Wednesday, March 21
Collins Family Softball Complex
5 PM
Tulsa
vs
Oklahoma State
Photo by: Dave Crenshaw
TU to Host Oklahoma State Before Opening Conference Play This Weekend
3/20/2018 11:05:00 AM | Softball
Weekly Notes
TULSA, Okla. — The University of Tulsa softball team will host No. 23/24 Oklahoma State at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, March 21, before it opens American Athletic Conference play at UCF with a three-game series, March 23-25, in Orlando, Fla.
The Golden Hurricane (18-11) is coming off a 3-1 weekend at the Wooo Pig Classic and the squad swept the conference's weekly awards as Tori Stafford and Emily Watson earned Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively. Stafford hit .412 with two doubles, a triple, a homer and 10 RBIs, while Watson went 3-0 with a 0.67 ERA and 35 strikeouts in 21.0 innings during six games last week.
The Cowgirls (21-6) will enter Wednesday's contest on a 12-game winning streak and the team is 15-6 away from home this season.
Meanwhile, the Knights (17-11) will host Princeton on Wednesday before welcoming the Hurricane to town for the conference opener.
The first 1,000 fans attending Tulsa's matchup with Oklahoma State will receive a pennant commemorating the program's back-to-back American Athletic Conference Championships. Additional parking for Wednesday's game can be found at St. Antony Church near the intersection of 6th Street and Columbia. Fans can park in that lot and ride a shuttle to the east entrance of the Collins Family Softball Complex.
Wednesday, March 21
5 p.m. — No. 23/24 Oklahoma State at Tulsa – Stats/Video
Friday, March 23
4:30 p.m. (CT) — Tulsa at UCF – Stats/Video
Saturday, March 24
1 p.m. (CT) — Tulsa at UCF – Stats/Video
Sunday, March 25
11 a.m. (CT) — Tulsa at UCF – Stats
Notes
TU to Face No. 23/24 Oklahoma State Before Conference Play Begins
• Tulsa will host No. 23/24 Oklahoma State at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, March 21 before opening American Athletic Conference play, March 23-25, at UCF.
• Oklahoma State holds a 27-19 lead in the all-time series, but Tulsa took both meetings last season, including a three-hit shutout (3-0) by Emily Watson on April 19, 2017, at Collins Family Softball Complex.
• TU is 21-17 overall against UCF, but the Knights took the series last year in Tulsa, 2-1.
Going Streaking
• After starting the season 3-6, Tulsa has won 15 of its last 20 games and is coming off a 3-1 weekend at the Wooo Pig Classic in Fayetteville, Ark.
• During the stretch, Tulsa is hitting .318 while the pitching staff owns a collective 2.68 ERA. The offense has outscored its opponents 122-60 with the help of 51 extra-base hits during that time.
• Emily Watson has led the pitching staff with eight wins and a 1.37 ERA during the stretch and freshman pitcher Samantha Pochop is 5-1 with a 2.65 ERA. Watson has recorded double-digit strikeouts in five of her 10 appearances during the stretch.
Ahead Early
• Tulsa has gotten off to a quick start with runs in the first inning in each of its last six games.
• TU has capitalized on the early lead this spring, going 13-4 when scoring in the first inning. The Hurricane also is 15-4 when the team scores first.
TU in Conference Openers
• Tulsa is 14-11 all-time in conference-opening games, including an 11-1 mark under head coach John Bargfeldt.
• TU is 15-10 overall in conference-opening series' and a perfect 12-0 with Bargfeldt at the helm. The Hurricane opened league play at UCF in 2012, winning two of the three games.
TU Sweeps Weekly Awards
• TU swept the American Athletic Conference weekly awards as Tori Stafford and Emily Watson were named the league's Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, on Monday.
• Stafford hit .412 with two doubles, a triple, a homer and 10 RBIs to lead Tulsa in six games last week. She hit a three-run homer and drove in a career-high-tying four runs against Iowa State.
