Thursday, February 7
Baton Rouge, LA
6 PM
Tulsa
at
LSU
Tulsa Set to Open 2019 Season at Tiger Classic this Week
2/6/2019 10:58:00 AM | Softball
Tournament Notes (.pdf)
TULSA, Okla. — The University of Tulsa softball team will open its 2019 season on the road this week with five games at the Tiger Classic, Feb. 7-9, in Baton Rouge, La.
The season gets underway at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 7, when the Golden Hurricane face No. 11 LSU. TU will face Bucknell at 1 p.m. on Friday before another 6 p.m. matchup with the Tigers and close the even on Saturday against Iowa (10:30 a.m.) and Bucknell (1 p.m.).
Tulsa, which is receiving votes in the USA Today/NFCA Top 25 Coaches Poll and ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25, returns 10 letterwinners, including seven starters, from last year's team, which went 34-25 and won the program's third consecutive American Athletic Conference Tournament title. The squad welcomes nine newcomers to the team this spring with seven freshmen along with Texas Tech transfer Kassidy Scott and Nebraska transfer Alexis Perry.
A group of five seniors headline the returners, Julia Hollingsworth, Haley Meinen, Morgan Neal, Rylie Spell and Tori Stafford. The group has combined to play in 752 games with 680 starts for the Hurricane.
Now in his 14th season as head coach, John Bargfeldt needs just two victories to reach 500 for his career at Tulsa.
Tournament Schedule
Thursday
6 p.m. — Tulsa at No. 11 LSU - Stats/Video
Friday
1 p.m. — Tulsa vs. Bucknell - Stats
6 p.m. — Tulsa at No. 11 LSU - Stats/Video
Saturday
10:30 a.m. — Tulsa vs. Iowa - Stats
1 p.m. — Tulsa vs. Bucknell - Stats
Notes
TU to Open 2019 Season at Tigers Classic
• The University of Tulsa softball team will open the 2019 season this weekend at the Tiger Classic in Baton Rouge, La. TU will face host No. 11 LSU, Bucknell and Iowa at the event.
• The Golden Hurricane is 4-9 all-time against the field. TU has a 1-5 record against LSU and 3-4 mark versus Iowa. TU and Bucknell never have matched up on the softball diamond.
• Tulsa is 15-11 all-time in season openers, including a 10-3 record under head coach John Bargfeldt. The Hurricane have opened the season with a win in five of the last six seasons.
Tulsa In The Polls
• TU will start the season receiving votes in both the USA Today/NFCA Top 25 Coaches Poll and the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25. The Hurricane received eight votes in the USA Softball poll and one in the NFCA poll.
• Tulsa finished the 2018 season receiving votes in both the USA Today/NFCA Top 25 Coaches Poll and the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 after opening the campaign ranked in both.
Back-to-Back-to-Back
• Tulsa has won three consecutive American Athletic Conference Tournament titles for three straight automatic bids to an NCAA Regional.
• Last season, the Hurricane went 34-25 overall and claimed the league's postseason title with three wins in three days against The American's top three teams. That run culminated in a win over tournament host and top-seeded USF.
• Tulsa's three straight conference tournament titles is the longest streak in program history.
TU Success Under Coach Bargfeldt
• Now in his 14th 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.
• Bargfeldt will enter the weekend with a career 498-250-1 record, all at Tulsa, needing just two victories to reach 500.
• 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 13 campaigns with six regular-season and seven conference tournament titles. In addition, TU has advanced to 10 NCAA Regionals, including a spot in the postseason for seven of the last eight years.
Tulsa Picked to Finish Fourth in The American
• Tulsa was picked to finish fourth in the American Athletic Conference, as selected by the league's head coaches.
• TU earned 29 points in the poll, to sit behind USF, Wichita State and Houston. Those teams finished first, third and second in the 2018 regular-season, respectively, and the Golden Hurricane topped all three on its way to The American Tournament title last May.
