March 3, 2011
Complete Release in PDF Format 
GAMES 15-19
COASTAL CAROLINA (9-5) HOSTS COASTAL SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT
Dates: Friday, March 4-Sunday, March 6
Times: 4:30 p.m./6:30 p.m./3:30 p.m./5:30 p.m./12 p.m.
Place: Coastal Carolina Softball Field, Conway, S.C.
Live Stats: Gametracker via www.GoCCUSports.com
TV/Live Video: None
Chants Set to Host Coastal Softball Tournament
The Coastal Carolina University softball team (9-5) is set to host the Coastal Softball Tournament March 4-6. The Chanticleers open the tournament facing Towson and Delaware Friday, March 4 at 4:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Coastal then plays Towson again on Saturday, March 5 at 3:30 p.m. and Western Carolina right after at 5:30 p.m. The Chanticleers close the tournament on Sunday, March 6 against Delaware at 12 p.m.
Scouting Towson
The Tigers, who are currently ranked third in the CAA, enter this weekend coming off of a three-game win streak at the Pirate Clash, hosted by East Carolina. A key field player for Towson is senior shortstop Sammi DiPompo. At the Pirate Clash this past weekend, DiPompo had three hits, two runs and four RBI. So far this season, DiPompo leads the Tigers with a .393 batting average, eight RBI, and a .486 on-base percentage. All three pitchers for the Tigers have seen time in the circle, but sophomore Katie Lingmai has started in sixty percent of the games this season. Lingmai leads the trio with a 2.69 ERA, a 4-2 record, four complete games pitched, 31 strikeouts and a .215 opponent batting average.
Series vs. Towson
The Chanticleers currently lead the overall series 4-2. The last meeting between the two teams was a doubleheader on March 5, 1995 with Towson winning the first game 5-3 and Coastal winning the second game 2-1.
Scouting Delaware
The Blue Hen’s enter this weekend coming off of their first wins of the season in a doubleheader against Hampton on Tuesday,March 1. Delaware is led by sophomore leftfielder Jenny Richards and sophomore catcher Gina Knutson. Knutson led the Blue Hen’s against Hampton with four runs, four hits and four RBI. Richards tallied four runs, three hits and two RBI against Hampton. Richards now leads the Blue Hen’s with a .381 batting average, six runs, eight hits and a .458 on-base percentage. Key pitchers for Delaware are junior Amanda Stacevicz and senior Anne Marie Pagano. Stacevicz got the win in the first game against Hampton pitching 4.2 innings, allowing only three hits and one run. Stacevicz currently has a 5.14 ERA, a 1-2 record and leads the Blue Hen’s with a complete game and 14 strikeouts in 16.1 innings pitched. Pagano closed out the win in game one and earned the win in game two, pitching the entire game while allowing only no runs on four hits the entire day. Pagano now leads the pitchers with a 3.87 ERA and a .283 opponent batting average.
Series vs. Delaware
The Chanticleers currently lead the overall series 3-0. The last meeting between the two teams was on March 20, 1994 with Coastal winning 12-3.
Scouting Western Carolina
The Catamounts are currently 0-1 against Big South school’s having lost to Presbyterian College 3-0 at the NC A&T Invitational this past weekend. WCU enters the Coastal Softball Tournament coming off of a 1-3 record at the NC A&T Invitational. Junior outfielder Erin Foster leads the team with a .462 batting average, 18 hits, two triples, 13 RBI and a .523 on-base percentage. Junior pitcher Katie King and sophomore pitcher Amber Steinhardt share time in the circle and at first base. King is the main starter for the Catamounts in the circle with seven starts and 36 innings pitched. King has a 2.92 ERA, 21 strikeouts and a .293 opponent batting average. Steinhardt has started three games, pitched two complete games and 32.2 innings. Steinhardt has a 1.92 ERA, 15 strikeouts and a .186 opponent batting average.
Series vs. Western Carolina
The Catamounts currently lead the overall series 1-0. The last meeting between the two teams was on February 22, 2009 with Coastal losing 10-9.