• Watson went 3-0 with a 0.67 ERA and 35 strikeouts in 21.0 innings. She recorded a season-high 15 strikeouts in a win over Saint Francis (Pa.). It was the 11th career Pitcher of the Week honor from the conference for the senior.
Career Numbers Update
• Emily Watson ranks in the program's all-time top 10 in several categories, including ERA (2nd, 1.76), opposing batting average (2nd, .207), strikeouts (2nd, 707), shutouts (2nd, 26), wins (3rd, 58), games started (5th, 87), complete-games (6th, 56), saves (6th, 4), innings pitched (6th, 548.0) and appearances (t-7th, 104).
• Shelby Estocado ranks fifth in program history with 28 homers, including five round-trippers this season. She also is tied for sixth with 113 RBIs and ranks ninth with 289 total bases.
• Julia Hollingsworth currently owns the program-record with a .463 on-base percentage, while her career .368 batting average ranks second. She ranks sixth with 39 stolen bases and her six triples are tied for eighth. Hollingsworth tied a single-game record with a pair of triples in Tulsa's win over Nicholls State (March 3).
Look Who's Back
• Tulsa returns 13 letterwinners, including six position starters, the designated player and three pitchers, from last year's team which went 41-17 and won its first American Athletic Conference regular-season title with a 15-3 league mark.
• The TU offense will bring back all of its home runs, 79.3-percent of its extra-base hits, 76-percent of its runs scored, 74.3-percent of its RBIs and 71.1-percent of its hits from last year's squad.
• The lineup will see the return of NFCA All-Region picks Julia Hollingsworth (OF) and Haley Meinen (DP), while the pitching staff will see the return of second-team NFCA All-American Emily Watson.
It's Elementary, Watson
• The Golden Hurricane pitching staff is anchored by NFCA All-American Emily Watson. The senior nearly set a program single-season record with 348 strikeouts, while her 14 shutouts set a new program standard and led the nation last season.
• Watson also set single-season records with 30 wins, 36 starts, 29 complete games and 246.2 innings pitched.
• The senior was recently announced as one of 50 players across the nation on the "Watch List" for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Award and she is one of 30 candidates for the Senior CLASS Award.
• So far in 2018, she has compiled an 10-4 record with a 1.76 ERA and 110 strikeouts in 89.2 innings pitched.
Tulsa Picked to Repeat as American Athletic Conference Champs
• Tulsa garnered six first-place votes and the squad was picked to repeat as American Athletic Conference champions by the league's coaches.
• TU earned 48 points in the poll, while Houston picked up a pair of first-place nods and 44 points to rank second.
• The duo was followed by USF, UCF, Wichita State, Memphis, UConn and ECU.
• Last season, TU won both the regular-season and tournament titles, sweeping those championships for the first time since 2014 when the Hurricane accomplished the feat in its final season as a member of Conference USA.
The Schedule
• Tulsa's 2018 schedule will see the team play 10 games against teams that participated in the NCAA Tournament a season ago.
• The schedule also will have the Hurricane matched-up with teams that started the season either ranked or receiving votes. Texas A&M is 7th in the NFCA Coaches Poll, while TU also will face defending national champion No. 5 Oklahoma (April 17) and No. 25 Oklahoma State (March 21, April 4).
• Meanwhile, McNeese State (Feb. 9-10), Texas State (Feb. 24) and St. Francis (Pa.) (March 17) also started the season receiving votes.
TU Success Under Coach Bargfeldt
• Now in his 13th season at Tulsa, head coach John Bargfeldt is the program's longest-tenured head coach and has the most wins and highest winning percentage in school history.
• Prior to Bargfeldt's arrival, the program had just four winning seasons in 13 years and did not win a conference title or appear in an NCAA Regional.
• Since his hiring prior to the 2006 season, the Golden Hurricane has had a winning record in all 12 campaigns with six regular-season and six conference tournament titles. In addition, TU has advanced to nine NCAA Regionals, including a spot in the postseason for six of the last seven years.
