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Throughout the 2015 softball season, those of us at the NFCA will feature some of the sport’s highest-profile contests in our “Featured Five” Games of the Week segment.
Each weekly installment will be released on Thursday, providing live stat links, game notes, returnee info, Twitter accounts and any available broadcast links in hopes of becoming another source for fans to visit during the season for information on some of collegiate softball’s best games.
As the year continues, we will attempt to expand our focus to include match-ups throughout as many divisions as possible. This week’s featured games come from NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II and Division III.
We may not be able to highlight every division or big game each week, but our hope is to provide a spotlight for as many different teams and games as possible throughout 2015.
Make sure you follow the NFCA on social media through Twitter (@NFCAorg) and on Facebook (NFCA) and let us know what you think of our new “Featured Five” segment.
————————————————————————————————————————————
#t3 LSU (25-0, 3-0) at #1 Florida (27-0, 0-0) – SEC Series
Site: Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium | Gainesville, Fla.
Date/ Game Time: Fri. March 13 (6:00 ET), Sat., March 14 (1:00 ET), Sun., March 15 (12:00 ET)
Coverage: Radio (Florida) | SEC Network | Watch ESPN (G2 / G3) | Live Stats (G1 / G2 / G3)
Follow them on Twitter: @LSUsoftball | @GatorZoneSBall
Previews (Game Notes): LSU (notes) | Florida (Notes)
* The last two undefeated teams and two programs off to their best starts meet in a SEC clash this weekend in Gainesville… It marks the first time in league history that two 20-plus win undefeated programs have met in a SEC series… It also is the first time since May 6-8, 2011 that two top-5 teams meet at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium when the Gators swept No. 3 Tennessee… The matchup boasts Florida’s second-best in the nation ERA (0.78) vs. the Tigers’ fifth best in the nation .375 batting average… LSU also has the third lowest ERA at 0.86.
LSU: The Tigers are coming off a sweep in the opening weekend of conference play… LSU outscored Arkansas, 23-1 and hit. 371, while its pitching staff held the Razorbacks to a .143 batting average… Batting .375 as a team, the Tigers have two players above the .500 mark and four more batting .356 or better… They have also outscored their opponents, 199-28… Bianka Bell comes in with a team-best .514 (38-74) average, 10 doubles and 1.000 slugging percentage, along with eight home runs, 33 RBI and 33 runs… A.J. Andrews is batting .508 (31-61) with a team-high 35 runs, seven triples, 13 stolen bases and a .633 OBP… Sahvanna Jaquish provides power, leading the team with 11 long balls and 45 RBI… The pitching staff has four pitchers tossing between 31 and 48.1 innings and making between 6-9 appearances… They have posted a 0.86 ERA, 12 shutouts and 181 strikeouts in 154.2 inning of work… Allie Walljasper leads the staff with eight wins, 0.43 ERA, four shutouts and 48.1 innings, while striking out 47 and walking just five… Baylee Corbello (6-0, 0.88) has three shutouts and held opponents to a staff-low .159 batting average… Kelsee Selman (5-0 1.13) is tied with Walljasper for a team-high four shutouts and has 41 strikeouts to six walks… Rounding out the staff, is Carley Hoover (6-0, 1.15) with a team-best 58 strikeouts.
Florida: The Gators begin SEC play this weekend, following a 10-0 spring break trip… Florida has six wins over ranked programs, including five in the last 11 games (UCF, Oregon – twice, Michigan, Arizona)… The Gators have outscored their opponents, 212-28, including 12 shutouts and 10 run-rule victories… Kelsey Stewart leads the Gators with 29 runs scored and three triples; both figures are more than UF’s opponents this season… Lauren Haeger (9), Bailey Castro (7), Taylore Fuller (6) and Kirsti Merritt (6) have launched as many or more long balls than the UF staff has allowed… As a team, the Gators are batting .323 with 39 doubles, 42 home runs, a .598 slugging percentage and a .472 OBP… Haeger leads the Gators with a .380 average, nine home runs and 34 RBI… Stewart (.379) has registered a team-best 33 hits, 11 doubles, three triples and 29 runs scored… The pitching staff has posted a league-best 0.76 ERA and second lowest in the nation, with two saves, 231 strikeouts and just 20 walks, while holding their opponents to a .158 average… Haeger (11-0, 0.59), Aleshia Ocasio (9-0, 0.69) and Delanie Gourley (7-0, 1.06) have all struck out more than 60 batters and held opponents under a .180 batting average.
