University of Memphis Athletics
Memphis Hosts Three-Game League Series with Marshall Beginning Friday
Apr 01, 2010 | Softball
April 1, 2010
MEMPHIS - The University of Memphis softball team hosts a three-game league series against Marshall at the Tiger Softball Complex on Friday and Saturday. The two teams will play a doubleheader on Friday at 4 and 6 p.m. and close with a noon contest on Saturday.
Memphis (17-12, 4-4 C-USA) enters the meeting after sweeping a home midweek doubleheader against perennial NCAA Tournament participant Mississippi Valley State on Tuesday. The Tigers did not allow an earned run in the two games and picked up 4-1 and 5-1 victories. Freshman Carly Hummel set a new school record with 15 strikeouts in game one, two more than the previous high. She struck out 15 of the 21 outs in the game.
The meeting with Marshall will mark the third time Memphis has hosted a conference series with the Thundering Herd. The Tigers are 1-11 all-time against the Herd and are 1-4 at home. Marshall swept the three-game conference series in Huntington, W.Va., last year and won both games in a weather-shortened series in Memphis in 2008. Marshall has won the last nine-straight meetings between the two schools.
The Tigers rank 16th in the nation in earned run average with a 1.66 mark. The U of M lowered that average 12 points to 1.54 after the sweep over MVSU. Senior Vanessa Walle leads the team with a 7-4 record and a conference leading 1.13 ERA. Hummel is 9-6 on the season with a 1.67 ERA and 132 strikeouts in 92.1 innings. She is averaging 10.01 K's per game and just 3.18 hits, which ranks 10th nationally.
The Memphis bats have started to heat up as the Tigers have raised its batting average to .226. The U of M has a .319 on base percentage this season and have scored 103 runs in 29 games (3.6 average). Senior Leigh Rowan leads the team with a .364 average, five home runs and 19 RBI. Rowan went 5-for-7 with four RBI against MVSU. Junioer Maddie McKinley is second on the team with a .318 average and 14 RBI. She leads the team with 17 runs scored and 13 stolen bases.
Marshall comes to Memphis with a 16-16 record and are 2-7 in C-USA play. The Thundering Herd have lost 10 of their last 12 games after starting off the season 7-0. Freshman third baseman Jasmine Valle, the sister to Memphis junior LHP Janelle Valle, leads the Herd with a .333 batting average with 21 RBI and four home runs. Senior Caitlyn Jackson is second on the team with a .314 average. Marshall is hitting .265 on the year with 23 home runs and 145 runs in 32 games (4.5 average).
Senior Katie Murphree leads the Herd in the circle with a 10-9 record and a 3.14 ERA. She has 113 strikeouts, 57 walks and two shutouts in 116.0 innings. Marshall has a team ERA of 3.53 and opponents are hitting .271 off the Herd pitching.
After the Tigers take on Marshall on Saturday, there will be an egg hunt on the Tiger softball field. There will be about 100 eggs for Pouncer's Pals and Little Tiger Fans to find and a drawing for a grand prize after the hunt is over.
Single day tickets can be purchased at the gate and are $5 for adults 13 and up and $3 for senior citizens and youth ages 6-12. Children five and under and U of M Students with their ID are free.
History: Memphis vs. Marshall
Marshall leads the all-time series between the two schools, 11-1. The Thundering Herd have won nine-straight against the Tigers and swept the three-game series in Huntington, W.Va. last year. Memphis is 1-4 against Marshall at home and lost both games of a weather shortened series the last time in Memphis in 2008.
Live Coverage
All three games against Marshall can be followed live with live stats provided by GameTracker. A live chat will also be available. All three games games can be watched live through Memphis All Access. Links to the live broadcasts can be found on the softball schedule page at GoTigersGo.com.
