Softball Heads to California for Cathedral City Classic
2/17/2009 7:00:00 AM | Softball
Feb. 17, 2009
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - One of the most competitive collegiate softball tournaments in the nation awaits the University of Maryland softball team when it travels to Cathedral City, Calif., to participate in the Cathedral City Classic starting Thursday.
The Terrapins kick off the first of four days and six games of tournament play Thursday by taking on UC Santa Barbara at 6:30 p.m. EST followed by a matchup with Hawai'i at 11 p.m. the same night. Maryland's final four contests as part of the Cathedral City Classic pit the team against nationally ranked opponents - No. 14/14 Fresno State (Friday at 6:30 p.m.), No. 9/10 California (Saturday at 3:30 p.m.), No. 17/19 Nevada (Saturday at 11 p.m.) and No. 6/6 UCLA (Sunday at 2 p.m.). Each game will take place at one of five fields comprising the Big League Dreams Sports Park in Cathedral City.
In all, the 32-team Cathedral City Classic features 20 of the 64 teams from the 2008 NCAA Tournament, including four of the eight squads that competed in last year's Women's College World Series in Alabama, Florida, UCLA and reigning national champion Arizona State. Of the 32 tournament participants, 14 squads currently find themselves ranked among the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 and/or the USA Today /NFCA Division I Top 25.
"This competition represents one of the premier showcases of college softball," said head coach Laura Watten, "and our team is looking forward to having an opportunity to participate."
The Terps (0-5) have spent the last week-and-a-half preparing for their upcoming tournament after opening the 2009 season in the Florida Atlantic Kick-Off Classic. Led by Kerry Hickey, a native of Huntingtown, Md., who ranks sixth in the Atlantic Coast Conference in batting (.471), Maryland pounded out 32 hits during their first five games.
Last Time Out
Despite coming away winless from the Florida Atlantic Kick-Off Classic, the Terps showed glimpses of their young squad's potential during the three-day tournament in Boca Raton, Fla. Sophomore Kerry Hickey collected eight hits in 17 at-bats and allowed just four earned runs in 11 innings pitched (2.55 ERA). Freshman pitcher Kendra Knight, of Virginia Beach, Va., recorded 16 strikeouts in three appearances, limiting opposing batters to a .161 average. Fellow newcomer Nadine Blackie, a transfer from Pensacola Junior College, and senior leader Devon Williams also batted over .300 during the season-opening tournament.
Scouting the Competition
• UC Santa Barbara (5-4) has lost four of its last five games, but three of those defeats came at the hands of ranked opponents. Freshman Keilani Jennings leads the Gauchos with four home runs, 10 RBIs and 22 total bases. Relief pitcher Jenny Liepman has not allowed a hit or run in 6.1 innings of work.
• Hawai'i (2-8), which was receiving votes in both national preseason polls, boasts two players hitting above .400 through its first 10 games of the season. Seniors Tanisha Milca (.464) and Clare Warwick (.407) pace the Rainbow Wahine's offense.
• Fresno State (3-1) has shut out three of its first four opponents this season and currently leads the Western Athletic Conference in team pitching (1.25 ERA). Sophomore Morgan Melloh (2-0, 0.00 ERA) has pitched complete game shutouts in both her starts thus far, striking out 24 while allowing only four hits in 15.1 innings pitched.
• California (7-1) has outscored its opponents 65 to 16 in winning seven of its first eight contests. The Golden Bears' only loss came versus ACC foe North Carolina Feb. 14. Freshman Jamia Reid leads the team in nearly every offensive category, having notched 12 hits, five home runs and 13 RBIs.
• Nevada (7-2) achieved a signature early-season win by beating then-No. 9 Northwestern on Feb. 6. The Wolf Pack rank second in the WAC in team batting (.317), as sophomore Britton Murdock has accumulated a .448 average with a team-best 15 RBIs.
• UCLA (8-2), which competed in the 2008 Women's College World Series, has belted 23 home runs and compiled a team batting average of .335 during its first 10 games of 2009. Sophomore Katie Schroeder is batting .469 and leads the Pacific-10 with six home runs. Pitcher Donna Kerr has made five starts, registering four complete games.
Series Histories
When the Terps participate in the Cathedral City Classic, they will be playing half their tournament opponents (UC Santa Barbara, Hawaii and Fresno State) for the first time in the program's 15-year history. Maryland has short series histories with Cal (0-1), Nevada (1-0) and UCLA (0-3), having played all three opponents during the 2007 season.
ACC Rankings
Maryland currently ranks fifth in the ACC in fielding percentage (.964), sixth in batting (.260) and seventh in pitching (4.34 ERA). Individually, Kerry Hickey ranks sixth in the conference in batting (.471), while Kendra Knight stands third in opponents' batting average (.161) and tied for seventh in strikeouts (16).
Did You Know
Kerry Hickey is one of just two players in the ACC who currently rank among the conference's top15 in both batting average (sixth - .471) and ERA (13th - 2.55). The other is NC State's Stephanie Call.
Up Next
Following the Cathedral City Classic, the Terps play five games as part of the Stetson University Tournament from Feb. 27 - March 1 in Deland, Fla. Maryland opens that tournament with Centenary College and also plays Kentucky and host Stetson.
