"We are excited about starting up conference play at home this weekend!" said head coach Dan Powers. "Our team is starting to come around with our bats and our pitching and defense has been playing very well the last three weeks."
"The weather forecast is much improved over the playing conditions the last two weeks so we are hoping for a big crowd for our league opener against Idaho State," concluded Powers.
Last Time Out: The Redhawks had a successful home stand last week, going 2-1-1 with victories over South Dakota on Apr. 1, and Simon Fraser on Apr. 3. Seattle played the Coyotes of South Dakota three times, went 1-1-1 with them. After being edged 2-1 in their opening game, they turned around and defeated USD 7-5. In their final meeting on Apr. 3, they concluded the game with a 0-0 tie after seven full innings of play due to time and weather constraints. The Redhawks decisively defeated Simon Fraser 7-1 in six innings. The game was called early due to inclement weather.
Over the four game span, SeattleU was led by PCSC Mountain Division Pitcher of the Week Kelsey Reynolds, who went 2-1 with a 1.54 ERA in 13.2 innings pitched. Reynolds was the first Redhawk to receive a pitching honor. Her stellar performance on the mound was added to by SU's much improved offense. SeattleU outscored their opponents 15 to nine. The Redhawk offense was headlined by top hitter Katie Antich. She hit .583, behind seven hits and six runs.
Follow the Game: Free live stats will be available for all softball action on Saturday and Sunday. Fans log onto www.GoSeattleU.com to follow the games and for the most up-to-date information about the Redhawk softball team.
Reynolds Named Pitcher of the Week: Senior Kelsey Reynolds earned her first Division I honor this week as she was named the PCSC Pitcher of the Week for the Mountain Division. It is the first conference pitching honor SeattleU has earned this year and the second PCSC recognition they have received in 2010.
Leading up to being recognized by the PCSC she went 2-1 in 13.2 innings pitched. She posted a 1.54 ERA, throwing seven strikeouts to bring her season total to 26 on the year. She earned victories in SU's second game of their doubleheader versus South Dakota, 7-5, on Apr. 1. In the outing, she allowed only one run, while striking out three. Two days later, she earned SeattleU's second win of the week in their dominating 7-1 defeat over Simon Fraser. In the game, she had a pair of strikeouts.
It's a New Era for the Redhawks: SeattleU will commence Pacific Coast Softball Conference play this weekend with Idaho State. The four game series marks SU's first action as a member of the DI conference. SU was predicted to finish second in the Mountain Division in their first season of PCSC play.
Antich Continues to Be Hot at the Plate: Senior Katie Antich has maintained her stance as the team's top batter. This season she is hitting .375, behind 30 hits, 19 runs, four doubles, two RBIs and a triple. Antich is the sixth-best batter in the PCSC and is in four top-10 statistical categories in the conference. She's sporting a .450 slugging percentage and .451 on base percentage. In 27 straight starts in the outfield, she holds a .959 fielding percentage.
Rookies Making a Strong Impact: The trio of Theresa Clark, Jessica Ulrich and Allegra Wilde have made significant strides of improvement and have become immediate impact players in the Redhawks lineup. Clark is hitting .241 for fifth-best on the squad, behind a pair of home runs, while Ulrich has taken the reigns both on the mound and at the plate. She's thrown a second-best 20 strikeouts in the circle and is hitting .236 at the plate for sixth-best. Rounding out the trio is Wilde, who has seven hits, four RBIs, a run and a double.
Ending in a Tie?: In a rare close to a game, the Redhawks concluded their Apr. 3, contest versus the University of South Dakota with a 0-0 tie after seven full innings of play. The game was called due to time constraints and inclement weather.
Gaining Momentum: After a strong weekend at home, where they went 2-1-1, the Redhawks look to be gelling together and are looking strong both at the plate and in the field. Their season progression comes just in time as they open up conference play this weekend with Idaho State.
Scouting Idaho State: The Bengals of Idaho State travel west riding a 6-21 overall record. On the year, they have only seen two victories on the road, both over the NAIA's College of Idaho on Feb. 28. They enter this weekend's action after sweeping Great Falls on Apr. 5. They earned a 16-5 five inning win and closed out the doubleheader with a 6-5 victory. Prior to earning the pair of non-conference wins, they dropped all four games at the BYU Invitational from Apr. 2-3.
Leading ISU at the plate is Desirae Hoffman. In 27 consecutive starts, she is hitting .425. On the year, she's tallied 34 hits, 12 runs, seven RBIs and two doubles. She is the current PCSC hitting leader. The Bengals currently have four players hitting over .300.
In the circle, Kandis Clesson is 5-12 with a 5.48 ERA. In 25 appearances, she's started 16 games and pitched nine complete games. She's thrown 68 strikeouts and allowed 141 hits in her 104.2 innings pitched. Batters facing Clesson are averaging .320 at the plate.