The Chanticleers will play their home opener against DePaul Friday at 6:15 p.m.
Feb. 25, 2010
Complete Release in PDF Format 
The Coastal Carolina University softball team (4-4) returns home for its season opener against DePaul Friday, Feb. 26, at 6:15 p.m. in its first game of the Kickin' Chicken Classic.
This Week’s Games:
Fri., Feb. 26 • vs. DePaul • 6:15 p.m. • Kickin’ Chicken Classic (Conway, S.C.)
Sat., Feb. 27 • vs. Canisius • 12:15 p.m. • Kickin’ Chicken Classic (Conway, S.C.)
Sat., Feb. 27 • vs. Eastern Kentucky • 7 p.m. • Kickin’ Chicken Classic (Conway, S.C.)
Sun., Feb. 28 • Jacksonville • 2:30 p.m. • Kickin’ Chicken Classic (Conway, S.C.)
Live Stats for ALL games will be available on www.GoCCUsports.com
Coastal’s games against DePaul and Jacksonville will be shown on the Big South Network
THE OPPONENTS
DePaul Blue Demons
2010 Record: 1-4
2010 Conference Record: 0-0 (Big East)
Head Coach: Eugene Lenti
Series Record: DePaul leads 1-0
Last Meeting: DePaul won 7-2 in 1992 in the National Invitation Championship
Notes: Currently receiving votes in the national polls for the second straight week... Ranked 20th in the preseason by ESPN.com/USA Softball and 21st by USA Today/NFCA... Returns eight starters from last year’s 39-14 squad... Finished the 2009 season ranked 23rd nationally... Picked to finish second in the BIG EAST... Senior pitcher Becca Heteniak returns as a two-time All-American and BIG EAST Pitcher of the Year... All five games played so far have been against nationally-ranked teams in #15 LSU, #13 Texas and #23 North Carolina.
Canisius Golden Griffins
2010 Record: 4-5
2010 Conference Record: 0-0 (Metro Atlantic Athletic)
Head Coach: Mike Rappl
Series Record: Tied 1-1
Last Meeting: Canisius won 5-2 on March 16, 1996
Notes: Returns six starters and 11 letterwinners... Won the 2009 MAAC Tournament title for the third consecutive time... Picked to finish first in the preseason MAAC coaches poll with Fairfield... Dropped the first game of the season to #8 Georgia Tech... Currently on a four-game win streak after dropping the first five games.
Eastern Kentucky Colonels
2010 Record: 0-4
2010 Conference Record: 0-0 (Ohio Valley)
Head Coach: Jane Worthington
Series Record: First meeting
Last Meeting: First meeting
Notes: Picked to finish sixth in the Ohio Valley Preseason Coaches Poll... Returns eight starters from 2009 squad... Shyenne Hussey returns as a three-time All-OVC selection and Diane Gallagher ranked 27th in the nation with a average of 0.55 stolen bases per game in 2009... Lost all four games in its opening weekend at the Campus Suites Spartan Classic, including falling to Liberty twice.
Jacksonville Dolphins
2010 Record: 7-2
2010 Conference Record: 0-0 (Atlantic Sun)
Head Coach: Amanda Lehotak
Series Record: Jacksonville leads 4-1
Last Meeting: Jacksonville won 8-2 on Feb. 29, 2008
Notes: Finished the 2009 season with the second-best win total in school history at 24-31... Returns 14 players from last year’s team... Picked to finish 10th in the Atlantic Sun Preseason Coaches’ Poll... Amanda Schmidt earned A-Sun Offensive Player of the Week Feb. 15... Was on a three-game win streak after beating Presbyterian three times before losing to #20 Florida State Feb. 24... Only two losses have been to #3 Florida 6-1 and #20 Florida State 8-0.
IT’S GOOD TO BE HOME
After traveling 1,292 miles in its first two weekends, Coastal Carolina returns to Conway to host its first tournament of the 2010 season. The Kickin’ Chicken Classic will kick off a four-game homestand, after the Chants played their first nine games on the road at the Palmetto State Showdown and the Seminole Classic.
DEPAUL ASSISTANT FORMER OLYMPIAN
Former Olympian and three-time USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year, Cat Osterman is in her second year as assistant softball coach at DePaul. Osterman was a member of the 2008 Bejing silver medal team.
