Marshall University Athletics
Softball to Host Weekend Series With Buffalo
3/21/2003 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Softball to Host Weekend Series With Buffalo
3/21/2003
Randi Nielson leads the Mid-American Conference in wins (11) and strikeouts (71). |
HUNTINGTON, W.Va.- The Marshall Thundering Herd softball team will face off against the Bulls of the University at Buffalo in a three game series over the weekend. The Mid-American Conference match-up will kick off on Saturday with a doubleheader at 1:00 p.m. on Dot Hicks Field. The series will wrap up on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. with a single game.
Marshall enters its first MAC contest of the season 19-8 overall and with its next win could be the quickest team in Marshall softball history to reach 20 wins. Entering the first weekend of conference play the Herd boasts the best overall record in the MAC. With a winning percentage of .720 Marshall is over .130 percentage points above Northern Illinois, the next best team, at .588. Marshall also leads the conference in numerous statistical categories, including team batting average (.302).
Freshman phenom Amanda Williams (Powder Springs, Ga.) leads the Herd with a .466 batting average and has already collected 27 RBIs. Sierra Davenport (Tucson, Ariz.) has swiped 24 bases so far and is poised to break both Marshall?s single season and career stolen base records. Senior De?Shaun Drake (Spring Valley, Calif.) leads the MAC with five home runs. Marshall?s ace so far this season has been sophomore hurler Randi Nielson (Tucson, Ariz.). With 71 strikeouts, she has collected 11 wins and is holding opponents to a .185 batting average.
Buffalo finished sixth in the MAC East Division last season and had a 13-25 overall record. The much improved Bulls, however, will make their MAC debut in 2003 with a 6-8 overall record against some tough opponents. The Bulls have posted several impressive wins this season, including defeating the University of Tennessee and Baylor University. Breanne Nasti leads Buffalo with a .349 average and Stacey Evans has tossed four of Buffalo?s six wins.
All three contests will be played on Dot Hicks Field on the campus of Marshall University and admission is free.
