April 25, 2003
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
The Terps (17-15, 0-6 ACC) will look to bring home their first conference victory of the season against North Carolina (38-17-1, 3-2 ACC) this Saturday at 3 p.m. The team will honor seniors Samantha Sweeney (Marlton, N.J.) and Jillian Callaway (Brandywine, Md.) in a ceremony between games of the doubleheader.
Last season, the Terps came into the North Carolina series winless in the ACC. Maryland brought home two ACC wins from the team's trip to Chapel Hill, N.C. after taking contests 3-0 and 5-1. The two wins clinched a third place conference finish for the team.
SCOUTING NORTH CAROLINA
Head coach Donna Papa's squad is 10-1-1 in its last 12 games. The team's only loss came to No. 10 Georgia during the Bulldogs' invitational tournament last Sunday. North Carolina took a 2-1 extra-inning affair from Georgia earlier in the tournament.
Senior Tiffany Tolleson leads the ACC in hits (74) and stolen bases (41). She also ranks second in batting average (.425). Jaclyn Holden, Megan Welch, and Emily Price are all batting over .300 for the Tar Heels. The team ranks third in the ACC with a combined .279 batting averge.
The Tar Heels have received nearly flawless pitching from the freshmen duo of Crystal Cox and Alison Yin. Cox (23-9) ranks second in the conference with a 0.85 ERA and 224 strikeouts. She was named ACC Player of the Week for Mar. 17 and Apr. 21. Yin (12-4) sports a 1.69 ERA.
RECAPPING MORGAN STATE
Junior Monica Cyphert (Warren, Ohio) was masterful in the circle for the Terps, picking up both wins in the twinbill. In game one, Cyphert (11-8) struck out ten and allowed only one hit in the complete game shutout. The game marked the third time Cyphert has struck out ten or more batters this season (11 vs. Radford, 14 vs. Coppin State) and the third time she has held a team to one or fewer hits (Feb. 23 vs. Radford, Apr. 13 vs. Coppin State). Cyphert came in to relieve game two starter Jessica Aditays (Shrewsbury, Mass.) and pitched four innings for the victory.
Game one started out as a pitcher's duel between Cyphert and Morgan State starter Jamila Taylor (6-8) through the first four innings. Taylor allowed only three Terp hits until the fifth inning, when Maryland struck for five runs on four hits. Cyphert was not only the winning pitcher in the game, but also the offensive star for Maryland. She went 3-for-4 at the plate and drove in four runs. Freshman left fielder Natalie Grossman (Skillman, N.J.) doubled for Maryland and scored two runs and Lauren Pollock (Severna Park, Md.) legged out an inside-the-park home run to right field.
Game two saw huge plate production from third baseman Crystal Rizzuto (San Leandro, Calif.), Crystal Tweedy (Dumfries, Va.), and Casey Leiter (Lake Stevens, Wash.). Rizzuto went 3-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI. Leiter drove in three runs off a two-out triple roped to right field. Tweedy also tripled and scored two runs in the win.
TERPS HONOR SENIORS
Maryland will be honoring senior starters Samantha Sweeney (Marlton, N.J.) and Jillian Callaway (Brandywine, Md.) in between games against North Carolina Saturday.
Samantha Sweeney has been a huge asset to the Maryland Softball Program throughout her years here. As a freshman, Sweeney made an instant impact in the Terrapin lineup, batting .297 and starting 30 games in left field. Sweeney missed the 2001 season due to injury. Last year, she came back with one of the best offensive seasons in Maryland history. Sweeney sported a team-high .350 batting average, which also ranks second all-time in program history. She also placed third in the ACC and broke a team-record for stolen bases with 25. The centerfielder received ACC Player of the Week honors for Feb. 11, 2002 and was one of 19 ACC athletes to receive the prestigious Weaver-James-Corrigan Postgraduate Scholarship. The speedy lead-off hitter will leave the Maryland program as the all-time leader in batting average (.317), triples (5), and stolen bases (41). Sweeney is also a member of the Maryland Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll.
First baseman Jillian Callaway has done it all for the Terps in her four years at Maryland. The starting second baseman her freshman year, Callaway has made starts all over the infield diamond, eagerly filling in wherever her team needed her. Callaway will leave her name on many Maryland record lists, ranking ninth all-time in games played (176), games started (182), at-bats (468), hits (114), and RBI (51). A team player in every essence, Callaway ranks fifth in program history in sacrifice hits (22) and second in sacrifice flies (6). The first baseman is in the midst of a career season, attaining a personal best .278 batting average. Callaway is a member of the Maryland Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll and Vice President of the Maryland Student Athlete Advisory Council.
