Spartans, Ospreys Look To Knock Cancer Out Of The Park
4/3/2009 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 3, 2009
Notes | ASun.TV | Gametracker - Game 1 | Gametracker - Game 2
Spartanburg, S.C. - USC Upstate resumes A-Sun play Saturday when it plays host to North Florida at 2:00 p.m. at Cyrill Stadium. The doubleheader will also serve as an event aimed at raising funds and awareness in the fight against breast cancer. A donation drive has been established in honor of Vanessa Battaglia, mother of UNF catcher Ashley Battaglia, who is battling breast cancer with all proceeds going to the American Cancer Society. Upstate enters the doubleheader on a four-game winning streak and with a 19-9 overall record and a 3-5 mark in the A-Sun. UNF is 18-20 overall and 5-5 in the league. UNF leads the all-time series, 15-7, a series that dates back to the days when both schools were members of the Peach Belt Conference in NCAA Division II. Upstate, though, has won five of the last seven against the Ospreys.
Fans not in attendance at the game can watch the action live on A-Sun.TV by visiting www.asun.tv and clicking the USC Upstate tab. Fans can also get live statistical updates using Gametracker via the official Upstate Athletics Web site, www.upstatespartans.com.
Looking Back At Western Carolina
Crislyn Chewning hit for the doubleheader cycle and finished with five hits and five RBIs to lead Upstate to a sweep at Western Carolina Wednesday. Kim Brasil also finished with five hits on the day, while Morgan Childers earned the wins in both games in the circle. In game one, Upstate broke open the game in the fourth with five runs. Chewning knocked a bases loaded triple to highlight the inning and the Spartans went on for the 9-2 win. In game two, Childers and Western starter Katie King engaged in a pitcher's duel before the Spartans scored in the eighth to take the 3-2 win.
About The Competition
North Florida enters Saturday's doubleheader at USC Upstate with an 18-20 overall record and a 5-5 mark in the A-Sun. The Ospreys are 3-3 in their last six games, splitting an A-Sun doubleheader at Belmont the last time out. UNF has recorded impressive non-conference wins over Minnesota, Villanova, Central Florida, Kent State and Chattanooga.
Ashley Battaglia leads UNF at the plate with a lofty .402 batting average. She has an A-Sun leading 20 doubles on the year and a team-high six home runs. The Ospreys are hitting .235 as a team. In the circle, Devyn Findley tops UNF in the circle with eight wins, a 2.24 ERA and 185 strikeouts. The Ospreys own a 2.44 team ERA and a .974 fielding percentage.
Battling Breast Cancer
With Upstate already holding events aimed at battling breast cancer during the volleyball and women's basketball seasons, the Spartans will again show its support Saturday as the softball team hosts the "Knock Cancer Out Of The Park" event. Several members of the Upstate softball team learned of the battle Vanessa Battaglia, mother of UNF catcher Ashley Battaglia, is having with breast cancer. Already wanting to raise funds and awareness in the fight against the disease, the softball team chose Saturday's doubleheader with UNF in a show of support for Vanessa, Ashley and the UNF softball family. All donations will be given to the American Cancer Society.
Saturday Is A Matchup Of The A-Sun's Top Pitchers
When Upstate and North Florida take to the diamond Saturday, there will be a marquee pitching matchup between Upstate ace Morgan Childers and UNF ace Devyn Findley. Childers and Findley were named to the preseason A-Sun All-Conference team, were both members of the all-conference team last year and are the top two strikeout leaders in the conference this season. Childers enters Saturday with a 14-6 record, 1.76 ERA and 186 strikeouts in 131 innings. Findley enters Saturday with an 8-13 record, 2.24 ERA and 185 strikeouts in 146.2 innings.
Chewning Hits For The Cycle... Sort Of
While it is not an official stat, center fielder Crislyn Chewning hit for the doubleheader cycle Wednesday at Western Carolina. She was 3-for-3 with a walk in the first game, recording a single, double and triple in order before walking her fourth time up. She knocked a solo home run in the second game giving her the doubleheader cycle.
Night Time Is The Right Time
Upstate is a strong 5-1 in games that start after 5:00 p.m. this season. The Spartans have won five straight night games with wins against Furman and Campbell at home and at Charlotte, Stetson and Western Carolina.
Spartans 4-0 In "New Season"
Prior to last Saturday's doubleheader at Stetson, Upstate head coach Chris Hawkins told his team the "new season" had started and to put whatever struggles the team had been mired in behind them. The Spartans are currently 4-0 on the "new season" with sweeps of Stetson and Western Carolina. Kim Brasil tops the team during that span with a .563 batting average.
Number Crunching
Junior Crislyn Chewning has made her mark in her first year in the Upstate program. She tops the Spartans with 10 multi-hit games and six multi-RBI outings. She has knocked in four RBIs on two occasions, including Wednesday's four-RBI outing in game one to lead Upstate to a 9-2 win at Western Carolina. Courtney Feldon, Heidi Gibbs and Keri Sarratt top the Spartans by recording seven-game hitting streaks earlier this season. Kim Brasil owns the team's top current streak at five games.
Upstate 68th In NCAA RPI
In the first RPI ranking released by the NCAA this season, Upstate comes in at No. 68 out of 284 Division I schools. The Spartans are the third-highest ranked A-Sun team in the ranking. Florida Gulf Coast is the highest ranked conference team at No. 31, while Mercer is just ahead of Upstate at No. 65. North Florida, the Spartans' opponent Saturday, is ranked 90th. The Spartans finished last year ranked 76th and the sixth-highest team in the A-Sun. However, Upstate was the third-highest ranked conference team at the completion of regular season play and slipped three positions following the A-Sun and NCAA tournaments.
Gibbs Approaching Doubles Milestone
Senior Heidi Gibbs is so close to the Upstate all-time doubles record she can taste it. The senior from Florence, S.C., has smacked 56 doubles in her career, one shy of the all-time mark of 57 held by Upstate all-time great Krista Altom (2002-05). Gibbs' name appears 14 times on Upstate's career record book.
Spartans At Cyrill Stadium
Upstate has called Cyrill Stadium home since Feb. 13, 2002, when the Spartans opened the season, and the Cyrill Stadium era, with a doubleheader sweep of Southern Wesleyan. Upstate has been strong at home, turning in a 124-36 record in seven-plus seasons at the stadium, a .775 winning percentage at the facility. Upstate's top season in the stadium was in 2006 when the Spartans were 22-4 at home. Upstate is currently 12-1 this season at home.
