March 17, 2005
ATLANTA – The 20th-ranked Yellow Jacket softball team will hit the road for the next week, making stops in Orlando, Fla., for the UCF Tournament, March 18-20, and DeLand, Fla., March 22, for a non-conference single game with Stetson University. Tech will open tournament play against Charleston Southern at 9 a.m. and Kent State at 3 p.m. on Friday.
Participating in the tournament will be Tech, Central Florida (A-Sun), Charleston Southern (Big South), Kent State (MAC) and Northern Illinois (MAC). The Rambling Wreck will face NIU and UCF on Saturday at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. A consolation game and championship game will be played on Sunday at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
The Jackets are 10-2 in their last 12 ballgames and are ranked 20th in both the USA Today/NFCA and ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Polls. Tech is 2-1 in the Atlantic Coast Conference and will face defending ACC champion Florida State next weekend, March 26-27, in Atlanta.
Leading the Yellow Jackets offensively is reigning ACC Player of the Week Christine Sheridan. The junior shortstop is leading the conference in batting average (.477), hits per game (1.45) and on base percentage (.535).
Freshman Aileen Morales leads the league with 19 stolen bases and has yet to be thrown out this season. The second baseman ranks third in the conference in runs scored per game (0.72) and seventh in hits per game (1.00).
Senior pitcher Jessica Sallinger leads the ACC in wins (12), games started (18), complete games (14), opponent batting average (.127) and complete-game shutouts (6). The Kennesaw, Ga., native currently stands 12th in the NCAA with 1,186 career strikeouts and is fourth in the conference, averaging 9.89 K’s per game.
Senior Katie Donovan is sixth all-time in the ACC with 105 career walks and leads the league with 22 this season. The third baseman ranks sixth in the league in on base percentage (.461) and eighth in stolen bases per game (0.28).
The Yellow Jackets lead the league in team batting average (.313), team fielding percentage (.972), runs scored (153), runs batted in (129) and stolen bases (66).
-GT SOFTBALL-
