2011 MEMPHIS SOFTBALL TEAM STATISTICAL COMPARISON
Record
27-10
11-34
Batting Avg.
.243
.240
Runs/Game
4.57
2.88
Hits/Game
6.00
6.20
RBI/Game
3.97
2.51
Slugging Pct.
.397
.339
Walks/Game
3.22
2.77
On-Base Pct.
.345
.320
SB/Game
0.81
0.97
Fielding Pct.
.966
.945
ERA
1.91
4.56
Batting Avg. Against
.199
.303
Strikeouts/Game
6.57
4.73
Walks/Game
2.59
3.02
ball. Junior Jessica Phillips hit a school-record three home runs, including a walk-off grand slam, and senior Maddie McKinley added two home runs of her own in a 15-6 rout that gave Memphis the series victory. The six roundtrippers hit by the Tigers in that contest were a school-record, eclipsing the old mark of four that was last accomplished against Wichita State Feb. 13, 2010. First National RPI Announced; Memphis Cracks Top 50 While the love from the polls has been lacking of late, the first Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) rankings of 2011 put Memphis softball in rarified air. The Tigers checked in at 40th in the nation in the first RPI of 2011, their highest spot in school history, and up more than 60 spots from last season’s end point of 105th.
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Phillips Named C-USA Co-Hitter of the Week; Second Weekly Honor of 2011 Phillips slugged three home runs to power Memphis to a 15-6 win, Sunday, at UTEP; the three home runs were a school-record and tied a conference record. It was Phillips’ third multi-home run game of 2011 and fourth of her career. The Chattanooga, Tenn., native set a school record with 12 total bases had six RBI, third-most in a single game in school history. For the week, Phillips hit .455 and slugged 1.455, with three homers, a triple and nine RBI to earn the second weekly conference award of her junior season. Valle Named C-USA Pitcher of the Week Memphis senior Janelle Valle went 1-0 with a save in three appearances to help Memphis win two of three at defending C-USA Champions, East Carolina, to open conference play. Valle allowed no runs and just one hit in 10 innings of work with six strikeouts. The Lake Elsinore, Calif., native earned the start in game three and out dueled C-USA Preseason Pitcher of the Year, Toni Paisley, throwing a complete-game, one hitter in a 1-0 victory. It is her first career
UniversityofMemphis
complete-game one hitter and her second shutout of the season. Tigers Take Road Series from Defending Champs to Kick Off 2011 C-USA Schedule Memphis took two of three contests from East Carolina in their season-opening conference series, besting the defending C-USA champions twice in their new stadium. After losing the series opener, 4-1, Memphis rebounded with a hardfought game two win, 2-1. Lauren Carley pitched six innings for the win, while Janelle Valle picked up her third career save. In the Sunday rubber match, Valle started and picked up the win on a complete game, one-hit shut out, the sixth of her career. Jessica Phillips drove in the games lone run, her team-leading 12th RBI. For Memphis, it was their first series win against ECU since the first year of Tiger softball in 2006. Hummel Strikes Out School Record 19 Against No. 22 Texas A&M Against 22nd-ranked Texas A&M, sophomore Carly Hummel pitched one of the best games in U of M softball history, striking out a schoolrecord 19 batters in 8.1 innings of two-hit ball while not allowing an earned run in the extrainning affair. Catcher Amber Lindahl also found her way into the record books with a schoolrecord 20 putotus. Tigers Receive First Ever National Poll Votes With a 12-3 record and two upsets of top-25 foes (Ohio State, Stanford) during the season’s opening two weeks, Memphis earned two votes in the USA Today/NFCA Top-25 poll for the week of Mar. 1, the first time in school history Memphis has received votes in a nationally-recognized poll. The Tigers received votes in the poll for two weeks, before falling out. Making History with Win at PAC-10 Opponent By beating Stanford in Palo Alto, the Tigers carved their own slice of Conference USA history. Never before had a C-USA school beaten a Pac-10 squad, at home, in the regular season, before the Tigers 2-1 win against the Cardinal. The only other time a C-USA team had beaten a Pac-10 team at home was when Houston defeated Washington in the 2008 NCAA Regional, sweeping the Huskies out of the NCAA Tournament with two wins. Nice To Meet You This season, the Tigers face eight opponents for the first time in program history. Eight of Memphis’ first 14 opponents were teams the Tiger Softball program had never played. The Tigers are 46-50 all-time in first-time meetings and 28-24 when a first-time meeting is played at a neutral site. Close Calls Already, the 2011 season has been a series of close games. Memphis has already played 13 games decided by one run, going 9-4 in those contests; nine one-run victories leads Conference USA this season. Last season, Memphis was involved in 16 games decided by a run (31.4
