Texas Tech University Athletics
Tech Looks for Next Conference Wins
March 28, 2008 | Softball
March 28, 2008
LUBBOCK, Texas - On Deck
After snapping a four-game losing streak to Texas with a big 5-4 win Thursday night, Texas Tech softball (9-25, 1-2) travels to Lawrence, Kan. in search of more conference wins when it takes on the Kansas Jayhawks (25-8, 0-2) in a weekend series. Saturday's game is set to get under way at 2 p.m., while first pitch Sunday is scheduled for 12 p.m.
The Series
The Jayhawks and Red Raiders will meet for the 31st and 32nd times this weekend. KU leads the all-time series 21-9, including a 7-3 advantage in Lawrence. The Jayhawks have won the last nine meetings. The last Tech win was on May 1, 2003 and its last win in Lawrence came on April 9, 2000.
Scouting the Jayhawks
Kansas boasts a 25-8, 0-2 record and have won 12 of their last 15 games. The Jayhawks are hitting .270 as a team and carry a team ERA of 1.84. Dougie McCaulley paces the squad with a .408 avg., while Val Chapple, last week's NFCA National Player of the Week, is hitting .340 with six home runs and 21 RBI. Valerie George is 12-2 with a 1.24 ERA and 106 strikeouts in the circle. Judy Bunge is in her 12th season at the helm of Kansas.
Texas Recap
Montana Patin hit her third home run of the season and Devin Zaragoza added an RBI single in the sixth to help Tech beat Texas 5-4. The Red Raiders survived a late rally by the Longhorns to snap a four-game losing streak to UT and beat the Longhorns for the first time in Lubbock... a season-high 457 people were in attendance and with two hits Megan Shupp has hit safely in eight of her last nine games... With the win, the Red Raiders also avenged a loss to the `Horns two weeks ago at the Hawai'i Spring Fling Tournament.
UTEP Wrap Up
After struggling to get their bats going early against the Miners' ace in 2-1 loss, the Red Raiders roared back with nine runs on 10 hits to run rule UTEP 9-1 in the second game. Jennifer Corkin helped lead the hit parade by going 2-2 with a home run and two RBI. Hot-hitting junior Megan Shupp also chipped in a pair of hits in three trips to the plate. Freshman Tye Coats picked up the win in the circle and also helped herself with an RBI single.
Last Week in Review
Going on two to three hours of sleep after flying a red eye into Dallas, Texas Tech dropped a tough 4-3 contest to North Texas in Denton. The Mean Green scored two unearned runs with two outs in the bottom of the seventh to steal the win... Friday, No. 7 Texas A&M stole a 7-3 extra-inning affair from Tech, after A&M had to scratch its way back to force extra innings. Junior Megan Shupp blasted her second home run of the season in the contest... Saturday saw A&M take another closely-contested game 3-1.
Hawai'i Happenings
Senior outfielder Devin Zaragoza and sophomore Leah Legler were both named to the Hawai'i Spring Fling all-tournament two weeks ago... Tech had at least eight hits in three of the six games in the tournament, including nine-hit outings against Maine and Texas... Three Red Raiders hit over .300 for the tournament, including Legler (.389), Robyn Wike (.364) and Liz Eimen (.316)... Two players captured career firsts as junior Megan Shupp hit her first career home run against Hawaii and freshman Tye Coats recorded her first career save in Tech's first game against Maine.
On the Road
Thursday's game will be just the fifth home game this season for Tech. The Red Raiders played their first 29 games away from Lubbock. Playing that many road games to start a season is nothing unusual for the Red Raiders under Teresa Wilson. In 2006, Tech played its first 34 games, including four conference games, on the road. Last year, the Red Raiders played its first 30 contests away from Lubbock before playing its first home game at Rocky Johnson Field.
In Perspective
Eighteen of the Red Raiders' losses this season have come against teams that are either ranked in the Top 25 or have been receiving votes. Twelve losses have come against Top 25 teams, while nine losses have been by two runs or less.
Can You Say Strength of Schedule?
Nine of Tech's 2008 opponents are currently ranked in the Top 25, while four others are receiving votes... Twelve teams on the Red Raiders' schedule were ranked in the preseason polls.
Eimen On the Ball
Few Tech players are hitting the ball better than Liz Eimen of late. The Mannford, Okla., native is hitting .300 over the last 15 games, including a career-best five-game hitting streak. Coming into the last two weeks, she was hitting just .120.ers this year, which does not include back-to-back games in tournaments.
Shupp is Up!
If the Big 12 Conference had a Most Improved Player Award, junior Megan Shupp would have to be a front runner. Her numbers this year have exceeded many of her career totals coming into the season. She has two home runs this year after not hitting a one the previous two years. Her eight RBI at this point surpasses her career total of five coming into the season, and her five extra base hits also exceed her career tally. Perhaps most impressively, her .314 batting average this season is 157 points higher than her career average. She is hitting .375 over the last 10 games.
The Hits Keep Coming
Legler has recorded 14 multi-hit games on the season. She is eighth in the Big 12 in hits with 37, which already eclipses her 24 hits all of last season. She is hitting .333 coming into this week.
Tough Conference
The Big 12 is right up there with the toughest softball conferences in the country. Three schools are ranked in the Top 25 in both the NFCA and ESPN.com polls, with two others receiving votes. Only the SEC (5) and Pac-10 (5/6) conferences have more teams ranked... Five schools from the Big 12 were ranked in the preseason polls. Two others, including Texas Tech, were among those receiving votes. Only the Pac-10 had more teams ranked with seven.
Big Things in Small Packages
Junior Montana Patin may be Tech's shortest player on the roster at just 5'0", but don't let her stature fool you. She leads the Red Raiders with six doubles, three home runs and 17 RBI. She hit a monsterous blast off Stanford ace Missy Penna at the Stanford Classic in Palo Alto.