Last Week
Memphis split a doubleheader at Saint Louis on Tuesday. Freshman Carly Hummel earned a 1-0 one-hit shutout in game one and struck out a school tying 13 batters in the game. Senior Vanessa Walle knocked in the game winning run in the seventh inning on a pinch hit single. In game two, the Tigers came back from a 3-0 early deficit to tie the game. In extra innings, the U of M struck first in the ninth and took a 4-3 lead. But Saint Louis countered in the bottom of the inning with a walk-off two-run homer.
The Tigers then won one of three games at Tulsa. The two teams split the doubleheader on Saturday and then the Golden Hurricane won the rubber match on Sunday. In windy conditions, the Tigers allowed 13 runs in the three games and five homers.
In game one, Memphis had a 3-1 lead, but Tulsa battled back to take the lead in the fourth. The Tigers regained the lead in the fifth, but three more runs by TU in the sixth gave the U of M a 7-5 loss.
Memphis ran away with a 6-1 victory in game two with Vanessa Walle earning the victory in the circle and going 3-for-3 at the plate with four RBI on a pair of home runs.
In game three, Memphis battled back to take a 3-2 lead in the fifth inning, but Tulsa tied the game in the bottom of the inning and then hit a walk-off two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh for a 5-3 victory.
Tigers Sweep DH with Perennial NCAA Tournament Participant
Memphis swept a midweek doubleheader with Mississippi Valley State on March 30 at home winning 4-1 and 5-1. MVSU has won the SWAC championship the past six years and received the league's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. Freshman Carly Hummel threw a two-hitter in game one for a 4-1 victory. She struck out a school record 15 batters in the game. Hummel struck out the side in four of the seven innings. In game two, Vanessa Walle and Lauren Carley teamed up for a 5-1 victory. Memphis scored five runs on 11 hits with Leigh Rowan leading the team with a 3-for-3 performance and three RBI. Rowan hit a two-run homer in the fourth inning and also doubled in the game. Both runs given up by Memphis in the doubleheader were unearned.
Next Up
Following the three-games series with Marshall, Memphis will play its next five games on the road. The Tigers travel to UT Martin in Martin, Tenn., for a midweek match-up on Wednesday, April 7. The Skyhawks are receiving votes in both national top 25 polls. Memphis will then travel to Houston for a three game conference series on April 10-11.
Sisterly Love
Memphis junior LHP Janelle Valle's younger sister is a rising star on Marshall's softball team. The freshman third baseman, Jazmine Valle, leads the Thundering Herd in hitting with a .333 average. She has 21 RBI, four home runs and 10 runs scored.
Hummel Strikes Out 15
Carly Hummel struck out a school record 15 batters in the first game of a doubleheader with Mississippi Valley State on March 30. The freshman struck out 15 of the 21 outs in the game and struck out the side in four of the seven innings. The previous individual record was 13, which had been accomplished twice. Jenna Kubesch struck out 13 against Alcorn State on April 12, 2007, and Hummel had 13 against Saint Louis on March 23, 2010. The previous school record for strikeouts was 14 against UAB on April 28, 2007 in an 11 inning game. Hummel has struck out 10 or more batters four times this season and averages 10.1 K's per seven innings.
Tigers 2010 Start Ranks Second
The 17-12 start to the 2010 season ranks tied for second in the school's history. The best start 29 games into the season came in 2007 when the Tigers began 18-11. Memphis also began 17-12 in its inaugural season in 2006. Last year the U of M began the year 13-16.
Walle and Hummel Moving Up Season Charts
Senior Vanessa Walle and freshman Carly Hummel are moving up the season charts. At the current pace, both pitchers stand to have the two lowest ERA's in school history. Hummel is also on pace to shatter both the opponent batting average and strikeouts/7 inn. game records. Her .135 opponent batting average is 67 points lower than the previous best of .202 set by Jenna Kubesch in 2006 and her 10.01 strikeouts per seven innings is almost three strikeouts per seven innings better than the previous record of 7.02 by Kubesch in 2007. Walle's current average of 2.07 walks per seven innings also currently ranks third on the season charts, four points better than her 2.11 average in 2009.
