University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Lady Eagles Continue Road Swing, Compete In Aggie Invitational
2/25/2004 12:00:00 AM | Softball
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Tournament Notes
Lady Eagles Continue Road Swing, Compete In Aggie Invitational
HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- The early-season road swing continues for the Southern Miss softball team, which travels to College Station, Texas, to compete in the Aggie II Invitational hosted by Texas A&M, this weekend.
Southern Miss takes on 17th-ranked Oregon in a 12:15 p.m., contest on Friday, before meeting host Texas A&M, ranked 23rd overall, at 2:30 p.m. The Lady Eagles then face the Ducks at 10 a.m., Saturday and Penn State at 12:30 p.m. On the tournament's final day, Southern Miss battles Texas A&M at 12 p.m. All Lady Eagle games will be broadcast over the Internet in a "Live Stats" format, which can be accessed by clicking on the appropriate link on the SouthernMiss.com softball page.
The Lady Eagles (5-7) enter the event after a second-place finish in the LSU Purple and Gold Challenge, last weekend, in Baton Rouge, La., where the team sported a 3-3 record in the six games. Senior outfielder Heather Bell leads Southern Miss in batting with a .318 average, including seven hits and three RBIs. Sophomores Ashley Davis and Ashley Brenan both sport team-highs in hits with nine. Brenan, who was the lone Southern Miss player to make the Purple and Gold Challenge's All-Tournament Team, also leads the team in doubles (5), triples (1) and RBIs (6). Senior Auriel Jenkins and junior Diane Hammes are both tied for second with a .286 batting average.
Seniors Danielle Hatfield and Jessica Holaway lead the team in the circle, combining for all five wins and 39 strikeouts. Hatfield sports a 3-1 record and a team-best 3.76 ERA in 22.1 innings pitched, while also walking just five batters. Holaway used a strong performance over the weekend to improve to 2-2 this season, while also holding a 4.85 ERA and a team-high 20 strikeouts.
Oregon, ranked 17th in both the USA Today/NFCA Coaches' Poll and the ESPN.com/USA Softball Poll, is 8-4 in 2004 and is on a five-game win streak that includes wins over 11th-ranked Texas and 14th-ranked Fresno State. Jenn Poore leads all regular starters with a .389 batting average, including 14 hits. Ashley Richards is second with a .375 average, but she leads the team in total hits (15), RBIs (11) and is tied with Beth Boskovich for a team-high three home runs. Ani Meashintubby leads with both a 1.33 ERA and a 3-1 record, to go along with 21 strikeouts. Any Nyhus is 5-2 overall and has a team-high 26 strikeouts.
Texas A&M currently holds a 8-7 record and ranks 23rd in the NFCA poll and is tied for 25th in the USA Softball poll. The Aggies are led by Rocky Spencer's .423 average, while Sharonda McDonald has a team-best 16 hits. Christina Smith leads the team with a 1.14 ERA and is 2-2, while Jill Weynand and Lindsey Wilhelmson have 44 and 30 strikeouts, respectively.
The Nittany Lions are in search of their first win of the season after losing five games to nationally-ranked (2) Arizona, (19) Pacific, (6) Georgia, top-ranked UCLA and (7) Stanford. Jen Williams is high with a .250 batting average and four hits, while Katie Stauffer has the team's only home run. In the circle, Marissa Hanson is 0-3 despite holding a 0.98 ERA with 11 strikeouts. Missy Beseres leads all players with 15 strikeouts.
Southern Miss sports a combined 4-7 record against the three opponents. The Lady Eagles are 4-0 overall against Oregon, winning the last meeting, 3-1 in 2000. Texas A&M is 6-0 all-time against Southern Miss, including a 6-0 win in the last contest between the two teams. The Lady Eagles and Penn State have met just once overall, a 1-0 Nittany Lion win in 2001.
Following the weekend tournament, the Lady Eagles return home for a 12-game homestand that begins with a doubleheader against McNeese State on Wednesday, March 3.
2004 Aggie II Invitational
Friday, February 27
Southern Miss vs. Oregon -- 12:15 p.m.
Southern Miss at Texas A&M -- 2:30 p.m.
Saturday, February 28
Oregon vs. Southern Miss -- 10 a.m.
Penn State vs. Southern Miss -- 12:30 p.m.
Sunday, February 29
Southern Miss at Texas A&M -- Noon
