Softball Plays Back-To-Back NEC Doubleheaders At Wagner, Bryant This Weekend
Wagner College (2-20, 0-6 NEC)
Saturday, April 9, 2011 - 1:00 p.m. (DH)
Wagner Softball Field - Staten Island, N.Y.
Quinnipiac University (19-15, 3-1 NEC) at
Bryant University (16-11, 6-0 NEC)
Sunday, April 10, 2011 - 12:00 p.m. (DH)
Bryant Softball Complex - Smithfield, R.I.
On The Road Again
The Quinnipiac University softball team (19-15, 3-1 NEC) travels to play back-to-back Northeast Conference doubleheaders against Wagner (2-20, 0-6 NEC) and Bryant (16-11, 6-0 NEC) this weekend. The Bobcats will face Wagner twice on Saturday, April 9 starting at 1 p.m. at the Wagner Softball Field in Staten Island, N.Y. Quinnipiac will then play Bryant in a twinbill on Sunday, April 10 beginning at noon at the Bryant Softball Complex in Smithfield, R.I.
Follow Your Bobcats Live
Live stats for this weekend's contests will be available by clicking on the appropriate links on the official website of Quinnipiac Athletics, www.QuinnipiacBobcats.com.
Scouting Wagner
Wagner enters Saturday's doubleheader at 2-20 on the year and with a 0-6 mark in NEC play. In their most recent outings, the Seahawks split two non-conference games with Lafayette on Wednesday, April 6. Wagner won the first game, 2-1, in ten innings and loss 15-1 in a five-inning contest later that day. The Seahawks have lost to fellow NEC opponents, Sacred Heart, Bryant and Robert Morris, this year. Wagner's Amanda Garcia leads the team with a .254 batting average, contributing 15 hits. Garcia, Ashley Olsen and Hailey Corthell have each picked up four RBI this season, while Garcia and Vanessa Lenart have each scored four runs. Seahawks' pitcher Judy Betz leads the team with a 3.36 ERA and with 33 strikeouts across 15 games.
All-Time Against The Seahawks
Quinnipiac holds an all-time record of 14-7 with Wagner, dating back to 2001. Last season, the Bobcats swept the Seahawks, 4-3 and 7-1, in a two-game series played at the Quinnipiac Softball Field.
Scouting Bryant
At 6-0 in the NEC, Bryant enters Sunday's games in first place in conference standings. The Bulldogs have won 11 straight contests, including their most recent victories over Holy Cross, 5-2, and Brown, 2-1, this week. Overall, Bryant leads the conference with a .472 slugging percentage and is currently tied for first in the NEC in home runs (21) with Sacred Heart. Freshman shortstop Aubrey Mable leads the Bulldogs with a .443 batting average, 27 hits and 20 runs scored on the year. Mable also posts a team-high .820 slugging percentage and a .541 on base percentage. Freshman catcher Kendall Corder leads the team in RBI (18), while junior Laura Bowen has hit a team-high five homers. Bryant senior pitcher Samantha Houseal posts a 2.51 ERA and averages 5.33 strikeouts per game. Houseal has won eight games for Bryant, while sophomore Brittany Hart has won seven games and holds a 3.53 ERA.
All-Time Against The Bulldogs
The Bobcats lead the all-time series with Bryant, 3-1, dating back to the 2009 season. Last year, Quinnipiac swept the Bulldogs in a doubleheader at home, 1-0 and 6-1, on Saturday, April 3, 2010.
Last Time Out
In its most recent outing, Quinnipiac lost at Fairfield, 6-1. Freshman Jordan Paolucci went 2-for-3 and drove in the Bobcats' only run, while second baseman Jacqueline Ristow scored Quinnipiac's run. In addition, freshman pitcher Katie Alfiere took her third loss of the year, as she pitched six innings for the Bobcats.
Magic In March
Junior pitcher Heather Schwartzburg was recently named Quinnipiac's female Athlete of the Month as she led the softball team to a 12-win month. The junior hurler posted an 8-4 record with a 1.48 ERA. In 85 1/3 innings pitched, Schwartzburg racked-up an astonishing 120 strikeouts. In nine of the 14 games she appeared in, including 12 starts, Schwartzburg had nine or more strikeouts including five in which she struck-out at least 11 batters. Her highest strikeout total of the month came against Boston University when she K'd 14 batters while holding the Terriers to one run on four hits in a complete game victory. She also recorded two saves for the month.
NEC Weekly Accolades
Heather Schwartzburg picked up her third Akadema/NEC Pitcher of the Week title of the year on April 4. The right-handed junior led the Bobcats to four wins last week, including their first three conference victories of the season. Schwartzburg struck out 22 batters across 24 innings. She only allowed 12 hits and three runs as she maintained a 0.88 ERA and improved her 2011 record to 12-6.
Leading Ladies
Freshman Jordan Paolucci leads the Bobcats with a .313 batting average, a .600 slugging percentage, and a .481 on base percentage. Paolucci also leads the team in runs scored (21), RBI (17), and home runs (6). Sophomore second baseman Jacqueline Ristow has contributed a team-high 33 hits, while third baseman Bridget Figmic has hit seven doubles on the year.
Schwartzburg In The Spotlight
Heather Schwartzburg holds a 12-6 record on the year, with three saves, after appearing in 21 contests for the Bobcats. Schwartzburg is 50th in the NCAA rankings, while leading the team and the NEC with a 1.56 ERA. She's also tied in 30th in NCAA standings, as she's struck out 159 batters across 125.2 innings pitched. Schwartzburg has held her opponents this year to a .183 batting average.
Pretty Pitching
As of April 7, the Bobcats led the NEC across several pitching categories. Quinnipiac pitchers have recorded a combined 2.50 ERA and have struck out 235 batters on the year. The Bobcats have also held opponents to a .221 batting average.
NEC Notes
Jordan Paolucci is currently ranked third in the NEC in on base percentage (.485) and is tied in second in home runs (6). Lauren Salgado leads the conference with 11 stolen bases. Salgado has been successful on each of her 11 steal attempts this year. In addition, senior captain Joelle Jacobsen is ranked at the top of the NEC in putouts (207), while Bridget Figmic is ranked in the conference's top-five in assists (77).
Home Run Heroes
Freshman Jordan Paolucci leads the Bobcats with six home runs this season. Last weekend, the Bobcats' Jacqueline Ristow and Alex Alba each hit their first homer of 2011. In addition, Mina Duffy, Joelle Jacobsen and Ashley Heiberger have each hit one home run on the year.
What's Next For Quinnipiac
Quinnipiac returns to action when it hosts Fairfield on Wednesday, April 13 at 3:30 p.m. at the Quinnipiac Softball Field in Hamden, Conn.