Upstate Wraps Up Fall Softball Season
10/7/2008 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Oct. 7, 2008
Upstate Softball at Winthrop Tournament Photo Gallery
Spartanburg, S.C. - The USC Upstate softball team closed out its fall season in preparation for defending its A-Sun regular season championship, and the Spartans excelled with the help of veteran leadership and an infusion of new talent.
Upstate finished the fall season 7-1 after hosting a tournament the last week of September and playing at Winthrop's tournament last weekend.
"Recapping the fall, we were 7-1 and finished strong at the Winthrop tournament," said Upstate head coach Chris Hawkins. "We were a little rusty at the beginning and in our first tournament. We incorporated the new players into our way of doing things and it took a little while for us to get rolling. But, everyone contributed to our success in the fall and I can't say enough about the effort of the players."
Upstate capped a strong fall season with a 4-0 outing at Winthrop over the weekend. The Spartans claimed wins over Winthrop, Georgia Southern, Lenoir-Rhyne and the Pickering Heat. Morgan Childers, the reigning A-Sun Pitcher of the Year and Freshman of the Year, showed no signs of falling into the mythical sophomore slump. She tossed 15 innings and allowed just two runs. She struck out 18 batters and allowed just five hits.
Another sophomore, Courtney Feldon, continued where she left off last spring. She had a home run, triple and two doubles over the weekend to highlight a strong fall season. The sophomore trend continued as Kim Brasil took over the reigns as the everyday catcher. She turned in tremendous defense behind the plate and capped the fall with two doubles and a home run last weekend.
"Overall, I thought we got better each game," said Hawkins. "That is what it is all about in the fall. I was extremely impressed with how our defense performed over the weekend. We made diving plays and throws from our knees to get batters out. We looked strong at every position. Keri Sarratt might have been the biggest surprise of the fall, solidifying a spot at third base.
"I feel we know exactly what we need to accomplish to be successful in the spring. When you are in the A-Sun, anything can happen. We have to be more consistent to become better in the spring."
Upstate opened the Winthrop tournament by defeating the Pickering Heat out of Ontario, Canada, by a score of 12-5. The Spartans then dominated Georgia Southern with Childers taking a no-hitter into the seventh inning before settling for an 8-1 win. On Sunday, the Spartans defeated Lenoir-Rhyne, 10-5, before claiming a 3-1 win over Winthrop in the tournament's marquee game.
Upstate opened the season by hosting the Upstate Spartan Fall Classic at Cyrill Stadium. Upstate split a doubleheader with SMC, winning 8-0 behind Childers' performance in the circle, and falling by a score of 4-0 in the nightcap. Upstate closed out the tournament with a 3-1 win over Georgia Perimeter College and a 2-0 shutout of former Peach Belt Conference rival Francis Marion. Childers finished the tournament with two shutouts and 10 strikeouts.
Upstate begins its defense of the 2008 A-Sun regular season championship Feb. 8 when it plays host to Montreat at Cyrill Stadium. The Spartans open the A-Sun season on March 20 against Campbell at home.
