Friday, April 11
Tampa, Fla.
5:30 p.m.
Tulsa
at
South Florida
Photo by: Joshua Rogers
Golden Hurricane at South Florida for Weekend Series
4/10/2025 7:12:00 PM | Softball
TULSA, Okla. – The University of Tulsa softball team (18-21, 6-9) looks to snap a five-game losing streak when the team travels to Tampa for an American Athletic Conference series with South Florida this weekend. The three-game series will start on Friday evening, with game two on Saturday and a Sunday afternoon finale.
WEEK SCHEDULE
USF Softball Stadium
Friday, April 11 at 5:30 p.m. (CT) | Tulsa at South Florida
Saturday, April 12 at 3:30 p.m. (CT) | Tulsa at South Florida
Sunday, April 13 at 12:00 p.m. (CT) | Tulsa at South Florida
HOW TO FOLLOW
All three games will air on ESPN+. Ryan Urquhart and Allison Trela will bring fans the action.
Fans can also follow the games at Tulsa.StatBroadcast.com.
TULSA vs. THE BULLS
SOUTH FLORIDA (30-12-1, 9-5-1 The American) – The teams will play each other for the 30th time when they meet for the first game of the series. South Florida leads the all-time series 16-13 and is 9-8 at home against the Hurricane. Tulsa has won each of the past two meetings, including first round of The American Championship lasts season.
South Florida is coming in off its first The American series loss of the season, dropping the first and third game of the series at NO. 23 FAU. The Bulls return home where they have been dominant for the majority of the season, holding a 20-7 record inside USF Softball Stadium
The Bulls have six players who are holding batting averages above .500 this season, paced by Alex Wilkes' .363. Wilkes leads the team with nine home runs and has driven in a team-high 42 runs. She also holds a 1.044 OPS with a .630 slugging percentage and .414 on-base percentage. Not surprisingly, the Bulls rank high nationally in a couple offensive categories, including 12th in doubles (68) and 26th in total hits (347).
In the circle, Payton Dixon, Belle Sardja and Anne Long do the majority of the pitching. Dixon leads the way with 132 innings of work and a 14-5 record. She boasts a team-low 2.28 ERA and has allowed opponents to hit just .213 this season while striking out 84. Sardja has a 2.36 ERA with 54 strikeouts over 83 innings. The two have combined to throw 14 complete games and record nine saves.
THE SEASON SO FAR
The Golden Hurricane is 18-21, 6-9 in The American, heading into this weekend's series with South Florida. After winning the first two conference series to open league play, the Hurricane has dropped three in a row, including getting swept at home by Charlotte, the first series sweep TU has suffered this season. Tulsa has dropped five straight games dating back to losing the final two against North Texas.
Maci Cole has upped her batting average to a team-best .327. She's now driven in 23 runs, second to Celeste Wood's 27. Cole picked up two more home runs over the weekend, giving her eight on the season, which paces Tulsa. She leads the Hurricane in slugging percentage, .636, on-base percentage, .486, and walks, 30.
As a team, TU is batting .249 with 37 doubles, five triples, 22 home runs and 145 driven in. Tulsa collectively holds a .352 on-base percentage and .367 slugging percentage.
In the circle, Maura Moore's 3.71 ERA is the team low. She holds a 12-10 record with nine complete games and two shutouts. In 117 innings of work, Moore has struck out 76. Alexa Hopkins and Brinly Maples have picked up the majority of the rest of the innings, tossing 57.1 and 58.1, respectively. Hopkins holds a 5.37 ERA with 39 strikeouts, while Maples has struck out 34 batters and has a 6.60 ERA.
LAST WEEK IN TULSA
Tulsa was swept for the first time in conference play last weekend at home against Charlotte. The Golden Hurricane offense struggled to get to the Niners pitching staff, getting shutout in the opener 6-0 before falling in a Sunday doubleheader 9-3 and 8-6.
Maci Cole homered twice in the first game on Sunday and then tripled in three runs in the finale in the bottom of the seventh, but it wasn't enough to spur the comeback. Tulsa's only lead of the weekend came in the first inning of game three after Amber Turner singled home Celeste Wood. Charlotte took the lead for good in the third inning with a trio of runs.
COLE OVER THE PAST 10
Senior shortstop Maci Cole been red hot at the plate over the past 10 games. The Broken Arrow native is slashing .593/.694/1.333 in that stretch with 16 hits, three doubles, a triple, five home runs and 12 driven in. She's also came in to score 11 times and drawn eight walks. She either leads the team or is tied for the team lead in all of those statistics. Defensively, she's made 19 putouts and recorded 25 assists while committing just a single error and having a .978 fielding percentage.
Cole is now on an 11-game hitting streak and has reached base safely in 16-straight games, both are season highs for TU players.
Outfielder Elle Rouse is another Hurricane who has seen her numbers improve at the plate over the same 10-game stretch, batting .333 to improve to .245 on the season. She's doubled three times and driven in six, scoring four runs.
