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Campbell University

Softball Plays Eight Games Over The Next Week

BUIES CREEK, N.C. - Campbell's softball team (14-13, 2-0 Atlantic Sun Conference), who won all four games last week, looks to keep the winning ways going and will play eight home games over the next seven days. The Camels begin the week with a pair of non-conference doubleheaders against Charleston Southern on March 22 and North Carolina on March 23. Both doubleheaders are slated to begin at 4 p.m. The Camels' game against North Carolina will be the annual "Strike Out Cancer Day" where current Campbell player Amanda Littlejohn and other attending cancer survivors will be recognized. CU then gets back into league play and takes on Florida Gulf Coast for a pair of games on March 26 starting at noon and Stetson for the final two games of the homestand beginning at 4 p.m. on March 28.

The Camels had a 4-0 week last week with doubleheader wins over North Carolina Central (3/17) and conference rival Mercer (3/19). The Camels offense was led by senior Katie Hinton. Hinton was honored by the league as the Atlantic Sun Player of the Week this week after hitting .500 with eight hits, two doubles, seven RBIs and two stolen bases in the team's four wins. The player of the week honor was the first in the career of Hinton and the first time a Campbell player has been recognized by the league this season. Fellow senior Keeli Michael also had a strong week with eight hits, five runs scored, three doubles and two walks. Michael tied a CU record with three doubles in the second game against North Carolina Central. Sophomore Sarah Ling tallied three hits on the week including the game-winning RBI with her two-out bases loaded single in the eighth inning in the first game against Mercer. Junior Taylor McGee continued to torment the Bears of Mercer and hit a two-run home run in the second game to spark the offense. The home run was the third in the career of McGee against Mercer and her sixth overall home run on the season. McGee also had a strong week for CU with two home runs and five RBIs during the four wins. Junior Christina Melton appeared in two games last week for Campbell and went 1-0 with seven strikeout in six innings worked. Senior Katie Woodcock flirted with a perfect game against North Carolina Central and settled for setting a career-high with nine strikeouts against the Eagles. Woodcock also worked in both games of the Mercer series and picked up the win in the first game with 4.2 innings thrown. She then completed the 6-3 second game victory over the Bears with the tying run at the plate. Woodcock enters this week leading the Camels with a 4-1 record, 1.66 ERA and 46 strikeouts in 46.1 innings worked.

Charleston Southern (11-16) is on a five-game losing streak after dropping both games to East Carolina on March 15 by scores of 4-0 and 3-0. CSU has a well balanced offensive attack that has already seen six different players reach double figures in RBIs on the season. Sophomore Jessica Brock leads the team with a .340 batting average to go along with her team-high 19 RBIs. Redshirt junior Erin Kegley is right behind her with 18 RBIs and a team-high five home runs. Junior Megan Lombard leads the team with 28 hits. Sophomore Morgan Dowdy has thrown 101 innings and leads the squad with 67 strikeouts. Senior Kimberly Hobbs has won seven games and fanned 51 in 73 innings this season. The Buccaneers have already faced Campbell's Atlantic Sun rival USC Upstate three times this season and have lost those three games by a combined score of 17-2. Charleston Southern is 1-6 away from home this season. CSU will be well rested and haven't played a game since last Tuesday's losses to East Carolina. The Camels lead the series between the two schools 41-29-1. The last time these teams met ended in a 2-2 tie in 2010 because of darkness. These are the only games that Campbell has scheduled against any future Big South rival this season. Campbell will officially join the Big South Conference again in the fall of 2011.

North Carolina (18-11) took two of the team's three games over the weekend against Virginia Tech. The loss on Sunday to the Hokies snapped a three-game winning streak. Six of the losses for North Carolina this season have come to teams that are currently ranked in the top 25. The Tar Heels are 6-1 at home this season, but only 4-8 in road games. Junior Kelli Wheeler has been the team's top hitter with a .438 batting average, 39 hits, 22 runs, nine stolen bases, six home runs and 25 RBIs. Sophomore Haleigh Dickey is hitting .358 with 29 hits, six home runs and 25 runs driven in. Sophomore Tisha Mahon is the top speed threat with 12 stolen bases. Freshman Lori Spingola is the team ace with 14 wins, 15 complete games, 131.1 innings pitched and 143 strikeouts. Spingola is limiting opponents to a .191 batting average this season. The Tar Heels lead the all-time series between the schools by a 34-7 count. The Camels were able to knock off the then No. 22 ranked Heels last season by a 6-4 count last season in a split doubleheader. Sophomore Brittany Arnn led the attack with two hits and three RBIs. She also pitched six innings in relief to pick up the victory.

Florida Gulf Coast (17-17) won four of the team's five games at the USF The Game Tournament over the weekend. The Eagles are riding a two-game winning streak into the weekend action against Campbell. FGCU is 0-3 in road games this season and have only left the state of Florida for a total of six games coming into this weekend. Senior Courtney Platt leads the offensive attack for FGCU with a .378 average, 31 hits, 10 doubles, two triples, three home runs and 15 RBIs. She also has walked a conference leading 34 times. Freshman Brittney Garabedian is tied for the conference lead with seven home runs. Freshman Jessica Barnes has three triples and 20 RBIs on the season. Redshirt senior Catherine McDaniel has won seven games and thrown 10 complete games with two shutouts in 94.1 innings thrown. FGCU leads the all-time series 4-2 although neither school has lost a home game in now the fourth and final year of the conference series.

Stetson (14-13) plays a pair of non- conference midweek games against Dartmouth on Thursday, March 24, before traveling to Buies Creek on Monday, March 28. The Hatters haven't played a game since March 15 when the team fell to Colgate by a 2-1 score in eight innings. Stetson has yet to play a road game this year and hasn't even left the DeLand, Fla. area for contest. Senior Chelsey Trotto leads the team with 28 hits, 19 runs, 19 RBIs and 43 bases. Trotto also has 13 thefts on the campaign. Freshman Chrissy Morello leads the team with 16 stolen bases and is tied for the team lead with 16 walks. Senior Jill Semento has drive-in 18 and walked 16 times. The Hatters are using multiple pitchers this year with freshman Meredith Owen leading the team with 46 strikeouts and sophomore Camille Czarnecki having team-highs of seven wins and 74.1 innings thrown. The Hatters lead the series between the schools by a 26-22 count. Stetson defeated Campbell twice last season in DeLand by scores of 6-0 and 2-1.

Next, the Camels hit the road and travel to Nashville, Tenn. for a conference set against Lipscomb on April 1 at 5 p.m. EST. CU stays in Nashville and will take on Belmont in the second conference set of the weekend on April 2 starting at 1 p.m. EST

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