2015 american athletic conference softball championship program

2 015 A m e r i c A n A t h l e t i c c o n f e r e n c e S o f t b A l l c h A m p i o n S h i p 1

2 015 A m e r i c A n A t h l e t i c c o n f e r e n c e S o f t b A l l c h A m p i o n S h i p2

May 28-June 3, 2015 will mark the 34th annual NCAA Women’s College World Series, the premier event for college softball held annually at the ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City,Okla. This will be the 25th time that the ASA Hall of Fame Stadium has served as the host site.

The WCWS features the top eight teams in the nation squaring off in a double-elimination tour-nament format, all vying for the NCAA Division I Softball Championship. Sixty-four teams will enter the qualifying bracket, with 31 teams receiving automatic bids and the remaining 33 at-

large selections by the Division I Softball Committee. Regional competition will be held May 15-17 on campus sites, with the Super Regionals following the next weekend on eight campus sites.

2015 WOMEN’S COLLEGE WORLD SERIES

The American Athletic Conference Softball Championship will feature all seven conference teams, No. 1 UCF, No. 2 Tulsa, No. 3 Houston, No. 4 East Carolina, No. 5 USF, No. 6 Memphis and No. 7 UConn, at UCF Softball Complex on the campus of University of Central Florida from May 7-9. The quarterfinals and semifinals on May 7 and 8, respectively, will air live on The American Digital Network at www.TheAmerican.org/dn.

The championship game will be televised live on ESPN2 on Saturday, May 9 at 1 p.m. ET. The official bracket, championship information, results and team information can be found at Championship Central at www.TheAmerican.org/softball.

WELCOME TO THE 2015 AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE SOFTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

@American_SBall#AmericanSB

Facebook.com/AmericanConf

2015 AMERICANSOFTBALLCHAMPION

GAME 61 p.M. ET

Winner GAME 2

#1 UCF

GAME 43 p.M. ET#6 Memphis

GAME 21:30 p.M. ET

#7 UConn

#2 Tulsa

GAME 111 A.M. ET

#3 Houston

Winner GAME 3

GAME 34 p.M. ET

#5 USF

#4 East Carolina

Winner Semifinal 1

Winner Semifinal 2

GAME 55:30 p.M. ET

Winner GAME 1

May 7 May 8 May 9 Thursday Friday saTurday

2015 MAJOR AWARD WINNERS AND ALL-CONFERENCE TEAMS

PLAYER OF THE YEARJessica Ujvari, UCF

PITCHER OF THE YEARShelby Turnier, UCF

ROOKIE OF THE YEARKyler Trosclair, Memphis

COACHING STAFFOF THE YEAR

*UCF

ALL-CONFERENCEFIRST TEAM

*P – Mackenzie Audas, UCF*P – Shelby Turnier, UCFC – Lee Ann Spivey, USF1B – Julie Kernen, Tulsa*2B – Kahley Novak, UCFSS – Casey Alcorn, East Carolina3B – Farrah Sullivan, UCFOF – Linnea Goodman, UCFOF – Maddy Schroeder, UCFOF – Maddie Withee, Tulsa*UTL/P – Karla Claudio, USFDP/UTL (Non-P) – Jessica Ujvari, UCF

ALL-CONFERENCESECOND TEAM

P – Bailey Erwin, TulsaP – Caitlin Sill, TulsaC – Catherine Horner, TulsaIF – Brittany Solis, UCFIF – Selena Hernandez, HoustonIF – Courtney Klingler, HoustonIF – Kristen Wyckoff, USFIF – Maggie Withee, TulsaOF – Katie St. Pierre, HoustonOF – Jodi Edmiston, TulsaOF – Erica Sampson, TulsaUTL/P – Katie Brignac, MemphisDP/UTL (Non-P) – Brittany Walker, Tulsa

[*] Denotes unanimous selection

Ties are not broken

Jessica UJvari, UcF

shelby TUrnier, UcF


FINAL STANDINGSTHE AMERICAN IN THE NATIONAL POLLS

USA Today/NFCA & ESPN.com/USA Softball

Feb. 9 Erica Sampson, OF/C, Sr., Tulsa Feb. 16 Julie Kernen, 1B, Sr., Tulsa Feb. 23 Julie Kernen, 1B, Sr., Tulsa March 2 Cierra Mangum, 3B, Jr., Memphis March 9 Julana Shrum, P/DP, Jr., Houston March 16 Lee Ann Spivey, C, Jr., USF March 23 Brittany Walker, RF, So., Tulsa March 30 Karla Claudio, P/UTL, Sr., USF April 6 Selena Hernandez, IF, Sr., Houston April 13 Kahley Novak, 2B, Sr., UCF April 20 Jessica Ujvari, DP, Jr., UCF April 27 Karlie Smith, 3B, Fr., East Carolina May 4 Catherine Horner, C, Jr., Tulsa

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK WEEKLY HONOR ROLLFeb. 9 - Mary-Sloan Bradford, OF, Fr., East Carolina; Samantha McCloskey, C, Jr., UCF; Erica Nunn, P, Jr., USF; Selena Hernandez, IF, Jr., Houston; Lee Ann Spivey, C, Jr., USF

Feb. 16 - Juli Weber, OF, So., USF; Samantha McCloskey, C, Jr., UCF; Katie St. Pierre, CF, Jr., Houston; Brooke Lee, 2B/SS, Fr., Memphis; Bailey Erwin, P, Sr., Tulsa

Feb. 23 - Linnea Goodman, OF, So., UCF; Emily Watson, P, Fr., Tulsa; Alyson Ambler, IF/OF, Jr., UConn; Lauren Evans, 1B, Fr., USF; Selena Hernandez, SS, Jr., Houston

March 2 - Juli Weber, OF, So., USF; Lindsay Crowdus, CF, So., Memphis; Jordan Richwood, P, Sr., Memphis; Farrah Sullivan, 3B/1B, Sr., UCF; Kaylin Crumpton, LF, Fr., Houston

March 9 - Emily O’Donnell, 3B/SS, Sr., UConn; Astin Donovan, OF, Fr., USF; Mackenzie Audas, P, Sr., UCF; Kristen Wyckoff, 2B, So., USF; Kahley Novak, 2B, Sr., UCF