Look Who's Back
• Tulsa returns seven starters and three pitchers from last year's team, which went 34-25 overall and finished sixth in The American with a 10-11 mark before winning the league tournament.
• Leading the way is senior outfielder Julia Hollingsworth, who is a two-time American Athletic Conference first-team selection and two-time NFCA All-Region pick.
• Hollingsworth paced TU with a .380 batting average and led the conference for the second straight season in runs scored (55) a year ago.
• Seniors Rylie Spell (2018 AAC Defensive Player of the Year), Haley Meinen (2nd-team all-conference), Morgan Neal (3-year starter) and Tori Stafford (3-year starter), along with Hollingsworth, give the Hurricane an experienced nucleus for 2019.
Shoes to Fill
• While Tulsa returns 10 letterwinners from last year's team, it will have to make up for the graduation of Emily Watson, Shelby Estocado and Shannon Hughes this season.
• One of the best pitchers in program history, Watson left her name all over the TU record book and was selected No. 8 overall in the 2018 NPF Draft by the Beijing Eagles. She was an NFCA Second-Team All-American in 2017 and owns five TU single-season records.
• Watson went 24-12 with a 1.60 ERA and 306 strikeouts in 235.2 innings last season. She was a second-team all-conference and second-team NFCA All-Region pick, while she was the Most Outstanding Player of the 2017 and 2018 American Championship.
• Estocado started all 59 games for TU last season and led the team with 22 extra-base hits (13 2B, 2 3B, 7 HR) and 43 RBIs. She also led the team in slugging percentage (.565) and was second on the squad in stolen bases.
• Estocado ranks among the program's all-time top-10 in several categories including homers (4th, 30), RBIs (5th, 130) and total bases (7th, 328).
• Meanwhile, Hughes started all 117 games of her two-year career at shortstop for the Hurricane and recorded a .935 fielding percentage with 154 putouts and 146 assists.
2018 Review
• Tulsa went 34-25 last season and 10-11 in American Athletic Conference play to finish sixth in the league. The Hurricane then won the conference tournament to secure its seventh NCAA Regional appearance in the last eight years.
• TU garnered a league-high six all-conference selections, led by first-team outifleder Julia Hollingsworth and Defensive Player of the Year Rylie Spell. Hollingsworth and pitcher Emily Watson also were NFCA All-Region honorees.
• In the Norman Regional, Tulsa opened with a 9-1 run-rule victory over Missouri that featured a grand slam and a total of five RBIs from Spell. The Hurricane season came to an end following losses to No. 4 overall seed Oklahoma and Missouri.
The Schedule
• Tulsa's 2019 schedule will see the team play 20 games against teams that participated in the NCAA Tournament a season ago, beginning with a pair of games at LSU this weekend.
• Of those 20 contests, 10 will come in true-road environments, eight will come at home and two will be on neutral fields. TU will have a pair of three-game series at home against Houston and Wichita State along with single games against Drake and No. 22 Oklahoma State.
• TU also will have 20 games against teams that are ranked or receiving votes in the preseason NFCA Top 25, headlined by a March 27 contest at No. 4 Oklahoma. The Hurricane also will take on No. 11 LSU, No. 14 Arkansas, No. 16 Texas and No. 22 Oklahoma State.
Career Numbers Update
• Julia Hollingsworth will start the season among the top 10 in TU history in several offensive categories including on-base percentage (1st; .455), triples (2nd; 10), batting average (2nd; .364), stolen base percentage (4th; .854), slugging percentage (5th; .524), stolen bases (6th; 41), runs scored (7th; 132) and walks (8th; 77).
• Catcher Rylie Spell enters the season ranked second in career fielding percentage at .992. The reigning American Defensive Player of the Year also ranks among the program's top 10 in putouts (8th; 830), most caught stealing (8th; 30) and chances (10th; 902).
• Additionally, senior Tori Stafford ranks 10th in putouts with 732.
