May 4, 2007
COLLEGE PARK, MD. -
The Maryland Softball team is set to play its final regular season games of the year against Boston College beginning with a doubleheader Saturday at 1 p.m. in College Park. Six players are playing in their final home games as Terrapins, and will be honored in a pre-game ceremony Saturday on Senior Day.
While the rest of the ACC is idle, Maryland and Boston College will battle to complete the ACC Tournament bracket. The Terps can clinch the sixth seed in next week's conference championship tournament with a win in any of the three games. The Eagles can bump the Terps to the seventh slot with a series sweep. The series finale is scheduled for Sunday at 1 p.m., and will be broadcast by WMUC Sports.
Maryland stands at 30-23 overall and 6-11 in the ACC, while Boston College is only 13-27 this season and 3-14 in the conference.
This weekend's action represents the culmination of the careers of two four year Terrapin starters in Lindsay Klein and Keri Lounge, who have missed a combined seven starts in four seasons at Maryland. Both rank prominently on many of the team offensive career records. Klein is the career leader in RBIs and doubles, and Lounge tops the list in triples and sacrifice flies.
Both performed admirably in 2007 as well, with Klein recording 49 hits, 10 doubles, seven homers, and 42 RBIs. Lounge added 21 RBIs and six homers of her own.
Four transfers will also complete their eligibility this weekend. Amber Jackson, Stacey Jennings, and Jennifer Wellborn have made huge contributions in 2007, their lone season as Terrapins.
Jackson's 2007 campaign will go down as one of the greatest in Maryland history, and she leaves as the single season record holder in home runs, RBIs, and walks. Once the season ends, she will most likely also own the batting average crown, as her current .403 average far out distances the record Jenny Belak sat last season at .359.
Jennings won nine games for Maryland, and posted the best ERA on the team at 3.25. She also recorded two saves and a pair of no-hitters before her season was derailed by injuries.
Wellborn proved to be an essential addition as well, splitting time at catcher and in the outfield. She also served as an anchor in the middle of the Maryland line-up this year, recording 47 hits, 10 doubles, and 30 RBIs. She finished second to Jackson with nine homers on the year.
Finally, Abbey Welch, a one-time transfer from Longwood, will complete her third and final season as a Terp. She won four games from the circle and has been crucial in relief for the Terps, especially with Jennings injured. Her 3.26 ERA is the second best on the team.
The seniors will look to send off the Terps with a sweep, something Maryland has only accomplished in ACC play once this season, in their opening conference series at Virginia.
Boston College comes to College Park having won two of their last three games in their final at-bats of the contest. Ashley Obrest hit a dramatic sixth inning home run to give the Eagles a 3-1 win over cross-town rival Boston University on Wednesday, and the Eagles downed Providence 4-3 on Thursday.
Britney Thompson leads the Eagles offensively with a .402 average, 49 hits, 11 doubles, and 28 RBIs.
