Softball to Face Two Big South Opponents This Week

The Chanticleers are 11-8 at home.

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April 13, 2010

The Coastal Carolina University softball team will finish out its three-game series with Charleston Southern on April 14, before returning home to face 2009 Big South Champion Radford in a three-game series, April 17-18.

This Week’s Games:
Wed., April 14 • Charleston Southern • 3 p.m.
Sat., April 17 • Radford • 1 p.m. • DH
Sun., April 18 • Radford • 1 p.m.

Live Stats for ALL games will be available on www.GoCCUsports.com

The Opponents
Charleston Southern Buccaneers
2010 Record: 21-21-1
2010 Conference Record: 5-6 Big South
Head Coach: Shane Winkler
Series Record: Coastal leads 48-22
Last Meeting: Coastal split with the Buccaneers in a doubleheader, losing the first game 9-6, but winning the second 3-0 on March 31, 2010.
Notes: Ranks third in the Big South in team batting average with .272 and seventh in team pitching with a 3.90 ERA... Megan Hall leads the team with a .385 batting average... Jana Matthews has a team-high 10 home runs while Shayla Cullum and Erin Kegley lead the team with 29 RBIs... In the last meeting, Shayla Cullum went 4-for-4 at the plate with three runs scored in game one... In game two of the doubleheader March 31, Coastal pitcher Katelin Edwards shut out the Buccaneers for her second no-hitter of the season.

Radford Highlanders
2010 Record: 25-10
2010 Conference Record: 11-1 Big South
Head Coach: Mickey Dean
Series Record: Coastal leads 30-17
Last Meeting: Coastal lost 3-2 on April 11, 2009
Notes: Currently on a six-game win streak and will face Virginia Tech on April 14, before traveling to Coastal... Most recent loss was to Longwood on March 31... Ranks first in team batting average in the Big South with a .323 average... Sixth in team pitching with an ERA of 3.57 in the conference... Shannon Keefe leads the team with a .421 batting average and shares the top spot in RBIs with Sarah Himan at 27... Nichole Beall has a team-high 12 home runs while Chelsea Kelley leads the pitchers with 15 wins and a 3.42 ERA.

FREDERICK RANKS IN TOP-20 IN WALKS ALLOWED
Senior pitcher Ashley Frederick is ranked No. 17 in the NCAA in walks allowed per seven innings. In 144.3 innings pitched, she has allowed only 27 walks, averaging 1.31 walks per game. Kimberly Hobbs of Charleston Southern ranks first in the category with 0.44 walks per game and Cari Wooldridge of Winthrop is holding down the No. 12 spot with 1.16 in the category.

COASTAL TAKES TWO FROM UNC WILMINGTON
After going 1-1 in the previous meeting with UNC Wilmington on March 10, the Chanticleers took revenge, taking both games of the doubleheader April 7. Coastal started the twinbill by winning game one 9-0 in five innings and followed with a 6-1 win in the nightcap.

TORNATORE AND PIERRE GO 3-FOR-3 AT THE PLATE
Both Alyssa Tornatore and Cacia Pierre went a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate against UNC Wilmington April 7. In game one, Tornatore led the team with two RBIs and a run scored in the 9-0 win. Pierre continued the streak in game two batting in four RBIs and recording her fourth home run of the season.

FRESHMAN GETS IN THE HIT COLUMN
Freshman Tabi Cain recorded her first collegiate hit in game two against UNC Wilmington April 7. In addition to getting her first hit of the season, she also got her first two starts at shortstop in the doubleheader against the Seahawks.

COASTAL SPLITS FIRST BIG SOUTH DOUBLEHEADER WITH BUCCANEERS
Coastal Carolina opened up Big South Conference play March 31 against Charleston Southern, falling in the first game 9-6, but shutting out the Buccaneers 3-0 in the nightcap. Katelin Edwards threw her second no-hitter of the season in game two and went nearly perfect, allowing just one walk in the first frame. Both Cacia Pierre and Cass Stuart each recorded home runs while Jazmin Daigle went a perfect 3-for-3 in the first game.

CHANTS SURPASS LAST YEAR’S WIN TOTAL
The Chanticleers are off to a great start, having surpassed last year’s win total with a little less than a third of the season to go. Last season, Coastal finished with 15 wins last season and have already posted 17 wins in the 2010 season with the opportunity to improve on their record with 19 games to go.

EDWARDS NAMED BIG SOUTH PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Katelin Edwards was named the Big South Conference Crons Brand Co-Pitcher of the Week along with Liberty’s Tiffani Smith, it was announced by the league April 5. The Greer, S.C., native posted a complete-game, no-hit shutout win against Charleston Southern March 31. Edwards pitched her sixth complete game, striking out five and was nearly perfect, allowing just one walk in the first inning. In the second frame, she retired all three Bucs she faced on strikeouts. The game marked her second no-hitter of the season.