Some Additional Major Division I Games This Weekend:
No. 9 Tennessee (16-3) at RV South Carolina (18-8) (3/13-15 at 6:00/2:00/1:00 ET) – Live Stats | SEC+
No. 22 Arizona State (19-8) at No. 17 Washington (25-4) (3/13-15 at 5:00 / 4:00 / 11:00 a.m. PT) Pac-12 Networks (Sat./Sun.)
RV Notre Dame (14-9) at No. 10 Florida State (18-5) (3/14-15 at 4:00 DH / 12:00 ET) – Live Stats
No. 21 Missouri (15-3) at t-No. 25 North Carolina State (10-7) (3/14 at 6:00 ET) – Live Stats | Tournament Central
RV James Madison (12-6) at No. 20 UCF (22-4) (3/15 at 1:30 ET) – Live Stats | Video
————————————————————————————————————————————
Division II
#1 West Texas A&M (17-2, 4-0) at #6 Angelo State (20-2, 5-1) – Lone Star Series
Site: Mayer Field | San Angelo, Texas
Date/ Game Time: Sat., March 14 (5:00 & 7:30 CT), Sun., March 15 (1:00 & 3:30 CT)
Coverage: Live Stats (G1 / G2 / G3 / G4) | Watch Live $ | Audio (Games 1 &2)
Social Media: @WTSoftball | @AngeloSports
Preview (Notes):West Texas (notes) | Angelo State
* The Belles lead the all-time series against the Lady Buffs 23-15 with WT taking four of the five meetings between the two teams last season including an LSC series sweep in Canyon before ASU responded with a win in the LSC Tournament Title game at Schaeffer Park… Both teams hit .377 as a squad and have launched 20 home runs.
West Texas A&M: Coming off a four-game conference sweep of Midwestern State, the Lady Buffs have won seven straight and 14 of their last 15… WT hit .511 and run-ruled the Mustangs in all four games, outscoring their opponent, 47-5… The defending national champion Lady Buff have held onto the No. 1 ranking since Feb. 26, 2014 a record stretch of 55 weeks… As a team, the Lady Buffs hit .377 with four players above .400 and three more above .370… Lacey Taylor is hitting a mesmerizing .571 (28-49) with five doubles, a triple a team-best six home runs and 28 RBI… She is slugging 1.082 and holds a .672 OBP… Renee Erwin is hitting at a .419 clip with a team-high 29 runs scored as well as four doubles, two triples, five home runs, 27 RBI, .953 slugging percentage and .523 OBP… Reigning Lone Star Pitcher of the Week, Rita Hokianga, is 7-2 with a 2.68 ERA and team-best 48 strikeouts and .209 batting average against, while pacing the staff in innings pitched (44.1)… Tori Bayer (5-0 2.23) & Hannah Newcomb (4-0 1.73) are undefeated and have logged 31.1 and 28.1 innings respectively.
Angelo State: The Rambelles are coming off a big mid-week sweep of No. 5 St. Mary’s, highlighted by Brandy Marlett’s no-hitter in the nightcap… Angelo State won the opener 3-2 before a 4-0 shutout in game two… Marlett, along with counterpart Kenedy Urbany, are both 10-1 in the circle… Marlett has posted a 1.00 ERA with five shutouts, a save and 74 strikeouts in 76.2 innings, while holding batters to a .190 average… Urbany has a 1.33 ERA with three shutouts and 34 strikeout, and has held her opponents to a .217 batting average in 68.1 innings of work… Nine starters bat above .350 with five above the .400 mark, while nine players have scored 11 or more runs and six have knocked in 12-plus runs… Micherie Koria leads the squad with a .446 average, two doubles, 15 RBI and a team-best 18 runs scored as well as swiping 23 bases on 25 attempts… Urbany (.387) has tallied a team-high six home runs and 19 RBI.
