March 5, 2003
ATLANTA – Having heated up at the plate over its last five games, the Georgia Tech softball team (12-7) hopes to continue that trend this week on its spring break trip. The Jackets face St. Mary’s (Calif.) College at 6 p.m. Eastern Thursday before opening the National Invitational Softball Tournament in Sunnyvale, Calif., against No. 23 Oregon and Missouri-Kansas City Friday.
Tech went 5-1 a week ago and won the Georgia State Invitational with a team batting average of .336. The Jackets hit five homers and scored at least five runs in four of five games. Sophomore Liz Bartle led the with a .636 average, five runs batted in, a home run and three doubles. She was named ACC Player of the Week for her efforts. She now leads the team with a .333 average for the season. Two other Jackets hit .400 last week, as senior second baseman Felicia Coursey hit .429 with six runs scored, and junior center fielder Sara Wissmann batted .400 with four RBI. Coursey ranks second on the team, batting .309 for the season.
Sophomore Jessica Sallinger, who was 3-1 with a pair of one-hitters last week, leads the Jackets’ pitching staff. She is 6-5 on the season with a 1.76 earned run average and 97 strikeouts in 63.2 innings pitched. Junior Erin Voeltz is 5-2 with a 2.58 ERA.
Tech faces St. Mary’s for the second consecutive season. A year ago, the Jackets swept a doubleheader from the Gaels, 5-1 and 3-0, to take a 2-1 lead in the all-time series. SMC enters this year’s single-game meeting with a 9-13 record. Michelle Anifin leads the team with a .308 average, while Jennifer Eaton is 5-6 with a 3.16 ERA to pace the pitchers.
At the National Invitational Tournament, Tech opens the challenging event against 23rd-ranked Oregon at 5 p.m. Eastern Friday. The Ducks are currently 12-5 and are led at the plate by Lynsey Haij, who is batting an even .400 on the season. Oregon owns a balanced lineup that features at seven players with at least six RBI. Amy Harris leads the Duck pitching staff with a 1.20 ERA in a team-best 12 appearances. Anissa Meashintub (1.65 ERA) and Lindsey Kontra (1.98 ERA) also appear to be solid starters.
Following the meeting with the Ducks, Tech faces Missouri-Kansas City at 7 p.m. Eastern. UMKC currently owns a 1-3 record and will play Oklahoma and Oklahoma State en route to the NIST. Lindsey Ramsey leads the Kangaroos with a .364 average, while Becky Burger is batting .333. As a team, UMKC is hitting .158. Lindsey Davis, who is 1-1, has not allowed an earned run in 15 innings pitched to lead the pitching staff.
Bracket play of the NIST begins Saturday and concludes Sunday with the event’s title game. Potential opponents for Tech Saturday include No. 8 California, the defending national champions, and 24th-ranked Minnesota.
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