Friday, February 7
Huntsville, Texas
11:30 a.m.
Tulsa
vs
Texas A&M - Corpus Christi
Photo by: Bill Powell
Tulsa Softball Begins Season at Bearkat Classic
2/6/2025 6:27:00 PM | Softball
HUNTSVILLE, Texas – The University of Tulsa softball team opens the 2025 season at the Bearkat Classic on the campus of Sam Houston this weekend in Huntsville, Texas.
Playing on the new turf at Bearkat Softball Complex, the Golden Hurricane will compete in five games over three days, starting with the season opener against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Friday morning at 11:30. TU will face Bryant and Sam Houston on Saturday at 10:30 a.m. and 3:30 in the afternoon. The Hurricane will finish the weekend with a 9:00 a.m. rematch against Bryant with a matchup against the nation's top-ranked Texas Longhorns to follow.
This weekend will be Tulsa's first meeting with Bryant, but the Hurricane is familiar with its other three opponents. TU is 4-0 all-time against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, last meeting the Islanders for a pair of games at the Texas Tech Invitational in 2022. The Hurricane holds an 8-3 record against the hosts, Sam Houston, though this will be the first meeting in Huntsville. The Bearkats won the most recent meeting in 2024, 5-1, snapping a 3-game winning streak for TU.
Sunday's meeting with the No. 1 Longhorns is the 11th all-time and first instance where Tulsa and Texas will meet outside of Austin. The Hurricane is 3-7 against Texas, and the Longhorns have won four straight in the series, including a pair of games in 2022.
Tulsa is coming off a 30-23 campaign in 2024 as Coach Strimple enters her sixth season directing the Golden Hurricane softball team. The TU lineup will look different this season with the departure of five starters in the field, including the entire outfield. The Hurricane is also tasked with replacing two in the circle who ate up a lot of innings.
Returning seniors Claira Skaggs, Celeste Wood and Maci Cole bring plenty of starting experience back to this season's lineup. Skaggs was an asset at third base and the plate, driving home a team-high 39 runs with 15 doubles and a .331 average. Cole tied for the team lead with six home runs, and Wood recorded 12 doubles. Emma Vickrey also gained experience behind the plate, making 19 starts and 26 appearances as she enters her junior year with Tulsa. Faith Russell, Elle Rouse, and Danielle Burns also return this season.
In the circle, Maura Moore will continue to lead the TU pitching staff. Moore tossed a team-high 139.1 innings last season with 124 strikeouts and a 3.01 ERA. Joining her are returners Alexa Hopkins and Riley Grant.
Tulsa's lineup is bolstered by the addition of four transfers, highlighted by graduate Paige Knight. Knight, an Owasso, product, played at OU before transferring to New Mexico State. She started 90 games for the Aggies and recorded a .289 batting average, seven doubles, 16 home runs and 55 RBI. Sophomore infielder Tallulah Pascucci out of Bentonville, Ark. joins the Hurricane from Central Arkansas, where she was primarily used as a pinch runner in her freshman season, scoring 15 runs.
Junior pitchers Abby Hayes and Brinly Maples complement the TU pitching staff. Hayes played her previous ball at the College of Southern Idaho, while Maples is a JUCO product out of McLennan Community College.
The six freshmen out of high school complete the 2025 Tulsa roster. Outfielders Annika Dill and Whitney Holcomb are both Oklahomans, with Dill hailing from Poteau and Holcomb out of Coweta. Owasso High School's Brookley Foster joins the Hurricane as an infielder. Aliya Scarborough out of Broken Arrow, and Amber Turner from Bentonville, Ark., each can play behind the plate or in the infield. Katie Dunakin completes the roster and adds another arm to the Hurricane pitching staff.
Playing on the new turf at Bearkat Softball Complex, the Golden Hurricane will compete in five games over three days, starting with the season opener against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Friday morning at 11:30. TU will face Bryant and Sam Houston on Saturday at 10:30 a.m. and 3:30 in the afternoon. The Hurricane will finish the weekend with a 9:00 a.m. rematch against Bryant with a matchup against the nation's top-ranked Texas Longhorns to follow.
This weekend will be Tulsa's first meeting with Bryant, but the Hurricane is familiar with its other three opponents. TU is 4-0 all-time against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, last meeting the Islanders for a pair of games at the Texas Tech Invitational in 2022. The Hurricane holds an 8-3 record against the hosts, Sam Houston, though this will be the first meeting in Huntsville. The Bearkats won the most recent meeting in 2024, 5-1, snapping a 3-game winning streak for TU.
Sunday's meeting with the No. 1 Longhorns is the 11th all-time and first instance where Tulsa and Texas will meet outside of Austin. The Hurricane is 3-7 against Texas, and the Longhorns have won four straight in the series, including a pair of games in 2022.
Tulsa is coming off a 30-23 campaign in 2024 as Coach Strimple enters her sixth season directing the Golden Hurricane softball team. The TU lineup will look different this season with the departure of five starters in the field, including the entire outfield. The Hurricane is also tasked with replacing two in the circle who ate up a lot of innings.
Returning seniors Claira Skaggs, Celeste Wood and Maci Cole bring plenty of starting experience back to this season's lineup. Skaggs was an asset at third base and the plate, driving home a team-high 39 runs with 15 doubles and a .331 average. Cole tied for the team lead with six home runs, and Wood recorded 12 doubles. Emma Vickrey also gained experience behind the plate, making 19 starts and 26 appearances as she enters her junior year with Tulsa. Faith Russell, Elle Rouse, and Danielle Burns also return this season.
In the circle, Maura Moore will continue to lead the TU pitching staff. Moore tossed a team-high 139.1 innings last season with 124 strikeouts and a 3.01 ERA. Joining her are returners Alexa Hopkins and Riley Grant.
Tulsa's lineup is bolstered by the addition of four transfers, highlighted by graduate Paige Knight. Knight, an Owasso, product, played at OU before transferring to New Mexico State. She started 90 games for the Aggies and recorded a .289 batting average, seven doubles, 16 home runs and 55 RBI. Sophomore infielder Tallulah Pascucci out of Bentonville, Ark. joins the Hurricane from Central Arkansas, where she was primarily used as a pinch runner in her freshman season, scoring 15 runs.
Junior pitchers Abby Hayes and Brinly Maples complement the TU pitching staff. Hayes played her previous ball at the College of Southern Idaho, while Maples is a JUCO product out of McLennan Community College.
The six freshmen out of high school complete the 2025 Tulsa roster. Outfielders Annika Dill and Whitney Holcomb are both Oklahomans, with Dill hailing from Poteau and Holcomb out of Coweta. Owasso High School's Brookley Foster joins the Hurricane as an infielder. Aliya Scarborough out of Broken Arrow, and Amber Turner from Bentonville, Ark., each can play behind the plate or in the infield. Katie Dunakin completes the roster and adds another arm to the Hurricane pitching staff.
Players Mentioned
IF
/ Softball
OF
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P
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INF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
IF
/ Softball
C/INF
/ Softball
IF
/ Softball
C/UT
/ Softball
C
/ Softball
IF
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