Softball Opens Tournament Play Thursday
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The Presbyterian College softball team travels to Radford, Va., this weekend for the 2012 Big South Tournament being held May 10-13 on the campus of Radford University.
PC ended the regular-season 19-31 overall and 8-13 in the Big South and will face #2 Coastal Carolina 11:30 a.m. Thursday, May 10. The Blue Hose lost two of three to the Chanticleers earlier this season.
PC enters the tournament as the #7 seed and will look to have the same success the Blue Hose men's tennis team had when they advanced to the Big South Championship match in April. The tennis team was also the seventh seed and upset #2 UNC Asheville on its way to the title match. The softball team is 0-4 since playing in the softball tournament.
The winner of the first round game will face either #3 Charleston Southern or #6 Liberty in the second round. PC took two of three from the Bucs and one of three from the Flames.
Leading the team offensively is Jill McLean with her .290 batting average, after going four-for-six this past weekend against Campbell. Shelby Petik is second at .279 and in third is Cat Tarvin with her .277.
Eight players have recorded over double digit RBI this season with Morgan Durham leading the way at 22. Rachel Hopper and Leslie Hensley have 19 each, with Petik and Erin Taylor sitting with 14 apiece.
Morgan Durham has 18 stolen bases this season out of 20 attempts to lead the Blue Hose. Cat Tarvin is 12-for-14, while Tera Powell has stolen 10-of-15.
Hensley and Kensley Loudermelk lead the Blue Hose on the circle. Hensley leads the team with her 2.95 ERA and 107 strikeouts in 180.1 innings pitched. She is 10-15 on the year. Loudermelk, who earned Big South Pitcher of the Week honors several weeks ago, carries a 3.08 ERA in 111.1 innings. She has struck out 82 and is 8-11 on the year.
Hensley recently reached the 400 career strikeout mark and became PC's Division I Era leader with 407. Mary Gordon held the record with 394 career strikeouts.
