Softball Picked Second in WAC Preseason Coaches' Poll
1/19/2005 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Jan. 19, 2005
Tulsa, Okla. - The University of Tulsa softball team earned one first place vote and five second place votes in the 2005 Western Athletic Conference Coaches' Preseason Poll for 31 points, only five behind preseason favorite Fresno State. The Bulldogs, with six first-place votes, were selected the favorite for the ninth time in the past 10 seasons.
Tulsa returns 13 players from last season's 45-18 squad that finished second in the WAC. The Golden Hurricane broke 13 offensive team records, two defensive records and nine pitching records in 2004. TU's 16-5 WAC record and runner-up finish were also the best in the program's history, as well as its 18-6 record at the Donna J. Hardesty Sports Complex.
The Hurricane also had two players selected by the coaches to the Preseason All-WAC Team, Katie Torres and Maren Genow. Torres had one of the best, if not the best, seasons in 2004 on any TU slugger . . . ever. Not only did the junior first baseman break six single-season school records and tie a seventh, Torres also broke four more career records. She hit 15 homers on the year, allowing her to have a .649 slugging percentage and a .450 on-base percentage.
The Del City, Okla., native also led the WAC with 40 walks while earning first team All-WAC and Midwest Region honors. Torres has hit 22 career home runs and been walked 56 times over the past two seasons. Torres can also play defense, as her 469 put outs broke her own school record for a single season.
A pitcher from Moore, Okla., Genow finished the WAC schedule with a perfect 10-0 record. Her 10 conference victories combined with her three saves during league play equaled the most decisions in the WAC. Overall, she finished the year with a 22-3 record with six saves, ranking sixth in the nation in saves. Genow also earned second-team All-WAC honors in 2004 with a 1.35 earned run average.
Her 22 victories were the most for a single season in TU history, as were her six saves and her 0.60 walks allowed per game. Genow's nine shutouts were the second most in school history. She also broke the school record for strikeouts in a game with 13 against Hofstra. She earned WAC Pitcher of the Week honors twice last season.
The Golden Hurricane opens the 2005 campaign at Arizona in Tucson on Feb. 4th. The game with the Wildcats kicks off a schedule that includes eight teams among the top-60 in the RPI rankings at the end of last season. The 2005 schedule shapes up to be one of the toughest in the program's history, as it includes seven teams that earned NCAA regional bids and one College World Series team.