March 16 - Susan Wysocki, P, R-Fr., USF; Kahley Novak, 2B, Sr., UCF; Monica Santos, IF, Jr., USF; Lindsay Crowdus, CF, So., Memphis; Kayla Holland, IF, Sr., Houston

March 23 - Kris Davila, IF/C, Sr., Houston; Lee Ann Spivey, C, Jr., USF; Emily O’Donnell, 3B/SS, Sr., UConn; Maddy Schroeder, OF, Sr., UCF; Erica Nunn, P, Jr., USF

March 30 - Abby Wynne, C, Sr., East Carolina; Linnea Goodman, OF, So., UCF; Julie Kernan, 1B, Sr., Tulsa; Maddy Schroeder, OF, Sr.; Caitlin Sill, P, Jr., Tulsa

April 6 - Brittany Solis, SS, So., UCF; Abby Wynne, C, Sr., East Carolina; Lexi Gifford, SS/3B, Jr., UConn; Lauren Evans, IF, Fr., USF; Shelby Miller, P/UTL, So., Houston

April 13 - Alyssa Gardea, OF, Jr., UConn; Kalyn Cenal, 1B, Jr., UCF; Brittany Vaughn, 3B, So., Memphis; Jordan Richwood, P, Sr., Memphis; Kristen Wyckoff, 2B, So., USF

April 20 - Lauren Duggan, P, Sr., UConn; Courtney Klingler, C, Jr., Houston; Julana Shrum, P, Jr., Houston; Lee Ann Spivey, C/OF, Jr., USF

April 27 - Addison Maxwell, RF/C, Fr., Memphis; Courtney Klingler, C, Jr., Houston; Lydia Ritchie, P, So., East Carolina; Lee Ann Spivey, C/OF, Jr., USF; Kalyn Cenal, 1B, Jr., UCF

May 4 - Linnea Goodman, OF, So., UCF; Selena Hernandez, IF, Sr., Houston; Caitlin Sill, P, Jr., Tulsa; Haleigh Ross, C, So., Memphis; Mackenzie Audas, P, Sr., UCF

aMerican Overall

School Record Pct. Record Pct.^UCF 15/15 16-2 .889 46-7 .868Tulsa 12-6 .667 34-17 .667Houston 10-7 .588 27-26 .509East Carolina 7-11 .389 16-36 .308USF 6-10 .375 35-19 .648Memphis 6-12 .333 19-33 .365UConn 4-13 .235 18-34 .346

[^] American regular-season champion

UCF East Carolina USF Tulsa

Preseason rv/rv -/- -/rv 21/22Feb. 10 rv/rv -/rv rv/rv 22/24Feb. 17 19/19 -/- -/- rv/25Feb. 24 17/15 -/- -/- rv/rvMarch 3 18/15 -/- -/- -/-March 10 20/20 -/- -/- -/-March 17 20/20 -/- -/- -/-March 24 18/19 -/- -/- -/-March 31 16/18 -/- -/- -/-April 7 17/18 -/- -/- -/-April 14 15/17 -/- -/- -/-April 21 13/15 -/- -/- -/-April 28 15/16 -/- -/- -/-May 5 15/15 -/- -/- -/-May 12 -/- -/- -/- -/-Final -/- -/- -/- -/-

PITCHERS OF THE WEEK Feb. 9 Mackenzie Audas, Sr., UCF Feb. 16 Shelby Turnier, Jr., UCF Feb. 23 Mackenzie Audas, Sr., UCF March 2 Mackenzie Audas, Sr., UCF March 9 Karla Claudio, Sr., USF March 16 Mackenzie Audas, Sr., UCF March 23 Shelby Turnier, Jr., UCF March 30 Shelby Turnier, Jr., UCF April 6 Shelby Turnier, Jr., UCF April 13 Shelby Turnier, Jr., UCF April 20 Mackenzie Audas, Sr., UCF April 27 Shelby Miller, So., Houston May 4 Jordan Richwood, Sr., Memphis


HEAd CoACH REnEE LuERs-GiLLispiE

Location ...................................................................Orlando, Fla.Nickname ........................................................................ KnightsColors .......................................................................Black & GoldEnrollment ..........................................................................60,810Founded .................................................................................1963Director of Athletics ...........................................Todd StansburyHead Coach .............................................. Renee Luers-GillispieAssistant Coaches ............... Tiffany Patteson & Hillary Barrow Softball Contact ..................................................Megan HerbothWebsite ...................................................www.UCFKnights.comTwitter ..................................................................@UCF_Softball

UCF KNIGHTS 15/15

46-7 OVERALL, 16-2 AMERICAN • NO. 1 SEED

FEBRUARY UCF Invitational (Orlando, Fla.) 6 George Mason W, 7-0 Boston College W, 4-0 7 Boston College W, 3-0 George Mason W, 10-1 (6) 11 at RV/RV South Carolina W, 4-1 Dot Richardson Invitational (Clermont, Fla.) 14 vs. No. 18/18 Missouri W, 1-0 14 vs. Arkansas W, 6-1 15 vs. No. 13/12 Minnesota W, 4-0 Bank of Hawai’i Invitational (Honolulu, Hawai’i) 20 vs. No. 17/16 Washington L, 3-4 21 vs. UTEP W, 3-0 at Hawai’i W, 4-0 22 at Hawai’i W, 6-0 vs. No. 17/16 Washington W, 4-2 25 at No. 1/1 Florida (SEC Network +) L, 1-2 Wilson/DeMarini Tournament (Orlando, Fla.) 27 Princeton W, 3-2 Iowa L, 2-3 28 Florida A&M CanceledMARCH 1 LIU Brooklyn W, 2-0 2 Maryland W, 8-6 UCF Knights Invitational (Orlando, Fla.) 6 Kent State L, 0-1 Bradley W, 3-0 7 Kent State W, 5-1 8 Michigan State W, 8-0 (6) 10 Mercer W, 7-2 South Dakota W, 5-1 11 Northern Illinois W, 4-2 Northern Illinois W, 6-1 UCF Spring Fling Tournament (Orlando, Fla.) 13 Monmouth W, 8-3 Fairfield W, 10-2 (5) 14 Butler W, 5-1 UC Irvine W, 2-1 15 RV/NR James Madison L, 1-2 21 at East Carolina* W, 2-0 at East Carolina* W, 8-0 22 at East Carolina* W, 3-0 25 at FIU W, 8-3 26 at RV/NR Florida Atlantic W, 2-0 28 UConn* W, 2-1 UConn* W, 2-1 29 UConn* W, 6-1APRIL 1 Stetson Canceled 3 at Tulsa* W, 2-1 (16) at Tulsa* L, 4-5 4 at Tulsa* W, 3-0 8 at Stetson W, 9-2 11 Houston* W, 2-0 Houston* W, 13-0 (5) 12 Houston* W, 8-2 17 at Memphis* W, 8-3 at Memphis* W, 9-0 (5) 18 at Memphis* W, 6-1 22 at Bethune-Cookman Canceled 25 North Florida W, 5-0MAY 2 USF* W, 2-1 USF* L, 2-3 3 USF* W, 6-1 8 TBD @ 5:30 P.M.