SOFTBA LL QUICK FACTS Nickname..................................................Tigers Mascot ...................................................Pouncer Enrollment ............................................... 23,031 Colors ............................................. Blue & Gray Conference ..............................Conference USA Field ...................... Tiger Softball Complex (275) Press Box Number: ....................901-678-5461 President .......................... Dr. Shirley C. Raines Athletic Director ............................R.C. Johnson Faculty Rep. .........................Stanley E. Stevens Head Coach...................................Windy Thees Alma Mater ...........................Florida State, 1997 Overall Record.................... 326-239 (11th year) Record at U of M .................. 163-147 (6th year) Assistant Coach............................... Nick French Alma Mater ....................Emerson College, 2005 Assistant Coach................................Julie Meyer Alma Mater ................................ California, 2010
HISTORY First Year of Softball: .................................. 2006 Overall Record: ......................163-147 (6 years) College World Series Appearances: ............. N/A NCAA Regional Apperances:........................ N/A Conference Championship: .......................... N/A Last Postseason Opponent: ......................... N/A
COACHING STAFF Head Coach: Windy Thees (Florida State, 1997) Record at Memphis/years: .............. 163-147/Six Collegiate Record/years: ........... 326-239/Eleven Assistant Coaches/years: ................................... ........ Nick French (Emerson College, 2005)/First ..................... Julie Meyer (California, 2010)/First Athletic Trainer:................................Erika Chace Softball Office Phone: ................(901) 678.2315 Softball Office Fax: ....................(901) 678.2162
2011 TEAM INFORMATION Starters Returning/Lost:.................................8/1 Letterwinners Returning/Lost: .....................16/3 Pitchers Returning/Lost: ...............................3/1 Newcomers: .....................................................6
2010 TEAM INFORMATION Overall Record: ........................................ 25-26 Home: .......................................................15-11 Road: ......................................................... 5-10 Neutral: ........................................................ 5-5 Conference USA Record (Finish): ..... 8-15 (7th) Home: .......................................................... 5-7 Road: ........................................................... 3-8 Neutral: ........................................................ 0-0 C-USA Tournament: ..................................... 1-1 Final Ranking: ..............................................N/A
MEDIA RELATIONS Softball Contact: .......................Brandon Kolditz Office Phone: .............................(901) 678.2444 Cell Phone: ...............................(901) 871.5475 E-Mail: ......................... wkolditz@memphis.edu Fax:............................................(901) 678.4134 Secondary Contact: ...................... Colby Wilson Office Phone: .............................(901) 678.5294 Cell Phone: ................................(615) 604.3803 E-Mail: ........................rcwlson2@memphis.edu Press Box Number: ...................(901) 678.5461 Media Relations Mailing/Shipping Address: .....................................Athletic Media Relations .........................................................570 Normal ...........................................................Room 203 ........................................... Memphis, TN 38152 Website: .........................www.GoTigersGo.com Memphis All-Access: ......www.GoTigersGo.com Play by Play: .......... Dan O’Brien (Fifth Season)
2011 Softball G ame Notes