The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Opens Knoxville Regional Vs. Virginia Tech
5/16/2012 12:00:00 AM | Softball
May 16, 2012
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The UAB softball team earned its third-straight bid to the NCAA Championship and face off with Virginia Tech on Friday in the opening round of the Knoxville Regional hosted by Tennessee. The Blazers and Hokies will square off at 3:30 p.m. ET at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn.
Fans can follow the games for free via GameTracker, Live Video and an in-game live chat available on www.UABSports.com.
UAB At A Glance
The Blazers have won 14 of their last 20 games, including seven of their last 10 contests. UAB is coming off a 3-2 loss in 10 innings in the semifinals of the Conference USA tournament hosted by UAB for the first time in program history.
The Green and Gold is hitting .280 and five Blazers are batting over .300, led by catcher Mandy Lowman (.350). Designated hitter Kristen McGrath leads the team with 14 home runs and 40 RBI on 50 hits, while centerfielder Whitney Fletcher has registered a team-best 39 runs and 10 stolen bases.
The Blazers’ pitching staff is second in C-USA with a 2.09 ERA, 148 runs allowed and 114 earned runs allowed. Senior Amber Torres is ranked 13th in the nation with a 1.25 ERA. She is first in C-USA with 30 runs allowed and 18 earned runs allowed in 100.2 innings pitched.
Scouting Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech earned its sixth bid to the NCAA Championship after finishing the season with a 40-19 record and advancing to the ACC championship game. The Hokies fell to Georgia Tech in the ACC final, 9-1 (5 innings).
The Virginia Tech pitching staff is led by Jasmin Harrell (29-14, 190 ERA), who is the pitcher of record in 18 of the Hokies’ last 20 games. She is No. 9 in the country with 29.0 victories and leads the ACC with 46 appearances. In 261.2 innings pitched, she has allowed 88 runs, 71 earned runs, 70 walks and 216 strikeouts.
As a team, the Hokies are batting .246, led by Courtney Liddle (.313). Lauren Gaskill has collected a team-best 44 runs, 54 hits, 14 doubles and 22 stolen bases.
Series History
UAB leads the all-time series between the two teams, 2-0. Both games were played in back-to-back weekends during the 2007 season. UAB won the first game, 5-1, on Feb. 10 at the Georgia State First Pitch Classic in Atlanta, Ga. and defeated the Hokies in the second game, 10-9, on Feb. 17 at the Auburn Tiger Invitational in Auburn, Ala.
Scouting No. 5 Tennessee
Host school Tennessee earned the No. 7 seed in the NCAA tournament and will make its 10th appearance in the national tournament.
A pair of sisters in Ivy and Ellen Renfroe share the pitching responsibilities for the Lady Vols. Sophomore E. Renfroe is No. 2 in the nation with 15 shutouts, No. 7 in ERA (1.21), No. 14 in hits allowed per seven innings (4.37) and No. 16 in strikeouts (269). Junior I. Renfroe owns a 1.94 ERA and is ranked 24th nationally with 9 shutouts.
As a team the Lady Vols are hitting .301, while opponents are batting .187. Raven Chavanne leads the squad with an impressive .435 batting average and 67 hits. In 154 at bats, Chavanne has only struck out four times. Lauren Gibson tops the team with 49 runs, 13 home runs, a .609 slugging percentage and 44 walks.
Series History
Tennessee and UAB have met one time in history. The Lady Vols defeated the Blazers, 9-1, in five innings on Feb. 6, 2004 at the Paradise Classic in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Scouting Miami
Miami earned its third automatic bid in school history after winning the Mid-Amerian Conference (MAC). The Redhawks lost their first game of the tournament and won the next five, including a 4-0 victory against Central Michigan in the MAC final.
Pitcher Jessica Simpson (31-13) leads the team with a 1.06 ERA. The 31 wins and 346 strikeouts are school single-season records. Her impressive number of strikeouts and ERA are third-best in the nation.
The Redhawks are hitting .284, led by Shanyn McIntyre (.352). Power hitter Daniela Torres has tallied a team-best seven home runs and 30 RBI.
Series History
UAB fell, 7-3, in the teams’ only meeting on Feb. 26, 2006 as part of the Panera Bread Challenge in Chattanooga, Tenn.
NCAA Appearances
The UAB softball team will make its third-consecutive trip to the NCAA tournament this season. The Blazers’ all-time record in the NCAA regionals is 2-4. Last season, UAB won the opening round at the 2011 Athens Regional against Florida State, 2-0, but fell to Georgia, 9-2, and again in a rematch with FSU, 13-1, in six innings.
UAB vs. NCAA Tourney Field
The Blazers played 11 teams during the regular season that earned a spot in the 2012 NCAA Championship field. UAB was 8-12 against those teams and six of the 12 loses were one-run contests.
C-USA In NCAA Regionals
Four C-USA teams were selected to the 2012 NCAA Championship. UAB is joined by Houston, UCF and C-USA champion Tulsa to mark the fourth time in C-USA history that at least four teams have earned NCAA bids in the same season.
