TAMPA, Fla., March 27, 2025 – The University of South Florida softball team is back on the diamond for a weekend series at Wichita State beginning Friday, March 28, at 7 p.m. ET. The Bulls (28-9, 7-2) and the Shockers (16-16, 4-5) will clash inside Wilkins Stadium. All three games will be available on ESPN+.
For the second straight week, South Florida swept the AAC weekly Pitcher and Player of the Week honors.
Payton Dixon repeated as the Pitcher of the Week, while
Alex Wilkes was named the Player of the Week. Wilkes also earned a spot on the NFCA weekly top performances.
Setting The Stage:
South Florida comes into the weekend having won 11 of the last 12 games. The Bulls are 5-2 on the road this season. Wichita State knocked off Central Arkansas on Tuesday, followed by a loss to No. 2 Oklahoma. The Shockers are 4-6 at home this season.
Series History:
The Bulls and Shockers will meet for the 25th time on Friday. South Florida and Wichita State have split the previous 24 meetings, 12-12. The Bulls have won the last two meetings, both in Tampa. USF is 4-6 in games played in Wichita.
Note-A-Bull:
Alex Wilkes leads the team with eight home runs. Her eight home runs this season are one away from moving into the single-season top 10.
Josie Foreman is tied for second on the team with six home runs this season and has 17 home runs in her career. She is two away from tying Carmela Liwag (2002-05) for 10th in program history for career home runs.
Camille Ortiz-Martinez is tied for second on the squad with six home runs. She has 12 home runs for her career, seven away from cracking the top 10.
Alanah Rivera is tied for 56th in the NCAA and tied for second in the conference with 10 doubles. She has 31 doubles in her career, six away from tying Kourtney Salvarola (2011-14) for 10th in program history.
Olivia Elliott is the third toughest player to strike out in the conference with 22.2 and is tied for 78th in the country. Her 37 runs scored lead the conference and are tied for 25th in the NCAA.
Additional Notes:
South Florida is seventh in the NCAA with 62 doubles. The Bulls are second in the nation with 36 sac bunts. South Florida is tied for 15th in the NCAA with 301 hits. Defensively, USF is tied for seventh in the country with 19 double plays.
The Bulls are also leading the conference in 11 additional statistical categories: batting average (.327), ERA (2.44), hit-by-pitch (32), on-base percentage (0.418), RBIs per game (5.70), RBIs (211), shutouts (5), slugging percentage (.524), total runs (224), triples (12), and walks (112).
Kathy Garcia-Soto is tied for fourth in the NCAA and leads the AAC with 84 assists. She has the second most assists in the country at second base.
Payton Dixon is second in the nation with 119.1 innings pitched. Her 26 appearances are tied for third in the country. She also leads the AAC in complete games with nine and shutouts with three.
Belle Sardja has five saves on the season and is tied for fourth in the NCAA and second in the AAC.
Tickets:
Tickets to watch Bulls softball at the USF Softball Stadium may be purchased by calling 1-800-GoBulls or clicking
HERE.
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About USF Softball
The South Florida softball program has been one of the most successful on campus, making 17 NCAA tournament appearances, including a trip to the Women's College World Series in 2012. Under head coach Ken Eriksen, who enters his 28th season in 2025 and has accumulated 1,117 wins, ranking seventh among active DI head softball coaches, USF has produced 10 NFCA All-Americans, two USA Softball Top 10 Player of the Year, and one NFCA Pitcher of the Year. In 2022, Georgina Corrick became the first player in softball history to earn the NCAA Pitching Triple Crown. She led the nation in ERA (0.51), Victories (37), and total strikeouts (418).
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