Upstate Hosts South Carolina Wednesday in Midweek Matchup
4/12/2016 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Spartanburg, S.C. – The USC Upstate softball team steps out of conference play Wednesday evening as it welcomes the South Carolina Gamecocks to Cyrill Stadium for a 6 p.m. contest.
Upstate (32-11) is coming off a three-game sweep in A-Sun action last weekend over Jacksonville, giving it a 4-1 record on the week after splitting a doubleheader at Western Carolina on April 6. The Spartans hit a season-high five home runs in game one of a doubleheader last Saturday while Karla Beasley hit three homers, including the game-winning walk off in game two. Lexi Shubert tossed her second complete game shutout of the week on Sunday as Upstate wrapped up the weekend sweep of the Dolphins.
South Carolina (30-10) has won six out of its last seven games including taking two out of three in SEC play last weekend at Arkansas. The Gamecocks are under the direction of fifth-year head coach Beverly Smith. Kaylea Snaer leads the South Carolina offense with a .408 average in 40 games, while Alaynie Page has hit seven home runs and posted 35 RBI. Jessica Elliott is 15-2 on the mound with a 2.54 ERA.
The all-time series between the Spartans and Gamecocks is tied 3-3 dating back to the 2009 season. South Carolina earned a 3-0 victory last season in Columbia. The series is even 1-1 when playing at Cyrill Stadium as Upstate picked up a 5-0 win in 2010. South Carolina took the last meeting in Columbia, 4-3, during the 2011 campaign.
Fans can follow the action on www.upstatespartans.com via live stats. The game is being streamed on ESPN3. Updates will also be posted on the Upstate softball Twitter page (@UpstateSoftball).
The Spartans are off until Wednesday, April 20 when they host South Carolina State in a doubleheader beginning at 3 p.m.
Spartans Ranked No. 57 in Latest NCAA RPI
The NCAA announced its latest RPI ranking earlier this week and Upstate is ranked No. 57 among 295 Division I softball programs, up eight spots from last week's listing.
The Spartans are the top-ranked A-Sun school in the RPI. The conference has all seven teams ranked in the Top 130. Following Upstate in the ranking is Jacksonville (101), Kennesaw State (108), Lipscomb (109), Stetson (112), Florida Gulf Coast (123) and North Florida (128). The RPI is a key tool used by the NCAA Selection Committee for at-large selections to the NCAA Tournament.
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