University of Tennessee Athletics
SURGING SOFTBALLERS TO FACE BELMONT IN MID-WEEK DOUBLEHEADER
March 04, 2003 | Softball
March 4, 2003
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KNOXVILLE, Tenn.
Having emerged victorious in 13 of its last 15 games, the Lady Vol softball team (14-6) will return home for the first time since Feb. 19 when it welcomes Belmont (1-2-1) to Tyson Park for a twinbill on Wednesday afternoon. Later this week, Tennessee will journey to Baton Rouge to kick off its 30-game Southeastern Conference grind against seventh-ranked LSU (16-5), the four-time defending league champion.
"We don't know anything about Belmont since they have only played four games," said Co-Head Coach Ralph Weekly. "We treat every game as an opportunity for excellence and look at every opponent like the New York Yankees. We are looking forward to giving Christy (Anch) her second career start and we hope that she is ready to go as she continues her recovery from a back injury."
Freshman catcher/third baseman Kristi Durant (Placentia, Calif.) continues to pace the Orange and White at the plate with a .466 batting average, the second-highest total in the SEC. Riding an 11-game hitting streak, her .544 on-base percentage also rates second in the conference. Durant has achieved all-tournament accolades three times already in her maiden season, while her .467 (7-for-15) performance in the Golden Panther Invitational was the highest clip for Tennessee. Freshman pitcher/outfielder Stacey Jennings (Aurora, Colo.), who collected the SEC's Player of the Week honor on Monday after being chosen as the Most Valuable Player at Florida International's event, is hitting .417 and leads the Lady Vols in slugging percentage (.917), total bases (44), runs batted in (22) and home runs (seven).
Although rookie outfielder Katherine Card (Soddy Daisy, Tenn.) saw an end to her 11-game hitting streak on Sunday against Furman, she is at an even .400 this spring with 12 RBI and four dingers. Sophomore first baseman Amber Rhinehart (Citrus Heights, Calif.) earned her first all-tournament recognition last weekend and carries a .291 average into tomorrow's action. Freshman Sarah Fekete (Maryville, Tenn.) turned in a .333 (5-for-15) effort at FIU and has swiped four bases in five attempts in '03.
In the circle, Jennings has compiled a record of 7-4 and paces UT in innings pitched (67.0), appearances (17), games started (12), victories (seven), complete games (four), saves (two), solo shutouts (two), lowest earned run average (1.67) and lowest batting average against (.222). Senior Stephanie Humphrey (Knoxville, Tenn.) has taken her last five decisions to improve to 5-2 and is 10 strikeouts away from becoming the first Lady Vol to reach the 500-K plateau for her career. She has a 1.85 ERA and has fanned a team-best 46 batters over her 14 appearances. Rookie right-hander Christy Anch (Ashburn, Va.) is 2-0 with a 1.69 ERA after claiming the first start of her career with an 8-1 conquest of Florida A&M last Saturday.
The Lady Vols will be renewing acquaintances with Belmont for the first time since the 2000 season. Coming off a 14-40 performance last spring, as well as a 10th-place finish in the Atlantic Sun Conference, Head Coach Tanya Spishak's team fell twice to Middle Tennessee State on Monday in Nashville, 8-2 and 5-1, to fall to 1-2-1.
BU's top returning hitter is junior catcher LeAnna Crandall, who had 19 RBI and swiped five bases on her way to a .279 clip in 2002. Outfielder Christi Davis (.266 avg., eight SB, seven RBI), shortstop Sara Peeples (.259 avg., nine RBI), outfielder Heidi Lane (.185 avg.), third baseman Jessica Seymore (.162) and outfielder Amanda Jones (.101) round out BU's main returning student-athletes. In the circle, Mandy Miles was 6-11 with a 3.07 earned run average over her 19 appearances, covering 108 innings, and Tara Allen was 1-6 with a 5.63 ERA in 51 innings of activity.
Tennessee has claimed all nine of its meetings with Belmont, outscoring the Bruins by an aggregate score of 77-5. The Orange has compiled a 5-0 mark in Knoxville and a 4-0 record versus BU in Nashville. Below is the series summary:
4/7/98 Lady Vols sweep, 10-0 and 6-1, in Nashville
3/12/99 Lady Vols win, 12-1 (5) in the Lady Vol Spring Invitational
3/16/99 Lady Vols sweep, 17-0 (5) and 8-0 (5), in Knoxville
4/28/99 Lady Vols sweep, 6-0 and 6-0, in Nashville
4/18/00 Lady Vols sweep, 3-0 and 9-3, in Knoxville