Lowest Season Earned Run Avg
1. 1.13 - Vanessa Walle, 2010
2. 1.67 - Carly Hummel, 2010
3. 1.87 - Jenna Kubesch, 2006
4. 2.07 - Nicki Johnson, 2006
5. 2.14 - Jenna Kubesch, 2007
6. 3.00 - Janelle Valle, 2008
7. 3.12 - Nicki Johnson, 2007
Lowest Season Opponent Batting Avg
1. .135 - Carly Hummel, 2010
2. .202 - Jenna Kubesch, 2006
3. .205 - Vanessa Walle, 2010
4. .206 - Jenna Kubesch, 2007
5. .234 - Nicki Johnson, 2006
6. .252 - Janelle Valle, 2009
7. .252 - Kimber Bossom, 2008
Most Season Strikeouts/7 Inn Game
1. 10.01 - Carly Hummel, 2010
2. 7.02 - Jenna Kubesch, 2007
3. 6.70 - Jenna Kubesch, 2006
4. 5.68 - Nicki Johnson, 2006
5. 4.91 - Kimber Bossom, 2008
6. 4.69 - Nicki Johnson, 2007
Fewest Season Walks Allowed/7 Inn Game
1. 1.24 - Jenna Kubesch, 2007
2. 1.82 - Jenna Kubesch, 2006
3. 2.07 - Vanessa Walle, 2010
4. 2.11 - Vanessa Walle, 2009
5. 2.39 - Janelle Valle, 2008
6. 2.41 - Nicki Johnson, 2006
Consistent Hitters
Senior Leigh Rowan and junior Maddie McKinley are on pace this season to both break into the top five highest season batting averages in school history. Rowan's .364 average currently ranks as the highest season average and McKinley ranks fifth with a .318 mark.
Highest Season Batting Average
1. .364 - Leigh Rowan, 2010
2. .358 - Cara Stiles, 2006
3. .354 - Bridgette McNulty, 2006
4. .323 - Leila Dolfo, 2009
5. .318 - Maddie McKinley, 2010
6. .311 - Kimmi Hayden, 2008
7. .303 - Leila Dolfo, 2006
Thees Closing in on 300 Wins
Memphis head coach Windy Thees is closing in on her 300th career victory. The Memphis skipper in her fifth year with the school is nine wins away from the milestone. 2010 marks the 10th season as head coach for Thees who came to Memphis from Georgia College and State University. She has a 291-215 overall record and is 127-123 at Memphis.
Pinch Hitters
Junior Kailey Kassner leads the team in pinch hitting this season. She is 2-for-3 as a pinch hitter (.667). Senior Vanessa Walle is second and is 2-for-4 (.500). Sophomore Nikki Moreno leads the team in pinch hit at bats with eight. The Tigers are hitting .263 in pinch hitting situations (5 for-19).
Kailey Kassner, 2-for-3 (.667)
Vanessa Walle, 2-for-4 (.500)
Nikki Moreno, 1-for-8 (.125)
Jessica Phillips, 0-for-2 (.000)
Alex Marshall, 0-for-1 (.000)
Scouting Marshall
• After beginning the season 14-6 and starting 7-0, Marshall comes to Memphis having lost 10 of its last 12 games. The Herd are 16-16 and 2-7 in C-USA play.
• The sister of Memphis junior LHP Janelle Valle, Jazmine Valle, leads Marshall in hitting. The freshman third baseman is batting .333 with 21 RBI and four home runs.
• As a team, Marshall is hitting .265 with 23 home runs and 145 runs scored. The Thundering Herd rank 11th in the nation in stolen bases per game with a 2.31 average and are 74-for-85 in steal attempts.
• Senior RHP Katie Murphree leads the team in the circle with a 10-9 record and a 3.14 ERA. She has 113 K's, 57 walks and two shutouts in 116 innings.
• As a team, Marshall has a 3.53 ERA and opponents are hitting .271 off of the Thundering Herd this year.
