Friday, May 4
Collins Family Softball Complex
5 PM
Tulsa
vs
UConn
Tulsa to Host UConn in Regular-Season’s Final Series
5/2/2018 12:14:00 PM | Softball
Weekly Notes
TULSA, Okla. — The University of Tulsa softball team will host UConn in a three-game series, May 4-6, at Collins Family Softball Complex to close the regular-season.
TU will have several great ticket promotions to give fans one last chance to see the team at home in 2018. Friday's series opener is "May the 4th Be With You" and all fans wearing Star Wars or any cosplay gear will be receive free admission. Saturday is Bark in the Park as fans are welcome to bring their dogs to the Collins Family Softball Complex. All dogs must be on a leash and fans bringing their pets to the park are encouraged to utilize the grassy area down the first base line. Children also will be allowed to run the bases after the game.
Sunday is Senior Day and TU will honor its class of Shelby Estocado, Shannon Hughes, Ashley Kiser and Emily Watson following the contest. After the postgame ceremony, children will be allowed to run the bases.
The Golden Hurricane (28-22, 8-10) enter the final week of the regular-season looking to build momentum for next week's American Athletic Conference Championship in Tampa, Fla. The squad is coming off a 5-2 win at Memphis on Sunday that saw homers from Julia Hollingsworth and Rylie Spell, along with 10 strikeouts by Emily Watson.
Hollingsworth continues to lead the team with a .371 average during league play, a mark that ranks sixth in the circuit. The junior has recorded a hit in seven of the last eight games and for the season, her 60 hits are tops on the squad.
Meanwhile, the Huskies (19-32, 4-14) dropped two of three games against Houston last weekend in Storrs, Conn. UConn is hitting .216 as a team and is led by Briana Marcelino's .286 average to go along with three homers and 12 RBIs. Olivia Sappington (6 HR, 20 RBI) and Carli Cutler (4 HR, 19 RBI) also have supplied some pop to the lineup, while Jill Stockley leads the pitching staff with a 2.56 ERA and 102 strikeouts in 150.1 innings.
Tulsa is a perfect 10-0 all-time against UConn and it has outscored the Huskies 56-5 in those meetings. Of those 10 wins, seven have been shutouts.
Schedule
Friday, May 4
5 p.m. — Tulsa vs. UConn — Stats/Video
Saturday, May 5
3 p.m. — Tulsa vs. UConn — Stats/Video
Sunday, May 6
12 p.m. — Tulsa vs. UConn — Stats/Video
Notes
Tulsa to Host UConn in Regular-Season Finale
• Tulsa returns to the friendly confines of the Collins Family Softball Complex one last time in 2018, as it hosts UConn in a three-game series to close the regular-season, May 4-6.
• TU leads the all-time series against UConn, 10-0. All 10 meetings have come since Tulsa joined the American Athletic Conference for the 2015 season.
• In its 10 wins, Tulsa has outscored UConn 56-5 and shutout the Huskies seven times. Overall, TU is average margin of victory in the series is 5.1 runs per game.
• The series will mark the final home games for Shelby Estocado, Shannon Hughes, Ashley Kiser and Emily Watson, who will be honored following Sunday's game.
Trending
• Emily Watson leads The American and ranks 10th in the nation with 239 strikeouts this season. Watson has struck out at least 10 batters in a game 11 times, including a season-high 15 Ks against Saint Francis (Pa.).
• Watson is 4-0 with a 0.30 ERA and 31 strikeouts in 23.0 innings over four career starts against UConn. Meanwhile, Haley Meinen and Rylie Spell each hit .429 (3-for-7) last season against the Huskies to help TU sweep UConn in Storrs.
• Julia Hollingsworth leads TU and ranks sixth in the conference with a .371 batting average during league play. The junior's 23 hits against conference opponents ranks second in the circuit.
Ahead Early
• Tulsa has gotten off to a quick start with runs in the first inning in 21 of its 50 games.
• The Hurricane has outscored its opponents 38-16 in the first inning and has only allowed its opponent to score in the first inning of 12 games during the campaign.
• TU has capitalized on the early lead this spring, going 16-5 when scoring in the first inning. The Hurricane also is 21-7 when the team scores first.
• The early run support has been a big part of the team's success as TU is 21-3 when leading after four innings, 19-1 when leading after five innings and 16-1 when leading after six innings.
TU Bats in Conference Play
• The Tulsa offense will enter play this weekend hitting .265 during conference play, a mark that ranks third in the league.
• Julia Hollingsworth leads the way with a .371 average to rank sixth during league play.