STUART AND PIERRE EACH ADD ANOTHER DINGER
Junior Cass Stuart and reshirt-freshman Cacia Pierre added another dinger to each of their careers in game one of the doubleheader against Charleston Southern March 31. It was Stuart’s second home run of the season to put the Chanticleers down only one run and Pierre’s blast scored three.

COASTAL FINISHED BUSIEST WEEK OF THE SEASON
After playing seven games in the week of March 22, the Chanticleers finished with a 3-4 record after recording wins over Elon, Longwood and St. John’s. Coastal suffered two heartbreaking losses to South Carolina and Kent State, with both games going into extra innings and ending with game-winning home runs.

CHANTS LET LOOSE ON RED STORM
In game three of the Coastal Softball Tournament against St. John’s, Coastal let loose, scoring 10 runs in the second inning and went on to win the game 15-2. Michelle Evans and Cass Stuart each recorded home runs and four players had multiple hits. The Chants finished the game tallying 15 runs on 13 hits and had solid pitching performances from Katelin Edwards and Megan Johnson.

PERFECT AT THE PLATE
At the Coastal Softball Tournament, three players went perfect at the plate against St. John’s March 28. Both Jazmin Daigle and Cass Stuart went a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate and Alyssa Tornatore went 2-for-2 against the Red Storm.

STUART RECORDS FIRST BLAST OF CAREER
Junior Cass Stuart found the sweet spot, hitting her first home run of her career over the right center field fence against St. John’s March 28.

GOLDEN MASCOTS VISIT COASTAL
At all three home tournaments this season, Coastal Carolina welcomed one team with “golden” in their mascot name. In the Kickin’ Chicken Classic, the Chanticleers faced the Golden Griffins of Canisius and at the CCU Softball Classic, they challenged the Golden Grizzlies of Oakland. Coastal finished the season 1-2 against teams with “golden” in their mascot name after falling 7-3 in 11 innings to the Kent State Golden Flashes at the Coastal Softball Tournament March 28.

COASTAL GOES UNDEFEATED AT CCU SOFTBALL CLASSIC
The Chanticleers were a perfect 4-0 at the CCU Softball Classic March 19-21. Coastal started the weekend defeating Buffalo 9-0 March 19. The Chants swept the competition on Saturday by beating Houston Baptist 17-0 and Oakland 3-2 March 20. On the final day of the tournament, Coastal finished the weekend defeating Sacred Heart in a 3-2 hard-fought battle to remain undefeated.

PISONE HAS CAREER WEEK
Ashley Pisone had one of the best week’s of her career in the week of March 15, going 6-for-14 with four home runs, one double and two stolen bases. Coming into the week, she struggled at the plate batting under .100, but found her stroke to hit .429 on the week and set a Coastal Carolina single-game record with three home runs.

CAN’T TOUCH THIS
Junior pitcher Katelin Edwards pitched her first no-hitter of the season against Houston Baptist as the Chanticleers went on to win the game 17-0. Edwards was almost perfect in the circle agains the Huskies, posting a perfect game until the fourth inning when she hit Kristi Malpass with a pitch. Malpass was the only base runner to reach base after superb defense by Coastal, including a diving catch by leftfielder Cass Stuart to keep the no-hitter alive. Edwards recorded six strikeouts in her outing, including five consecutive.

HOME RUN DERBY
The Chanticleers looked like they were participating in a home run derby at the CCU Softball Tournament knocking eight bombs on the weeknd. Michelle Evans started the derby off slamming her fourth home run of the season against Buffalo and Ashley Pisone got in the action recorded her first home run of the season also against the Bulls. In the second game of the weekend against Houston Baptist, the flood doors came open with the Chants adding five bombs. Both Alyssa Tornatore and Cacia Pierre hit their first career home runs, which also happened to be grand slams, giving Coastal plenty of insurance runs. Pisone added three dingers against the Huskies to finish the weekend with four. Pierre posted the final home run of the weekend in the 3-2 win over Oakland.

PISONE SETS NEW COASTAL SINGLE-GAME RECORD
Junior Ashley Pisone set a new Coastal Carolina single-game record as she hit three solo home runs against Houston Baptist March 20. In addition to her three dingers, the Greensburg, Pa. native also hit for a double to go a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate.

CHANTS FIND THEIR BATS AGAINST HOUSTON BAPTIST
Coastal Carolina posted a season-high 15 hits in the 17-0 win over Houston Baptist March 20 at the CCU Softball Classic. The Chanticleer offense came alive for the second day in row after recording a then season-high 13 hits against Buffalo March 19, scoring a run in every inning, including six home runs. Five Chants had multiple hits and Ashley Pisone went 4-for-4 at the plate, including three solo home runs.

EDWARDS NEARLY PERFECT AGAINST USC UPSTATE
Katelin Edwards was nearly perfect in the circle, pitching a no-hitter up until the sixth inning when USC Upstate got its one and only hit of the game, a home run. In the first three innings, Edwards threw 28 strikes in just 38 pitches to hold the Spartans hitless.

