Softball Games of the Week 5/1 – 5/6
#7 Tennessee vs #11 Louisville - Wednesday (5/2 6pm Eastern, Knoxville, TN)
Louisville comes into this fun mid-week matchup with the best record in Division I. They have won 18 in a row and have an RPI of 10. They lead the Big East by one game over USF, who they beat two out of three in an earlier series. These tests will be valuable for the Cardinals as they head into post season. They have not played the toughest schedule, but do have wins over Michigan, UMass, DePaul and two over surprising USF. In contrast, Tennessee has been challenged against the toughest teams in the country on a regular basis. The Vols have beaten Arizona State, Georgia Tech, UMass, Florida, Alabama, Georgia and LSU. Hopefully, Ellen Ivy will be in the circle for Tennessee.
#4 Oklahoma vs #8 Texas - Friday, Saturday & Sunday (5/4 7pm, 5/5 2pm, 5/6 12pm Central, Norman, OK)
The Sooners have six conference games remaining, including three with last place Iowa State, and lead the league by 1.5 games over Texas who has this series and two with Baylor. Unless something unexpected happens between OU and Iowa State, Texas will need to sweep OU to stop the Sooners from winning the Big 12 – a tall order. OU is 40-7 overall and has only lost two consecutive games once this season. They have a country-best staff ERA of 1.01 led by both Keilani Ricketts and Michelle Gascoigne. These two teams are first and second in the conference in hitting. The Longhorns are hitting .337 while OU has a .316 team batting average. The Sooners have hit 70 home runs in 46 games. Texas pitching has been struggling a bit and if the Longhorn staff, specifically Blair Luna, cannot control the prolific Sooner lineup, the crew from Norman will capture the Big 12 Championship.
#10 Arizona vs #12 UCLA - Friday, Saturday & Sunday (5/4 7pm, 5/5 6pm, 5/6 12pm Pacific, Westwood, CA)
Though this classic series does not have any significant effect on the Pac-12 Championship or the post season, it is still a fun matchup for softball fans. Both of these storied programs are having relatively down years primarily as a function of pitching. Both have highly touted prep stars, but those early expectations have not yet turned into great college success. Wildcat hurlers Shelby Babcock and Kenzie Fowler both have ERA’s over 2.8. Alarmingly, their Pac-12 ERA’s are both over 4.25. UCLA’s Ally Carda and Jessica Hall also have conference ERA’s over 4. The Bruins have led the nation for much of the season and are now hitting .350 as a team. They have also mashed 75 home runs, which ranks among the best in the country. The Wildcats are hitting .300. Give the edge to UCLA at home.
#1 Cal vs #9 Oregon State - Friday, Saturday & Sunday (5/4 3pm, 5/5 1pm, 5/6 11am Pacific, Corvallis, OR)
Cal keeps rolling along, sweeping UCLA over the weekend where they showed the tremendous balance of the team. The Golden Bears controlled the Bruins in all phases of the game three games in a row, which is no small accomplishment. Jolene Henderson and Valerie Arioto were both solid in the circle getting shutouts. The offense scored 8, 3 and 10 runs and the defense was great committing zero errors. Oregon State is sixth in the Pac-12 and with an RPI of 22, appear to be headed for the post season for the first time since 2007. The Beavers have a 3.20 staff ERA and are hitting .282 as a team. Cal is two games ahead of Arizona State in the win column and even in the loss column. If they stay focused and do not look past Oregon State to the upcoming series with the Sun Devils, the Beavers will have a tough time getting a game.
#5 Alabama vs #6 Florida - Friday, Saturday & Sunday (5/4 6:30pm, 5/5 3pm, 5/6 2pm Central, Tuscaloosa, AL)
A showdown for the SEC regular season title. Bama leads at 21-4, one game ahead of the Gators, who are 20-5 after losing two of three to Kentucky and splitting with LSU last week. Florida has lost three of their last four. In contrast to Cal these two teams have been a little sluggish as the regular season has wound down. The Tide lost big to Arkansas on Saturday, just the Razorbacks sixth win in the conference. Interestingly, Florida run production has been down as of late and the Tide have been giving up a bunch of runs. If Florida wins two of three, that result would put Tennessee back in the mix, by putting all three teams in a tie at 22-6. Should be some wildly entertaining games.