Some Additional Major Division II Games This Weekend:
No. 11 LIU Post (1-3) vs. No. 14 Caldwell (3/14 at 10:00 a.m. ET – St. Leo, Fla.) – Live Stats
RV Arkansas Monticello (14-3) at No. 23 Arkansas Tech (13-5) (3/14-15 at 2:00 / 12:00 CT) – Live Stats
————————————————————————————————————————————
#18 Arizona (21-6) at #11 California (21-1) – Pac-12 Series
* The teams play in Berkeley for the second straight season… Arizona took two-of-three last year and lead the all-time series, 71-30.
Site: Levine-Fricke Field | Berkeley, Calif.
Date (Game Time): Fri. March 13 (3:00 PT), Sat., March 14 (12:00 PT), Sun., March 15 (4:00 PT)
Coverage: Pac-12 Networks (Game 2 & 3) | Live Stats | Audio (Arizona)
Previews (Game Notes): Arizona (notes) | California (notes)
Follow them on Twitter: @UA_Softball | @CalSoftball
Arizona: Coming off a tough Judi Garman Classic, the Wildcats look to rebound with a road trip to Berkeley for their opening Pac-12 series… Arizona went 4-3 last week, 2-3 at the Classic… UA picked up wins over UNLV –twice, Fresno State and Long Beach State, but was run-ruled by No. 1 Florida, then-No. 9 Baylor and then-No. 14 Auburn… Batting .366 with 32 home runs and 194 runs scored, the Wildcats have all but one starter in their lineup batting above .300… Chelsea Suitos is at a team-best .468 with 17 runs and a team-high .576 OBP… Kellie Fox is batting .405 with a team-best 32 hits, three triples and 19 walks to go along with four doubles, three long ball, 25 RBI and 23 runs… Chelsea Goodacre leads the squad with eight home runs and 36 RBI, while Katiyana also has eight roundtripper with 27 RBI… Michelle Floyd lead the pitching staff with a 9-4 record, 2.78 ERA, 69 strikeouts, 73 innnigs and a .210 batting averge against.
California: The Bears have won nine straight and are playing at home for the first time this season when they host the Wildcats in the Pac-12 opener for both squads… California is coming off a 4-0 week at the UNLV Tournament in which they defeated Iowa State, Eastern Kentucky, UC Santa Barbara and Houston… Head coach Diane Ninemire is one win shy of 1,200… The only blemish on the Bears’ schedule is a 3-1 defeat by South Carolina at the Mary Nutter… Cal is batting .373 with three players above .440 and four more above the .320 mark.. Jazmyn Jackson is batting a shade under .500 at .494 with a team-best 42 hits, 28 runs and three triples… Britt Vonk is batting .456 with 27 runs scored and a team best 24 walks and .610 OBP.. Danielle Henderson (.443) and Cheyenne Cordes (.389) lead the squad with five home runs apiece with Henderson also sporting a team-high seven doubles and .803 slugging percentage… Stephanie Trzciski paces a three-person staff with a 9-0 record, 1.09 ERA, three shutouts and a .207 batting average against.
————————————————————————————————————————————
#5 Alabama (18-4, 3-0) at #8 Georgia (23-3, 2-1) – SEC Series
Site: Jack Turner Stadium | Athens, Ga.
Date/ Game Time: Fri. March 13 (6:00), Sat., March 14 (3:00), Sun., March 15 (2:00)
Coverage: Audio (Alabama / Georgia) | SEC Online (G1 / G2 / G3) | SEC Network (Sat. & Sun.) Live Stats (G1 / G2 / G3)
Follow them on Twitter: @AlabamaSB | @UGAsoftball
Previews (Game Notes): Alabama (notes) | Georgia
* Alabama leads the all-time series, 36-16 and won last year’s series in Tuscaloosa, 2-1… However, in the last meeting, the Bulldogs eliminated the Crimson Tide in the semifinals of the SEC Tournament
Alabama: The Crimson Tide shut out Ole Miss to open SEC play last weekend, outscoring the Rebels by a score of 23-0… The weekend was capped off by a Sydney Littlejohn perfect game, her second of the season… It marked the first time since 2011 Alabama has recorded three straight shutouts… Littlejohn is a staff-best 8-0 with a 0.92 ERA, four shutouts and 41 strikeouts, while holding opponents to a .153 average… Alexis Osoria (6-2, 2.10) leads the staff in starts (8), innings (50.0) strikeouts (64) and opponents batting average (.152)… At the plate, Haylie McCleney is batting .500 with 32 hits, seven doubles, two triples, 17 RBI, 26 runs scored and 15 stolen bases… Demi Turner bats .455 (30-66) with three doubles, three triples, a home runs, 15 RBI and 20 runs scored.