WOOD DRIVES THEM HOME
Senior Celeste Wood is batting .292 this season, second best on the team, and has the team lead with 27 RBIs. The first baseman, who is slugging .500, is second the team with 11 extra-base hits, hitting five doubles, a triple and five home runs.
FLASHING THE LEATHER
Maci Cole has featured at the shortstop for the majority of the season while also playing games at third base, making 10 starts at the hot corner while Claira Skaggs has been injured. She has since moved back to short and recorded a team-leading 91 assists this season, which ranks fifth in the conference and 27th in the NCAA. Her 2.33 assists per game is the second-best mark in The American and 40th in the nation.
COLE TAKES A WALK
Senior infielder Maci Cole has drawn a team-leading 30 walks at the plate this season, which leads all batters in The American. Her 0.77 walks per game is first in the league and 37th in the NCAA.
DON'T RUN ON AMBER
Freshman Amber Turner is already showing off her talent behind the plate early in her Tulsa career. Turner has caught 13 runners attempting to steal, which is tied for the conference lead and ranks 10th nationally. The catcher is also showing off her skills with the bat, tied for second on the team with a .292 batting average. She also has four doubles, a triple, two home runs and 17 driven in.
MAGNIFICANT MAURA
Senior pitcher Maura Moore has been busy, throwing 117 innings, almost half of Tulsa's innings for the season and the most by any Tulsa pitcher. She the second in The American for innings pitched and 44th nationally. She leads the conference in games started (34) and tied for complete games (9), ranking 3rd and 66th in the NCAA, respectively.
COLE AND ROUSE ON FIRE AT THE PLATE
Senior shortstop Maci Cole and sophomore right fielder Elle Rouse were terrors on opposing pitchers against Central Arkansas and in the North Texas series. Cole slashed .857/.909/1.571 against the Mean Green with six hits, three runs scored, two doubles, a home run and four driven in. She was only retired once all weekend and was walked four times. For the entire week, Cole held a .700 batting average and doubled three times with five walks.
Rouse had five hits and four runs scored, slashing .714/.750/1.143 against North Texas. She collected three doubles, recording two doubles and three RBIs in the game one win over the Mean Green. Rouse finished the series with four RBIs and four runs scored. For the week, she hit .625.
Freshman Amber Turner had a good week as well, tying the others with a team-leading four RBIs, including three in the win over UNT on Friday. She collected her first career triple, was hit by two pitches and walked once.
ON DECK
Next week, the Golden Hurricane softball team returns home to face Wichita State. Due to Easter Weekend, the series will start on Thursday and end Saturday instead of the usual Friday to Sunday. First pitch for the Thursday opener is set for 5 p.m. and will air on ESPN+.
WEEK SCHEDULE
USF Softball Stadium
Friday, April 11 at 5:30 p.m. (CT) | Tulsa at South Florida
Saturday, April 12 at 3:30 p.m. (CT) | Tulsa at South Florida
Sunday, April 13 at 12:00 p.m. (CT) | Tulsa at South Florida
HOW TO FOLLOW
All three games will air on ESPN+. Ryan Urquhart and Allison Trela will bring fans the action.
Fans can also follow the games at Tulsa.StatBroadcast.com.
TULSA vs. THE BULLS
SOUTH FLORIDA (30-12-1, 9-5-1 The American) – The teams will play each other for the 30th time when they meet for the first game of the series. South Florida leads the all-time series 16-13 and is 9-8 at home against the Hurricane. Tulsa has won each of the past two meetings, including first round of The American Championship lasts season.
South Florida is coming in off its first The American series loss of the season, dropping the first and third game of the series at NO. 23 FAU. The Bulls return home where they have been dominant for the majority of the season, holding a 20-7 record inside USF Softball Stadium
The Bulls have six players who are holding batting averages above .500 this season, paced by Alex Wilkes' .363. Wilkes leads the team with nine home runs and has driven in a team-high 42 runs. She also holds a 1.044 OPS with a .630 slugging percentage and .414 on-base percentage. Not surprisingly, the Bulls rank high nationally in a couple offensive categories, including 12th in doubles (68) and 26th in total hits (347).
In the circle, Payton Dixon, Belle Sardja and Anne Long do the majority of the pitching. Dixon leads the way with 132 innings of work and a 14-5 record. She boasts a team-low 2.28 ERA and has allowed opponents to hit just .213 this season while striking out 84. Sardja has a 2.36 ERA with 54 strikeouts over 83 innings. The two have combined to throw 14 complete games and record nine saves.
THE SEASON SO FAR
The Golden Hurricane is 18-21, 6-9 in The American, heading into this weekend's series with South Florida. After winning the first two conference series to open league play, the Hurricane has dropped three in a row, including getting swept at home by Charlotte, the first series sweep TU has suffered this season. Tulsa has dropped five straight games dating back to losing the final two against North Texas.