Up Next
• Following play at the Tiger Classic, Tulsa will head to Mobile, Ala., Feb. 15-17 for five games in three days at the Jaguar Challenge. There, TU will face Mercer, North Dakota, Lipscomb and host South Alabama.
TULSA, Okla. — The University of Tulsa softball team will open its 2019 season on the road this week with five games at the Tiger Classic, Feb. 7-9, in Baton Rouge, La.
The season gets underway at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 7, when the Golden Hurricane face No. 11 LSU. TU will face Bucknell at 1 p.m. on Friday before another 6 p.m. matchup with the Tigers and close the even on Saturday against Iowa (10:30 a.m.) and Bucknell (1 p.m.).
Tulsa, which is receiving votes in the USA Today/NFCA Top 25 Coaches Poll and ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25, returns 10 letterwinners, including seven starters, from last year's team, which went 34-25 and won the program's third consecutive American Athletic Conference Tournament title. The squad welcomes nine newcomers to the team this spring with seven freshmen along with Texas Tech transfer Kassidy Scott and Nebraska transfer Alexis Perry.
A group of five seniors headline the returners, Julia Hollingsworth, Haley Meinen, Morgan Neal, Rylie Spell and Tori Stafford. The group has combined to play in 752 games with 680 starts for the Hurricane.
Now in his 14th season as head coach, John Bargfeldt needs just two victories to reach 500 for his career at Tulsa.
Tournament Schedule
Thursday
6 p.m. — Tulsa at No. 11 LSU - Stats/Video
Friday
1 p.m. — Tulsa vs. Bucknell - Stats
6 p.m. — Tulsa at No. 11 LSU - Stats/Video
Saturday
10:30 a.m. — Tulsa vs. Iowa - Stats
1 p.m. — Tulsa vs. Bucknell - Stats
Notes
TU to Open 2019 Season at Tigers Classic
• The University of Tulsa softball team will open the 2019 season this weekend at the Tiger Classic in Baton Rouge, La. TU will face host No. 11 LSU, Bucknell and Iowa at the event.
• The Golden Hurricane is 4-9 all-time against the field. TU has a 1-5 record against LSU and 3-4 mark versus Iowa. TU and Bucknell never have matched up on the softball diamond.
• Tulsa is 15-11 all-time in season openers, including a 10-3 record under head coach John Bargfeldt. The Hurricane have opened the season with a win in five of the last six seasons.
Tulsa In The Polls
• TU will start the season receiving votes in both the USA Today/NFCA Top 25 Coaches Poll and the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25. The Hurricane received eight votes in the USA Softball poll and one in the NFCA poll.
• Tulsa finished the 2018 season receiving votes in both the USA Today/NFCA Top 25 Coaches Poll and the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 after opening the campaign ranked in both.
Back-to-Back-to-Back
• Tulsa has won three consecutive American Athletic Conference Tournament titles for three straight automatic bids to an NCAA Regional.
• Last season, the Hurricane went 34-25 overall and claimed the league's postseason title with three wins in three days against The American's top three teams. That run culminated in a win over tournament host and top-seeded USF.
• Tulsa's three straight conference tournament titles is the longest streak in program history.
TU Success Under Coach Bargfeldt
• Now in his 14th 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.
• Bargfeldt will enter the weekend with a career 498-250-1 record, all at Tulsa, needing just two victories to reach 500.
• 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 13 campaigns with six regular-season and seven conference tournament titles. In addition, TU has advanced to 10 NCAA Regionals, including a spot in the postseason for seven of the last eight years.
Tulsa Picked to Finish Fourth in The American
• Tulsa was picked to finish fourth in the American Athletic Conference, as selected by the league's head coaches.
• TU earned 29 points in the poll, to sit behind USF, Wichita State and Houston. Those teams finished first, third and second in the 2018 regular-season, respectively, and the Golden Hurricane topped all three on its way to The American Tournament title last May.
Look Who's Back
• Tulsa returns seven starters and three pitchers from last year's team, which went 34-25 overall and finished sixth in The American with a 10-11 mark before winning the league tournament.