All times EST and subject to change | Asterisk denotes American Athletic Conference game[@] Denotes American Athletic Conference Championship game

SCHEDULE/RESULTS

2015 HIGHLIGHTS• Leads the nation in earned run average; they have

led the NCAA in this category for eight consecutive weeks

• They are also the only program with a pair of pitch-ers with ERAs that rank top 10 in the nation

• Won 11 of their final 12 conference games to close the regular season

• Since debuting in the national polls on Feb. 17, UCF has remained in the top 20 for 10 consecutive weeks


STATISTICAL LEADERS

•BATTING AVERAGE: Linnea Goodman, .373•SLUGGING PCT.: Jessica Ujvari, .523•ON-BASE PCT.: Farrah Sullivan, .419•RUNS SCORED: Kahley Novak, 36•HITS: Linnea Goodman, 69•RUNS BATTED IN: Kalyn Cenal, 36•DOUBLES: Samantha McCloskey, 9•TRIPLES: Kahley Novak, 4•HOME RUNS: Kalyn Cenal, 11

sEnioR MACkEnziE AudAs

uCF soFTbALL CoMpLEx

CApACiTy: 600

nO. naMe POs. yr. B/T hOMeTOwn/PreviOus schOOl 1 Kahley Novak SS/2B Sr. L/R Clermont, Fla./East Ridge HS2 Brittany Solis INF So. R/R West Hills, Calif./Chaminade College Prep3 Andrea Neswiacheny SS/2B So. L/R Jacksonville, Fla./Bishop Snyder HS5 Willow Kalinen OF So. L/R Scottsdale, Ariz./New Mexico6 Megan Greenwell OF Fr. L/L Miami, Fla./Miami Palmetto Senior HS7 Shelby Turnier P/DP Jr. R/R Palm Beach Gardens, Fla./Palm Beach Gardens HS8 Maddy Schroeder OF Sr. L/R Jacksonville, Fla./The Bolles School9 Kalyn Cenal C/1B Jr. R/R Tampa, Fla./Thomas Jefferson Senior HS10 Blaire Kelley OF RS Jr. R/R Ocala, Fla./Trinity Catholic HS11 Samantha McCloskey 1B/DP Jr. R/R Palm Harbor, Fla./Palm Harbor University HS12 Mackenzie Huhn P Jr. L/L North Palm Beach, Fla./William T. Dwyer HS13 Taylor Wagner OF Jr. R/R Lakeland, Fla./Bartow Senior HS14 Kirsten Foster INF Jr. R/R Clermont, Fla./East Ridge HS15 Linnea Goodman OF So. L/R Long Beach, Calif./Millikan HS16 Jessica Ujvari C Jr. R/R Pensacola, Fla./South Carolina-Upstate17 Farrah Sullivan 3B Sr. R/R Waynesboro, Miss./Wayne County HS18 Jamie Ujvari P Jr. R/R Pensacola, Fla./South Carolina-Upstate20 Jasmine Acevedo OF RS So. R/R Largo, Fla./Osceola Fundamental HS22 Kaitlyn Steckel 2B/SS Jr. R/R Tampa, Fla./Plant HS23 Mariah Garcia OF Jr. L/R Houston, Texas/Macarthur Senior HS24 Mackenzie Audas P Sr. R/R Plant City, Fla./Plant City HS44 Courtney Rotton INF Fr. R/R Clermont, Fla./East Ridge

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HEAd CoACH JEn MCinTyRE

Location .................................................................. Storrs, Conn.Nickname ........................................................................ HuskiesColors ...............................................National Flag Blue & WhiteEnrollment ..........................................................................30,474Founded .................................................................................1881Director of Athletics .............................................Warde ManuelHead Coach ............................................................ Jen McIntyreAssistant Coaches .... Chrissy Schoonmaker & Adrienne ClarkSoftball Contact .........................................................Jeff PiascikWebsite .............................................. www.UConnHuskies.comTwitter ...............................................................@UConnSoftball

UCONN HUSKIES18-34 OVERALL, 4-13 AMERICAN • NO. 7 SEED

SCHEDULE/RESULTSFEBRUARY Troy Firehouse Invitational (Troy, Ala.) 20 vs. Kennesaw State W, 4-2 at Troy L, 5-6 (8) 21 at Troy L, 0-10 (5) vs. Evansville W, 6-3 22 vs. Northern Illinois W, 8-7 (8) Wilson/DeMarini Tournament (Auburn, Ala.) 27 vs. SIU Edwardsville W, 2-1 vs. NR/RV Ohio State L, 1-5 28 vs. Texas State L, 1-7 vs. Texas State L, 0-9 (5)MARCH 1 vs. Samford L, 4-8 Mizuno Classic (Stillwater, Okla.) 6 at Oklahoma State W 8-2 vs. UMKC L, 7-10 7 vs. Evansville W, 10-5 vs. UMKC L, 2-9 8 vs. Evansville L, 2-5

