Tulsa Softball Hosts Hurricane Classic

Tulsa Softball Hosts Hurricane Classic
Faces No. 16/15 Oklahoma State in Stillwater on Sunday
TULSA, Okla. – Following a home-opening win on Tuesday, the Golden Hurricane Softball team (7-8) prepares for the Hurricane Classic at the Collins Family Softball Complex this weekend.

Kansas City and Drake meet at noon on Friday to start the tournament. Tulsa will face the Roos and Bulldogs on Friday before a doubleheader with Drake on Saturday. The Golden Hurricane will then head to Stillwater to face No. 16/15 Oklahoma State as part of opening day at home for the Cowgirls.

WEEKEND SCHEDULE
Hurricane Classic – Collins Family Softball Complex
Friday, Feb. 28 at 12:00 p.m. | Kansas City vs. Drake
Friday, Feb. 28 at 2:30 p.m. | Tulsa vs. Kansas City
Friday, Feb. 28 at 5:00 p.m. | Tulsa vs. Drake
Saturday, March 1 at 1:00 p.m. | Tulsa vs. Drake (DH 1)
Saturday, March 1 at 3:30 p.m. | Tulsa vs. Drake (DH 2)

Stillwater, Okla.
Sunday, March 2 at 2:30 p.m. | Tulsa at No. 16/15 Oklahoma State

HOW TO FOLLOW
Friday's contests involving the Golden Hurricane will stream on TulsaHurricane.com. Tulsa's doubleheader on Saturday will air on ESPN+ with Don King and Haley Meinen on the broadcast. Sunday's game against Oklahoma State will also air on ESPN+. Adam Hildebrandt and Rachel Becker will call the contest.

Fans can find the stats to all games at tulsa.statbroadcast.com.

LAST WEEK
Tulsa competed in a tournament in Norman, finishing 1-3, but then captures a 9-3 win in Tulsa's Tuesday home opener to move to 2-3 for the weekend. TU opened with an 8-0 loss to No. 2 Oklahoma on Saturday, before rebounding for a 7-0 win over Bowling Green on Sunday. The Hurricane could not capitalize on the momentum, falling Abilene Christian on Sunday evening, and then losing the rematch with Bowling Green 9-4 after allowing a 6-run sixth inning.

The Hurricane fell behind early in its home opener with South Dakota State, but that didn't last long. TU tied it in the bottom of the first and Maci Cole's home run in the bottom of the third put Tulsa ahead for good 4-1. The Hurricane went on to win 9-3.

TULSA vs. THE FIELD
Kansas City (0-9) – Tulsa is undefeated against the Roos, winning all previous 17 matchups. Friday will be the ninth matchup in Tulsa, including a meeting during the TU/OSU Invite last season, where Tulsa took down the Roos 8-4.

Drake (2-7) – The Hurricane is 7-9 all-time against the Drake Bulldogs, with all seven winnings coming in the 12 meetings in Tulsa. TU has won four straight in the series, most recently last season at the TU/OSU Invite. The Golden Hurricane won 11-3 in six innings.

#16/15 Oklahoma State (8-4) – The Cowgirls enjoy a 36-23 advantage in the series with the Golden Hurricane as the teams meet for the 60^th time on Sunday. OSU holds a 20-9 sereis lead in games played in Stillwater, winning six straight at home. Tulsa upset the then-#6/4 Oklahoma State last season in Tulsa, 3-0. The Hurricane later took OSU to the edge in a 3-2 loss in Stillwater.

THE SEASON SO FAR
The Hurricane brings a 7-8 record into the team's home tournament. Tulsa is batting .251 on the season with 93 hits, 14 doubles, a triple and nine home runs. TU has driven in 51 runs and drawn 49 walks. Celeste Wood leads the team with three home runs and 13 RBIs. Claira Skaggs has recorded four doubles and has a team-best .372 batting average.

In the circle, TU pitchers have a combined 4.08 ERA with 105 hits and 67 runs surrendered over 96.0 innings of work. The staff has five complete games, three by Maura Moore and the other two from Brinly Maples. Moore leads the team with 29 of Tulsa's 60 strikeouts. Maples has allowed a team-low .255 batting average from opponents.

HOME SWEET HOME
With Tuesday's win over South Dakota State, Tulsa has won its home opener in each of the past three seasons. The Golden Hurricane played exceptionally well in the friendly confines of the Collins Family Softball Complex last season, amassing a 15-4 record at home. So far, TU is 1-0 at home heading into the weekend tournament.

COLE AND SKAGGS POWER TULSA
In Tulsa's home opener against South Dakota State, seniors Maci Cole and Claira Skaggs fueled the Hurricane offense. Cole drew a walk and went 3-for-3 at the plate, coming around to score three times and driving in three runs. All three of her RBIs came in the second inning when she blasted her second home run of the season, a 3-run shot, to left center.

Skaggs also had a productive day at the plate, recording two doubles in the win, giving her four on the season. She drove in a pair of runs and then scored a run of her own in the win.

WOOD DRIVES THEM HOME
Senior Celeste Wood is batting .273 this season and has the team lead with 13 RBIs. The outfielder, who is slugging .568, leads the team with is tied for the team lead with six extra-base hits, hitting two doubles, a triple and three home runs.

DON'T RUN ON AMBER
Freshman Amber Turner is off to a great start in her Hurricane career. Not only is she second on the team with a .310 batting average and 13 hits, but she also is eighth in the NCAA and is second in the American Athletic Conference with six runners caught trying to steal.

MAGNIFICANT MAURA
Senior pitcher Maura Moore has been busy, throwing 44.2 innings, the second-most in the conference and 37^th most nationally. She leads The American and is 10^th nationally with eight.

CLAIRA IS GRAND
Senior third baseman Claira Skaggs played a huge role in Tulsa's 6-2 win over Lamar. She hit a solo home run to give TU a lead in the sixth inning. In the top of the seventh with the game tied at two, Skaggs stepped up with the bases loaded and smashed a grand slam to vie the Hurricane a 6-2 win.

WELCOME TO TULSA
Freshmen Aliya Scarborough and Annika Dill introduced themselves to Tulsa fans in the opening weekend in big ways. In her first at-bat in the season opener, Dill doubled down the line to drive in a row. And then in her first at-bat of her second game, she homered down the left field line, scoring two. Scarborough made a big bang in her first plate appearance of her career. Facing the No. 2 Texas Longhorns as a designated player, Scarborough halved the Texas lead in the bottom of the third with a solo home run.

NEXT UP
The American Athletic Conference play is already upon us. Tulsa welcomes the Memphis Tigers to the Collins Family Softball Complex for a three-game series next weekend to open league play. The teams will meet on Friday, Saturday and Sunday with starting times of 5 p.m., 2 p.m. and noon.

Tulsa Softball Hosts Hurricane Classic

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Players Mentioned

Maci Cole

Annika Dill

Brinly Maples

Maura Moore

Aliya Scarborough

Claira Skaggs

Amber Turner

Celeste Wood