 "Photo:")
The UTEP softball team will have one final chance to affect their seeding for the Conference USA Tournament, when they travel to Orlando, Fla. to take on UCF May 2-3.
Currently, the Miners (24-26-1) sit in seventh place in C-USA with a 7-13-1 conference mark, after getting swept at home by first place Tulsa. Depending on how things go around the conference, in the final weekend of play, UTEP could still finish as high as fourth place in C-USA.
"We are concentrating on having a really good week of practice, and we have been looking at a whole lot of video," co-head coach Kathleen Rodriguez said. "The girls are getting themselves in the right frame of mind. It is big to go down to Florida and end it on a good note."
After starting out conference play 6-6, the team has won just one of its last nine conference games. Last week, the Miners put together their first back-to-back wins since a pair of games March 29 and March 31, when they swept Big 12 foe Texas Tech at the Helen of Troy Softball Complex.
While UTEP is still not the offensive force they were to begin the season, the bats have slowly started to rebound after a five-game stretch, all losses, that saw them score just three runs. The Miners scored nine times in three games against Southern Miss and 12 runs in five games last week.
Freshman Kristin Lusby gave UTEP a spark batting leadoff in the series finale against Tulsa, going 2-for-4 and setting the table for the formidable 2-3-4 hitters, Chelsea Troupe, Camilla Carrera and Stacie Townsend.
"I thought (Lusby) stepped up great, she is a hard worker," Rodriguez said. "She comes out here and works really hard and she has taken her role very seriously. She understands that when her name is called she needs to produce - for a freshman that is a big role to play."
Before the April 26, Lusby had only notched 10 hits during the entire campaign. She also provided relief for the Miners at second, after senior Jennifer Davis was injured on Saturday.
Rodriguez said that the team is still awaiting word on Davis' knee after she had been examined by several doctors and had an MRI this week.
In the circle, Stacie Townsend had one of her better pitching performances of the year, striking out 12 in a losing effort in the finale against Tulsa. The junior has already broken her own school record with her 15 wins on the year.
UCF brings a .500 record to the three-game set, coming in at 25-25 on the year, 9-11 in C-USA play. They enter the series after taking two of three from Memphis last week.
The Golden Knights' biggest offensive threats are Abby McClain, Breanne Javier and Tiffany Lane, who are all hitting over. 329. McClain, a sophomore, leads the team in both home runs (5) and doubles (15). Javier, the Knights first baseman, has knocked in 34 runs in 2009, best on the squad.
Three different UCF pitchers have tallied at least 10 decisions this season, led by junior righty Ashleigh Cole. She comes in with a 16-7 record and a 2.49 ERA in 33 games. Kristina DeMello also brings a sub-3.00 ERA (2.76) to this weekend's series.
Diamond notes
If the Miners fall into eighth or ninth place they would have to compete in the play-in game for the right to play the top-seeded team in the tournament in the first round.
UTEP broke the team record for home runs in a single season, when Becky Smith and Townsend went yard in game two of the Tulsa series. The two blasts put the Miners at 58 for the year, two better than their mark of 56, established in 2006.
After a blistering start, Carrera has cooled off a bit, but is still tied for the conference lead with a .411 batting average. Carrera shares the top spot with Southern Miss' Megan Hill. The league batting champ will be decided in the final weekend. UTEP's Troupe is right behind the pair at .403.
Carrera is making some noise in the player-of-the-year race as she is in the top four in six different hitting categories in C-USA. She leads the league in hits, runs, doubles and total bases.
The Miners will host the 2009 Conference USA Tournament May 7-9 at the Helen of Troy Softball Complex. The tournament will begin with five games April 30, a pair May 1 and the championship game, televised live by CBS College Sports Television on May 2. All UTEP students and staff can get in free with a valid school I.D.
Quinton Martinez may be reached at prospector@utep.edu.
Be the first to comment on this article!