Weather Forecast
Friday: Mostly cloudy, 68 degrees. Saturday: Partly cloudy, 68 degrees. Sunday: Thunderstorms possible, 70% chance, 72 degrees.
Donovan Named Big South Player of the Week
Freshman Brooke Donovan has been selected as the Big South Conference Choice Hotels Softball Player of the Week for games played February 21-27. Donovan led the Chanticleers offensively with seven hits and a batting average of .368 to lead the team to a 4-1 record in the Coastal Carolina Invitational last weekend. She recorded multiple hits in three of the five games and gathered a .429 on base percentage. Donovan had three RBI and three doubles, including a clutch double in the sixth inning that gave Coastal a 5-3 lead and eventual win over ACC opponent Boston College. She also recorded four stolen bases, a slugging percentage of .526, 12 putouts and 12 assists.
There Is No Place Like Home
After the first 10 home games, the Chanticleers are 8-2 at home, losing only one in each of the first two home tournaments. In the Kickin’ Chicken Classic, Coastal fell 6-2 to James Madison on Feb. 19 and in the Coastal Carolina Invitational, the Chants lost 8-4 to Virginia Tech Feb. 26. The last time Coastal Carolina went 8-2 in the first 10 home games was in 2003 and the Chants went 9-1 in 1996.
When In February
Coastal finished the month of February 9-5 and it was the first time the Chanticleers have had a winning record in February since 2003 when the team went 6-1.
Its Been Awhile...
It has been awhile since the Chanticleers have played two of the teams in the Coastal Softball Tournament. It has been 16 years since Coastal has faced Towson and 17 years since the squad has faced Delaware. Both teams are now members of the Colonial Athletic Association and this season, Big South teams are 2-1 against CAA schools. The only CAA school the Chants have faced this year is James Madison, who defeated Coastal 6-2 on Feb. 19.
Tough Road Ahead...
In this week’s polls, four teams the Chanticleers will play in the next three weeks are either ranked in the top 25 or receiving votes. Stanford is holding down the #14 spot on the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Poll and the #16 spot on the USA Today/NFCA Division I Poll. Georgia Tech dropped out of the top 25 this week in both polls, but is still receiving votes. Kansas and Pacific are also receiving votes in the USA Today/NFCA Poll.
Coastal Finishes Second at Coastal Carolina Invitational
The Coastal Carolina softball team concluded its second of four home tournaments, finishing runner-up to Virginia Tech. Both teams finished with a 4-1 record and were 1-1 head-to-head, but the Hokies were declared the winner after allowing 14 runs compared to 18 runs allowed by the Chants. Coastal started the weekend with a 6-2 win over Boston College and a 4-0 win over Rhode Island on Feb. 25. The Chants kept the win streak alive on Saturday, defeating Boston College again 5-3 before the win streak was snapped by Virginia Tech, who won 8-4. Coastal rebounded on Sunday, Feb. 27 with a 6-5 extra innings win over Virginia Tech.
Chants Take it to the ACC
The Chanticleers faced two Atlantic Coast Conference teams at the Coastal Carolina Invitational Feb. 25-27, playing both Boston College and Virginia Tech twice. Coastal swept the Eagles, winning 6-2 on Feb. 25 and 5-3 on Feb. 26. Against the Hokies, the team went 1-1, falling 8-4 in the first meeting on Feb. 26, but bouncing back to defeat Virginia Tech 6-5 in 10 innings on Feb. 27. The Chanticleers are 3-1 against ACC teams and will face Georgia Tech in the Chanticleer Challenge on March 18.
Coastal leads Big South in Multiple Stat Categories
After three weeks of play, the Chanticleers lead the Big South in eight categories. Freshman Brooke Donovan leads the conference in hits with 19 and stolen bases with 11. Freshman Jessie Winans ranks first in the league in triples with two and RBI with 14 while junior Chelsea Pineda leads the conference in walks with 12. In the pitching statistics, freshman Ashley Bagwell leads the Big South in wins with 10, strikeouts with 44 and complete games with seven. Coastal has 10 players ranked in the top five in 19 Big South statistical categories.
