Upstate Tops All S.C. Schools in Softball RPI; Alexander Among Nation's Leaders
4/25/2012 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Complete Upstate NCAA Rankings Breakdown
Spartanburg, S.C. – For the third-straight week, the USC Upstate softball team tops all South Carolina softball programs in the latest NCAA Division I RPI report, while standout pitcher Hannah Alexander continues to be ranked in the top 10 in the nation for wins and shutouts in the latest statistical leader report issued by the NCAA.
Upstate is ranked No. 75 in the latest RPI report, eight spots ahead of South Carolina at No. 83. The Spartans and Gamecocks are the only two South Carolina programs listed in the top 100 in the nation. Coastal Carolina is third at No. 111 and is followed by Charleston Southern (No. 116), College of Charleston (No. 121), Winthrop (No. 186), Furman (No. 197), Presbyterian (No. 238) and South Carolina State (No. 282).
Upstate is the second-highest team in the A-Sun in the latest RPI listing, with six of the league's 10 schools ranking in the top 100. The Spartans trail only Lipscomb, which comes in at No. 67, eight spots higher than the Spartans. Jacksonville is third in the A-Sun at No. 76 and is followed by Kennesaw State (No. 80), North Florida (No. 82), Florida Gulf Coast (No. 95), Mercer (No. 119), Stetson (No. 123), East Tennessee State (No. 201) and Belmont (No. 214).
Alexander, a sophomore from Lexington, N.C., is ranked sixth in the nation with 24 wins on the season. Three people are tied for the national lead with 27 wins. She is also 10th in the country with nine shutouts on the year and is 29th with 193 strikeouts.
Offensively, freshman Shellie Robinson (DeLand, Fla.) is among the nation's leaders in several categories. She ranks 21st with 14 home runs, 29th with a .789 slugging percentage and 31st with 0.98 runs per game.
As a team, Upstate ranks ninth with a .324 batting average, 13th with a .974 fielding percentage and .783 winning percentage, 14th with 1.5 doubles per game and 31st with a 2.03 ERA.
Upstate is taking a break from competition this week with final exams taking place at the Upstate. The Spartans will be back in action to close out the regular season with a pair of A-Sun doubleheaders in Nashville, Tenn., May 4-5. Upstate will take on Lipscomb May 4 at 4:00 pm CT and Belmont on May 5 at 5:00 p.m. CT.