San Diego Classic II (San Diego, Calif.) 13 vs. UNLV W, 3-2 vs. Utah Valley L, 3-4 14 vs. BYU L, 1-4 vs. New Mexico State L, 4-5 15 vs. San Diego L, 1-2 17 at San Diego State W, 11-4 18 vs. No. 18/17 Arizona L, 0-12 (5) Louisville Slugger Invitational (Stockton, Calif.) 20 vs. Grand Canyon L, 2-11 (6) vs. Cal State Northridge L, 1-7 21 vs. Cal State Northridge L, 0-8 (5) vs. Pacific W, 7-4 22 vs. Grand Canyon W, 5-3 28 at No. 18/19 UCF* L, 1-2 at No.18/19 UCF* L, 1-2 29 at No. 18/19 UCF* L, 1-6 31 at UMass PostponedAPRIL 1 at Albany L, 1-2 3 USF* L, 2-3 USF* W, 8-7 4 USF* Canceled 8 at Providence Canceled 9 at Rhode Island W, 8-0 (6) 11 Memphis* L, 0-12 Memphis* W, 8-7 12 Memphis* W, 4-3 14 at Hartford W, 5-0 15 Central Connecticut State L, 1-3 18 Houston* L, 1-2 Houston* L, 1-4 19 Houston* L, 3-4 22 Boston College L, 0-5 23 at Fairfield W, 5-2 25 at East Carolina* W, 3-1 East Carolina* L, 3-15 (5) 26 at East Carolina* L, 0-12 (5) 29 Quinnipiac L, 4-5 30 UMass W, 4-2 (9)MAY 2 Tulsa* L, 2-5 Tulsa* L, 0-8 (5) 3 Tulsa* L, 0-9 (6) 7 vs. No. 2 seed Tulsa @ 1:30 P.M.


2015 HIGHLIGHTS• Has a 26-15 all-time record in conference tourna-

ments• Head Coach Jen McIntyre is in her first season at

UConn. She was honored in the fall as the Division I Assistant Coach of the Year by the National Fast-pitch Coaches Association (NFCA) for her work with Boston University during the 2014 season

• Senior third baseman Emily O’Donnell’s 0.30 doubles/gm mark is the best in the conference


JunioR LExi GiFFoRd

buRRiLL FAMiLy FiELdAT THE ConnECTiCuT soFTbALL sTAdiuM

STATISTICAL LEADERS

•BATTING AVERAGE: Emily O’Donnell, .353•SLUGGING PCT.: Emily O’Donnell, .593•ON-BASE PCT.: Taylor Townsend, .436•RUNS SCORED: Lexi Gifford, 28•HITS: Emily O’Donnell, 53•RUNS BATTED IN: Emily O’Donnell, 32•DOUBLES: Emily O’Donnell, 14•TRIPLES: Alyssa Gardea, 3•HOME RUNS: Emily O’Donnell, 6

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inTERiM HEAd CoACH sTEvE JAECks

Location ..............................................................Greenville, N.C.Nickname ..........................................................................PiratesColors .....................................................................Purple & GoldEnrollment ..........................................................................27,000Founded .................................................................................1907Director of Athletics .............................................. Jeff CompherInterim Head Coach ................................................Steve JaecksInterim Assistant Coach ............................................Keli HarrellGraduate Assistant Coach ............................... Alex FieldhouseSoftball Contact ....................................................Lindy ZamoraWebsite .................................................... www.ECUPirates.comTwitter ..................................................................@ECUAthletics

EAST CAROLINA PIRATES16-36 OVERALL, 7-11 AMERICAN • NO. 4 SEED

SCHEDULE/RESULTSFEBRUARY Pirate Classic (Greenville, N.C.) 6 Oakland W, 7-3 Delaware State W, 10-0 (5) 7 RV/RV South Carolina L, 2-11 Longwood W, 4-3 (8) 8 Oakland W, 9-1 (5) RV/RV South Carolina W, 1-0 Pirate Clash (Greenville, N.C.) 12 Marshall L, 4-5 (9) 13 Bucknell L, 2-16 (5) 14 East Tennesse State L, 8-9 Pirate Invitational (Greenville, N.C.) 20 Kennesaw State Canceled Lafayette Canceled 21 Seton Hall W, 4-0 RV/RV Virginia Tech L, 1-6 22 Seton Hall L, 8-10 RV/RV Virginia Tech L, 3-4 USF Under Armour Invitational (Clearwater, Fla.) 27 vs. Central Arkansas L, 1-2 vs. Maine L, 7-11MARCH 1 vs. Illinois L, 6-7 vs. Georgia State L, 3-4 Hawai’i Spring Fling Tournament (Honolulu, Hawai’i) 5 vs. Oregon State L, 1-2 (8) 6 vs. RV/NR Utah W, 4-0 7 vs. Longwood L, 0-3 vs. Oregon State L, 5-8 8 at Hawai’i L, 3-11 (6) 10 at Hawai’i L, 0-5 OU Tournament II (Norman, Okla.) 14 vs. Iowa L,1-5 at No. 6/6 Oklahoma L, 0-11 (5) 15 vs. Iowa W, 3-2 (8) at No. 6/6 Oklahoma L, 1-23 (5) 18 at Elon L, 4-10 21 No. 20/20 UCF* L, 0-2 No. 20/20 UCF* L, 0-8 22 No. 20/20 UCF* L, 0-3 25 at UNC-Wilmington L, 0-2 at UNC-Wilmington L, 1-5 28 at Memphis* L, 4-5 (12) at Memphis* W, 8-1 29 at Memphis* W, 3-1 (8)APRIL 3 at Houston* L, 7-8 at Houston* L, 1-2 (8) 4 at Houston* W, 4-3 8 North Carolina State L, 1-6 North Carolina State Canceled 11 Tulsa* L, 0-5 Tulsa* L, 1-4 12 Tulsa* L, 0-8(5) 15 No. 23/24 James Madison L, 1-6 No. 23/24 James Madison L, 0-13 18 at USF* L, 2-3 at USF* W, 10-1 (5) 19 at USF* W, 7-3 23 North Carolina W, 4-3 25 UConn* L, 1-3 UConn* W, 15-3 (5) 26 UConn* W, 12-0 (5)MAY 7 vs. No. 5 seed USF @ 4 P.M.


