March 10, 2009

Game Notes

For Immediate Release
Contact: Brandon Kolditz
wkolditz@memphis.edu, (901) 871-5475

HONOLULU, Hawai'i - The University of Memphis softball team competes in the Chevron Spring Fling Tournament hosted by the University of Hawai'i in Honolulu beginning Wednesday, March 11.

The Tigers (11-10, 1-2 C-USA) will play six games in the tournament, facing No. 9/11 California and Utah in the opening day at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Hawai'i Standard Time. The U of M will then play St. John's and Radford on Thursday at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. Hawai'i hosts Memphis on Friday at 7 p.m., and the Tigers close out the event on Saturday against Wisconsin at 3 p.m.

Memphis has two softball players with ties to Hawai'i. Senior infielder Leila Dolfo's parents are both originally from Hawai'i, and senior second baseman Tori Gross' mother is a native of the state. Both still have family living on the island.

Of the six opponents Memphis will face, the Tigers have only previous competed against St. John's. The U of M is 1-0 against the Red Storm and posted a 9-3 victory against the team in a tournament hosted by FIU during the 2006 season.

Last week Memphis swept a doubleheader with Central Arkansas on Wednesday, winning 5-2 and 9-1. The Tigers then openConference USA play against UTEP and took one of three from the Miners. Memphis scored 26 runs in the three-game series with UTEP.

Memphis head coach Windy Thees earned her 100th victory at Memphis on Sunday in a 10-8 victory against UTEP. In her fourth year with the U of M since starting the program in 2006, Thees has compiled a 100-91 record. She is 263-183 all-time through nine seasons overall.

The Tigers have recorded 10 or more hits in six of the last eight games. Memphis began the stretch with a season high 16 hits in game one of a doubleheader with Arkansas-Pine Bluff. The U of M then had 10 hits in game two, 10 hits against UMKC, 15 hits in game two against Central Arkansas, 10 hits in game one against UTEP and 15 hits in game three with the Miners. Memphis has had 10 hits or more in nine games this season and is 7-2 in those games. The Tigers are second in Conference USA in batting with a .300 team average.

All six games in the Chevron Spring Fling Tournament can be followed through live stats provided by CBS College Sports GameTracker. Links to the live broadcasts can be found at GoTigersGo.com.