10 Things You May Have Missed in College Softball This Weekend
The 2017 NCAA College Softball season is in full swing. This past weekend was full of upsets, extra inning games, comeback wins, coaching milestones reached, and stand-out performances all across the country. Here are ten things that stood out to us at Fastpitch News.
Baylor Softball had an impressive weekend at the Judi Garman Classic at Anderson Family Field. The Lady Bears took down four top 25 ranked opponents in a row over the weekend. On Friday, Baylor first took down Arizona State 4-2 and then shut out Michigan 4-0. Saturday brought another win against Washington with a 3-1 final score, followed by an offensive explosion victory over UCLA 11-6. Baylor softball has arrived and is ready to compete this season. The Lady Bears play a midweek doubleheader at UL-Lafayette on March 7th at 4:00 and 6:00 pm CT.
Oregon softball wrapped up an undefeated weekend at the Mizzou Invitational on Sunday with an 8-2 win over Stephen F. Austin to secure the longest winning streak in program history with 19-straight wins to open the 2017 season. The Ducks put together a dominating performance in the Mizzou Invitational, outscoring their opponents 47-7 and outhitting them 64-16 with a .424 team batting average and 1.58 team ERA. The Ducks will play their first home games of the season at Jane Sanders Stadium next weekend when they welcome Hofstra, Idaho State and Pacific for the Oregon Invitational from March 10-12.
Gopher Softball moved to a perfect 18-0 on the season after overcoming a rain delay, sloppy conditions and a 3-2 deficit going into the sixth inning to win 7-3 over Illinois State on Sunday afternoon. The maroon and gold went 4-0 over the weekend at the LSU Invitational defeating Troy, Florida Atlantic, LSU, and Illinois State. The Gophers head to Seattle this upcoming weekend to compete in the Washington Tournament and will square off against Seattle University twice, Washington twice, and South Dakota.
North Carolina head coach Donna J. Papa became the 11th coach in NCAA softball history to win 1,200 career victories on Friday in the ACC season opener at Anderson Stadium. The Tar Heels defeated Top 25 ranked Pittsburgh 5-1. “Milestones are always great,” said Papa. “Honestly all the players that have played for me, that’s what it really comes down to. It’s theirs too, and I’ve just been here to lead them. They’ve all contributed. I’m so thankful for all the great players that I’ve had since I’ve been here for 32 years.
The University of Florida softball team concluded a 5-0 week at the Judi Garman Classic with a 7-4 win over Northwestern Saturday, March 4, at Anderson Family Field in Fullerton, California. The entire week was much like a homecoming of sorts for the six California natives on the team along with coaches and staff with west coast ties. The Gators head into SEC Opening Weekend with a 20-1 record and face off against the Missouri Tigers at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium March 11-13th.
The University of Hawaii softball team swept its Saturday doubleheader on Day Two of the Coca-Cola Malihini Kipa Aloha Tournament and head coach Bob Coolen became just the 31st NCAA coach to reach the 1,000 career win mark with UH’s win over Charleston Southern. Coolen now has a career record of 1,001-648-1 in 31 years—five at Bentley and the last 26 at Hawaii. Coolen has led his teams to six conference titles, 11 NCAA tournament appearances, two NCAA Super Regionals and the 2010 Women’s College World Series. He has also coached 33 All-American selections, 53 all-Region selections, and 132 all-conference players.
Florida State improved to 17-1-1 and 3-0 ACC on Sunday with another impressive pitching outing from redshirt senior Jessica Burroughs. The Seminoles swept the season series against Georgia Tech (6-13, 0-3 ACC) with an 8-0 victory in five innings on Sunday afternoon at JoAnne Graf Field. It was Burroughs second one-hit game of the weekend against the Jackets. The Seminoles remain at home this week with a doubleheader against North Florida on March 8, beginning at 4:00 p.m ET.
Cajun Head coach Michael Lotief captured his 700th career win and the top 20 ranked Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Softball completed an undefeated run through the Ragin’ Cajuns Invitational on Sunday at Lamson Park. Louisiana (17-4) opened the day with an 18-0 (5 inn.) win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi which marked Lotief’s momentous triumph. The Ragin’ Cajuns followed up with a 14-4 (5 innings) win over Alcorn to finish the tournament 6-0 and extend their current winning streak to seven games.
The Auburn Tigers completed another perfect weekend with a win on Sunday at the Wilson/DeMarini Classic with an 8-0 win over the College of Charleston. In the matchup, the Tigers drew nine walks as a team with five hits. Senior Kasey Cooper led the offense with a 2-for-3 showing and matched a season-high with four RBI. Auburn now 19-2 on the season, hosts Alabama State Wednesday night at 6 p.m. before facing LSU for a three-game series, March 10-12, at Jane B. Moore Field.
The University of Arkansas softball team completed a weekend sweep of its home-opening Wooo Pig Classic with an 8-1 win over IUPUI Sunday afternoon at Bogle Park. The Razorbacks have now won nine-straight games and improve to 17-1 through the first four weekends of the season. Senior Nicole Schroeder added to her NCAA-leading total with her 12th home run while freshman Autumn Storms collected her seventh win of the year. Sunday’s victory matched the Razorbacks win total from their 2016 season where they went 17-39 as a team.
