USF (22-12) will open American Athletic Conference play with Tulsa (19-8), March 22-24
TAMPA, March 21, 2019 – USF softball went 5-2 in its last weekend of nonconference play and will open its American Athletic Conference slate with Tulsa as it hopes to defend its 2018 regular season title. The first 100 fans at Friday’s game will receive a free “Horns Up” beach towel.
Last season, the Bulls led the league through every week of American Athletic Conference play and clinched the regular season title for the second time in three years. The Bulls hosted The American tournament and battled to the championship game where it fell to Tulsa, 4-1.
Last week, USF went 5-2 with its only losses to No. 20 Minnesota, both by a 3-0 score. USF defeated Colgate (twice), Butler, Purdue and FAMU.
USF center fielder AnaMarie Bruni (Schwenksville, Pa.) was selected this week to The American Honor Roll. Bruni hit .480 over seven games last week with a pair of doubles and a triple, while driving in five runs. She added three stolen bases and carries a 15-game hitting streak into this week’s action. Bruni currently ranks fourth in the nation (first in The American) in hits with 43. She also leads The American in stolen bases (.62) and ranks 29th nationally.
Sophomore pitcher Georgina Corrick (Sanford, Fla.) has also made her name in the national rankings, checking into the top 35 in six categories and ranking in the top three in The American in all of those six. The righty leads The American in strikeouts (100) and strikeouts per seven innings (9.1), ranking 28th and 27th nationally in those categories. She currently ranks second in The American in ERA (1.09) which is the 11th best in the nation, strikeout-to-walk ratio (5.26) which ranks 33rd, and wins (11) which rank 18th. Corrick also ranks 22nd in hits allowed per seven innings (3.89), good for ranks third in the conference.
Scouting the Opponents
Tulsa (19-8)
The Golden Hurricane swept The American weekly honors after a 5-0 week that included a win over No. 14 Arkansas. Morgan Neal and Samantha Pochop were named Amreican Athletic Conference Player and Pitcher of the Week. Neal helped lead the Tulsa offense by hitting .389 with four runs scored, three doubles and five RBI. The senior had at least one hit in four of the five games and drove in a run in three contests. Pochop went 2-0 in the circle with a 0.60 ERA and 12 strikeouts in 11.2 innings last week. Her weekend was punctuated on Sunday, when she recorded the 22nd no-hitter in TU history. The Henderson, Nev., native struck out seven and picked up the program’s first seven-inning no-no since 2014.
Tulsa is also coming off a ranked win over No. 21 Oklahoma State on Wednesday night. Chenise Delce, who leads the Golden Hurricane’s pitching staff, limited the Cowgirls to just one hit in her third shutout win. She struck out seven and improved her ERA to 1.46 with a 7-3 record.
Senior Julia Hollingsworth boasts a .480 average with a .600 slugging percentage at the top of Tulsa’s offense with 36 hits this season. She has scored 20 runs, batted in 10 and recorded 45 total bases.
About USF Softball
Be sure to follow USF softball on social media (Twitter / Facebook / Instagram) and visit GoUSFBulls.com for the most up-to-date information. The USF softball program has been one of the most successful on campus, making 12 NCAA tournament appearances, including a trip to the Women’s College World Series in 2012.
– #GoBulls –