• TU also ranks near the top of several other offensive categories during conference play, including hits (t-3rd, 122), doubles (t-2nd, 20), total bases (3rd, 176) and slugging percentage (3rd, .382), while it's 68 strikeouts are the second-fewest in the circuit.
Hurricane Honors in The American
• TU has had several student-athletes honored by the American Athletic Conference and NFCA via its weekly awards this season.
• Emily Watson has been named The American Pitcher of the Week three times this season (12 times in her career), including on April 2 after she went 2-0 with a save and 23 strikeouts in 15 innings during last weekend's sweep of ECU. The senior also earned Louisville Slugger/NFCA National Pitcher of the Week honors for her efforts against the Pirates.
• Hurricane hitters also have had success as Tori Stafford was named Player of the Week on March 19. Meanwhile, Shelby Estocado, Morgan Neal and Julia Hollingsworth have been named to the conference's weekly honor roll this season, as well.
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, .208), strikeouts (2nd, 836), shutouts (2nd, 29), wins (2nd, 68), games started (2nd, 102), complete-games (t-2nd, 70), innings pitched (3rd, 649.0), appearances (5th, 120) and saves (6th, 5).
• Shelby Estocado ranks third in program history with 30 homers, including seven round-trippers this season. She also is tied for fifth with 126 RBIs and ranks seventh with 318 total bases.
• Julia Hollingsworth currently owns the program-record with a .455 on-base percentage, while her career .366 batting average ranks second. She ranks sixth with 40 stolen bases and her seven triples are tied for fifth. 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 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 was one of 30 candidates for the Senior CLASS Award.
• In addition, Watson became the second-ever TU player to be selected in the NPF Draft when the Beijing Shougang Eagles took her at No. 8 overall on April 23.
• So far in 2018, she has compiled a 18-11 record with a 1.80 ERA and 239 strikeouts in 190.2 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 saw the team play 10 games against teams that participated in the NCAA Tournament a season ago.
• The schedule also had the Hurricane matched-up with teams that started the season either ranked or receiving votes. Texas A&M is ninth in the NFCA Coaches Poll, while TU also will face defending national champion Oklahoma (April 17) and 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
• Tulsa will travel to Tampa, Fla., for the 2018 American Athletic Conference Softball Championship. The single-elimination tournament will start Thursday, May 10 and the championship game will begin at 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 12.
TULSA, Okla. — The University of Tulsa softball team will host UConn in a three-game series, May 4-6, at Collins Family Softball Complex to close the regular-season.
TU will have several great ticket promotions to give fans one last chance to see the team at home in 2018. Friday's series opener is "May the 4th Be With You" and all fans wearing Star Wars or any cosplay gear will be receive free admission. Saturday is Bark in the Park as fans are welcome to bring their dogs to the Collins Family Softball Complex. All dogs must be on a leash and fans bringing their pets to the park are encouraged to utilize the grassy area down the first base line. Children also will be allowed to run the bases after the game.
Sunday is Senior Day and TU will honor its class of Shelby Estocado, Shannon Hughes, Ashley Kiser and Emily Watson following the contest. After the postgame ceremony, children will be allowed to run the bases.
The Golden Hurricane (28-22, 8-10) enter the final week of the regular-season looking to build momentum for next week's American Athletic Conference Championship in Tampa, Fla. The squad is coming off a 5-2 win at Memphis on Sunday that saw homers from Julia Hollingsworth and Rylie Spell, along with 10 strikeouts by Emily Watson.
Hollingsworth continues to lead the team with a .371 average during league play, a mark that ranks sixth in the circuit. The junior has recorded a hit in seven of the last eight games and for the season, her 60 hits are tops on the squad.
Meanwhile, the Huskies (19-32, 4-14) dropped two of three games against Houston last weekend in Storrs, Conn. UConn is hitting .216 as a team and is led by Briana Marcelino's .286 average to go along with three homers and 12 RBIs. Olivia Sappington (6 HR, 20 RBI) and Carli Cutler (4 HR, 19 RBI) also have supplied some pop to the lineup, while Jill Stockley leads the pitching staff with a 2.56 ERA and 102 strikeouts in 150.1 innings.
Tulsa is a perfect 10-0 all-time against UConn and it has outscored the Huskies 56-5 in those meetings. Of those 10 wins, seven have been shutouts.