2015 HIGHLIGHTS• Makes its first-ever appearance in the American

Athletic Conference Championship as the No. 4 seed

• Finished out regular season play with a 5-1 mark in its final six decisions

• The Pirates utilize four pitchers who have amassed 200 strikeouts over 345.0 innings of work


JunioR CAsEy ALCoRn

ECu soFTbALL sTAdiuM

CApACiTy: 1,000

STATISTICAL LEADERS

•BATTING AVERAGE: Casey Alcorn, .296•SLUGGING PCT.: Casey Alcorn, .507•ON-BASE PCT.: Mary-Sloan Bradford, .409•RUNS SCORED: Casey Alcorn, 31•HITS: Casey Alcorn, 45•RUNS BATTED IN: Casey Alcorn, 27•DOUBLES: Ciara Ervin & Casey Alcorn, 9•TRIPLES: Karlie Smith & Meredith Mitchell, 2•HOME RUNS: Abby Wynne, 9

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2 015 A m e r i c A n A t h l e t i c c o n f e r e n c e S o f t b A l l c h A m p i o n S h i p1 0

HEAd CoACH kyLA HoLAs

Location ............................................................... Houston, TexasNickname ....................................................................... CougarsColors .................................................................. Scarlet & WhiteEnrollment ......................................................................... 40,750Founded .................................................................................1927Director of Athletics .......................................... Hunter YurachekHead Coach .................................................................Kyla HolasAssociate Head Coach ...........................................Kristin VeselyAssistant Coach ........................................................Greg EvansSoftball Contact ................................. Jessika Bailey-McKernanWebsite ..................................................... www.uhcougars.comTwitter ................................................................. @UHCougarSB

HOUSTON COUGARS27-26 OVERALL, 10-7 AMERICAN • NO. 3 SEED

SCHEDULE/RESULTSFEBRUARY Sand Dollar Classic (Gulf Shores, Ala.) 5 FIU L, 1-8 6 vs. Southern Miss. W, 4-1 vs. No. 3/4 Alabama L, 2-6 7 vs. Jackson State L, 3-4 vs. Florida Gulf Coast W, 11-1 (6) 8 vs. Liberty W, 6-5 vs. No. 23/23 South Alabama L, 2-3 Hilton Houston Plaza Invitational (Houston, Texas) 13 Northern Iowa W, 5-2 McNeese State L, 1-3 14 UMass W, 5-4 DePaul W, 6-3 15 Stephen F. Austin L, 1-5 17 No. 2/2 Oregon L, 0-2 No. 2/2 Oregon L, 5-10 Hilton Houston Plaza Classic (Houston, Texas) 19 New Mexico L, 1-2 20 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi L, 4-5 Illinois L, 7-10 22 Illinois W, 12-2 (5) 25 at No. 22/22 Texas A&M (SEC Network +) L, 3-6MARCH 3 Houston Baptist W, 12-5 Houston Baptist W, 19-3 (5) UNLV Classic (Las Vegas, Nev.) 6 vs. Eastern Kentucky W, 7-2 vs. UC Santa Barbara W, 12-10 7 at UNLV L, 7-8 vs. Iowa State W, 5-0 8 vs. No. 16/14 California L, 3-9 11 at North Texas W, 15-2 (5) at North Texas W, 4-1 17 at No. 15/13 Baylor L, 4-9 at No. 15/13 Baylor L, 4-8 22 USF* W, 4-2 USF* W, 2-1 25 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi L, 2-4 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi W, 9-8APRIL 1 No. 25/RV Texas L, 12-13 3 East Carolina* W, 8-7 East Carolina* W, 2-1 (8) 4 East Carolina L, 3-4 8 at Sam Houston State L, 0-2 11 at No. 17/18 UCF* L, 0-2 at No. 17/18 UCF* L, 0-13 12 at No. 17/18 UCF* L, 2-8 15 at No. 9/9 Louisiana Canceled 18 UConn* W, 2-1 UConn* W, 4-1 19 UConn* W, 4-3 25 at Tulsa* (ESPNU) W, 5-4 at Tulsa* W, 7-3 26 at Tulsa* L, 1-4 29 Lamar W, 3-2 Lamar W, 7-2MAY 2 at Memphis L, 0-1 at Memphis L, 2-3 3 at Memphis W, 6-1 7 vs. No. 6 seed Memphis @ 11 A.M.


2015 HIGHLIGHTS• Selena Hernandez is the toughest player to strike-

out in the conference and ranks fifth in the nation in that category

• She also leads the conference with the most as-sists (158); it is the second best for a single season in school history

• In the 53 games played, Houston has turned 27 double plays - just one shy of tying the school record

• Freshman Kaylin Crumpton leads The American for most hit by pitches this season and ranks sixth in the nation for averaging most hit by pitches per game (0.42)

2 015 A m e r i c A n A t h l e t i c c o n f e r e n c e S o f t b A l l c h A m p i o n S h i p 1 1

STATISTICAL LEADERS

•BATTING AVERAGE: Selena Hernandez, .335•SLUGGING PCT.: Selena Hernandez, .582•ON-BASE PCT.: Selena Hernandez, .439•RUNS SCORED: Katie St. Pierre, 46•HITS: Katie St. Pierre, 54•RUNS BATTED IN: Selena Hernandez, 41•DOUBLES: Selena Hernandez, 11•TRIPLES: Sydney Gerbracht, Katie St. Pierre & Selena Hernandez, 2•HOME RUNS: Julana Shrum, 10

FREsHMAn kAyLin CRuMpTon

CouGAR soFTbALL sTAdiuM

CApACiTy: 1,200

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HEAd CoACH nATALiE pooLE

Location ..............................................................Memphis, Tenn.Nickname ...........................................................................TigersColors ........................................................................Blue & GrayEnrollment ..........................................................................22,139Founded .................................................................................1912Director of Athletics ................................................. Tom BowenHead Coach ............................................................Natalie PooleAssociate Head Coach .................................................Andy Lott Assistant Coach .....................................................Roya St. ClairSoftball Contact ..................................................Jared EmersonWebsite .................................................. www.GoTigersGo.comTwitter ...........................................................@MemphisSoftball

