A pair of losses to No. 2 FSU and Mississippi State on Saturday closed USF’s season
TALLAHASSEE, Fla., May 22, 2022 – All good things must come to an end.
USF’s 2022 campaign, which saw the team win 45 games for the first time since 2016 and post impressive wins over No. 7 Oklahoma State, No. 13 Michigan and Notre Dame, came to its conclusion just after midnight on Sunday morning in the NCAA regionals.
“These types of situations are a little bittersweet,” head coach Ken Eriksen said. “Obviously, we’re here, graduating four outstanding individuals that played softball for the University of South Florida and someone who has been the face of the program for the past couple of years and had represented her teammates and family, the University beyond expectations and beyond anything I thought whenever she came here. For Miss (Georgina) Corrick, this is just a commencement for the rest of her life and what she’s going to be doing with softball and outside of softball. She will do things that change the world, that’s for sure.”
The day marked the last appearance for four Bulls seniors: Madison Epperson (Tampa, Fla.), Dezarae Maldonado (Winter Haven, Fla.), Erin Poepping (Lino Lakes, Minn.) and Georgina Corrick (Sanford, Fla.). The quadruplet of student-athletes helped the Bulls post 172 victories, win two American Athletic Conference regular-season titles and reach four NCAA tournaments.
Moreover, it marked the end of Corrick’s reign of dominance at the collegiate level. She completes her USF career with a 113-32 record, a 1.03 career ERA, and 1,302 strikeouts. Her strikeout total is the 25th most in NCAA history with 418 in her final season.
Game One – FSU 8, USF 0
National two-seed Florida State quickly took control of game one. The Seminoles posted seven runs in the top of the first to earn a commanding lead. Lexie Kopko (Stewartstown, Pa.) entered and ended the inning, then kept FSU from extending its lead until the fifth when Amaya Ross hit a solo home run to earn the run-rule win.
Game Two – MSU 6, USF 0
Corrick earned the start in the circle in game two and shut down the opposition 1-2-3 for one more time in her collegiate career but had to come out of the game entering the second because of an injury. The Corrick era at USF ends with the Great Britain National Team member having broken or tied at least 38 different USF or AAC records.
Mississippi State capitalized on an error in the second, plating two runs to take an early lead. The Bulldogs added another in the fourth to take a 3-0 lead, then tacked on insurance runs in the sixth and seventh to win 6-0.
Nota-Bulls
- Corrick’s dominance includes the following records:
- USF Career Records: Starts, complete games, innings pitched, victories, strikeouts, strikeouts per seven innings, shutouts, opposing batting average, no-hitters and perfect games.
- USF Season Records: complete games, win percentage, shutouts, strikeouts per seven innings, strikeouts, opposing batting average, perfect games and no-hitters.
- USF Game Records: strikeouts, strikeouts in an NCAA tournament game.
- AAC Career Records: Wins, ERA, strikeouts, complete games, shutouts, perfect games, no-hitters, player of the week honors.
- AAC Season Records: Wins, ERA, innings pitched, strikeouts, opposing batting average, perfect games, no-hitters, player of the week honors.
- AAC Conference-Only Season Records: Strikeouts, ERA, wins.
- Alanah Rivera (St. Petersburg, Fla.) tied Epperson for the team lead in doubles with her 13th of the season.
- Johns ends the season with 59 stolen bases, tied for the 15th most in NCAA history.
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 17 NCAA tournament appearances, including a trip to the Women’s College World Series in 2012.
– #GoBulls –
