Marshall University Athletics
Marshall Softball to Compete in Georgia Softball Classic
2/19/2009 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Feb. 19, 2009
ATHENS, Ga. - The Thundering Herd will continue its 2009 season with a trip back down south for the Georgia Softball Classic hosted by the University of Georgia.
Marshall (4-4) opened up last season in Athens at the Red/Black Showcase where the team went 3-3 with a victory over then No. 8 DePaul.
This year, the Herd will open with a reunion day of sorts for head coach Shonda Stanton as the team will face her Alma mater, UNC-Greensboro. Following the conclusion of that game, the team will gear up to face Stanton's first head coaching job, IUPUI. The weekend continues with games against Ball State and Georgia Saturday and concludes with a game against Tennessee State.
The Herd has the edge over the Spartans 6-5 in the team's series. The two first met in 1994 (Marshall first year of softball) which the Herd walked away with a 3-2 win. Under Stanton, Marshall is 2-1 against Greensboro.
The second game against IUPUI will be the first meeting between these two teams. Stanton led the Jaguars to the schools only winning record in 1999 going 27-25.
The team's next two opponents are no strangers to the Herd. Marshall and Ball State met 10 times while both were members of the Mid-American Conference with the Herd owning a 6-4 lead.
The No. 16/17 Bulldogs have faced Marshall 10 times as well. The Herd took the first meeting between the two school in 1997 but since then, Georgia has won nine in a row.
Marshall is undefeated against the Tigers at 3-0 all-time. They last met in 2003 at the Frost Classic in Chattanooga, Tenn. Junior Caitlyn Jackson (Ontario, Calif.) continued to extend her game hit streak this past weekend. The streak has now doubled to eight straight games. She is currently batting .480 and leading the team with six RBIs. Jackson also has one double and has stolen three bases.
The UNC-Greensboro game is scheduled for a 9 a.m. EST start Friday Feb. 20 followed by the IUPUI game. For live stats of the entire Georgia Softball Classic, please visit Georgia's athletics website, http://www.georgiadogs.com/.
