Friday, April 26
Collins Family Softball Complex
7 PM
Tulsa
vs
Wichita State
Photo by: Bill Powell
No. 25 Tulsa Set for Final Home Series this Weekend
4/25/2019 10:24:00 AM | Softball
Weekly Notes
TULSA, Okla. — The 25th-ranked Tulsa softball team will host Wichita State in a three-game American Athletic Conference series this weekend, April 26-28, at Collins Family Softball complex in the team's final home games of the 2019 season.
Friday night's series opener will start at 7 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on ESPNU. Saturday's game will start at 2 p.m. with Sunday's series finale at noon. TU will honor seniors Tori Stafford, Haley Meinen, Morgan Neal, Rylie Spell and Julia Hollingsworth following Sunday's contest as part of Senior Day festivities.
The Golden Hurricane (31-15, 12-3) entered the national rankings for the first time since the end of the 2017 season as it earned the No. 25 ranking in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25. TU is coming off a three-game sweep of UCF last weekend and sits in second place, a game back of USF, in The American standings.
Schedule
Friday, April 26
7 p.m. - Wichita State at No. 25 Tulsa — Stats/Video
Saturday, April 27
2 p.m. - Wichita State at No. 25 Tulsa — Stats/Video
Sunday, April 28
12 p.m. - Wichita State at No. 25 Tulsa — Stats/Video
Notes
Tulsa to Host Wichita State in Three-Game Series
• The Tulsa softball team will play its final home series this weekend when it hosts Wichita State at Collins Family Softball Complex.
• Wichita State leads the all-time series, 26-24, but Tulsa has won three of the four games against the Shockers since they joined The American for the 2018 season.
• These will be the first conference games between TU and WSU in Tulsa since 1996 (MVC).
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 526-264-1 record, all at Tulsa. Bargfeldt reached win No. 500 after defeating Iowa and Bucknell on Feb. 9.
• 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's Conference Honors
• Morgan Neal earned back-to-back American Athletic Conference Player of the Week honors March 18 & 25. She posted a .424 batting average with four doubles and eight RBIs in nine games over those two weeks, in which Tulsa went 8-1.
• Samantha Pochop was named the league's Pitcher of the Week on March 18. She went 2-0 during the week of March 11-17 with a no-hitter against Nebraska, which was the 22nd no-no in TU history and the first seven-inning no-hitter since 2014.
• Alexis Perry was named The American Player of the Week on April 22 after she hit .545 with two doubles, a grand slam and 6 RBIs in four games.
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.
Tulsa in the Polls
• TU enters the week ranked No. 25 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Poll (19 votes) and receiving votes in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll (2 votes).
• Tulsa ended the 2018 campaign receiving votes in both polls and also started the 2019 season by receiving votes in both polls.
• TU has an RPI ranking of No. 22, which is the best ranking among schools in The American.
Fresh Faces
• Tulsa has received a boost from its newcomers this season, led by freshman Chenise Delce, who ranks second among league rookies in ERA and batting average.
• Delce leads the TU pitching staff with a 1.66 ERA and a 12-5 record. She leads the staff in innings pitched (109.2) and ranks second with 91 strikeouts.
• In addition, junior transfer Kassidy Scott owns a 2.89 ERA, 8-4 record and four saves, while fellow transfer Alexis Perry has made 37 starts and has contributed 24 RBIs.
• Perry was named The American Player of the Week on April 22 after she hit .545 with two doubles, a grand slam and 6 RBIs in four games.
Odds and Ends
• Julia Hollingsworth enters the week leading The American, and ranked 19th in the nation, with a .437 batting average. No other conference player is hitting better than .390 this season.
• Morgan Neal's 13 doubles are tied for the most in the league. That is a new career high for a season after she finished with a dozen two-baggers last season.
• Kassidy Scott and Samantha Pochop are tied for the league-lead with four saves, which also ranks 10th in the nation. Their four saves apiece are the most for a TU pitcher since Caitlin Sill had six in 2015.
• Tulsa is undefeated this season when holding a lead after four innings. Additionally, the team is 26-4 when it is leading or tied after the fourth inning.
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.
Career Numbers Update
• Julia Hollingsworth ranks among the top 10 in TU history in several offensive categories including on-base percentage (1st; .468), triples (1st; 14), batting average (2nd; .380), runs scored (4th; 168), stolen base percentage (4th; .847), stolen bases (4th; 50), walks (4th; 100), slugging percentage (5th; .533), total bases (5th; 335) and hits (6th; 239).
• Catcher Rylie Spell ranks fifth in career fielding percentage at .991. The reigning American Defensive Player of the Year also ranks among the program's top 10 in most caught stealing (4th; 41), putouts (6th; 1,031) and chances (6th; 1,125).
• Additionally, senior Tori Stafford ranks seventh in putouts with 993 and she ranks ninth with a .988 fielding percentage.
• Morgan Neal ranks ninth with 204 career hits and ninth on the career RBI list with 107.
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.
• 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.
