Softball Games of the Week 4/2 - 4/8
#9 Georgia v. #10 Tennessee - Wednesday (4/4 5pm & 7pm Eastern, Knoxville, Tennessee)
The Bulldogs are 29-7 and 8-4 in conference. This year’s offense is down from years past hitting just .289 with 36 home runs. Kristyn Sandberg is leading the way in most categories with 10 home runs, a .366 average, 33 RBI and a .793 slugging percentage. Four other Bulldogs are hitting over .300. Ashley Razey has spurts of power, hitting eight dingers so far. Erin Arevalo is leading Georgia in the circle with a 1.25 ERA. She’s struck out 140 in 112 innings. The Volunteers record is similar to Georgia’s at 27-8 and 9-5 in SEC action. At the plate they are hitting .304 as a team. Raven Chavanne leads the way, hitting .419 with 16 stolen bases. Lauren Gibson has 10 long balls and 29 walks. Ellen Renfroe pitched a no-hitter last week and sports a 1.05 ERA. Sister Ivy Renfroe’s ERA is 2.68. Both will see time in the circle during the double header. A split is the probable outcome of this mid-week clash.
#4 Florida v. #21 Florida State - Wednesday (4/4 6pm Eastern, Tallahassee, FL)
The Gators are 31-4 and 12-2 in conference, half a game behind Alabama. Last week’s mid-week game did not go well against the surprising USF squad and Sara Nevins and these non-conference geographic rivalries are always emotional and hotly contested. Florida’s offense is powerful up and down the lineup. Eight Gators have home runs and four of them have hit eight or more. Brittany Schutte, Michelle Moultrie and Lauren Haeger are all slugging over .700. Hannah Rogers and Haeger have pitched close to 90% of the team’s innings and have ERA’s of 0.79 and 1.49 respectively. The Seminoles have a team batting average of .275, second in the ACC. Though, they have only hit 19 home runs, they boast solid team speed with 61 stolen bases and a conference leading 13 triples. Florida State’s 0.88 ERA is tops in the ACC, a result the quality work done by Monica Perry (0.81) and Lacey Waldrop (0.86). Perry has fanned 136 in just 112 innings. If the Gators bring their best game, they should come out on top.
#3 Washington v. #12 Arizona - Thursday, Friday, Saturday (4/5 6pm, 4/6 6pm & 4/7 12pm Pacific, Seattle, WA)
The Huskies will look to rebound after a tough weekend with Cal. This talented bunch is hitting .331 as a team and has a pitching staff with a 1.73 ERA. Kaitlin Inglesby leads the squad in both categories, hitting a robust .469 with 7 home runs. She is 16-2 in the circle with a 1.45 ERA, handling just under half her team’s innings. Kimi Pohlman is hitting .454 and Kylee Lahners has 10 home runs. Arizona is 2-4 in Pac-12 play after being swept by Arizona St. and taking 2 of 3 from Stanford. The Wildcats are an uncharacteristically near the bottom of the conference in hitting at .304 and pitching with a 2.42 ERA. Coach Candrea does have seven hitters over .300. Brigette Del Ponte is tops on her team batting .351 with nine long balls. Shelby Pendley is number one among her teammates with 12 home runs, third in Pac-12. UW has a history of regrouping when times get tough; expect them to pull together this weekend.
#2 Alabama v. #24 LSU - Friday, Saturday, Sunday (4/6 7pm, 4/7 1:30pm & 4/8 1pm Central, Tuscaloosa, AL)
At 34-1 the Tide is off to an unprecedented start. The offense is scary, averaging nearly nine runs per game. Together they have smacked 58 home runs, second in the country. Kaila Hunt has 13 and Amanda Locke has 8. Seventeen different players have gone yard. In the circle Bama is led by Jackie Traina who is 20-0 with a 1.35 ERA. She has fanned 169 in 124 frames. The Bengal Tigers seem to have found their stride and are on an 11 game win streak, six by shut out. Rachele Fico has a 0.69 ERA and is 13-4. Brittany Mack is 12-4 with a 1.89 ERA. The LSU arms will need to control the potent Alabama sticks to continue their roll.
#5 Texas v. #16 Missouri - Thursday, Friday, Saturday (4/5 7pm, 4/6 7pm & 4/7 12pm Central, Austin, TX)
The Longhorns are off to an unbelievable start at 31-2 with a one-run loss to Florida and a defeat at the hands of the best team in the country, Cal. This offense is also very powerful. The team is second nationally with .368 average and has ten hitters with homers. Taylor Hoagland leads in that category with nine, followed by Karina Scott’s seven and Lexy Bennet’s six. Both Blaire Luna and Rachel Fox have had significant innings and have similar ERAs under 1.30. Fox is 9-0 and Luna is 12-1. The staff ERA is tenth in the country. Missouri’s ERA is sixth nationally at 1.07, led by Chelsea Thomas’ 0.58 which is the second best in DI. Thomas will do her part, but it is likely the Tigers will struggle to score like the A&M series. Expect three great and low scoring games.
#8 Arizona St. v. #19 UCLA - Thursday, Friday, Saturday (4/5 7pm, 4/6 7pm & 4/7 12pm Pacific, Tempe, AZ)
The Sun Devils are 32-4 and 4-1 in conference play. The offense is sixth nationally, hitting .341. Katelyn Boyd and Bailey Wigness are hitting well over .400. Boyd is sixth in the country with 14 bombs, Elizabeth Caporuscio has 11.
Surprisingly Hillary Bach is 15-0 with a 1.13 ERA. Last year’s freshman sensation Dallas Escobedo is having a solid sophomore campaign at 12-3 with a 2.44 ERA. Bach and Escobedo have shared most of the innings. The UCLA Bruins lead the country in hitting with an impressive .375 average. Four hitters are over .400 and Stephany LaRosa and B.B. Bates each have ten homers. They are slugging over .800. Offense has not been their issue. The team ERA of 2.42 is eighth out of the nine Pac-12 schools. This matchup may generate some entertaining offensive fireworks.
Other solid contests scheduled for this week.
#13 Stanford v. #17 Oregon - Thursday, Friday, Saturday (4/5 7pm, 4/6 7pm & 4/7 12pm Pacific, Stanford, CA)
#10 Tennessee v. #25 Auburn - Friday, Saturday, Sunday (4/6 6pm, 4/7 1pm & 4/8 1pm Central, Auburn, Alabama)
#5 Louisiana v. McNeese State - Wednesday (4/4 6pm Eastern, Lake Charles, La.)
