Tournament Notes
HONOLULU—The No. 18/19 University of Hawai'i softball team (21-0) faces its toughest competition this season as they host the Chevron Spring Fling Tournament, March 13-18, 2012. The 'Bows will battle No. 6/6 Texas, Marist, No. 1/2 California, No. 21/22 Texas A&M, and Winthrop in the six team tourney at the Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.
The eyes of collegiate softball will be watching to see what happens this week in Honolulu as four ranked teams plus a scrappy Marist team and a tough Wintrhop team that defeated No. 10 Tennessee earlier this season battle it out in the five-day tournament.
The Rainbow Wahine are off to its best start with its longest win-streak in school history at 21-0. The 'Bows have been winning with a combination of strong hitting, stingy pitching and a solid defense. In the recently released NCAA rankings, UH comes into this week ranked in the top 15 in six categories. The 'Bows are No. 1 with a 0.68 ERA; No. 4 with 1.52 home runs per game; No. 6 with a 0.575 slugging percentage; No. 8 in slugging percentage; and No. 14 in fielding percentage.
Hawai'i is led at the plate by junior shortstop
Jessica Iwata, who is hitting .443 (27-for-61) with a team-high 27 RBI and six doubles (tied with
Kayla Wartner). Freshman designated player and reigning Western Athletic Conference Hitter of the Week, Leisha Li'ili'i is just behind Iwata with a .442 batting average (23-for-52) with a team-high six home runs. Li'ili'i hit .556 (5-for-9) with a double and three home runs for the Rainbow Wahine last week in the Pepsi Malihini Kipa Aloha Tournament. She recorded a team-high 15 total bases as she led the team with an on-base percentage of .600 and a slugging percentage of 1.667. She drove in five runs and scored three and four of her five hits were extra base hits. Senior third baseman
Sarah Robinson is third on the team with a .377 average 923-for-61) with 18 RBI.
The UH pitching staff of
Stephanie Ricketts and
Kaia Parnaby have combined to be one of the top pitching duos in the country. Rickets comes into this week at 12-0 with a 0.83 ERA in 76.0 innings pitched. Individually, she is ranked No. 3 in the NCAA with six shutouts; No. 7 in hits allowed per seven innings (3.32); No. 22 with 96 strike outs; and No. 15 in ERA. Parnaby is 9-0 on the season with five shut-outs and a 0.48 ERA in 58.0 innings of action. Parnaby is No. 1 in the nation in walks allowed per seven innings (0.6) and No. 3 in ERA.
For Tuesday night's game against No. 6 Texas, fans are asked to wear black in conjunction with a team-started request for a 'Blackout' game.
About the Opponents...
No. 6 Texas Longhorns (19-1)
Texas rolls into Honolulu on a nine-game win streak. The Longhorns' line up features 10 players hitting over the .300 mark and four over the .400 mark. Lexy Bennett leads the way and is ranked No. 2 in the nation with a jaw-droppng .528 batting average (28-for-53), 21 runs scored with three doubles, three triples, and five home runs. She also has a team-high 32 RBI and a slugging percentage of .981. Karina Scott is second on the team, hitting .429 (12-for-28); Courtney Criag is hitting .407 (22-for-54) and Brejae Washington is hitting .403 (25-for-62) with a team-high 14 stolen bases.
On the mound, Texas has a combined ERA of 0.98 and has held opponents to a .151 batting average. Blaire Luna leads UT with an 8-0 record and a 0.71 ERA. She has four shut outs with 21 walks and 80 strike outs in 19.1 innings. Rachel Fox is 6-0 with a 1.02 ERA in 41.1 innings pitched. She has 10 walks and 31 strike uots in eight appearances. Gabby Smith is 2-0 with a 0.82 ERA and Kim Bruins is 3-1 with a 1.64 ERA in six appearances.
Series Record: Hawai'i is 4-2 over Texas all-time. But the Longhorns won the last meeting in the 2008 Chevron Spring Fling tournament 8-0 in five innings.
Marist Red Foxes (6-9)
Marist stays for their second tournament at Hawai'i this week. The Red Foxes went 2-2 last week in the Pepsi Tournament and raised their record to 6-9. They have not played a home game yet this year. Ashley Corriss is the lone Red Fox to be hitting over .300. She has a .333 (16-for-48) with nine runs scored a double and a triple and six RBI with a team-high five stolen bases. Danielle Koltz is tied with a team high 11 RBI and two home runs with a .286 average while Alyssa Zahka has a team-high 17 runs scored.
The pitching staff is comprised of four pitchers with a combined 4.85 ERA. Melanie White is 1-3 on the season with a 3.86 ERA in four complete games. She has 14 walks and 16 strike outs. Emily Osterhaus has a 4.40 ERA and a 2-2 record with eight walks and a team-high 22 strike outs. Janine Lalli is 2-1 and Paige Lewis is 1-3.
Series Record: UH won the first meeting last week against Marist 4-0.
