March 7, 2007
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ATLANTA – the No. 19 Georgia Tech softball team (20-3) will travel to Clearwater, Fla., for the USF adidas Invitational, March 8-11. The Yellow Jackets will face Indiana, Northern Illinois, Massachusetts, Tennessee Tech and Illinois-Chicago in pool play.
Game Coverage
Live stats will be provided at www.RamblinWreck.com.
USF adidas Invitational
This will mark the second consecutive season the Yellow Jackets will participate in the USF adidas Invitational. Tech won its pool last season and advanced to bracket play. Tech finished pool play with a record of 4-1, and defeated Illinois-Chicago in the quarterfinals, 5-2. The Jackets then were defeated by UMass in the semifinals, 2-1.
The Jackets will face Indiana, Northern Illinois, UMass, Tennessee Tech and Illinois-Chicago in pool play. The winner of the pool will advance to bracket play which begins Saturday evening.
The Jackets have already played UMass and Tennessee Tech in 2007. The Rambling Wreck defeated the Minutewomen, 3-0, and Tennessee Tech, 4-2, at the NFCA Leadoff Classic.
Over the Barn
Junior transfer Brittany Barnes has made herself noticed early on for the Yellow Jackets. Barnes, a native of Lawrenceville, Ga., leads the ACC with 36 runs batted in and 10 home runs. She surpassed her 25 RBIs in 39 games last season at North Georgia College and State University.
Lever Cleans Up
Not only does senior outfielder Caitlin Lever bat clean up for the Yellow Jackets, but she usually empties the bases when she comes to the plate. A native of Amherst, N.Y., Lever leads the ACC with a .562 batting average and has driven in 26 runs for the Jackets. She has five home runs this year and ranks second in the conference with 28 runs scored.
A two-time All-ACC selection, Lever could become just the fourth Tech player to earn all-conference honors in three consecutive seasons (Tara Knudsen – 2002-04; Jessica Sallinger – 2003-05; Laura Williams – 1994-97). She currently stands first among active ACC players with a career batting average of .372 and ranks fourth in Tech history with 53 stolen bases.
Kick them a Chair
Sophomore transfer Tiffany Johnson has become one of the more dominant pitchers in the ACC, early on in the 2007 season. After not pitching much early, the Atlanta native blanked No. 24 Massachusetts, 3-0, in the Leadoff Classic and finished last week with a perfect 4-0 record, striking out 35 and walking just six in 23.0 innings of work.
She leads the team and stands fourth in the ACC with a 1.50 earned run average and has a total of 70 strikeouts and is third in the league with 9.55 strikeouts per game.
What Can Brown Do for You?
Junior catcher Savannah Brown has been one of Tech’s top offensive threats over her first two seasons and 2007 seems to be no different. Brown, a native of San Diego, Calif., ranks second on the Tech squad with 11 walks, is tied for fourth with four home runs and has driven in 21 runs for the Jackets.
An All-Southeast Region selection a year ago, Brown stands fourth in the ACC among active leaders and fourth in the Tech career record book with 21 career home runs.
Haller Rises Up
After putting up the most impressive offensive season in ACC history, sophomore Whitney Haller is putting the `sophomore jinx’ motto to bed. The first baseman has homered six times in her last 18 games and is hitting .432, with 24 RBIs. A native of Marietta, Ga., Haller ranks third on the team with a .743 slugging percentage.
Back on the Hump
Whitney Humphreys, a junior from Shady Spring, W. Va., started the 2006 season 11-1 before suffering a leg injury and ending the year 7-6. She seems to be back to form early on in 2007, posting three complete-game shutouts and ranks second in the ACC with nine wins (9-1). She stands sixth in the league with a 1.98 ERA.
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