Schedule
Friday, May 4
5 p.m. — Tulsa vs. UConn — Stats/Video
Saturday, May 5
3 p.m. — Tulsa vs. UConn — Stats/Video
Sunday, May 6
12 p.m. — Tulsa vs. UConn — Stats/Video
Notes
Tulsa to Host UConn in Regular-Season Finale
• Tulsa returns to the friendly confines of the Collins Family Softball Complex one last time in 2018, as it hosts UConn in a three-game series to close the regular-season, May 4-6.
• TU leads the all-time series against UConn, 10-0. All 10 meetings have come since Tulsa joined the American Athletic Conference for the 2015 season.
• In its 10 wins, Tulsa has outscored UConn 56-5 and shutout the Huskies seven times. Overall, TU is average margin of victory in the series is 5.1 runs per game.
• The series will mark the final home games for Shelby Estocado, Shannon Hughes, Ashley Kiser and Emily Watson, who will be honored following Sunday's game.
Trending
• Emily Watson leads The American and ranks 10th in the nation with 239 strikeouts this season. Watson has struck out at least 10 batters in a game 11 times, including a season-high 15 Ks against Saint Francis (Pa.).
• Watson is 4-0 with a 0.30 ERA and 31 strikeouts in 23.0 innings over four career starts against UConn. Meanwhile, Haley Meinen and Rylie Spell each hit .429 (3-for-7) last season against the Huskies to help TU sweep UConn in Storrs.
• Julia Hollingsworth leads TU and ranks sixth in the conference with a .371 batting average during league play. The junior's 23 hits against conference opponents ranks second in the circuit.
Ahead Early
• Tulsa has gotten off to a quick start with runs in the first inning in 21 of its 50 games.
• The Hurricane has outscored its opponents 38-16 in the first inning and has only allowed its opponent to score in the first inning of 12 games during the campaign.
• TU has capitalized on the early lead this spring, going 16-5 when scoring in the first inning. The Hurricane also is 21-7 when the team scores first.
• The early run support has been a big part of the team's success as TU is 21-3 when leading after four innings, 19-1 when leading after five innings and 16-1 when leading after six innings.
TU Bats in Conference Play
• The Tulsa offense will enter play this weekend hitting .265 during conference play, a mark that ranks third in the league.
• Julia Hollingsworth leads the way with a .371 average to rank sixth during league play.
• TU also ranks near the top of several other offensive categories during conference play, including hits (t-3rd, 122), doubles (t-2nd, 20), total bases (3rd, 176) and slugging percentage (3rd, .382), while it's 68 strikeouts are the second-fewest in the circuit.
Hurricane Honors in The American
• TU has had several student-athletes honored by the American Athletic Conference and NFCA via its weekly awards this season.
• Emily Watson has been named The American Pitcher of the Week three times this season (12 times in her career), including on April 2 after she went 2-0 with a save and 23 strikeouts in 15 innings during last weekend's sweep of ECU. The senior also earned Louisville Slugger/NFCA National Pitcher of the Week honors for her efforts against the Pirates.
• Hurricane hitters also have had success as Tori Stafford was named Player of the Week on March 19. Meanwhile, Shelby Estocado, Morgan Neal and Julia Hollingsworth have been named to the conference's weekly honor roll this season, as well.
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, .208), strikeouts (2nd, 836), shutouts (2nd, 29), wins (2nd, 68), games started (2nd, 102), complete-games (t-2nd, 70), innings pitched (3rd, 649.0), appearances (5th, 120) and saves (6th, 5).
• Shelby Estocado ranks third in program history with 30 homers, including seven round-trippers this season. She also is tied for fifth with 126 RBIs and ranks seventh with 318 total bases.
• Julia Hollingsworth currently owns the program-record with a .455 on-base percentage, while her career .366 batting average ranks second. She ranks sixth with 40 stolen bases and her seven triples are tied for fifth. 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 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 was one of 30 candidates for the Senior CLASS Award.
• In addition, Watson became the second-ever TU player to be selected in the NPF Draft when the Beijing Shougang Eagles took her at No. 8 overall on April 23.
• So far in 2018, she has compiled a 18-11 record with a 1.80 ERA and 239 strikeouts in 190.2 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 saw the team play 10 games against teams that participated in the NCAA Tournament a season ago.
• The schedule also had the Hurricane matched-up with teams that started the season either ranked or receiving votes. Texas A&M is ninth in the NFCA Coaches Poll, while TU also will face defending national champion Oklahoma (April 17) and 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
• Tulsa will travel to Tampa, Fla., for the 2018 American Athletic Conference Softball Championship. The single-elimination tournament will start Thursday, May 10 and the championship game will begin at 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 12.
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