CHANTICLEERS 3-0 VS. CONFERENCE OPPONENT
In the first two weeks of the season, Coastal has faced two Big South Conference opponents, both ranked higher in the preseason coaches’ poll, and has gone undefeated. At the Palmetto State Showdown, the Chants shutout Winthrop 2-0 and at the Seminole Classic, Coastal beat Gardner-Webb twice.
COASTAL TRAVELED TO #20/23 FLORIDA STATE FOR SEMINOLE CLASSIC
Coastal Carolina finished out the Seminole Classic Feb. 19-21, with a 2-0 win over Big South Conference-foe Gardner-Webb to finish third in the tournament. Overall, the Chanticleers went 2-3 at the event. Coastal dropped the first game of the tournament 4-0 to #20 Florida State, but finished the day with a 1-0 win over Gardner-Webb in nine innings. On Saturday, the Chants fell to South Dakota State twice and concluded the tournament with another win over Gardner-Webb on Sunday.
PICCIRILLO SLAMS TWO AT SEMINOLE CLASSIC
Freshman Oliva Piccirillo got her name in the home run column early after hitting two dingers at the Seminole Classic. Her first home run came in game one against South Dakota State on Feb. 20 and the second iced the cake on Sunday in the win over Gardner-Webb Feb. 21.
SNELLINGS PRODUCES GAME-WINNING RBI
Sophomore Stacy Snellings ended the marathon game against Gardner-Webb Feb. 19, driving in the game-winning RBI in the bottom of the ninth inning. Snellings found the perfect time to get her only hit of the game, bringing Alyssa Tornatore home on a single down the right field line.
JOHNSON GETS IN THE HIT COLUMN
Freshman Megan Johnson got her first hit of her collegiate career against South Dakota State Feb. 20, at the Seminole Classic. Johnson pinch hit in the bottom of the seventh and advanced the runner to keep Coastal alive, before the Chants eventually fell 5-2 to the Jackrabbits.
COASTAL CAROLINA OPENED SEASON AT THE PALMETTO STATE SHOWDOWN
The Chanticleers kicked off their season at the Palmetto State Showdown Feb. 12-14, hosted by South Carolina. The team started the season against USC Upstate with the Chants winning 6-1 before the game was stopped after the fifth inning due to snow. Saturday’s game against College of Charleston was cancelled after the unusual snow storm, but Coastal was back on the field Sunday to challenge Winthrop, in a non-conference match-up, and South Carolina. Coastal split the day defeating the Eagles 2-0 before falling to the tournament host Gamecocks11-3.
EDWARDS EARNS BIG SOUTH WEEKLY HONOR
Junior Katelin Edwards was named the Big South Crons Brand Pitcher of the Week for the week of Feb. 15. Edwards threw her first complete game shutout of the season, defeating Winthrop 2-0 at the Palmetto State Showdown. She had a perfect game up until the fifth inning, where she allowed her first and only walk, as well as the lone Eagle hit on the day. In the remaining two innings, Edwards went three up and three down as the Chanticleers held on for the 2-0 victory.
DAIGLE GETS FIRST HOMERUN OF SEASON
Freshman Jazmin Daigle hit her first home run of her career with the bases loaded in the first game of the Palmetto State Showdown. It was her second hit of the game as she sent the ball flying over the right-center field fence to give the Chants a 5-1 lead.
HITTERS FIND THEIR STROKES AT PALMETTO STATE SHOWDOWN
After the first weekend of the season, Coastal totaled 22 hits, including14 singles, six doubles and two home runs. Defensively, the Chants gave up 19 hits, one against both USC Upstate and Winthrop and 17 against South Carolina.
FREDERICK STARTS SEASON STRONG
Senior pitcher Ashley Frederick started the season off strong with two appearances over the weekend at the Palmetto State Showdown. In her first appearance of the season against USC Upstate, she pitched five innings, allowing one hit and one run while striking out two to lead the Chants to a 6-1 win.
EVANS DOUBLES UP
Junior Michelle Evans had a double against USC Upstate Feb. 12 and totaled two doubles against South Carolina Feb. 14. Also in every game, she brought in one run, earning three RBIs on the weekend.
BALLARD IS BALLIN'
Senior Mecaela Ballard got the season off right, tallying a team-high 10 hits on 28 at-bats for a .357 batting average. In the game against Winthrop, Ballard went 3-for-4 at the plate and is currently on a four-game hit streak. She also recorded two stolen bases at the Palmetto State Showdown.
