Softball Begins Conference Play With Seton Hall and St. John's
3/23/2006 2:59:39 PM | Softball
SYRACUSE, N.Y. - The Syracuse University softball team (11-13) will begin its 2006 BIG EAST schedule with a pair of away doubleheaders this weekend. The Orange will take on Seton Hall (11-11) on Saturday, March 25 at Ivy Hill Park at 12:00 p.m. and square of against St. John’s (16-10) on Sunday, March 26 at Red Storm Field at 12:00 p.m. The double dips were orginally scheduled to be played in Syracuse, but unplayable field conditions at the SU Softball Stadium forced the site changes.
Syracuse in Conference Openers
• SU won three straight league openers from 2002-04, including two on the road.
• The Orange has outscored its opponents, 21-11, in conference opening games.
Orange Crush
• Syracuse leads the BIG EAST Conference in home runs with 20. The South Florida Bulls rank second with 17.
• Senior Alexis Switenko leads the team and the league in homers with six, after hitting a solo shot in the fourth inning on March 19 against Iowa. Her six long balls already rank ninth on SU’s single-season home run ledger.
• Freshman Amy Kelley (3), senior Cassie Morales (3), sophomore Chanel Roehner (2), and rookie Jorden Rosen (2) also have multiple home runs this season.
McCorkle Leads Team in Hitting
• McCorkle leads the Orange in batting average (.348) and is tied for the team lead in hits with 16. Six of her hits have gone for extra bases and she is tied for second on the squad with four doubles.
• She batted .385 at the Capital Classic and drove in a team-best four runs in SU’s four games. All four of her RBI came in the team’s win against Iowa on March 19 and represented her career high for runs batted in.
Downey Named to Capital Classic All-Tournament Team
• Downey finished with a record of 2-2. She posted a 1.96 earned run average in the four games and struck out 30 batters. She started three of the four contests and pitched four innings in relief against Sacramento State. Downey owned a 3:1 strikeout to walk ratio for the tournament.
• The honor was the second for Downey who was also named to the Buzz Classic All-Tournament Team on March 5 after leading all pitchers in strikeouts at the 25-team event.
The Magic Number
• Syracuse is unbeaten (11-0) in 2006 when scoring at least three runs in a game. The Orange is 4-0 when scoring between three and five runs per game, 6-0 when plating six to nine runners and 1-0 when scoring more than 10 runs.
• On the opposite end of the spectrum SU is 0-13 when scoring two runs or less.
One Win Away From #150
• The Orange is 149-161-1 since the program’s inception in 2000.
• In 2005, SU set the program record with 28 triumphs and the Orange has won at least 20 games in four of its first six years.
Scouting the Pirates
• The Pirates have won the last two BIG EAST Conference Tournament Titles.
• Kim Schweitzer, a Syracuse native that attended Cicero-North Syracuse High School, leads the team in victories (6) and owns a 2.35 earned run average in 11 appearances.
• Katie Pierce ranks third in the league in batting average (.402) and slugging percentage (.704) and leads the BIG EAST in RBI (22).
Scouting the Red Storm
• The Red Storm leads the league in hitting (.308) and ranks second in runs scored (146).
• Rookie Lauren Lupinetti leads the BIG EAST in batting average (.467) and on-base percentage (.571).
• Pitchers Kimberly Lerch (6-3), Jessica Foley (5-3) and Lisa Greer (5-4) each have winning records.
