Friday Softball Postponed
3/7/2008 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Due to unplayable field conditions, Kent State's Friday softball games at the Georgia Tech Buzz Classic have been postponed.
On Saturday (March 8) the Golden Flashes will take on Jacksonville State at 3:30 and Furman at 5:30 p.m. Sunday (March 9) KSU is slated to open with Middle Tennessee State at 9 a.m. and will close out its four-game weekend vs. Florida A&M at 11 a.m. Bracket play originally scheduled for Sunday has been canceled.
Last Time Out-
Prior to a week away from competition, the Golden Flashes went 4-0 on their way to capturing a First Pitch Classic title Feb. 23-24 in Charlotte. KSU earned victories over host Charlotte (3-1) and Stony Brook (9-0) and took a pair of games from South Carolina-Upstate (8-3, 5-0). Gabrielle Burns was named Pitcher MVP of the tournament after going 2-0 with a no-hitter and 18 total strikeouts in 13 innings. Jessica Toocheck claimed Player MVP honors after hitting .500 with two homers and seven RBI. Kylie Reynolds went 2-0 with one save in three appearances in the circle. Kim Hamilton hit .400 and belted her team-leading third home run of the year.
The Opposition
Jacksonville State
- The Gamecocks are off to an 11-7 start after going 4-0 last weekend with wins over Belmont, Troy, Stephen F. Austin and Louisiana Tech. All four ptching victories went to junior right-hander Melissa Dowling, who has appeared in all but one game this season. Dowling is 7-5 with one save and a 3.21 ERA in 72 innings. Sophomore Nikki Prier leads the JSU offense hitting .364 with four homers and nine doubles. Jacksonville State returned seven position starters and four pitchers from a team that finished 35-23 in 2007.
Middle Tennessee State- The Blue Raiders won 30 games last season and enter the Buzz Classic with a 5-9 mark after facing some strong competition in the early going. MTSU has won four of its last six behind the left arm of sophomore Lindsey Vander Lugt, who has earned three victories during that span. Sophomore outfielder Corrie Abel is hitting a team best .372 with nine runs scored. Abel was one of six position starters returning from 2007. Senior Whitney Darlington is off to a slow start, but hit .331 with eight home runs last season along with 19 stolen bases.
Furman- The Paladins have won five of their last six games, improving their record to 6-7. In its last two games, Furman posted 14-0 and 9-0 shutouts of South Carolina State. Freshman right-hander Bethany Ullrich has won her last three decisions. She has fanned 23 batters in 27 innings and her only loss came at Auburn. Junior Abby Robertson is hitting .324 with a team-best 12 RBI. Freshman Morgan Hughey leads the Paladins with a .333 batting average.
Florida A&M- The Rattlers are 2-10 with victories over Alcorn State and Jackson State. Senior infielder Alacia Strafford is hitting a team best .303 with two home runs. Junior right-hander Tiffany Chan has tossed six complete games and has fanned 22 batters. FAMU was picked to win the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference's Southern Division in the conference's preseason poll.
Flashes Sweep MAC Awards For Third Straight Week
When it comes to conference awards, the Golden Flashes are 6-for-6 following three weekends of competion with Gabrielle Burns and Jessica Toocheck accounting for four weekly honors. For the second straight week, both seniors were named MAC East Pitcher and Player of the Week on Feb. 26.
Toocheck homered in Kent State's 3-1 win over Charlotte and went on to have at least one hit, one RBI and one run scored in all four games of the First Pitch Classic. Burns struck out 13 and walked one in her first career no-hitter Sunday vs. South Carolina-Upstate. In her victory over Charlotte, Burns did not allow a hit until the sixth inning.
The seniors' awards in back-to-back weeks followed the MAC's announcement of KSU freshmen Jess Carmichael and Markie Pozzuto as Player and Pitcher of the Week on Feb. 12.
Team Leaders
is hitting .400 (12-for-30) to lead all KSU players. Jessica Toocheck leads the Flashes with 17 hits, four doubles, 14 RBI and a .630 slugging percentage. Kim Hamilton has belted three home runs, drawn seven walks and stolen four bases.
Gabrielle Burns carries a team best 0.88 ERA. Kylie Reynolds has fanned 60 batters in 46.2 innngs. Both hurlers own four wins on the season.
Series Histor
The Golden Flashes will be facing Jacksonville State for the first time. KSU holds a 2-1 all-time series edge over Florida A&M, but the two teams have not met since 1985. Kent State and Furman are tied 4-4, but have not met since 1998. Middle Tennessee State owns a 2-0 advantage in the all-time series vs. Kent State with one run victories in 1999 and 2001.
