The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Hosts Marshall In C-USA Home Opener
3/16/2007 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 16, 2007
Marshall Game Notes
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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ----- The UAB softball team will host the Marshall Thundering Herd in a three-game Conference USA series this weekend at George Ward Park. The Blazers (17-12) will take on the Herd (15-9) in a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 1:00 p.m. and round out the series on Sunday at 1:00 p.m.
After falling twice to Tulsa in their conference opener last weekend, the Blazers are looking to record their first conference win of the season. UAB is 3-1 in its last four games, including a win Tuesday over No. 18 Southern Illinois.
Marshall is coming off back-to-back wins against Louisville and is 5-1 in its last six games. In its conference opener against UTEP last weekend, the Herd took two out of three.
Although Marshall holds a 4-1 advantage in the all-time series against UAB, the two teams have never met in Birmingham. The Herd joined C-USA in 2006 and swept the Blazers in a three-game series at Marshall last spring.
The first meeting between the two teams came in 2001, when they split two games in Athens, Ga. Overall, Marshall has outscored UAB 19-9.
Scouting Marshall: The Thundering Herd made its presence known in its first year as a Conference USA member, finishing tied for second in the regular season standings and as the runner-up at the conference tournament. Marshall is led by two-time NFCA/Louisville Slugger All-American and 2006 Conference USA Player of the Year Rachel Folden. So far this season Folden has lived up to her preseason Conference USA Player of the Year expectations, hitting .451 with six homeruns and 27 RBI. Sophomore outfielder J.J. Bitner has also stepped up for the Herd, with a conference-leading .506 batting average and a team-leading 24 runs scored. In the circle, seniors Amanda Luers and Abigail Harter lead the way for the Herd. Luers is 6-2 with a 3.64 ERA, while Harter has an 8-4 record and a 3.90 ERA. Marshall was picked to finish third in the 2007 preseason poll.
Home Advantage: The Blazers are 7-2 at home and have outscored their opponents, 36-17, at George Ward Park. Marshall is 0-5 on the road; however, the Herd has yet to play a C-USA road game.
