TAMPA, Fla., April 16, 2025 – The University of South Florida softball team is currently in second place in the American Athletic Conference standings as Memphis makes the trip to Tampa. The Bulls (33-12-1, 12-5-1) and the Tigers (16-27, 4-14) will start the three-game series on Thursday, April 17, inside the USF Softball Stadium at 4 p.m. All three games will be on ESPN+ and Bulls Unlimited.
Earlier this week,
Belle Sardja was named the AAC Pitcher of the Week and earned a spot on the NFCA Top Performances list.
Alanah Rivera was named to the AAC weekly honor roll. Friday's game will be the annual Strike Out Cancer game.
Setting The Stage:
The Bulls are coming off a series sweep against the Golden Hurricane and enter the weekend in second place in the conference standings, 1.5 games behind first place. South Florida is 23-7 at home this season. Memphis enters the weekend on a three-game losing streak after being swept by Charlotte. The Tigers are 4-14 on the road this season.
Series History:
The Bulls and Tigers will meet for the 38th time on Thursday. South Florida leads the overall series 33-4 and has won the last 19 matchups with Memphis. The Bulls are 19-2 at home against the Tigers.
Note-A-Bull:
Belle Sardja has seven saves on the season and is tied for third in the NCAA and second in the AAC. Her seven saves are tied for the second most in program history. Her 13 career saves are the fourth most in program history.
Payton Dixon is 11th in the nation with 142.0 innings pitched. Her 34 appearances are tied for fifth in the country. She also leads the AAC in complete games with nine and is second in shutouts with three.
Kathy Garcia-Soto is tied for 13th in the NCAA and leads the AAC with 102 assists. She has the fourth most assists in the country at second base.
Alanah Rivera is tied for first on the team with 10 doubles. She has 31 doubles in her career, six away from tying Kourtney Salvarola (2011-14) for 10th in program history.
Additional Notes:
South Florida is tied for 13th in the NCAA with 73 doubles. The Bulls are fifth in the nation with 43 sac bunts. South Florida is 25th in the NCAA with 374 hits. Defensively, USF is tied for 11th in the country with 23 double plays.
The Bulls are also leading the conference in seven additional statistical categories: double plays per game (1.59), ERA (2.66), hit-by-pitch (47), on-base percentage (0.421), RBIs per game (5.52), RBIs (254), and slugging percentage (.520).
USF has hit 42 home runs as a team this season. The Bulls are seven home runs shy of tying the program record set in 2016.
Alex Wilkes leads the team with nine home runs, which is tied for the 10th most in a single season in program history.
Camille Ortiz-Martinez is second on the team with eight home runs. She has 14 home runs for her career and is five away from cracking the top 10.
Josie Foreman is third on the team with seven home runs this season and has 18 home runs in her career. She is one away from tying Carmela Liwag (2002-05) for 10th in program history for career home runs.
Tickets:
Tickets to watch Bulls softball at the USF Softball Stadium may be purchased by calling 1-800-GoBulls or clicking
HERE.
Follow us:
To stay up-to-date on the latest USF Softball news, follow the Bulls on social media (X / Facebook / Instagram).
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).
–
#GoBulls –