MEMPHIS TIGERS19-33 OVERALL, 6-12 AMERICAN • NO. 6 SEED

SCHEDULE/RESULTSFEBRUARY Tiger Classic (Baton Rouge, La.) 6 at No. 19/18 LSU L, 2-7 7 vs. Tennessee State W, 5-1 vs. RV/RV NC State L, 3-9 8 vs. Tennessee State L, 1-4 FIU Tournament (Miami, Fla.) 13 vs. LIU W, 8-6 at FIU L, 2-3 14 vs. Purdue L, 2-10 (6) at FIU W, 2-0 21 vs. Delaware L, 4-6 Ole Miss L, 2-8 Cowgirl Classic (Lake Charles, La.) 27 vs. Drake W, 6-3 28 vs. Texas Tech W, 12-9 at McNeese State W, 3-2MARCH 1 vs. Holy Cross Canceled 3 at Ole Miss L, 0-8 (5) 4 Ball State Canceled FAU Parents Weekend Tournament (Boca Raton, Fla.) 6 vs. Bethune-Cookman Canceled at RV/RV Florida Atlantic Canceled 7 vs. Coastal Carolina Canceled vs. No. 12/11 Florida State Canceled College of Charleston Tournament (Charleston, S.C.) 13 vs. Marist W, 7-5 (9) vs. New Mexico L, 1-6 14 vs. Wisconsin L, 7-14 at College of Charleston L, 1-4 15 vs. Furman L, 4-7 17 Belmont W, 8-6 Belmont W, 9-1 (5) 21 at Tulsa* L, 1-2 at Tulsa* L, 0-8 (5) 22 at Tulsa* L, 2-13 (5) 25 Alcorn State W, 8-0 (6) Alcorn State W, 10-2 (5) 28 East Carolina* W, 5-4 (12) East Carolina* L, 1-8 29 East Carolina* L, 1-3 (8) 31 Jackson State W, 9-1 (5) Jackson State L, 1-4APRIL 7 at Lipscomb L, 2-3 at Lipscomb L, 1-13 (5) 11 at UConn* W, 12-0 (5) at UConn* L, 7-8 12 at UConn* L, 3-4 15 at UT-Martin L, 0-2 (8) at UT-Martin L, 1-5 17 No. 15/17 UCF* L, 3-8 No. 15/17 UCF* L, 0-9 (5) 18 No. 15/17 UCF* L, 1-6 21 Central Arkansas L, 0-8 (5) Central Arkansas L, 3-5 22 at Mississippi State L, 3-11 (5) 25 at USF* L, 2-8 at USF* W, 4-3 26 at USF* W, 2-0 28 at Murray State W, 5-0 at Murray State L, 1-9 (5)MAY 2 Houston* W, 1-0 Houston* W, 3-2 3 Houston* L, 1-6 7 vs. No. 3 seed Houston @ 11 A.M.


2015 HIGHLIGHTS• Memphis played its 500th game in program history

this season during opening weekend at the LSU Tiger Classic

• This season, sophomore Lindsay Crowdus set the Memphis program record for career triples (12). She is No. 16 among all active players in that category, and has five triples this season

• Sophomore Calli Irvin hit the first grand slam of her career in a pinch-hit role vs. Wisconsin on March 14; it was just the seventh grand slam in program history, and the first in nearly three seasons


sopHoMoRE LindsAy CRowdus

TiGER soFTbALL CoMpLEx

CApACiTy: 275

STATISTICAL LEADERS

•BATTING AVERAGE: Kyler Troisclair, .312•SLUGGING PCT.: Lindsay Crowdus, .409•ON-BASE PCT.: Hannah Harrell, .425•RUNS SCORED: Kyler Troisclair, 29•HITS: Lindsay Crowdus & Kyler Troisclair, 49•RUNS BATTED IN: Katie Brignac, 26•DOUBLES: Brittany Vaughn, 8•TRIPLES: Lindsay Crowdus, 6•HOME RUNS: Katie Brignac, 5

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HEAd CoACH kEn ERiksEn

Location ..................................................................... Tampa, Fla.Nickname ............................................................................. BullsColor ...................................................................... Green & GoldEnrollment ..........................................................................45,074Founded .................................................................................1956Director of Athletics .................................................Mark HarlanHead Coach ...............................................................Ken EriksenAssistant Coaches ...................Monica Triner & Carmela LiwagSoftball Contact ..................................................... Sean BarowsWebsite ...................................................www.GoUSFBulls.comTwitter ....................................................................@USFSoftball

USF BULLS35-19 OVERALL, 6-10 AMERICAN • NO. 5 SEED

SCHEDULE/RESULTSFEBRUARY USF Softball Classic (Tampa, Fla.) 5 Hampton W, 7-5 6 Illinois State W, 7-0 7 No. 8/8 Michigan L, 3-4 Jacksonville W, 9-1 (5) 8 No. 1/1 Florida L, 5-10 USF Presidents Day Weekend Tournament (Tampa, Fla.) 13 St. John’s W, 4-2 Detroit W, 8-0 (5) 14 No. 11/14 Tennessee L, 1-9 Fordham L, 6-14 15 Florida Gulf Coast W, 11-0 (5) USF Wilson DeMarini Tournament (Tampa, Fla.) 20 No. 16/17 Auburn L, 2-6 Marshall L, 4-6 21 Dartmouth W, 5-0 Marshall W, 18-5 22 No. 16/17 Auburn L, 0-8 (5) USF Under Armour Invitational (Tampa/Clearwater, Fla.) 27 Illinois W, 5-2 Georgia Southern W, 3-2 28 vs. Sacred Heart Canceled vs. Illinois-Chicago CanceledMARCH 1 vs. Georgia State Canceled 3 Maine W, 7-0 4 Boston College W, 3-1 5 Wagner 6 p.m. USF Under Armour Showcase (Tampa/Clearwater, Fla.) 6 Wisconsin W, 3-1 Portland State W, 7-1 7 vs. Toledo W, 5-0 vs. Mercer W, 5-3 10 Yale W, 6-1 Maine W, 8-2 11 Lehigh W, 4-2 Georgetown W, 10-2 (5) USF Michele Smith Spring Break Tournament (Tampa/Clearwater, Fla.) 13 Iowa State W, 2-0 Boston W, 8-0 (5) 14 vs. Green Bay W, 11-0 (5) vs. Towson L, 0-3 15 Army W, 5-1 16 Central Connecticut State W, 3-2 17 Hartford W, 9-0 (5) Canisius W, 7-0 22 at Houston* L, 2-4 at Houston* L, 1-2 28 Tulsa* W, 8-7 (10) Tulsa* W, 7-6 29 Tulsa* L, 0-1APRIL 3 UConn* W, 3-2 UConn* L, 7-8 4 UConn* Canceled 8 at Florida Gulf Coast W, 6-0 15 at No. 2/1 Florida L, 0-7 18 East Carolina* W, 3-2 East Carolina* L, 1-10 (5) 19 East Carolina* L, 3-7 25 Memphis* W, 8-2 Memphis* L, 3-4 26 Memphis* L, 0-2MAY 2 at UCF* L, 1-2 at UCF* W, 3-2 3 at UCF* L, 1-6 7 vs. No. 4 seed East Carolina @ 4 P.M.All times EST and subject to change | Asterisk denotes American Athletic Conference game[@] Denotes American Athletic Conference Championship game