Up Next
• After Tulsa's series at UCF over the weekend, the squad will return home for its first conference set at Collins Family Softball Complex when it hosts ECU, March 29-31.
TULSA, Okla. — The University of Tulsa softball team will host No. 23/24 Oklahoma State at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, March 21, before it opens American Athletic Conference play at UCF with a three-game series, March 23-25, in Orlando, Fla.
The Golden Hurricane (18-11) is coming off a 3-1 weekend at the Wooo Pig Classic and the squad swept the conference's weekly awards as Tori Stafford and Emily Watson earned Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively. Stafford hit .412 with two doubles, a triple, a homer and 10 RBIs, while Watson went 3-0 with a 0.67 ERA and 35 strikeouts in 21.0 innings during six games last week.
The Cowgirls (21-6) will enter Wednesday's contest on a 12-game winning streak and the team is 15-6 away from home this season.
Meanwhile, the Knights (17-11) will host Princeton on Wednesday before welcoming the Hurricane to town for the conference opener.
The first 1,000 fans attending Tulsa's matchup with Oklahoma State will receive a pennant commemorating the program's back-to-back American Athletic Conference Championships. Additional parking for Wednesday's game can be found at St. Antony Church near the intersection of 6th Street and Columbia. Fans can park in that lot and ride a shuttle to the east entrance of the Collins Family Softball Complex.
Wednesday, March 21
5 p.m. — No. 23/24 Oklahoma State at Tulsa – Stats/Video
Friday, March 23
4:30 p.m. (CT) — Tulsa at UCF – Stats/Video
Saturday, March 24
1 p.m. (CT) — Tulsa at UCF – Stats/Video
Sunday, March 25
11 a.m. (CT) — Tulsa at UCF – Stats
Notes
TU to Face No. 23/24 Oklahoma State Before Conference Play Begins
• Tulsa will host No. 23/24 Oklahoma State at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, March 21 before opening American Athletic Conference play, March 23-25, at UCF.
• Oklahoma State holds a 27-19 lead in the all-time series, but Tulsa took both meetings last season, including a three-hit shutout (3-0) by Emily Watson on April 19, 2017, at Collins Family Softball Complex.
• TU is 21-17 overall against UCF, but the Knights took the series last year in Tulsa, 2-1.
Going Streaking
• After starting the season 3-6, Tulsa has won 15 of its last 20 games and is coming off a 3-1 weekend at the Wooo Pig Classic in Fayetteville, Ark.
• During the stretch, Tulsa is hitting .318 while the pitching staff owns a collective 2.68 ERA. The offense has outscored its opponents 122-60 with the help of 51 extra-base hits during that time.
• Emily Watson has led the pitching staff with eight wins and a 1.37 ERA during the stretch and freshman pitcher Samantha Pochop is 5-1 with a 2.65 ERA. Watson has recorded double-digit strikeouts in five of her 10 appearances during the stretch.
Ahead Early
• Tulsa has gotten off to a quick start with runs in the first inning in each of its last six games.
• TU has capitalized on the early lead this spring, going 13-4 when scoring in the first inning. The Hurricane also is 15-4 when the team scores first.
TU in Conference Openers
• Tulsa is 14-11 all-time in conference-opening games, including an 11-1 mark under head coach John Bargfeldt.
• TU is 15-10 overall in conference-opening series' and a perfect 12-0 with Bargfeldt at the helm. The Hurricane opened league play at UCF in 2012, winning two of the three games.
TU Sweeps Weekly Awards
• TU swept the American Athletic Conference weekly awards as Tori Stafford and Emily Watson were named the league's Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, on Monday.
• Stafford hit .412 with two doubles, a triple, a homer and 10 RBIs to lead Tulsa in six games last week. She hit a three-run homer and drove in a career-high-tying four runs against Iowa State.
• Watson went 3-0 with a 0.67 ERA and 35 strikeouts in 21.0 innings. She recorded a season-high 15 strikeouts in a win over Saint Francis (Pa.). It was the 11th career Pitcher of the Week honor from the conference for the senior.