COASTAL RECORDS FIRST ROAD WIN OF SEASON
Coastal picked up their first road win of the season in game one at UNC Wilmington March 10, as eight starters had hits, including six with multiple hits. The Chanticleers won 4-2 behind senior pitcher Ashley Frederick, who picked up her fifth win of the season, allowing two runs on two hits and striking out four.

I’M WALKIN’, YES INDEED
Sophomore Stacy Snellings has shown a superb batters eye at the dish this season, leading the Big South in walks with 22. The Richmond, Va. native picked up three walks against College of Charleston March 14. Last season, Snellings ranked in the top-35 in the country in the statistic.

RALLY STOPPED SHORT
Despite dropping three of its last four games, the Coastal batters started to come up with the clutch hits they have been needing to stay in the game. In game two against UNC Wilmingtion March 10, the Chanticleers were down 6-3 and rallied back in the top of the fifth to tie the game again at 6-6. Michelle Evans came up with a big double, sending Jazmin Daigle home and cutting the UNCW lead to two. Stacy Snellings followed with a timely hit with two outs to bring home Brittany Bailey and Ashley Pisone, tying the game 6-6. The Seahawks answered back in the bottom of the fifth, scoring three runs themselves and taking the final lead.

CHANTS WIN TWO AT WOLFPACK CHALLENGE
Coastal finished out the Wolfpack Challenge with two wins March 5-7, going 2-2 at the tournament. The Chanticleers picked up the first win of the weekend against Georgetown, winning 4-3 after Michelle Evans tied the game with a solo home run and took the lead when Alyssa Tornatore drove in Cass Stuart with a double over the shortstop’s head. On Sunday, Coastal picked up its final win of the event, defeating Stony Brook 2-0 in eight innings, with a two-run walk-off dinger over the left field fence by Evans to end the game.

EVANS AND DAIGLE EARN ALL-TOURNAMENT HONORS
Junior Michelle Evans and freshman Jazmin Daigle earned Wolfpack Challenge All-Tournament honors for their performances in the event. Daigle went 2-for-3 at the plate against Stony Brook and recorded the first hit, while recording the only hit against Longwood. Against N.C. State, both Evans and Daigle went 2-for-4. Evans had a good weekend in Raleigh, batting a .333 in four games, including the game-winnng two-run home run to beat Stony Brook.

EVANS PROVIDES GAME-WINNER AGAINST STONY BROOK
Michelle Evans ended the game with her walk-off home run over the left field fence, giving the Chants the 2-0 victory. It was Evans’ second dinger of the weekend and third of the season while picking up her first game-winning RBI of the year.

FREDERICK FINDS STRIKE ZONE AGAINST STONY BROOK
Senior pitcher Ashley Frederick was nearly perfect from the circle against Stony Brook, allowing just three hits and striking out three. Frederick went three up, three down in five of the eight innings and pitched out of a bases-loaded fifth inning, earning her fourth win of the season.

EVANS KNOCKS ONE OUT OF THE PARK
Michelle Evans posted her first home run of the season against Eastern Kentucky on day two of the Kickin’ Chicken Classic Feb. 27. Evans knocked a total of four home runs last season and is on her way to beating that mark. Currently, Evans is tied for second on the team with 11 hits.

DAIGLE ADDS TWO DINGERS TO CAREER
Freshman Jazmin Daigle likes to slam the ball out of the park as she added two more dingers to her career on day two of the Kickin’ Chicken Classic Feb. 27. The first home run came against Canisius in game one and was the only run scored for the Chants. Daigle added her third home run in the second game of the day against Eastern Kentucky.

CHANTS FIND THEIR BATS AGAINST EKU
The Chants found their bats against Eastern Kentucky Feb. 27, at the Kickin’ Chicken Classic, as they had a season-high 12 hits. Four Chanticleers had multiple hits and six of the starters all made contact.

EVANS MAKES FIRST APPEARANCE IN CIRCLE
Junior Michelle Evans made her 2010 debut in the circle against Jacksonville Feb. 28, pitching in relief. Evans finished the game, allowing three runs on 10 hits and struck out five batters.

SNELLINGS AND PIERRE PERFECT FROM THE PLATE
Redshirt freshman Cacia Pierre and sophomore Stacy Snellings each finished perfect at the plate against the Colonels Feb. 27 at the Kickin’ Chicken Classic. Pierre went 2-for-2 and scored two runs while Snellings went 3-for-3, driving in three RBIs to lead the Chants over Eastern Kentucky 13-1.

IT’S GOOD TO BE HOME
After traveling 1,292 miles in its first two weekends, Coastal Carolina returned home to Conway to host its first tournament of the 2010 season. The Kickin’ Chicken Classic kicked off a four-game homestand after the Chants had played their first nine games on the road at the Palmetto State Showdown and the Seminole Classic.

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 DOUBLE UP AT PALMETTO STATE SHOWDOWN
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.

FRESHMAN 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 hit the road to play South Carolina in the final match up of the season on Wednesday, April 21 at 6 p.m. before returning home for their final home three-game series against Presbyterian April 24-25.