2015 HIGHLIGHTS• The Bulls haven’t lost three consecutive games all

season• USF is 33-8 when holding opponents to five runs

or less this season• USF has five players that ranked in the top five in

The American in at least one offensive category• The Bulls earned their first win over a ranked team

this season when they topped then No. 15/16 UCF 3-2 on May 2


JunioR LEE Ann spivEy

usF soFTbALL sTAdiuM

CApACiTy: 1,500

STATISTICAL LEADERS

•BATTING AVERAGE: Lee Ann Spivey, .383•SLUGGING PCT.: Lee Ann Spivey, .698•ON-BASE PCT.: Monica Santos, .440•RUNS SCORED: Kristen Wyckoff, 45•HITS: Lee Ann Spivey, 57•RUNS BATTED IN: Lee Ann Spivey, 51•DOUBLES: Lee Ann Spivey, 11•TRIPLES: Kristen Wyckoff, 5•HOME RUNS: Lee Ann Spivey, 10

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HEAd CoACH JoHn bARGFELdT

Location .....................................................................Tulsa, Okla.Nickname ........................................................Golden HurricaneColor .......................................Old Gold, Royal Blue & CrimsonEnrollment ........................................................................... 4,597Founded .................................................................................1894Director of Athletics ........................................ Dr. Derrick GraggHead Coach ......................................................... John BargfeldtAssociate Head Coach ....................................... Crissy StrimpleAssistant Coaches ....................................................Kirin Kumar Softball Contact .........................................................Eric HollierWebsite ...............................................www.tulsahurricane.comTwitter ..................................................................@TulsaSoftball

TULSA HURRICANE34-17 OVERALL, 12-6 AMERICAN • NO. 2 SEED

SCHEDULE/RESULTSFEBRUARY GCU Kickoff (Phoenix, Ariz.) 6 vs. Santa Clara W, 9-6 at Grand Canyon W, 7-3 7 vs. Santa Clara W, 6-4 at Grand Canyon W, 5-4 8 vs. Northern Colorado L, 0-2 FAU Strike-Out Cancer Tournament (Boca Raton, Fla.) 13 vs. Michigan State L, 3-4 at Florida Atlantic L, 0-1 14 vs. Maryland W, 1-0 vs. Drexel W, 10-0 (5) vs. Providence W, 10-0 Baylor Invitational (Waco, Texas) 20 vs. No. 2/2 Oregon L, 2-4 at No. 7/11 Baylor L, 0-2 21 vs. North Texas W, 6-3 vs. Abilene Christian W, 10-0 Tulsa Tournament (Tulsa, Okla.) 27 Northern Iowa Canceled Creighton Canceled 28 RV/NR Nebraska CanceledMARCH NM State Round Robin (Las Cruces, N.M.) 6 vs. North Dakokta W, 9-0 (6) at New Mexico State L, 0-8 (6) 7 vs. North Dakota W, 18-3 (5) at New Mexico State L, 10-12 10 at Arkansas W, 5-4 Jeannine McHaney Memorial Classic (Lubbock, Texas) 13 vs. Mississippi Valley State W, 18-3 (5) at Texas Tech W, 11-1 (5) 14 at Texas Tech L, 2-10 (5) vs. Mississippi Valley State W, 13-1 15 vs. Mississippi Valley State W, 7-0 17 at North Texas L, 2-4 18 Iowa L, 6-7 21 Memphis* W, 2-1 Memphis* W, 8-0 (5) 22 Memphis* W, 13-2 (5) 24 Wichita State W, 9-6 28 at USF* L, 7-8 (10) at USF* L, 6-7 29 at USF* W, 1-0 31 Arkansas (Cox) W, 10-2 (6)APRIL 3 No. 16/18 UCF* L, 1-2 (16) No. 16/18 UCF* W, 5-4 4 No. 16/18 UCF* L, 0-3 7 at Wichita State L, 2-7 11 at East Carolina* W, 5-0 at East Carolina* W, 4-1 12 at East Carolina* W, 8-0 (5) 15 Oklahoma State W, 3-0 16 at Oklahoma State W, 2-1 18 RV/RV Kansas Canceled 19 RV/RV Kansas W, 3-2 25 Houston* (ESPNU) L, 4-5 Houston* L, 3-7 26 Houston* W, 4-1 29 Missouri State W, 9-2MAY 2 at UConn* W, 5-2 at UConn* W, 8-0 (5) 3 at UConn* W, 9-0 (6) 7 vs. No. 7 seed UConn @ 1:30 P.M.


2015 HIGHLIGHTS• Six Tulsa players hit better than .300, led by sopho-

more Brittany Walker, who hits .364 • Senior Julie Kernen has 58 RBIs this season and set

a new Tulsa single season record with that mark• Tulsa has outscored its opponents 301-149 this

season• Head Coach John Bargfeldt is in his 10th season at

Tulsa. His teams have never finished lower than third place in conference play during his tenure with the Hurricane


sEnioR JuLiE kERnAn

CoLLins FAMiLy soFTbALL CoMpLEx

CApACiTy: 800

STATISTICAL LEADERS

•BATTING AVERAGE: Brittany Walker, .364•SLUGGING PCT.: Julie Kernen, .669•ON-BASE PCT.: Brittany Walker, .444•RUNS SCORED: Erica Sampson, 56•HITS: Erica Sampson, 57•RUNS BATTED IN: Julie Kernen, 58•DOUBLES: Julie Kernen, 15•TRIPLES: Catherine Horner, Shelby Estocado & Erica Sampson, 4•HOME RUNS: Julie Kernen, 12

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AMERICAN MEMBERS IN THE NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPAmerican Athletic Conference programs have a rich history in the NCAA Championship, advancing to the finals two times in the history of the tournament. UConn and USF have each made one appearance in the WCWS, in 1993 and 2012 respectively. Overall, American teams have a .439 winning percentage in the NCAA Championship with 45 bids throughout the programs’ history.

