Wednesday, May 8
Wichita, Kan.
4:00 P.M.
Tulsa
vs
South Florida
#5 Golden Hurricane Faces #8 South Florida in First Round of The American Softball Championship
5/7/2024 3:08:00 PM | Softball
TULSA, Okla. – After completing the 2024 regular season, The University of Tulsa softball team turns its focus to the 2024 American Athletic Softball Championship starting on Wednesday at Wilkens Stadium in Wichita, Kan.
The Golden Hurricane finished the regular season 29-22 and 14-13 in The American play, earning the fifth seed for the upcoming championship. South Florida locked down the eighth seed following a 34-21 campaign and posting a 13-14 record in The American.
First pitch for win or go home game is set for 4 p.m. pending the finish of the day's prior two games. The matchup will air on ESPN+ with John Liddle and Cat Osterman bringing fans the action.
The two teams met at Tulsa in the second weekend of conference play. The Bulls took game one 3-0, but the Hurricane bounced back to win 3-0 in game two and 6-2 in the series finale. Tulsa would go on to finish 9-3 in the Collins Family Softball Complex, winning all four series at home.
The Golden Hurricane finished the season batting .300 with 76 doubles, 20 triples, 33 home runs and 238 RBI. Tulsa's doubles ranked 34th most in the country and fourth in the conference. Imani Edwards and MacKenzie Denson were named to the All-AAC Second Team after both finishing in the top five for hitting. Denson led the team with a .380 batting average while Edwards hit .373. Edwards drove in 33 and scored 42 times with five triples and five home runs, while Denson scored 34 runs. Both were good on the basepaths as Edwards posted 15 steals and Denson nabbed 12 bases.
Three other Hurricane finished the season batting above .300 in Claira Skaggs (.329), Abby Jones (.319) and Haley Morgan (.311). Kailyn Bearpaw (.299) just missed the mark but tied Jones with a team-leading six home runs. Skaggs held the team mark in RBI (38) and doubles (14). Morgan did a little bit of everything as well, collecting five doubles, three triples, four home runs, 29 RBI and a team-best 17 steals.
In the circle, Maura Moore held an 11-7 record and 2.96 ERA. The Junior tossed a no-hitter to start conference play and threw three complete game shutouts in 132.1 innings of work. She also struck out a team-best 116 batters. Kylee Nash had the low ERA of the staff, coming in at 2.72. The senior recorded nine wins and three saves in 79.2 innings. Freshman Anneca Anderson picked up All-Rookie honors for the conference after
posting eight wins and a 3.80 ERA over 84.2 innings of work. Anderson held opponents to a .207 batting average, which was the lowest among the team's pitchers. She tossed a no-hitter and two one-hit performances.
TU fans can subscribe to ESPN+ to watch Golden Hurricane basketball, soccer, softball and volleyball. ESPN+ is offered for $10.99 per month or $109.99 per year. To subscribe, fans can go to plus.espn.com. Fans will be able to access ESPN+ content only after subscribing.
2024 American Athletic Conference Softball Championship
May 8-11, 2024
Wilkins Stadium
Wichita, Kansas
Wednesday, May 8 - First Round
Game 1: No. 7 East Carolina vs No. 6 UAB - 10 a.m. (ESPN+)
Game 2: No. 10 Memphis vs No. 3 North Texas - 1 p.m. (ESPN+)
Game 3: No. 8 South Florida vs No. 5 Tulsa - 4 p.m. (ESPN+)
Game 4: No. 9 UTSA vs No. 4 Wichita State - 7 p.m. (ESPN+)
Thursday, May 9 - Second Round
Game 5: Winner Game 1 vs Winner Game 2 - 12 p.m. (ESPN+)
Game 6: Winner Game 3 vs Winner Game 4 - 2:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
Friday, May 10 - Semifinals
Game 7: Winner Game 5 vs No. 2 Charlotte - 12 p.m. (ESPN+)
Game 8: Winner Game 6 vs No. 1 Florida Atlantic - 2:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
Saturday, May 11 - Championship
Game 9: Winner Game 7 vs Winner Game 8 - 11 a.m. (ESPN2)
*All game times Central and subject to change
The Golden Hurricane finished the regular season 29-22 and 14-13 in The American play, earning the fifth seed for the upcoming championship. South Florida locked down the eighth seed following a 34-21 campaign and posting a 13-14 record in The American.
