Softball Hosts UCF for Final Home Series of 2019

Friday, May 3

Memphis, Tenn.

3 PM

University of Memphis

UCF

Photo by: Jason Roberts

May 02, 2019 | Softball

The team will celebrate Senior Day on Sunday

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – As the regular season comes to a close for the University of Memphis softball team, the Tigers will host UCF this weekend. First pitch of Friday's game has been changed to 3 p.m. at the Tigers Softball Complex. Sunday's game will feature recognition of the team's five seniors before first pitch.

Games 52-54
Memphis (22-29 (3-14 AAC)) vs. UCF (31-20 (8-10 AAC))
Friday's first pitch: 3 p.m. CT
Location: Tigers Softball Complex
Live Stats | Watch

The Tigers enter the final weekend of the regular season after dropping the series against USF in Tampa, Florida last weekend. Alyssa Dean continued to lead the Tigers at the plate, recording four hits throughout the series. She leads Memphis with a .400 batting average and 18 hits in conference play.

On Sunday, Memphis will honor the seniors that have made an impact on the team for the last four years. Alexis Castleman, Regan Hadley, Jessie Lamb, Ashley Threatt and Bayleigh Wisher will be recognized prior to the start of Sunday's game.

Castleman transferred to Memphis prior to last season, and although injuries have kept her off of the field, her impact has been felt in the dugout and beyond. She has plans to pursue the Physical Therapy Program at Tennessee State following graduation.

A four-year Tiger, Hadley has been a consistent starter since her first year. One of seven players in program history to start in and play over 200 games, Hadley is a top-10 performer in a number of career categories at Memphis. She is fifth all-time with 149 hits, ranks fifth in program history with 26 doubles, has the fifth-most triples with six and is ninth all-time with 12 home runs. Defensively, her 887 putouts rank third in program history.

Lamb has been an important member of the Tigers squad for four years. In addition to collecting 61 hits and scoring 69 runs, Lamb ranks ninth in program history with 32 stolen bases. She hit .254 during her career at Memphis, playing in 154 games for the Tigers.

After transferring from Columbia State Community College prior to 2018, Threatt has left a mark on the softball program. In two years, Threatt is on several top 10 lists, including career home runs (13, T-8th), doubles (20, T-10th), and batting average (.302, 6th). She has started 102 of 104 career games at Memphis, putting together 85 hits and driving in 59 runs.

The lone senior that spent her career in the circle, Wisher has appeared in 54 games during her career. With a 10-4 record, including a 6-2 record as a senior, Wisher has seen more action during her final season on the team. This year, she has tossed a career-high 77.1 innings, recording two saves in addition to her six wins.

A Look At The Competition
UCF heads to Memphis after claiming a 6-2 victory over North Florida on Wednesday. After scoring a pair of runs in the opening frame, the Knights added two more before the visitors scored in return. Breanna Vasquez earned the win for UCF.

The Knights have a trio of batters that have eclipsed 40 hits on the season. Cassady Brewer and Tomesha Glover lead the team with 43 hits apiece, with Denali Schappacher right behind them at 42 hits. Though UCF has only connected on 13 home runs on the season, the Knights excel in hitting doubles, recording 75 across the roster, while also swiping 58 bases, compared to 37 by their opponents.

The pitching corps for the Knights primarily features two pitchers, in Vasquez and Alea White. The duo has combined for 237.0 innings, 261 strikeouts and both pitchers hold opponents below a .225 batting average. UCF pitchers have combined for 10 shutouts, nine of them between Vasquez and White.

All time, Memphis and UCF have faced off 40 times, with the Knights taking a 24-16 series advantage. Although UCF took the regular season series last year, the Tigers earned a 3-0 shutout victory in the first round of last year's AAC Championship.

Final Details
First pitch on Friday is set for 3 p.m. CT at the Tigers Softball Complex. Live stats and a free video stream will be available at www.gotigersgo.com. For all of the latest updates on the Memphis softball team, including schedule changes, follow the Tigers on social media at @MemphisSoftball.