Bagwell Strikes Out Career-High Eight
Freshman Ashley Bagwell had a career day against Boston College Feb. 25, striking out eight batters. It was the most strikeouts she has had as a Chanticleer.
Evans Gets First Two Wins in the Circle
Senior Michelle Evans earned her first start of the season in the circle against Rhode Island Feb. 25 and got the win, allowing no runs on two hits in 4.0 innings pitched. Coastal went on to defeat the Rams 4-0. The very next day, she started against Boston College, recording her second win of the year after allowing three runs on six hits while striking out four in 4.1 innings pitched. The Chants went on to beat the Eagles 5-3.
Coastal Gets Homerun Fever
After hitting two homeruns at the Kickin’ Chicken Classic, Coastal came alive knocking six dingers at the Coastal Carolina Invitational. Both Cacia Pierre and Stacy Snellings slammed one each against Rhode Island on Feb. 26 and Jazmin Daigle had back-to-back homeruns in the nightcap against Virginia Tech on Feb. 26. Tamara Hawkins registered her first collegiate homerun also on Feb. 26 against the Hokies while Chelsea Pineda recorded her first dinger as a Chanticleer on Feb. 27 against Virginia Tech.
Winans Named Big South Player of the Week
Freshman shortstop Jessie Winans was selected as the Choice Hotels Player of the Week for games played Feb. 14-20, announced by the league. Winans finished a five game weekend with a .357 batting average, .400 on base percentage, seven RBI and five hits to help the Chanticleers win the Kickin’ Chicken Classic, with a 4-1 record. She recorded a hit in all five games and scored three runs, including a grand slam against Saint Joseph’s on Friday. Winans currently leads Coastal with a six-game hitting streak.
Bagwell Named Big South Pitcher of the Week
Freshman Ashley Bagwell was named The Crons Brand Pitcher of the Week for games played Feb. 14-20, it was announced by the league. Bagwell was a work horse for the Chanticleers last weekend, tossing three complete game victories to help the Chanticleers win their home tournament title. Bagwell finished the week with a 1.00 ERA and 16 strikeouts, while walking five and allowing just 18 hits and three earned runs in 21.0 innings.
Hitters Find Their Strokes at Kickin’ Chicken Classic
After registering just 14 hits in four games at the Palmetto State Showdown, the Chanticleers found their stroke in the Kickin’ Chicken Classic Feb. 18-20. In five games, Coastal tallied 37 hits, including seven double, two triples and two homeruns to win the tournament with a 4-1 record. Freshman Brooke Donovan led the team with six hits while junior Chelsea Pineda and freshman Jessie Winans each added five. Defensively, the Chants gave up 29 hits with the most being against James Madison.
Pierre Gets First Home Run of Season
Cacia Pierre recorded her first home run of the 2011 season against Saint Joseph’s in the final game of the Kickin’ Chicken Classic. Pierre came to the plate with the score tied at 2-2 with Jazmin Daigle on third and ended the tie after a two-run dinger over the centerfield fence.
Coastal Wins Kickin’ Chicken Classic
The Coastal Carolina softball team opened the 2011 home season by winning its first home tournament, the Kickin’ Chicken Classic. The Chanticleers went 4-1 in the tournament with their only loss to James Madison 6-2 on Feb. 19. Coastal started the weekend with a 5-1 win over Saint Joseph’s and a 4-1 win over Bucknell on Feb. 18. The Chants kept the win streak alive on Saturday, defeating Bucknell again 2-0 before the win streak was snapped by James Madison. Coastal rebounded on Sunday, Feb. 20 with an 8-2 win over Saint Joesph’s to capture the tournament title.
Newcomers See Action Right Off The Bat
In the first weekend, all the newcomers saw action in at least one game. Junior transfer Chelsea Pineda started all four games at catcher and freshman Tamera Hawkins started every game in left field for the Chants. Freshmen Brooke Donovan and Jessie Winans got the start in the infield, playing second base and shortstop, respectively. Donovan and Hawkins each recorded their first multi-hit game of their collegiate career while Winans, Desiree Zaragoza and Nicole Saggiomo also recorded hits in their first weekend. Freshman pitcher Ashley Bagwell got her first start in the circle in a Coastal uniform, finishing the weekend with a 1-1 record.
