Bulls Set for Four Games in USF-Clearwater Parks and Recreation Showcase
TAMPA, March 7, 2019 – USF will take on No. 23/20 Wisconsin, UMass, No. 17/16 Indiana and St. John's with two games at USF Softball Stadium on Friday and two games at Eddie C. Moore Softball Complex on Saturday.
USF improved its record to 14-9 with a doubleheader against CMU and Furman on Wednesday night. Senior pitchers
Nicole Doyle (Aurora, Ohio) and
Cheyenne Eggens (Vienna, Ohio) earned a combined shutout in USF's 5-0 win. Doyle limited the Chippewas to just two hits in five innings with one walk. Eggens pitched two innings in relief and fanned four batters to help keep CMU at zero.
Furman jumped ahead early in USF's final game of the doubleheader. The Paladins hit a home run in the first inning, but USF was quick to respond with a two-run homer in the bottom of the frame. The Bulls followed up with a five-run fifth inning to seal the 7-1 victory.
Eggens improved her record to 2-1 with the win over Furman. She pitched four innings and limited Furman to just three hits and not a single walk. The American Pitcher of the week, sophomore
Georgina Corrick (Sanford, Fla.) entered in relief for the final 2.2 innings where she struck out seven batters to seal the victory for USF and earn her second save of the season.
Scouting the Opponents
No. 23/20 Wisconsin (17-2)
Wisconsin travels to the Bay area with a 17-2 record. Its only two losses are from a pair of Texas teams, Texas Tech and No. 9 Texas. The Badgers will take on UMass on Friday at 11:30 a.m. before taking on the Bulls at 2 p.m. USF and Wisconsin have met eight times in program history with USF leading the series, 5-3. Last season USF defeated the badgers, 3-1, in Clearwater, Fla.
Wisconsin's top hitter, Kayla Konwent, is averaging .442 (23-for-52) in 19 games this season with an .865 slugging percentage. The junior has 20 RBI this season and 14 runs. The Badgers look to Haley Hestekin and Kaitlyn Menz in the circle. Hestekin holds the best record on the pitching staff at 8-1. She's helped combine for four shutouts and has recorded one save. Hestiken has pitched 52 innings and has a 1.88 ERA. Menz is 5-1 in the circle in nine appearances with an impressive .86 ERA. She has recorded two saves and has walked just four batters in 31 innings.
UMass (8-7)
The Minutewomen are coming off an undefeated weekend at the Purple and Gold Invitational at ECU. UMass posted wins against Columbia, Winthrop and ECU in Greenville, N.C.
USF and UMass have met 16 times dating back to 1986 with the Bulls leading the series, 10-6. The teams last battled in 2014 where USF defeated the Minutewomen, 3-0.
UMass earned a pair of Atlantic 10 Weekly honors after its undefeated weekend. Kaitlyn Stavinoha was named the A-10 Player of the week when she posted a .500 average, .722 slugging-percentage, to go along with three multi-hit performances in five contests. She also leads the team offensively overall with a .422 average, and 11 RBI.
USF's top pitcher, Kiara Oliver, leads the pitching staff with a 2.46 ERA and 3-4 record. She has four complete games this season and one solo shutout. Oliver has recorded 38 strikeouts in 48.1 innings and has registered three saves.
No. 17/16 Indiana (17-2)
Indiana also enters the weekend with a 17-2 record, with its only losses to Stephen F. Austin in a close 1-0 contest, and Illinois State 3-0, last weekend at the Purple and Gold Challenge at LSU. The Hoosiers will face Seton Hall, St. Joseph's and USC-Upstate in the USF-Clearwater Parks and Recreation Showcase before taking on the Bulls. USF and IU have met 20 times dating back to 1990 with USF leading the series, 11-9. The Bulls and Hoosiers last met in 2011 where Indiana won, 5-1.
IU's top hitter, Grayson Radcliffe, is 17-for-50 with a .340 average in 19 appearances. Radcliffe has 10 RBI this season and 30 total bases. Tara Trainer leads the pitching staff with a 12-1 record in 16 appearances. The senior has pitched 8 complete games and has four shutout wins this season. She has limited opponents to a .176 average and has struck out 96 batters.
St. John's (6-9)
The Red Storm is in its first year under head coach Bob Guerriero. St. John's spent last week at the Mediera Beach Invitational where it went 2-2, before going 0-2 in a pair of midweek games against South Dakota State and Penn. The Red storm will take on Western Michigan, Toledo and USC-Upstate before taking on the Bulls. USF and St. John's have met 21 times dating back to 1990, with USF leading the series, 20-1. The teams last met in 2015 in Tampa with USF winning, 4-2.
Marissa Rizzi is batting .465 for the Red Storm, 20-for-43, in 15 appearances. She has a .930 slugging percentage with 14 runs, 11 RBI and 40 total bases. Rizzi has hit five home runs this season.
St. John's top pitcher, Madison Morris, is 5-3 this season in 11 appearances with a 4.23 ERA and one complete game shutout. She has pitched 55.1 innings and struck out 61 batters, limiting opponents to a .233 ERA.
About USF Softball
Be sure to follow USF softball on social media (Twitter / Facebook / Instagram) and visit GoUSFBulls.com for the most up-to-date information.
The USF softball program has been one of the most successful on campus, making 12 NCAA tournament appearances, including a trip to the Women's College World Series in 2012.
– #GoBulls –
