Keiser (14-22, 2-8 TSC) at USCB (25-20, 5-5)
St. Thomas (16-19, 5-5 TSC) at USCB (25-20, 5-5) |
| Date & Time |
vs. Keiser – Saturday, Noon ET (DH)
vs. St. Thomas – Sunday, Noon ET (DH) |
| Location |
Richard Gray Sports Complex – Hardeeville, S.C. |
| TV/Web |
Sand Shark Gameday Network (Stretch Internet) |
| Live Stats |
Sand Shark Gameday Network (Stretch Internet) |
| Facebook |
/USCBSandSharks |
| Twitter |
@USCBAthletics |
Head-To-Head
(Keiser) |
All-Time: USCB leads 9-0
Current Streak: USCB won last 9
All-Time At USCB: USCB leads 4-0 |
|
Head-To-Head
(St. Thomas) |
All-Time: USCB leads 9-5
Current Streak: USCB won last 3
All-Time At USCB: Tied 1-1 |
The USCB softball team plays its final four home games of the season this weekend, hosting Keiser on Saturday and St. Thomas on Sunday in a pair of key Sun Conference doubleheaders. First pitch is scheduled for noon each day, and the Sand Sharks will honor five seniors before Saturday's first game. The Senior Day ceremony is scheduled to begin at 11:25 a.m. USCB enters the weekend tied for third in the Sun Conference standings with St. Thomas, but the Sand Sharks and Bobcats are just two games clear of seventh-place Ave Maria and three ahead of last-place Keiser. The top six teams qualify for the Sun Conference Tournament from May 5-7 in Clermont, Fla.
FIN FACTS
• The Sand Sharks are 102-18 all-time at Richard Gray Sports Complex, including a 20-3 mark last season and a 10-4 record in 2016.
• Senior RHP Ashlie Layman opened the 2016 season with the fourth perfect game in USCB history – the first since 2012 – by retiring all 15 batters she faced in a 14-0 win over Montreat on Feb. 6. Layman racked up nine strikeouts and did not allow a ball out of the infield. Layman threw her second career no-hitter Feb. 21 in a 7-0 win over Edward Waters at the NAIA Spring Break Softball tournament in Plant City, Fla.
• USCB has used seven pitchers this season, the most the Sand Sharks have ever used in a single season. Additionally, five Sand Shark pitchers have appeared in at least three games for the first time in history.
• Freshman OF Kayla Boyle has 10 hits over her past six games and has racked up nine RBIs over that span to take over the team lead with 23 RBIs.
• Freshman P Abby Pac has posted a team-best 1.75 ERA in Sun Conference play, followed closely by sophomore P Naomi Catt with a 2.33 ERA in league games.
• Sophomore P Naomi Catt has been the winning pitcher in the last four games in which she has pitched, improving to 4-3 on the season after dropping her first three decisions of the year.
MILESTONE WATCH
• Senior OF Missy Hughes ranks second in USCB history with 190 hits and needs 10 to match Taylor Triplett's school record. Hughes is fifth on USCB's career list with 103 runs.
• Senior OF Missy Hughes (31) and junior 2B Marissa Becker (31) are tied for second on USCB's career list for stolen bases. Becker swiped 19 bags last season, one short of matching the single-season school record set by Barbara Phillips in 2012, while Hughes leads the team with 11 steals this season.
• With 126 strikeouts this season, senior RHP Ashlie Layman now has 404 in her career, joining Kristy Cook (522) as the only players in USCB history with 400.
• With seven sacrifice bunt this season, senior C Whitley Martin has 20 in her career, surpassing the former school record held by Shelby Zipperer (16).
BY THE NUMBERS
16 – USCB has played 16 one-run games, going 10-6 in those contests. The Sand Sharks have won six straight games decided by a single run.
17 – The Sand Sharks are 17-3 when scoring at least four runs.
106 – USCB coach Laura Heberling earned her 100th career win as a head coach earlier this season at Columbia College and enters the weekend with a record of 106-45 in three seasons as USCB's head coach.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
Keiser has lost three straight and 10 of its last 12 to fall into last place in the conference standings. The Seahawks have been shut out five times over their last 11 contests. After a strong start to the season, Keiser is hitting .208 in conference play. The Seahawks have a team ERA of 3.96 and have been even better in conference play with a 3.35 ERA.
St. Thomas was shut out twice last weekend in a sweep at Southeastern but had won four of its previous six games prior to that. The Bobcats are extremely aggressive on the bases, ranking in the top 20 nationally in stolen bases per game (2.0) and caught stealing per game (0.4). Jessica Castiglione (5-4, 1.03 ERA) is the ace of a deep pitching staff that has posted an excellent 1.52 ERA in conference play.
RELATED LINKS
USCB Schedule and Results
USCB Season Statistics
Sand Shark Softball Record Book
Sun Conference Softball Standings
