Seattle U Softball to Host Home Opener This Weekend

The Seattle University softball team will host their 2011 season home opener this weekend. The Redhawks (1-18) are scheduled to play a four-game series from Saturday, Mar. 26 to Sunday, Mar. 27, versus the NAIA Thunderbirds of the University of British Columbia (12-16).

Weekend Series:

Sat., Mar. 26 vs. British Columbia Logan Field @  1 p.m.

Sat., Mar. 26 vs. British Columbia Logan Field @ 3 p.m.

Sun., Mar. 27 vs.  British Columbia Logan Field @ 12 p.m.

Sun., Mar. 27 vs. British Columbia Logan Field @ 2 p.m.

Follow the Game: Live stats will be available through www.GoSeattleU.com for all four games of this weekend’s series.

Welcome Home: After opening the season on the road and playing their first 19 games in four different states, the Redhawks will finally return to the comforts of Logan Field to host UBC. SU is slated to host 16 games at home this season.

Last Time Out: The Redhawks are coming off a two week break in play, following a tough outing at the Husky Softball Classic from Mar. 11-12. In addition to battling the elements, the Redhawks conceded all three games played, despite taking early leads in all of them.

On Deck: Following their four-game stint at home, SU will return to the road for the UNLV Pre-Conference Roundup in Las Vegas, Nev. The two-day tournament from Apr. 1-2 will include: BYU, Loyola Marymount and UNLV.

Looking to Bounce Back: After struggling to finish games, the Redhawks will look to have a balanced more offense and defense to head into the PCSC conference schedule on a strong note.

Scouting British Columbia: The British Columbia Thunderbirds (12-16) are coming off a 10-day hiatus in play, following an 18-4 victory over Mt. Marty College on Mar. 15. UBC, who currently competes at the NAIA level, is led by Courtney O’Connor’s offensive contributions. In 28 consecutive starts, she posts a .464 batting average and is 39-for-84 this season. O’Connor is one of four Thunderbird players hitting over .300 and is the only one hitting above .400.

British Columbia’s Kelsey Andison leads their three-player pitching staff. She holds a 5-6 record, behind a 5.78 ERA in 13 appearances and four complete games. In 62.1 innings pitched, she’s allowed 84 hits and 40 earned runs, while throwing 36 strikeouts. The team’s strikeout leader is Leigh Della Siega, who is 3-6 and has 70 strikeouts.