University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Lady Eagles Face Tough Field at NFCA Leadoff Classic
2/20/2002 12:00:00 AM | Softball
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Lady Eagles Face Tough Field at NFCA Leadoff Classic
The Southern Miss softball team will be experiencing a big challenge this weekend, competing in the NFCA Leadoff Classic, on Feb. 22-24, in Columbus, Ga. Fourteen of the nation?s top 25 teams appear in the field of 24, and the Lady Eagles have been slated with No. 14 Notre Dame and No. 18 Oregon State, as well as Texas A&M, in the preliminary pool play.
The Aggies are the first team Southern Miss will face on Friday, Feb. 22 at noon. Texas A&M starts the weekend with a 10-3 record and an eight-game winning streak. Southern Miss has never beaten Texas A&M in the eight previous meetings, losing last year?s battle, 5-1.
Lindsey Wilhelmson leads the Aggies with a .387 batting average. The sophomore also claims three home runs and 10 RBIs, second only to Selena Collins who has four homers and 13 RBIs.
Wilhelmson has been successful on the mound as well. In 23 2/3 innings that she has pitched, she has yet to give up an earned run. She is 2-1 on the year with 17 strikeouts. Jessica Slataper has made the most appearances, eight with 43 innings pitched, and claims a 5-1 record with a 1.47 ERA and 51 strikeouts.
Notre Dame and the Lady Eagles square off Friday night at 7:30 p.m., and this will be first meeting for both teams. The Irish are 3-2 on the year and feature Andrea Loman as the squad?s leading hitter with a .375 average and one home run. Pitching duties have been given to two freshmen, Carrie Wisen (1-0, 2.16 ERA, 15 Ks) and Staffany Stenglein (2-2, 4.88, 12).
Southern Miss faces Oregon State on Saturday at 10 a.m. The Beavers, 12-2, have made the most impressive start of all three of USM?s pool opponents, stringing together 12-straight wins before losing to No. 12 Nebraska, 3-1, last Sunday, Feb. 17. The Lady Eagles are 2-1 against Oregon State, winning the last meeting, 4-0, in 1999.
As a team, OSU is hitting .319 and outscoring its opponents 66-24. Clare Burnam holds a team-best .488 batting average with eight doubles, one home run and 10 RBIs. Brynnen Guthries follows with a .400 average but leads the team with four home runs and 16 RBIs.
The Beavers? pitching staff holds a combined 1.66 ERA with 110 strikeouts and 13 walks. Crystal Draper is 6-0 on the mound with a 2.13 ERA, 55 strikeouts and only one walk.
Southern Miss went 2-2 last weekend, at Mississippi State?s Bulldog Classic. MSU fell victim to the Lady Eagles, 7-2, on Saturday, Feb. 16. The win ignited USM to capture a 5-1 win over Colorado State, redeeming a 3-1 loss to the Rams the previous day. Now, the Lady Eagles start the Leadoff Classic with a two-game winning streak.
Heather Bell holds the hot bat with a team-best .500 batting average. The sophomore stroked two home runs last weekend, with the second tater sprouting the run production in the win over the Bulldogs. She made the all-tournament team, along with Kenya Peters and Channika Gant.
Peters collected her 30th career home run in the win against CSU, giving her sole possession of the school?s all-time home run title. Melanie Hymel leads the team with eight hits and three triples, as the sophomore is batting .444.
Pitching is still strong for the Lady Eagles with Melissa Cundiff and Jessica Holaway each holding 2-1 records. Holaway claims a 2.00 ERA with 24 strikeouts, and Melissa Cundiff holds a 2.95 with 20 strikeouts. Conference USA Pitcher of the Year Felicia Gonzales is still recovering from a minor injury to her pitching hand. The senior is expected to make an appearance on the mound this weekend.