Maci Cole has upped her batting average to a team-best .327. She's now driven in 23 runs, second to Celeste Wood's 27. Cole picked up two more home runs over the weekend, giving her eight on the season, which paces Tulsa. She leads the Hurricane in slugging percentage, .636, on-base percentage, .486, and walks, 30.
As a team, TU is batting .249 with 37 doubles, five triples, 22 home runs and 145 driven in. Tulsa collectively holds a .352 on-base percentage and .367 slugging percentage.
In the circle, Maura Moore's 3.71 ERA is the team low. She holds a 12-10 record with nine complete games and two shutouts. In 117 innings of work, Moore has struck out 76. Alexa Hopkins and Brinly Maples have picked up the majority of the rest of the innings, tossing 57.1 and 58.1, respectively. Hopkins holds a 5.37 ERA with 39 strikeouts, while Maples has struck out 34 batters and has a 6.60 ERA.
LAST WEEK IN TULSA
Tulsa was swept for the first time in conference play last weekend at home against Charlotte. The Golden Hurricane offense struggled to get to the Niners pitching staff, getting shutout in the opener 6-0 before falling in a Sunday doubleheader 9-3 and 8-6.
Maci Cole homered twice in the first game on Sunday and then tripled in three runs in the finale in the bottom of the seventh, but it wasn't enough to spur the comeback. Tulsa's only lead of the weekend came in the first inning of game three after Amber Turner singled home Celeste Wood. Charlotte took the lead for good in the third inning with a trio of runs.
COLE OVER THE PAST 10
Senior shortstop Maci Cole been red hot at the plate over the past 10 games. The Broken Arrow native is slashing .593/.694/1.333 in that stretch with 16 hits, three doubles, a triple, five home runs and 12 driven in. She's also came in to score 11 times and drawn eight walks. She either leads the team or is tied for the team lead in all of those statistics. Defensively, she's made 19 putouts and recorded 25 assists while committing just a single error and having a .978 fielding percentage.
Cole is now on an 11-game hitting streak and has reached base safely in 16-straight games, both are season highs for TU players.
Outfielder Elle Rouse is another Hurricane who has seen her numbers improve at the plate over the same 10-game stretch, batting .333 to improve to .245 on the season. She's doubled three times and driven in six, scoring four runs.
WOOD DRIVES THEM HOME
Senior Celeste Wood is batting .292 this season, second best on the team, and has the team lead with 27 RBIs. The first baseman, who is slugging .500, is second the team with 11 extra-base hits, hitting five doubles, a triple and five home runs.
FLASHING THE LEATHER
Maci Cole has featured at the shortstop for the majority of the season while also playing games at third base, making 10 starts at the hot corner while Claira Skaggs has been injured. She has since moved back to short and recorded a team-leading 91 assists this season, which ranks fifth in the conference and 27th in the NCAA. Her 2.33 assists per game is the second-best mark in The American and 40th in the nation.
COLE TAKES A WALK
Senior infielder Maci Cole has drawn a team-leading 30 walks at the plate this season, which leads all batters in The American. Her 0.77 walks per game is first in the league and 37th in the NCAA.
DON'T RUN ON AMBER
Freshman Amber Turner is already showing off her talent behind the plate early in her Tulsa career. Turner has caught 13 runners attempting to steal, which is tied for the conference lead and ranks 10th nationally. The catcher is also showing off her skills with the bat, tied for second on the team with a .292 batting average. She also has four doubles, a triple, two home runs and 17 driven in.
MAGNIFICANT MAURA
Senior pitcher Maura Moore has been busy, throwing 117 innings, almost half of Tulsa's innings for the season and the most by any Tulsa pitcher. She the second in The American for innings pitched and 44th nationally. She leads the conference in games started (34) and tied for complete games (9), ranking 3rd and 66th in the NCAA, respectively.
COLE AND ROUSE ON FIRE AT THE PLATE
Senior shortstop Maci Cole and sophomore right fielder Elle Rouse were terrors on opposing pitchers against Central Arkansas and in the North Texas series. Cole slashed .857/.909/1.571 against the Mean Green with six hits, three runs scored, two doubles, a home run and four driven in. She was only retired once all weekend and was walked four times. For the entire week, Cole held a .700 batting average and doubled three times with five walks.
Rouse had five hits and four runs scored, slashing .714/.750/1.143 against North Texas. She collected three doubles, recording two doubles and three RBIs in the game one win over the Mean Green. Rouse finished the series with four RBIs and four runs scored. For the week, she hit .625.
Freshman Amber Turner had a good week as well, tying the others with a team-leading four RBIs, including three in the win over UNT on Friday. She collected her first career triple, was hit by two pitches and walked once.
ON DECK
Next week, the Golden Hurricane softball team returns home to face Wichita State. Due to Easter Weekend, the series will start on Thursday and end Saturday instead of the usual Friday to Sunday. First pitch for the Thursday opener is set for 5 p.m. and will air on ESPN+.
Players Mentioned
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