SNELLINGS KNOCKS ONE OUT OF THE PARK
Sophomore Stacy Snellings got her first home run of the season over the left field fence against South Carolina in the fifth inning. Last year, Snellings hit her only home run in the final game of the season against Gardner-Webb. She also drew a team-high three walks on the weekend.
I’M WALKIN’, YES INDEED
Sophomore Stacy Snellings showed a superb batters eye at the dish last season, leading the Big South and the team in walks with 35. On a national level, the Richmond, Va. native, ranked in the top-35 in the country in the statistic, as she averaged .67 walks per game.
FRESHMEN SEE ACTION RIGHT OFF THE BAT
In the first weekend, every player on the Coastal roster saw action in at least one game, including the four freshmen. Olivia Piccirillo started all three games as catcher while Jazmin Daigle got the start at shortstop. Both Piccirillo and Daigle tallied their first hits of their career during the weekend. Tabi Cain got her first at-bat of her career against South Carolina and pitcher Megan Johnson got her first start in the circle.
GREEN BEGINS FIRST SEASON
Kelley Green is in her first season as the Chanticleers’ new head coach after spending the last 10 years as the head coach at Lock Haven, where she led the Lady Eagles to two Division II National Championships in her last four years.
TOP COMPETITION ON 2009 SCHEDULE
Head Coach Kelley Green’s squad is scheduled to compete against some tough competition in her first year. This seasons schedule is highlighted by two teams that finished up last season ranked in the 2009 National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Top 25 Final Poll in DePaul (No. 21) and Florida State (No. 23).
FERRARI AND REFSNYDER JOIN STAFF AS ASSISTANT COACHES
The Chants welcome assistant coaches Ali Ferrari and Kate Refsnyder to the program this season. Ferrari arrived at Coastal after spending spending the last two seasons as head coach at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Under her direction, she had back-to-back Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year honors. Refsnyder joined the staff after serving as head coach at Albright College. Her primary responsibility will be developing the pitching staff at Coastal.
HAVE WE MET BEFORE?
This season, the Chanticleers will face six opponents for the first time in Eastern Kentucky, Georgetown, Oakland, Sacred Heart, Siena and South Dakota State.
NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK
The Chants welcome four newcomers to the program for the 2010 season. Freshmen Tabi Cain (Harrells, N.C./East Bladen), Jazmin Daigle (Spring Valley, Calif./Steele Canyon), Megan Johnson (Pensacola, Fla./Tate) and Olivia Piccirillo (Seneca, S.C./Seneca) will all look to make an immediate impact.
COASTAL CAROLINA PICKED TO FINISH SIXTH
The Coastal Carolina softball team has been selected to finish tied for sixth with Presbyterian in the 2010 Big South Preseason poll, as voted on by the league’s coaches. Radford finished ahead of Winthrop, who received 40 points. In the third spot was last season’s Big South Tournament runner-up Liberty, who landed 34 points. Charleston Southern finished fourth with 25 points, followed by Gardner-Webb with 23 points. Rounding out the pack and tied for sixth were Coastal Carolina and Presbyterian, each earning 13 points.
COASTAL CAROLINA TO WELCOME SEVEN IN 2011
The Coastal Carolina softball team has signed seven players to National Letters-of-Intent. Ashley Bagwell (Simpsonville, S.C./Mauldin), Deborah Donavan (Bear, Del./Paul M. Hodgson Vo-Tech), Tamara Hawkins (Woodruff, S.C./Byrnes), Elizabeth Kassuhn (Dupont, Wash./Seilaccom), Chelsea Pineda (Coolidge, Ariz./Coolidge (Yavapai College)), Jessica Winans (Afton, N.Y./Afton Central) and Desiree Zaragoza (West Covina, Calif./Walnot) will all join the 2010-2011 roster.
DOESN’T MATTER WHERE YOU’RE FROM...
Of the 16 players on this season’s roster, only two are from the state of South Carolina. Overall, this year’s team hails from nine different states. California, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia and Washington are each represented with two on the roster and Florida and Pennsylvania each have one player represented.
COMING UP NEXT
The Chanticleers are back on the road at the Wolfpack Challenge, hosted by North Carolina State March 5-7. Coastal opens the event against N.C. State at 6 p.m. on Friday. On Saturday, the Chants play two games, the first against Longwood at 10 a.m., followed by Georgetown at 12 p.m. Coastal closes the tournament on Sunday at 12 p.m. facing Stony Brook.
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