• Leading the way is senior outfielder Julia Hollingsworth, who is a two-time American Athletic Conference first-team selection and two-time NFCA All-Region pick.
• Hollingsworth paced TU with a .380 batting average and led the conference for the second straight season in runs scored (55) a year ago.
• Seniors Rylie Spell (2018 AAC Defensive Player of the Year), Haley Meinen (2nd-team all-conference), Morgan Neal (3-year starter) and Tori Stafford (3-year starter), along with Hollingsworth, give the Hurricane an experienced nucleus for 2019.
Shoes to Fill
• While Tulsa returns 10 letterwinners from last year's team, it will have to make up for the graduation of Emily Watson, Shelby Estocado and Shannon Hughes this season.
• One of the best pitchers in program history, Watson left her name all over the TU record book and was selected No. 8 overall in the 2018 NPF Draft by the Beijing Eagles. She was an NFCA Second-Team All-American in 2017 and owns five TU single-season records.
• Watson went 24-12 with a 1.60 ERA and 306 strikeouts in 235.2 innings last season. She was a second-team all-conference and second-team NFCA All-Region pick, while she was the Most Outstanding Player of the 2017 and 2018 American Championship.
• Estocado started all 59 games for TU last season and led the team with 22 extra-base hits (13 2B, 2 3B, 7 HR) and 43 RBIs. She also led the team in slugging percentage (.565) and was second on the squad in stolen bases.
• Estocado ranks among the program's all-time top-10 in several categories including homers (4th, 30), RBIs (5th, 130) and total bases (7th, 328).
• Meanwhile, Hughes started all 117 games of her two-year career at shortstop for the Hurricane and recorded a .935 fielding percentage with 154 putouts and 146 assists.
2018 Review
• Tulsa went 34-25 last season and 10-11 in American Athletic Conference play to finish sixth in the league. The Hurricane then won the conference tournament to secure its seventh NCAA Regional appearance in the last eight years.
• TU garnered a league-high six all-conference selections, led by first-team outifleder Julia Hollingsworth and Defensive Player of the Year Rylie Spell. Hollingsworth and pitcher Emily Watson also were NFCA All-Region honorees.
• In the Norman Regional, Tulsa opened with a 9-1 run-rule victory over Missouri that featured a grand slam and a total of five RBIs from Spell. The Hurricane season came to an end following losses to No. 4 overall seed Oklahoma and Missouri.
The Schedule
• Tulsa's 2019 schedule will see the team play 20 games against teams that participated in the NCAA Tournament a season ago, beginning with a pair of games at LSU this weekend.
• Of those 20 contests, 10 will come in true-road environments, eight will come at home and two will be on neutral fields. TU will have a pair of three-game series at home against Houston and Wichita State along with single games against Drake and No. 22 Oklahoma State.
• TU also will have 20 games against teams that are ranked or receiving votes in the preseason NFCA Top 25, headlined by a March 27 contest at No. 4 Oklahoma. The Hurricane also will take on No. 11 LSU, No. 14 Arkansas, No. 16 Texas and No. 22 Oklahoma State.
Career Numbers Update
• Julia Hollingsworth will start the season among the top 10 in TU history in several offensive categories including on-base percentage (1st; .455), triples (2nd; 10), batting average (2nd; .364), stolen base percentage (4th; .854), slugging percentage (5th; .524), stolen bases (6th; 41), runs scored (7th; 132) and walks (8th; 77).
• Catcher Rylie Spell enters the season ranked second in career fielding percentage at .992. The reigning American Defensive Player of the Year also ranks among the program's top 10 in putouts (8th; 830), most caught stealing (8th; 30) and chances (10th; 902).
• Additionally, senior Tori Stafford ranks 10th in putouts with 732.
Up Next
• Following play at the Tiger Classic, Tulsa will head to Mobile, Ala., Feb. 15-17 for five games in three days at the Jaguar Challenge. There, TU will face Mercer, North Dakota, Lipscomb and host South Alabama.
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