Marshall University Athletics
Herd Hopes to Turn Around Recent Road Setbacks, Faces Miami Tuesday
4/2/2007 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 2, 2007
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OXFORD, Ohio - After another tough Conference USA weekend on the road, the Marshall Thundering Herd will travel to Oxford, Ohio, to face Miami University for a 3 p.m. doubleheader Tuesday. The non-conference twin bill marks Marshall's (22-16) first visit to a Mid-American Conference member's home field since joining C-USA prior to the 2005-06 season.
Last weekend, the Herd dropped two out of three to the UCF Golden Knights in a critical C-USA series in Orlando. Earlier in the week, Marshall swept a non-conference doubleheader from the Morehead State Eagles at Dot Hicks Field.
"It was a tough weekend with little offensive production," Marshall head coach Shonda Stanton said. "We have the ability to put up the numbers, but the early missed opportunities have hurt us."
Since starting the season 15-9, the Herd has suffered a bit of a slide as of late, going 7-7 in its last 14 games.
"I was very proud of how we responded in game two after losing an early lead and going down in extra innings in game one," Stanton said. "A huge positive from the weekend is that we have had a chance to play on the site of this year's C-USA Championship and can appreciate what it will take to return next month."
Like Marshall, the Miami RedHawks (11-25-1) have endured their share of struggles as well, losing 19 of its last 25 games (5-19-1). Over the weekend, Miami split a pair of MAC doubleheaders with Akron and Ohio.
"Again, we know we are not where we had hoped to be at this point, but we still are in a solid position to control where we finish in the conference race. There is still so much ball to be played, but we must make immediate changes in our approach."
Marshall leads the all-time series 17-10, including an 8-0 defeat of the RedHawks last season in Huntington; the Herd is 8-2 all-time in Oxford.
Sophomore J.J. Bitner (Virginia Beach, Va./Princess Anne) returned to the top of the C-USA leader board in hits (58), while remaining the league's leader in stolen bases (28). Conference teams continue to pitch around Rachel Folden (Baldwin Park, Calif./Diamond Bar), the conference's Preseason Player of the Year. Over the weekend at UCF, Folden was walked six times, drawing four intentional walks. She leads C-USA with nine intentional walks and is currently second in the league with 29 free passes.
Recently, Samantha Rodriguez (Oakley, Calif./Freedom) has been picking up the offensive slack, batting .317 with nine doubles, six home runs and 34 RBI.
In the circle, the Herd has been led by the two-armed attack of seniors Abigail Harter (Monmouth, Ore./Santiam Christian) and Amanda Luers (Dover, Ohio/Dover). Harter (11-8) owns a 3.26 earned run average with a team-best 76 strikeouts. Luers is 8-4 with a 3.46 ERA and 54 strikeouts.
"It has to be about the process and celebrating the little things with regard to preparation, team dynamics, and more importantly in game adjustments," Stanton said. "The result will take care of itself and we can be pleased with the result if we first take care of ourselves and play with a renewed sense of hunger while committing to the hard work required to make a difference."
Offensively, the RedHawks are paced by Halle Popson, who is batting .353 with a team-best 42 hits, while adding one home run and nine RBI. Leslie Macedo is the only other Miami player batting over .300, leading the team with 18 RBI.
"Traditionally, we have had a strong rivalry with Miami and our team will be ready to compete," Stanton said. "We really need to value every pitch as we step away from conference action, simplify things and just play ball."
Following Tuesday's doubleheader, the Marshall Thundering Herd (22-16, 6-6 C-USA) returns to Dot Hicks Field to host the Southern Miss Golden Eagles (11-25, 2-6 C-USA) for a three-game C-USA series, beginning Friday.
DIAMOND NOTES
• Tops in C-USA, Again. Sophomore J.J. Bitner returned to the top of the Conference USA leader board, tying UAB's Lindsay Stanley with a league-best 58 hits. Bitner's 28 stolen bases also lead the league.
• Way To Go, Rook. Freshman Caitlyn Jackson secured her first career win in the circle Saturday with the Herd's 7-0 win over UCF in game two. Jackson scattered four hits in the complete-game shut out, fanning a career-best six batters.
• Walk the Line. Two-time Conference USA Preseason Player of the Year Rachel Folden continues to face strong opposition from the rest of the conference. At UCF, Folden was walked six times, including four intentional walks. She is currently second in the league with 29 free passes.
• Folden's Nine's Not Enough. Rachel Folden's nine intentional walks this season ranks second behind Missouri's Amanda Renth, who has been intentionally passed up 10 times.
• Makin' Them Pay. After the first of Folden's four intentional walks, Samantha Rodriguez made UCF pay for its gamble, delivering a three-run double in game one of the doubleheader Saturday.
• The Herd Loves Free Softball. The Marshall Thundering Herd has now played four extra-inning contests this season - all four coming in Conference USA play.
• Sunday Downer. With Marshall's 5-0 loss to UCF Sunday, the Herd fell to 0-7 this season for that day. Last season, the Herd was 5-1 on Sundays in C-USA play.
• Tuesday Marks a Marshall C-USA First. Tuesday, Marshall will travel to the home field of a Mid-American Conference school for the first time since joining Conference USA prior to the 2005-06 season.