No. 1/2 California Golden Bears (21-0)
No. 1/2 California has followed its Women's College World Series trip last year to start the 2012 season on fire, sprinting to a 21-0 record. The Golden Bears boast 14 players hitting over the .300 mark with 14 players over .300. Senior Valerie Arioto has made a remarkable return after an injury last season held her out for the year. She has started all 21 games and is hitting a healthy .500 (22-for-44) with a team-high 29 runs scored and nine home runs. She leads Cal with 31 RBI already and has walked 30 times thus far. Speedster Jamia Reid is hitting .492 (32-for-65) with 17 runs scored and a team high 15 stolen bases while Victoria Jones is hitting .426 (23-for-54).
Arioto also leads the pitchers with a 1.00 ERA and i s 9-0 this year with three shut outs in 56.0 innings. She has walked just 10 while fanning 68. Jolene Henderson is 12-0 with a 1.14 ERA and four shut outs. She has a team-high 79 strike outs to 24 walks. Arianna Ercet is 0-0 with a 2.74 ERA in 7.2 innings pitched. As a staff, the Cal pitchers have a combined 1.18 ERA and have held opponents to a .161 batting average.
Series Record: Cal leads the series with UH, 19-to-8, and have won the last two meetings, most recently a 3-1 win over the 'Bows last season in 2012 in the Chevron tourney.
No. 21/22 Texas A&M Aggies (16-7)
The Aggies have a 16-7 record coming into the Chevron Tournament and are led by Emily Albus who is hitting .463 (25-for-54) and has a team-high five stolen bases. Brittany Walker is second on the team with a .329 average (25-for-76) with an Aggie-best five doubles and Sydney Shannon is hitting .319 (15-for-47) with eight runs scored and seven RBI. But look out for Meagan May to do some damage too, she is hitting .288 but leads the team with 28 walks. She has four homers and 10 RBI. Mel Dumezich is hitting .259 but has launched eight homers already and driven in a team-high 25 runs.
The pitching staff has a combined ERA of 3.02. Dumezich leads the Aggies with an 11-4 record and a 2.3 ERA in 19 appearances. She has three shut outs and has fired a team-high 102.1 innings with 46 walks and 122 strike outs. Lindsey Sisk is 4-3 with a 3.18 ERA in 50.2 innings with 18 walks and 35 strike outs, while Kayla Klein and Lauren Ainsley have seen limited action in the circle.
Winthrop Eagles (11-10)
Winthrop comes to Hawai'i with an 11-10 record and have won six of its last seven games. Their season has been highlighted with a win over then No.10 Tennessee, 2-1 on Feb. 24. The Eagles are hitting a combined .246 and are led by Megan Chapman, who is hitting .388 (26-for-67) with a team-high eight stolen bases. Chelsey Schoenfeldt is hitting second with a .383 average (23-fr-60) with four doubles and two home runs and a team-high 17 RBI and 10 walks. Jenna Hrgin is also hitting over .300 at .304 (7-for-24). Kathryn Eberlin leads Winthrop with three home runs and 12 RBI.
The pitchers for the Eagles have a combined .352 ERA. Sutton Watson has a 2.33 ERA and is 1-0 in 24.0 innings pitched, but it is Natalie Becker and Schoenfeldt who have seen the bulk of the action. Becker is 5-5 with a 3.26 ERA and a team-high 65 strike outs while Schoenfeldt is 5-5 with a 3.88 ERA in 48.2 innings.
Chevron Spring Fling Tournament Information
Who: No. 18/19 Hawai'i (21-0); No. 6/6 Texas (19-1); Marist (6-9); No. 1/2 California (21-0); No. 21/22 Texas A&M (16-7); Winthrop (11-10)
Date: Tuesday, March 13-Saturday, March 17
Where: Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium (1,200) - Honolulu, HI
Television: OCSports will be broadcasting UH's games against Texas, Marist, California and Texas A&M. Live statewide on Ch. 12 (SD) and 1012 (HD) with Howard Dashefski (play-by-play), Lori Santi (color) on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Scott Robbs and Courtney Baughman will handle the tv duties on Friday's game. Re-telecast at 10:00 p.m. on Tuesday night and 10:30 on Wed., Thurs., and Fri.
Streaming Video: Live video streaming is available for a small fee at www.ocsports.tv.
Radio: ESPN 1500 AM will carry the Tuesday and Thursday games while ESPN 1420 AM will carry Wednesday's game live. Dave Kawada and Scott Robbs will be alternating play-by-play responsibilities. Neighbor islands can listen live on KNUI on Maui, KHLO in Hilo, KKON in Kona.
Audio Webcast: Live audio streaming on espn1420am.com for Wednesday's game vs. Marist.
Live Stats: Live in-game stats are available at HawaiiAthletics.com
Promotions: Chevron is the tournament sponsor and will be giving out 200 key chains before Tuesday night's game against Texas. Ballpark Bingo is back and Chevron will be providing the Bingo prizes as well. Winning fans will receive a $5 Chevron gas card + either a Chevron water bottle, bag, dry erase board, or flag. Chevron will also be providing t-shirts for the fifth inning T-shirt Toss in the stands.
Ticket Information: Admission is FREE!
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