Georgia: The Bulldogs are coming off a mid-week non-conference sweep of Savannah State and have won 11 of their last 13… Georgia went 2-1 in its opening SEC series at Mississippi State, winning the opening two contests, 6-1 & 9-1 before dropping the finale in nine innings, 8-7… The Dogs come in batting an NCAA-best .402 with four players batting above .450… Courtni Emmanuel is hitting a team-high .535, which is second in the league and leads the team in hits (46), runs (32) and stolen bases (33-36)… Sister Sydni Emanual is second on the squad with a .472 average with 29 runs scored, a perfect 17-for-17 in stolen bases and 16 RBI… Paige Wilson has knocked in a team-best 40 runs to go along with a .463 average, 27 runs scored and seven doubles, while Alex Hugo (.451) has launched a team-high eight home runs with 37 RBI, seven doubles, four triples and a 1.000 slugging percentage… Brittany Gray is 9-0 with a team-low 0.93 ERA to go along with 59 striekotus and a .135 opponents batting averge in 52.2 innings of work… Chelsea Wilkinson is the ace of the staff making 18 appearances and 16 starts, while logging 94.2 innings… She has struck out 116 batters, walked 18 and held opponents to a .163 average.
————————————————————————————————————————————
Division III
#1 Tufts (0-0) vs. Wittenberg (2-2)
Site: Hancock Park | Clermont, Fla.
Dates/Game Times: Sat., March 14, 1 p.m. ET
Follow them on Twitter: @TuftsSoftball | @WittAthletics
Tufts: The two-time defending national champion Jumbos get their season started with games at the National Training Center in Clermont, Fla. … Last year, Tufts went 47-4 and had a 13-1 postseason run, culminating with a repeat title at the Division III national championship at Suddenlink Field in Tyler, Texas. … The 2-1 loss to runner-up Salisbury in the first game of the best-of-three Division III Championship Series was the Jumbos’ first in postseason play since falling 4-1 to Linfield on May 20, 2012 in Salem, Va. They were a perfect 11-0 in 2013 and were 11-0 in 2014 before the defeat. It also snapped a 31-game win streak last season. … Tufts has received all eight first-place votes in the first four NFCA Division III Top 25 polls this season and last seven polls overall going back to last April. The Jumbos have been ranked No. 1 in eight of the last 11 polls and 13 of the last 17. … Prolific slugger Jo Clair (.418 career average, 67 homers, 220 RBI) has graduated and is now a Tufts assistant coach, but fellow first team NFCA All-American and co-Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Championship, Allyson Fournier (28-1, 0.49 ERA, 314 strikeouts and 27 walks in 202 innings) returns to the circle for her senior season with the Jumbos. In all, Tufts returns seven starters, including junior shortstop Christina Raso (.350, six doubles, 18 steals), the 2014 New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Defensive Player of the Year, and sophomore first baseman Cassie Ruscz (.382, seven doubles, 13 homers, 56 RBI), the NESCAC Rookie of the Year.
Wittenberg: The Tigers are 2-2 through their first four games in Florida, with wins over Wheaton and Simmons sandwiched around losses to Lake Forest and Berry. … Wittenberg plays Haverford and Manhattanville on Thursday and Fontbonne and Milikin on Friday before facing Tufts. … Junior first baseman Kaela Hughes tops the offense with a .300 average, a triple and two RBI, while fellow junior shortstop Loren Combs (.286, triple, two steals) and sophomore left fielder Abby Baker (two doubles, five total bases) have also contributed to a group batting just .180 as a team out of the gates. … The right-handed freshman duo of Chelsea Zang and Abby Haab have split time in the circle. Zang is 2-1 with a 2.15 ERA, 11 hits, four earned runs, two walks and five strikeouts over 13 innings, while Haab dropped her lone decision and has allowed 21 hits, 11 earned runs and four walks, and collected 12 strikeouts in 14 innings.