First pitch for win or go home game is set for 4 p.m. pending the finish of the day's prior two games. The matchup will air on ESPN+ with John Liddle and Cat Osterman bringing fans the action.
The two teams met at Tulsa in the second weekend of conference play. The Bulls took game one 3-0, but the Hurricane bounced back to win 3-0 in game two and 6-2 in the series finale. Tulsa would go on to finish 9-3 in the Collins Family Softball Complex, winning all four series at home.
The Golden Hurricane finished the season batting .300 with 76 doubles, 20 triples, 33 home runs and 238 RBI. Tulsa's doubles ranked 34th most in the country and fourth in the conference. Imani Edwards and MacKenzie Denson were named to the All-AAC Second Team after both finishing in the top five for hitting. Denson led the team with a .380 batting average while Edwards hit .373. Edwards drove in 33 and scored 42 times with five triples and five home runs, while Denson scored 34 runs. Both were good on the basepaths as Edwards posted 15 steals and Denson nabbed 12 bases.
Three other Hurricane finished the season batting above .300 in Claira Skaggs (.329), Abby Jones (.319) and Haley Morgan (.311). Kailyn Bearpaw (.299) just missed the mark but tied Jones with a team-leading six home runs. Skaggs held the team mark in RBI (38) and doubles (14). Morgan did a little bit of everything as well, collecting five doubles, three triples, four home runs, 29 RBI and a team-best 17 steals.
In the circle, Maura Moore held an 11-7 record and 2.96 ERA. The Junior tossed a no-hitter to start conference play and threw three complete game shutouts in 132.1 innings of work. She also struck out a team-best 116 batters. Kylee Nash had the low ERA of the staff, coming in at 2.72. The senior recorded nine wins and three saves in 79.2 innings. Freshman Anneca Anderson picked up All-Rookie honors for the conference after
posting eight wins and a 3.80 ERA over 84.2 innings of work. Anderson held opponents to a .207 batting average, which was the lowest among the team's pitchers. She tossed a no-hitter and two one-hit performances.
TU fans can subscribe to ESPN+ to watch Golden Hurricane basketball, soccer, softball and volleyball. ESPN+ is offered for $10.99 per month or $109.99 per year. To subscribe, fans can go to plus.espn.com. Fans will be able to access ESPN+ content only after subscribing.
2024 American Athletic Conference Softball Championship
May 8-11, 2024
Wilkins Stadium
Wichita, Kansas
Wednesday, May 8 - First Round
Game 1: No. 7 East Carolina vs No. 6 UAB - 10 a.m. (ESPN+)
Game 2: No. 10 Memphis vs No. 3 North Texas - 1 p.m. (ESPN+)
Game 3: No. 8 South Florida vs No. 5 Tulsa - 4 p.m. (ESPN+)
Game 4: No. 9 UTSA vs No. 4 Wichita State - 7 p.m. (ESPN+)
Thursday, May 9 - Second Round
Game 5: Winner Game 1 vs Winner Game 2 - 12 p.m. (ESPN+)
Game 6: Winner Game 3 vs Winner Game 4 - 2:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
Friday, May 10 - Semifinals
Game 7: Winner Game 5 vs No. 2 Charlotte - 12 p.m. (ESPN+)
Game 8: Winner Game 6 vs No. 1 Florida Atlantic - 2:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
Saturday, May 11 - Championship
Game 9: Winner Game 7 vs Winner Game 8 - 11 a.m. (ESPN2)
*All game times Central and subject to change
Players Mentioned
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P/DP
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IF
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