Career Numbers Update
• Emily Watson ranks in the program's all-time top 10 in several categories, including ERA (2nd, 1.76), opposing batting average (2nd, .207), strikeouts (2nd, 707), shutouts (2nd, 26), wins (3rd, 58), games started (5th, 87), complete-games (6th, 56), saves (6th, 4), innings pitched (6th, 548.0) and appearances (t-7th, 104).
• Shelby Estocado ranks fifth in program history with 28 homers, including five round-trippers this season. She also is tied for sixth with 113 RBIs and ranks ninth with 289 total bases.
• Julia Hollingsworth currently owns the program-record with a .463 on-base percentage, while her career .368 batting average ranks second. She ranks sixth with 39 stolen bases and her six triples are tied for eighth. Hollingsworth tied a single-game record with a pair of triples in Tulsa's win over Nicholls State (March 3).
Look Who's Back
• Tulsa returns 13 letterwinners, including six position starters, the designated player and three pitchers, from last year's team which went 41-17 and won its first American Athletic Conference regular-season title with a 15-3 league mark.
• The TU offense will bring back all of its home runs, 79.3-percent of its extra-base hits, 76-percent of its runs scored, 74.3-percent of its RBIs and 71.1-percent of its hits from last year's squad.
• The lineup will see the return of NFCA All-Region picks Julia Hollingsworth (OF) and Haley Meinen (DP), while the pitching staff will see the return of second-team NFCA All-American Emily Watson.
It's Elementary, Watson
• The Golden Hurricane pitching staff is anchored by NFCA All-American Emily Watson. The senior nearly set a program single-season record with 348 strikeouts, while her 14 shutouts set a new program standard and led the nation last season.
• Watson also set single-season records with 30 wins, 36 starts, 29 complete games and 246.2 innings pitched.
• The senior was recently announced as one of 50 players across the nation on the "Watch List" for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Award and she is one of 30 candidates for the Senior CLASS Award.
• So far in 2018, she has compiled an 10-4 record with a 1.76 ERA and 110 strikeouts in 89.2 innings pitched.
Tulsa Picked to Repeat as American Athletic Conference Champs
• Tulsa garnered six first-place votes and the squad was picked to repeat as American Athletic Conference champions by the league's coaches.
• TU earned 48 points in the poll, while Houston picked up a pair of first-place nods and 44 points to rank second.
• The duo was followed by USF, UCF, Wichita State, Memphis, UConn and ECU.
• Last season, TU won both the regular-season and tournament titles, sweeping those championships for the first time since 2014 when the Hurricane accomplished the feat in its final season as a member of Conference USA.
The Schedule
• Tulsa's 2018 schedule will see the team play 10 games against teams that participated in the NCAA Tournament a season ago.
• The schedule also will have the Hurricane matched-up with teams that started the season either ranked or receiving votes. Texas A&M is 7th in the NFCA Coaches Poll, while TU also will face defending national champion No. 5 Oklahoma (April 17) and No. 25 Oklahoma State (March 21, April 4).
• Meanwhile, McNeese State (Feb. 9-10), Texas State (Feb. 24) and St. Francis (Pa.) (March 17) also started the season receiving votes.
TU Success Under Coach Bargfeldt
• Now in his 13th season at Tulsa, head coach John Bargfeldt is the program's longest-tenured head coach and has the most wins and highest winning percentage in school history.
• Prior to Bargfeldt's arrival, the program had just four winning seasons in 13 years and did not win a conference title or appear in an NCAA Regional.
• Since his hiring prior to the 2006 season, the Golden Hurricane has had a winning record in all 12 campaigns with six regular-season and six conference tournament titles. In addition, TU has advanced to nine NCAA Regionals, including a spot in the postseason for six of the last seven years.
Up Next
• After Tulsa's series at UCF over the weekend, the squad will return home for its first conference set at Collins Family Softball Complex when it hosts ECU, March 29-31.
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Players Mentioned
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