Maples Doubles Up at Palmetto State Showdown
Junior Sarah Maples finished the first weekend of the season with two doubles to lead the team. Her first double brought home the eventual game winning run in the top of the eighth against Furman. Her second double ended the Chants 13 inning hitting drought against Winthrop in the first inning.
Chants Opened Season at Palmetto State Showdown
The Chanticleers opened the 2011 season at the Palmetto State Showdown Feb. 11-13. Coastal started the weekend with a 6-4 extra inning win over Furman. Sarah Maples drove in the winning run in the top of the eighth inning on a double to left field. The Chants went on a two game hitting drought against USC Upstate and South Carolina, falling 8-0 and 5-0. In the final game of tournament for Coastal, Maples ended the hitting drought with a double, but the Chanticleers went on to lose 12-1 to Winthrop as the Eagles scored 11 runs in the first inning.
Maples Selected to All-Tournament Team
Junior Sarah Maples was named to the Palmetto State Showdown All-Tournament team after finishing the weekend with a .333 batting average, four hits, two RBI and two doubles.
Have We Met Before?
This season, the Chanticleers will face seven opponents for the first time in program history James Madison, Kansas, Lipscomb, Rhode Island, Sacramento State, Saint Joseph’s and UC Riverside.
Who’s Back
The Chanticleers return 11 letterwinners and eight starters from last year’s squad. Jazmin Daigle returns as the 2010 Big South co-Freshman of the and Cacia Pierre was an All-Big South first team selection last year. Stacy Snellings was named to the 2010 Big South All-Tournament team. Also returning is Tabi Cain, Olivia Piccirillo, Ashley Pisone, Megan Johnson, Sarah Maples, Olivia Williams and Michelle Evans.
New Kids On The Block
The Chanticleers welcome 11 newcomers to the program for the 2011 season. Freshmen Ashley Bagwell, Racquel Cooke, Brooke Donovan, Tamara Hawkins, Courtney Howell, Beth Kasshun, Nicole Saggiomo, Kara Vonatzski, Jessie Winans and Desiree Zaragoza will all look to make an immediate impact. Coastal also welcomes Chelsea Pineda, who transferred to Coastal from Yavapai Junior College.
Coastal Carolina Picked to Finish Fifth
The Coastal Carolina University softball team was picked to finish fifth in the Big South Preseason Coaches Poll. The Chanticleers finished sixth last season after finishing 27-31 overall and 6-12 in the conference. Radford was picked to repeat as conference champions in 2011. The Highlanders picked up six first-place votes and earned 48 out of 49 possible points. Liberty finished second in the preseason poll, as the Lady Flames received 40 points. In the No. 3 spot was last season’s Big South Tournament runner-up Winthrop, finishing with 33 points and one first-place vote. Charleston Southern finished fourth in the voting with 25 points, just ahead of Coastal Carolina (23 points). Gardner-Webb (20 points) and Presbyterian College (seven points) finished seventh and eighth, respectively in the voting.
Coastal Carolina Welcomes Five in 2012
The Coastal Carolina University softball team has signed five players to National Letters-of-Intent. Kory Hayden (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla./Palm Beach Gardens), Paige Lloyd (Wilmington, Del./Padua Academy), Morgan Mastriania (Quarryville, Penn./Solanco), Kiana Quolas (Oxnard, Calif./Oaks Christian) and Sara Rasley (Easton, Penn./Easton Area) will all join the 2011-2012 roster.
Doesn’t Matter Where You’re From...
Of the 22 players on this season’s roster, only five are from the state of South Carolina. Overall, this year’s team hails from 12 different states. California and North Carolina are represented with three on the roster while New York and Washington have two. Arizona, Delaware, Florida, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Texas and Virginia are all represented with one on the squad.
Up Next
The Chanticleers continue their 23-game homestand next week as they host Georgetown in the first mid-week doubleheader of the season on Wednesday, March 9 before hosting the Chanticleer Challenge on March 18-20.
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