Up Next For the Redhawks: The Seattle University softball team will remain on the road this week, as they head to Arizona State for the ASU Littlewood Classic in Tempe, Ariz. At the five-game tournament from Friday, Feb. 18 to Sunday, Feb. 20, SU will take on No. 9/12 Arizona State, Idaho State, Illinois State and Iowa.
ASU Littlewood Classic Schedule:
Fri., Feb. 18 vs. Iowa at 12 p.m. MT
Fri., Feb. 18 at Arizona State at 5 p.m. MT
Sat., Feb. 19 vs. Idaho State at 9:30 a.m. MT
Sat., Feb. 19 vs. Illinois State at 12 p.m. MT
Sun., Feb. 20 at Arizona State at 1 p.m. MT
Live Stats: Live stats and audio for select games will be available at www.GoSeattleU.com.
Last Time Out: The Redhawks (0-5) struggled to get their offense going in their opening weekend of action. Seattle U dropped all five games at the UC Santa Barbara-hosted Gaucho Classic I. Sophomore third baseman Allegra Wilde (Kennewick, Wash.) was the team’s offensive leader, behind five hits.
On Deck: The Redhawks will return to Southern California for a three-game series with the University of San Diego. Seattle U will take on the Toreros in a doubleheader on Saturday, Feb. 26. First pitch is set for noon. The following day, SU and USD will face off in an 11 a.m. game.
The Wilde Way: Sophomore third baseman Allegra Wilde (Kennewick, Wash.) is coming off a solid opening weekend of work at the UCSB Gaucho Classic I. She led the squad at the five-game tournament with five hits, a run, a triple and an RBI. Wilde is hitting a team-leading .357 in five straight starts.
First Ranked Opponent: The Redhawks will play their first ranked opponent of the 2011 season this weekend. Host Arizona State enters action behind a No. 9/12 national ranking.
Newbies Make Their Debut: All seven Redhawk newcomers made their collegiate debuts this past weekend at the Gaucho Classic I. Junior transfer Natalie Leyland (Richland, Wash.) was the only newbie to start in all five games at the tournament.
Looking to Get on Track: After struggling to get in the win column at the Gaucho Classic I, the Redhawks will look to find their offensive rhythm this weekend at the ASU Littlewood Classic. SU is vying for their first victory of the 2011 campaign.
Scouting No. 9/12 Arizona State: Seattle U’s first ranked opponent of the season, No. 9/12 Arizona State currently is sporting a 5-1 record. The Sun Devils opened the year with a 17-0 five inning victory on Feb. 10, and saw their only loss thus far on Feb. 12, in an eight inning 3-1 defeat versus Utah.
Krista Donnenwirth is leading the Sun Devil offense with a .500 batting average. She’s 8-for-16, with five runs, two doubles and a home run. On the mound, Dallas Escobedo leads ASU with a 4-0 record and a 1.15 ERA. Hillary Bach also posts a victory on the season in four appearances.
Scouting Idaho State: The Bengals of Idaho State will open their 2011 campaign at the Littlewood Classic. Last season ISU went 14-39 overall, 6-14 PCSC. In their last meeting, the Redhawks and Bengals split their season series on Apr. 10-11 in Seattle. Seattle U swept day one doubleheader action and fell in both games the following day, including a 10 inning one-run loss.
The Bengals and Redhawks will meet again in PCSC action in a two-day series on Apr. 30 and May 1, in Pocatello, Idaho.
Scouting Illinois State: Illinois State travels to the tournament riding a 4-1 overall record. In their opening weekend at the Red and Black Showcase in Athens, Ga. the Redbirds defeated East Carolina, Lipscomb, Maryland and Iowa. They saw their lone loss to Georgia, 2-1, on Feb. 11.
ISU has four players batting over .300, with Kara Nelson leading the way. She has a .563 batting average in five consecutive starts. Nelson’s tallied nine hits, eight runs, three doubles, two RBIs and a triple. In the circle, Megan Warner is 2-0 with 0.00 ERA. She’s thrown 23 strikeouts in 14.0 innings of action. Taylor Baxter and Jordan Birch also sport a pair of victories on the year.
Scouting Iowa: Iowa heads to Arizona State after going 1-4 in their season opening weekend at the Red and Black Showcase in Athens, Ga. They earned a 1-0 win over Maryland on Feb. 11, for their lone victory of the season.
Senior infielder Chelsey Carmody leads the Hawkeye offense with a .333 batting average. She tallied five hits, a pair of doubles and an RBI. On the mound, Kayla Massey is 1-1, behind a 3.92 ERA. She’s allowed 22 hits in 19.2 innings of work, while throwing 22 strikeouts.