Drexel University Athletics
Drexel University
Marist
Dragons Dig in at College of Charleston Cougar Classic This Weekend
2/24/2011 2:01:55 PM | Softball
Live Stats
Drexel v. College of Charleston streaming Video
Philadelphia - Drexel softball returns to the field this weekend at the College of Charleston Cougar Classic. The Dragons (0-4) will face a field of opponents that includes Marist, Iowa State, Liberty and the host Cougars. Drexel is coming off an 0-4 performance at the Campbell Hampton Inn Tournament on the opening weekend of play and looking for its first win of the season.
Hillary Allen is off to a blazing hot start for the Dragons this year. The junior pitcher is batting .636 on the season after going 7-for-11 on opening weekend. She also took the ball twice for the Dragons in Buies Creek, N.C. and will be looked to as the anchor of the pitching staff this weekend. Rookies Comfort Ahonkhai and Jessica O'Hara picked up their first career hits during the weekend.
Drexel will face Marist at 2:00 on Friday and cap the evening against the host at 4:00 p.m. On Saturday the Dragons will take on Liberty at 10:00 a.m. and close out play against Iowa State at 8:00 p.m. Live stats will be available for all four games and the game against the College of Charleston will also be video streamed on the Cougars' website.
Marist Preview
The Red Foxes open their 2011 campaign this weekend. Marist was picked to finish seventh in the MAAC preseason coaches poll. They are a young team without a senior on the roster this season.
Ace of the Staff: Sophomore Emily Osterhaus led the team with 16 starts and 18 apperances last season on staff that was populated with four pitchers with losing records. While Osterhaus posted a 3-12 and had swollen 4.95 ERA she did throw the team's lone shutout of the year and struck out at team-high 63 batters in 93 innings of work.
Big Bat: Nicole DeVirgilio a junior catcher/first baseman from nearby Aston, Pa. led the team with 31 RBIs last season. Megan Lamoureaux, who led the team with a .342 batting average in an injury-shortened season is looking to continue her strong start last year after recovering from a hand injury.
College of Charleston Preview
The Cougars are 6-3 on the season and have won five straight games coming into the weekend. The College of Charleston split a doubleheader with Campbell to start the season. The Cougars have also beaten Towson, Charleston Southern East Tennessee State and Morehead State.
Ace of the Staff: Alexa Datko and Stephanie Saylors have nearly identical numbers on the season with both hurlers throwing effectively thus far. Datko is 3-1 on the year with a 2.50 ERA while Saylors has started five games and posted a 2-2 record with a 2.75 ERA opponents are hitting just .250 against her.
Big Bat: Amanda Lonergan is hitting .333 thus far this season for the Cougars with one homer and five RBIs. She's slugging .619 and has a .500 on-base percentage. Carly Corthell is the College's table setter, she is hitting .290 on the season and has stolen four bases without getting caught.
Liberty Preview
The Flames return six starters and both starting pitchers from a team that went 39-18 last season and finished second in the Southern Conference. Liberty set a program record for home victories and had a 12-game winning streak during the season. The Flames lost to Winthrop in the conference championship game.
Ace of the Staff: Tiffani Smith was the 2010 Big South Pitcher of the Year after posting a 20-7 record and striking out a league-leading 211 batters. Smith went on to receive All-Region honors and is now the second most prolific producer of strikeouts in the school's history.
Big Bat: Power-hitting shortstop Kelly Strickland led the Big South with 56 RBIs and ranked second with 15 home runs last season. Meredith Crisante was a Second Team All-Conference pick last year after leading the team with 14 stolen bases and anchoring a top-notch defensive outfield.
Iowa State Preview
The Cyclones are 5-4 on the season and have lost four of their last five coming into the weekend. Iowa State opened the season with wins over Creighton, Western Illinois, Valparaiso and South Dakota State at the Cyclone Indoor Invitational Tournament.
Ace of the Staff: Rachel Zabriski is the Cyclones' top hurler with a 3-1 record in five starts this year. She leads the team with 39 strikeouts in 27 innings and batters are hitting just .262 against her.
Big Bat: Bianca Lopez leads a group of seven Cyclones who are hitting .300 or better on the season. Lopes is raking at a .520 clip and has already driven in 10 runs in as many games. Tori Torrescano has supplied the power for Iowa State, hitting .424 with two homers and 12 RBIs.
