Softball Kicks Off 2019 Season in Felsberg Invitational

Friday, February 8

Miami, Fla.

9 AM

University of Memphis

Bryant

Photo by: Joe Murphy

Softball Kicks Off 2019 Season in Felsberg Invitational

Feb 07, 2019 | Softball

The Tigers will play five games over the weekend

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The time has come for the University of Memphis softball team to kick-off the 2019 season and the Tigers will do so in Florida at the Felsberg Invitational, hosted by FIU. Memphis will compete in five games to open up the season, starting on Feb. 8.

Tournament Schedule
February 8
9 a.m. CT Memphis vs. Bryant
1:30 p.m. CT Memphis at FIU

February 9
1:30 p.m. CT Memphis vs. Michigan State
3:45 p.m. CT Memphis at FIU

February 10
10:15 a.m. CT Memphis vs. Michigan State

Welcome to Memphis
The Tigers welcome 12 new players to the roster, including nine in the freshman class. Ashton Stowe, a transfer from Trevecca Nazarene, will have the opportunity to see the Memphis diamond after having to sit the 2018 season. Karli Perque and Kailey Hilderbrand also transferred to Memphis and will add valuable experience to the circle this season.

The 2019 freshman class is composed of Ryleigh Aungst, Hannah Bassham, Gracie Morton, Anna Grace Magee, Kelsey Frizzell, Madalyn Alexander, Samantha Ibison, Alyssa Dean and Chesney Dearth. The Tigers see depth added in all positions as four freshmen are infielders, two are outfields, two are catchers and one is a pitcher.

Top Returners
Baylee Smith and Delaney Smith return as the top offensive threats after averaging .373 and .363, respectively, as freshmen in 2018. Delaney was second on the 2018 team with 61 hits and led the team with 29 stolen bases.

Ashley Threatt and Regan Hadley return for their senior seasons after finishing fourth and fifth on the team with .299 and .290 batting averages. Threatt finished with a team-high 11 doubles and a .971 fielding percentage at first base while Hadley finished with a career-high 45 hits in 57 games played. Hadley also finished the season with a .991 fielding percentage as the team's everyday catcher.

The senior class is composed of Hadley, Threatt, Bayleigh Wisher, Jessie Lamb and Alexis Castleman. The five combine for 374 total games played and 295 career starts.

In the circle, the Tigers return Mariah Nichols and Wisher. Nichols finished her freshman campaign with a 2.97 ERA in 136.2 total innings pitched. Her 11 wins were tied for the ninth-most in a single season in program history.

A Look At The Competition
Bryant is a first-time opponent of the Tigers. As members of the Northeast Conference, the Bulldogs finished with a 14-31 overall record in 2018.

Nick French is in his first season at the helm of the Bulldogs and Bryant returns a team full of depth and experience. Bryant returns over 70 percent of its run production from last year and is led by seniors Kaleigh Goulart and Jessica Gradillas. The duo drove in 45 runs last season.

Michigan State and Memphis have faced off twice in program history, both times during the 2016 season. The Spartans defeated the Tigers in both meetings by scores of 9-1 and 5-3.

The Spartans graduated six seniors last year after advancing to the Big Ten Tournament semifinals for the second-straight year. Michigan State ranked in the top half of the Big Ten in on-base percentage, batting average, doubles, slugging percentage and home runs.

Memphis takes on FIU four times this year, starting with two match-ups this weekend. All-time against the Panthers, Memphis is 3-4 with the last three meetings coming during the 2017 season.

FIU finished the 2018 slate with a 30-25 overall record and were led offensively by Jackie Schoff with a .356 batting average. Kasandra Castle finished with a .296 batting average and a team-leading eight home runs.

Final Details
Games against FIU will be streamed on C-USA TV behind a paywall. There will be live stats of all five Memphis games this weekend. For more information on the Memphis softball team, follow the Tigers on social media at @MemphisSoftball.