Softball Set for Mid-Week Matchup Against Arkansas Tonight
3/15/2017 10:01:00 AM | Softball
TULSA, Okla. – The University of Tulsa softball team will take on Arkansas tonight at 5 p.m. at the Collins Family Softball Complex in their first mid-week home contest of the season.
The Golden Hurricane (14-10 Overall) head into the mid-week matchup after winning three of four on their home field this weekend at the Tulsa Invitational, earning wins over Montana, Texas Tech, and No. 23-ranked California while shutting out two opponents. Tulsa's offense came alive as they hit .324 as a team and tied their season-high for hits with 11 twice.
Tulsa leads the all-time series against the Razorbacks 16-13, having won the last six of seven contests while splitting the series last year with both road teams coming away with victories. Arkansas comes to Tulsa with a 19-4 record despite dropping three games on the road last weekend at #9 Alabama in Southeastern Conference play and are receiving votes in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches poll.
Tonight's contest will be broadcasted on Cox Sports TV with the first pitch scheduled for 5:07 p.m.
Live Stats/Video
WEEKLY AWARDS SWEEP...
The Hurricane swept the American Athletic Conference weekly awards as Emily Watson was named Pitcher of the Week for the second time this season while Tori Stafford earned her first Player of the Week honors. Watson went 2-1 in the circle with two appearances against ranked opponents, tossing a career-high 9.1 innings against defending national champion #9 Oklahoma before shutting out #23 California while striking out 12 batters on Friday night. Stafford hit a whopping .778 at the plate over a four-game span at the Tulsa Invitational, recording two multi-hit and two multi-RBI performances that included home runs in back-to-back contests on Sunday.
HITTING HER STRIDE...
Sophomore Tori Stafford hit her stride at the plate over the weekend as she racked up a .778 average in four games at the Tulsa Invitational while driving in five runs with two homers. Stafford recorded a hit in five straight at-bats on Thursday/Friday for a perfect 5-5 during the two-game span, including a 3-3 performance with a career-high three hits in a 4-0 win over No. 23-ranked California. Over the weekend, Stafford raised her season batting average from .279 up to .365, which currently ranks third on the team.
HOT HITTING...
Tulsa hit .324 as a team during four games at the Tulsa Invitational while holding their opponents to just a .182 average at the plate. TU racked up a .471 slugging percentage with a .397 on-base clip while driving home 16 runs.
FULL WEEKLY NOTES
Players Mentioned
IF
/ Softball
P
/ 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