• 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 outfielder 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.
Up Next
• Tulsa will close the regular-season with a three-game series at UConn, May 3-5, in Storrs, Conn.
TULSA, Okla. — The 25th-ranked Tulsa softball team will host Wichita State in a three-game American Athletic Conference series this weekend, April 26-28, at Collins Family Softball complex in the team's final home games of the 2019 season.
Friday night's series opener will start at 7 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on ESPNU. Saturday's game will start at 2 p.m. with Sunday's series finale at noon. TU will honor seniors Tori Stafford, Haley Meinen, Morgan Neal, Rylie Spell and Julia Hollingsworth following Sunday's contest as part of Senior Day festivities.
The Golden Hurricane (31-15, 12-3) entered the national rankings for the first time since the end of the 2017 season as it earned the No. 25 ranking in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25. TU is coming off a three-game sweep of UCF last weekend and sits in second place, a game back of USF, in The American standings.
Schedule
Friday, April 26
7 p.m. - Wichita State at No. 25 Tulsa — Stats/Video
Saturday, April 27
2 p.m. - Wichita State at No. 25 Tulsa — Stats/Video
Sunday, April 28
12 p.m. - Wichita State at No. 25 Tulsa — Stats/Video
Notes
Tulsa to Host Wichita State in Three-Game Series
• The Tulsa softball team will play its final home series this weekend when it hosts Wichita State at Collins Family Softball Complex.
• Wichita State leads the all-time series, 26-24, but Tulsa has won three of the four games against the Shockers since they joined The American for the 2018 season.
• These will be the first conference games between TU and WSU in Tulsa since 1996 (MVC).
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 526-264-1 record, all at Tulsa. Bargfeldt reached win No. 500 after defeating Iowa and Bucknell on Feb. 9.
• 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's Conference Honors
• Morgan Neal earned back-to-back American Athletic Conference Player of the Week honors March 18 & 25. She posted a .424 batting average with four doubles and eight RBIs in nine games over those two weeks, in which Tulsa went 8-1.
• Samantha Pochop was named the league's Pitcher of the Week on March 18. She went 2-0 during the week of March 11-17 with a no-hitter against Nebraska, which was the 22nd no-no in TU history and the first seven-inning no-hitter since 2014.
• Alexis Perry was named The American Player of the Week on April 22 after she hit .545 with two doubles, a grand slam and 6 RBIs in four games.
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.
Tulsa in the Polls
• TU enters the week ranked No. 25 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Poll (19 votes) and receiving votes in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll (2 votes).
• Tulsa ended the 2018 campaign receiving votes in both polls and also started the 2019 season by receiving votes in both polls.
• TU has an RPI ranking of No. 22, which is the best ranking among schools in The American.
Fresh Faces
• Tulsa has received a boost from its newcomers this season, led by freshman Chenise Delce, who ranks second among league rookies in ERA and batting average.
• Delce leads the TU pitching staff with a 1.66 ERA and a 12-5 record. She leads the staff in innings pitched (109.2) and ranks second with 91 strikeouts.
• In addition, junior transfer Kassidy Scott owns a 2.89 ERA, 8-4 record and four saves, while fellow transfer Alexis Perry has made 37 starts and has contributed 24 RBIs.
• Perry was named The American Player of the Week on April 22 after she hit .545 with two doubles, a grand slam and 6 RBIs in four games.
Odds and Ends
• Julia Hollingsworth enters the week leading The American, and ranked 19th in the nation, with a .437 batting average. No other conference player is hitting better than .390 this season.
• Morgan Neal's 13 doubles are tied for the most in the league. That is a new career high for a season after she finished with a dozen two-baggers last season.
• Kassidy Scott and Samantha Pochop are tied for the league-lead with four saves, which also ranks 10th in the nation. Their four saves apiece are the most for a TU pitcher since Caitlin Sill had six in 2015.
• Tulsa is undefeated this season when holding a lead after four innings. Additionally, the team is 26-4 when it is leading or tied after the fourth inning.
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.
Career Numbers Update
• Julia Hollingsworth ranks among the top 10 in TU history in several offensive categories including on-base percentage (1st; .468), triples (1st; 14), batting average (2nd; .380), runs scored (4th; 168), stolen base percentage (4th; .847), stolen bases (4th; 50), walks (4th; 100), slugging percentage (5th; .533), total bases (5th; 335) and hits (6th; 239).
• Catcher Rylie Spell ranks fifth in career fielding percentage at .991. The reigning American Defensive Player of the Year also ranks among the program's top 10 in most caught stealing (4th; 41), putouts (6th; 1,031) and chances (6th; 1,125).
• Additionally, senior Tori Stafford ranks seventh in putouts with 993 and she ranks ninth with a .988 fielding percentage.
• Morgan Neal ranks ninth with 204 career hits and ninth on the career RBI list with 107.
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.
• 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.
• 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 outfielder 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.
Up Next
• Tulsa will close the regular-season with a three-game series at UConn, May 3-5, in Storrs, Conn.
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