Syracuse University
Texas San Antonio
Tournament Preview: Bama Bash
2/17/2011 9:39:15 PM | Softball
| Bama Bash | |||
| Syracuse | Texas San Antonio | Louisville | Alabama |
| 4-0 | 2-3 | 3-2 | 5-0 |
| Game Info |
Feb. 18 vs. Texas San Antonio | 11 a.m. |
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| Location | Tuscaloosa, Ala. | Rhoads Stadium | ||
| Online | Live Stats | Live Chat | ||
Off to its best start in program history, Syracuse continues its early-season action at the Bama Bash in Tuscaloosa, Ala. The Orange will face Texas San Antonio, Louisville and Alabama through the three days of tournament action beginning Friay, February 18 at noon ET.
Syracuse Team Notes
• Syracuse's 4-0 record marks the best start in program history ... The next best start was recorded by the 2009 squad, who opened the season at 3-1 through its first four games.
• Friday's game against Louisville will mark the first time the two teams have clashed since the Orange defeated the Cardinals, 2-1, in the 2010 BIG EAST Championship.
• Syracuse outscored its opponents, 33-3, en route to winning last weekend's Georgia State Tournament.
• On Day two of the squad's 2011 season-opening tournament, the Orange scored 23 runs on 22 hits.
Syracuse Individual Notes
• Sophomore centerfielder Veronica Grant tied an SU single-game record with four runs scored against Georgia State ... Grant also tied the record with four runs scored in SU's home opener against Buffalo last season ... The Santa Monica, Calif. native leads the Orange with seven runs scored this season.
• Junior first baseman #Kelly Saco# notched two homeruns at Georgia State to boost her career total to 10 ... Saco's 13 total bases in her 13 at bats last weekend give her a perfect 1.000 slugging percentage to start the season.
• Junior pitcher #Jenna Caira# recorded the best pitching performance in the conference over the weekend, posting a 0.61 ERA while earning all six victories ... Caira also commanded the circle, leading the team with 17 assists through the four contests.
• The stolen base race began again at the Georgia State Tournament as Grant logged five stolen bases, junior outfielder Lisaira Daniels added three and freshman Shirley Daniels had one.
• Junior second baseman Stephanie Watts hit her first triple of the season against Georgia State, becoming SU's career leader in the category with eight.
A Look at the Opponents
University of Texas San Antonio
• The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) softball program finished the 2010 season with an overall record of 23-29, while splitting its in-conference results, 15-15.
• The squad dropped two of three in its final series of the year to fall just one game shy of reaching its eighth consecutive Southland Conference Tournament.
• Junior shortstop Caitlyn Ivy will return as the team's top offensive threat, as she led the team in eight major statistical categories in 2010: batting average (.383), hits (62), doubles (7), home runs (Southland-best 12), RBIs (40), total bases (107), slugging (.660) and on-base percentage (.455). Ivy, who started all 52 games at shortstop, earned first team All-Southland honors last season.
Louisville
• BIG EAST conference foe Louisville (3-2) opened the 2011 season with a second place finish in the Texas Invitational, as the squad fell 14-4 against No. 15 Texas in the tournament's championship game. • Finishing the season 41-19 overall and 16-6 in the BIG EAST, Louisville lost to Syracuse in the 2010 BIG EAST Conference Tournament title game. The squad then moved on to the NCAA Tournament where it fell to Tennessee, 3-1, in the Knoxville Regional Final.
• The Cardinals welcome five newcomers this season, while returning seven starters from 2010.
• Third baseman Chelsea Bemis returns to lead the Cardinals in her senior season after earning NFCA All-Great Lakes Region, All-BIG EAST 1st team, and 2010 BIG EAST Player of the Year accolades. Bemis registered a batting average of .299 with 13 homeruns and 46 RBI last season
Alabama
• Alabama (5-0) sailed to its first tournament victory of 2011, taking five straight games by at least six runs to claim the Hibbett/Easton All-Alabama Softball Classic.
• In 2010, the Crimson Tide won the SEC Conference Title, going 52-11 overall and 23-4 in conference.
• Finishing No. 9 and No. 8 in the USA Today/NFCA and ESPN.com/USA Softball rankings, respectively, Alabama advanced to the 2010 NCAA Super Regionals, where the squad lost to Hawaii, 2-1.
• Sophomore infielder Kayla Braud will return as the Tide's biggest offensive threat, as she registered a .505 batting average with 95 hits and 32 RBI last season
Series Notes
• Syracuse is 2-12 against the tournament field, having never previously faced Texas San Antonio
• SU is 0-4 against Alabama, however, the schools have not squared off since the Orange's inaugural season in 2000. In their last meeting, Alabama blanked Syracuse, 3-0.
• While the Orange is only 2-8 all-time against conference foe Louisville, the SU squad earned an important victory in its lasting meeting with the Cardinals to win the 2010 BIG EAST Conference Tournament.