TeaM years ParTiciPaTed yrs. all-TiMe recOrd PcT.

UCF 2005, 08, 10, 12, 14 5 7-10 .412

UConn 1989, 90, 91, 92, 93 (WCWS), 8 11-17 .393 95, 96, 2001 East Carolina 1999, 2008, 10, 11 4 5-8 .385

Houston 2004, 07, 08, 10, 12, 13, 14 7 14-14 .500

Memphis 2011 1 1-2 .333

USF 1996, 97, 98, 2001, 03, 04, 05, 06, 12 24-25 .490 08, 12 (WCWS), 13, 14

Temple 2004 1 1-2 .333

Tulsa 2006, 08, 09, 11, 12, 13, 14 7 9-14 .391

Overall TOTal: 45 NCAA BIDS BY AMERICAN TEAMS 72-92 .439

2014 RESULTSTEAM ovERALL RECoRd ConFEREnCE ConFEREnCE RECoRd posTsEAson

UCF 43-18 American 15-3 NCAA Gainesville Regional (2-2)

UConn 13-38 American 3-17 First Round, American Championship

East Carolina 28-20 Conference USA 14-10 Second Round, C-USA Championship

Houston 33-23 American 13-8 NCAA Waco Regional (1-2)

Memphis 23-33 American 5-15 First Round, American Championship

USF 43-17 American 13-5 NCAA Gainesville Regional (2-2)

Temple 15-30 American 5-13 First Round, American Championship

Tulsa 53-9 Conference USA 19-4 NCAA Waco Regional (3-2)


AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE#AMERICANRISING

Not entirely unlike the nation that provides its namesake, the American Athletic Conference was born from an ideal in which members with ambitious goals are provided with the means to succeed in their quests for excellence. With roots that extend to three conferences, the American Athletic Conference membership in 2014-15 consists of 11 insti-tutions: the University of Central Florida, the University of Cin-cinnati, East Carolina University, the University of Connecticut, the University of Houston, the University of Memphis, the Uni-versity of South Florida, Southern Methodist University, Temple University, Tulane University and the University of Tulsa. The 2015-16 season sees the U.S. Naval Academy join the ranks in football only. Under the leadership of commissioner Mike Aresco, The American, which operated as the Big East Conference from 1979 to 2013, has immediately taken a place at the forefront of Division I athletics, with schools that have played in four Bowl Championship Series games, won four NCAA men’s basketball titles since 1999, and won nine NCAA women’s basketball cham-pionships since 1995. Two American Athletic Conference football teams were ranked in the top 15 of the final 2013 Associated Press poll. Five were selected for bowl games, including UCF, which won the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl and finished the season ranked No. 10 na-tionally. The conference produced 14 players who received All-America recognition by a major outlet. The American had four players chosen in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft, trailing only the SEC and the ACC among FBS conferences. UCF quarterback Blake Bortles highlighted a group of 12 American Athletic Conference players chosen when he was taken No. 3 overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars. The success of The American in Year 1 was not limited to the gridiron. UConn won NCAA titles in both men’s and women’s basketball. The conference had the best postseason winning percentage of any league in men’s basketball, while The Ameri-can produced top-10 teams in baseball, men’s soccer and men’s golf and sent half of its participating teams to the NCAA Softball Championship. The American Athletic Conference holds television partner-ships with ESPN and CBS Sports which will give the conference unprecedented national exposure. The football portion of the contract, which begins in the 2014 season, calls for nearly 90 percent of conference-controlled games on national broadcast or national cable platforms. The first American Athletic Confer-ence Football Championship, which will be played in 2015, will be carried either on ABC or ESPN on Championship Saturday. In men’s basketball, the television deal calls for all confer-ence-controlled games to be televised, with more than 63 per-cent slotted for national broadcast or national cable – a mini-mum of 107 games. The entire postseason tournament will be televised, including the championship game, which will be either on ABC or ESPN. Sixty percent of the American’s women’s bas-ketball games will be carried on either national cable, regional sports networks or ESPN3. American Athletic Conference teams will have access to the pinnacle of college football’s postseason structure. An American representative would be chosen for the College Football Playoff

semifinals if it is among the top four teams following the regu-lar season. Otherwise, the league would place its champion in either the Cotton Bowl, Fiesta Bowl or Peach Bowl if it is ranked higher than the champions of Conference USA, the Mid-Ameri-can Conference, the Mountain West Conference and the Sun Belt Conference. Additionally, The American has announced primary or sec-ondary partnerships with 12 bowls for the next six-year cycle, ensuring multiple annual matchups against the nation’s top conferences and providing desirable postseason destinations to member institutions and their fans. The American Athletic Conference administers to its mem-bership from a state-of-the-art office located in Providence, R.I. The location of the conference headquarters – just steps from the city’s Amtrak station and 10 minutes from T.F. Green Interna-tional Airport – gives the conference easy access to its member schools. The conference headquarters is equipped with a complete video production studio, serving as the home of the American Digital Network, and small- and large-scale meeting rooms to accommodate the many coaches’ and administrators’ meetings held on-site each year.

SOFTBALL

The American enjoyed an excellent first year of softball in 2014. Four American Athletic Conference softball teams were picked for the NCAA Softball Championship, while 14 student-athletes received 2014 NFCA Division I All-Region honors. Ad-ditionally, USF pitching ace Sara Nevins was named an NFCA All-American for the third consecutive year. Seven teams comprise the softball membership of The American for the 2015 season with East Carolina and Tulsa join-ing the conference. The Pirates return 10 position players and three pitchers for their inaugural season in The American while the Hurricane looks to improve on a 53-9 outing last season. Tulsa won the 2014 Conference USA regular season and tourna-ment championships. UCF, the defending regular season champion, returns 19 members from last year’s championship squad. The 2015 American Athletic Conference Championship will be held in Orlando at UCF Softball Complex on May 7-9. The quarterfinals and semifinals of the championship will air live on The American Digital Network while the championship game on May 9 is set for a 1 p.m. ET telecast on ESPN2.


2015 american athletic conference softball championship program

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