Tulsa Softball Set to Begin 25th Season This Weekend
2/6/2017 2:00:00 PM | Softball
TULSA, Okla. – The University of Tulsa softball team will begin the program's 25th season on the road at the Hillenbrand Invitational in Tucson, Ariz. over the weekend beginning with an 11 a.m. matchup against Fordham. The Hurricane are coming off a 35-21 season that saw them earn their eighth NCAA Tournament appearance while winning the American Athletic Conference Tournament title.
Head Coach John Bargfeldt enters his 12th season at TU, leading the Hurricane to a 423-208-1 record to go along with five regular season conference championships and five tournament titles. Of the 722 program wins, 59 percent have come in the last 11 seasons. The program began humbly, but the last decade has seen a rich tradition grow at the corner of 6th Street and Delaware Ave.
From the construction of the Hardesty Sports Complex – the first on-campus home of Tulsa softball – to the addition of the clubhouse beyond right field – which renamed the facility the Collins Family Softball Complex – to the present day, Tulsa softball has grown into a prominent program in its conference, and a competitive program nationally.
In 2016, the Golden Hurricane added to the tradition when it won the American Athletic Conference Championship and played in the NCAA Tournament. The tournament title, won on its home field, was Tulsa softball's first championship as a member of The American.
Tulsa was tabbed as the 2017 preseason favorite in The American as they return 12 players from last season's team including first-team all-conference honorees in Shelby Estocado, Julia Hollingsworth, Maddie Withee and Maggie Withee.
"Anytime that you have experience coming back that helps out," Bargfeldt said. "In our experience, we feel like players improve every year. They've kind of been through it and kind of get used to what travel is like, three game series, and how important the season is and that when you get to tournament time it starts all over again. When you have players that have been through that and have had success it helps them go into the season with some confidence because they've been there and they've done that before."
INFIELD
Tulsa returns the core of their infield from last season that features two first-team all-conference honorees on the left side of the infield in Shelby Estocado and Maggie Withee along with all-freshman and all-tournament team honoree Morgan Neal.
Maggie Withee, a three-year starter at third base, led the Hurricane with a .378 batting average while scoring 45 runs. Estocado racked up a team-leading 11 home runs while scoring 47 runs to go along with eight doubles, 41 RBI, and a .329 batting average. Neal hit .300 in her first collegiate season, totaling 28 runs, 22 RBI and nine extra base hits.
Tori Stafford returns after seeing action at first base last season, appearing in 49 games while starting 22 contests that included 19 at first base.
OUTFIELD
Maddie Withee, a two-time first-team all-conference selection, returns in the outfield for the Hurricane after producing an American Conference leading 45 RBI while hitting .329 with 15 extra base hits. Withee started all 56 games in the outfield in 2016 with 52 starts in left field and four starts in center field.
Julia Hollingsworth started 17 games in right field for the Hurricane on her way to being named first-team all-conference last season. Hollingsworth also started 29 games as the designated player, leading the Hurricane in doubles with 12 while hitting .343 with 30 RBI and 29 runs scored.
PITCHERS
Tulsa returns two pitchers in juniors Emily Watson and Lexi Blevins. Watson posted a 12-9 mark in the circle with a 2.28 ERA to go along with a team-high 173 strikeouts. She allowed just 40 earned runs in 123.0 innings and tossed five shutouts while also setting the school record in strikeouts in a game with 17 in a February win over UTSA.
Blevins posted a 1.91 ERA in 25.2 innings of work, 23.1 coming in the months of April and May. During the late-season stretch, Blevins struck out 18 batters and allowed just 22 hits and six runs.
"I feel like the team has a chance to be really special defensively. We can be really athletic out on the field at all of our positions," Bargfeldt said. "Our pitching really has shown some signs of getting a lot of swing and miss, and at times being very dominant, with a mixture of four pitchers that throw four different styles. We feel like we have a team that can compete for a conference championship, but I think that's going to depend on how much growth we continue to make as hitters."
Tulsa will open up their home schedule at the Collins Family Softball Complex as the hosts of the Tulsa Invitational on March 10-12 that features California, Texas Tech, Montana and Wichita State. The Hurricane will host three conference opponents at home in Memphis, Houston and UCF while facing USF, UConn and East Carolina on the road.
"We feel like we have a team that is similar in years' past, that can go out and compete for the conference championship," Bargfeldt said. "We're excited about the possibilities. We have athletes. We have some players that are committed and passionate about the game, and we expect them to get better."
Follow Tulsa Softball on Twitter and Facebook.
2017 Tulsa Softball Quick Facts
Players Mentioned
P
/ Softball
IF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
IF
/ Softball
IF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
OF/C
/ Softball
IF
/ SoftballSoftball | Tulsa vs Drake
Friday, February 28
Softball | Tulsa vs UMKC
Friday, February 28
SB | South Dakota State Postgame
Tuesday, February 25
Softball | Tulsa vs South Dakota State
Tuesday, February 25