LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Throughout the 2016 softball season, the NFCA will feature some of the sport's highest-profile contests in our "Featured Five" Games of the Week.
Each weekly installment will be released on Thursday, providing live stat links, game notes, team info, social media accounts and any available broadcast links in hopes of becoming another reason for fans to visit us during the season for information on some of collegiate softball's best games.
As the year continues, we will attempt to expand our focus to include matchups throughout as many divisions as possible. This week's featured games come from NCAA Division I, DII and DIII. The majority of the latter two are in conference tournament play this weekend.
We may not be able to highlight every division or big game each week, but our hope is to provide a spotlight for as many different teams and games as possible throughout 2016.
Make sure you follow the NFCA on our social media (NFCAorg) through Twitter
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and let us know what you think of our "Featured Five" segment.
DI - RV Utah at No. 10 Washington
April 29 - May 1 | 7:00 / 7:00 / 12:00 PT | Husky Softball Stadium
| Seattle, Wash | Pac-12 Series
Pac-12 Networks (G1 & G3
) / G2
| TEAMS |
|
QUICK HITS | |
30-13, 11-4 (2nd) |
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Team BA: .320 | Team ERA: 2.53 | Runs Scored: 253 | Runs Allowed: 114 * Utah has swept its last two Pac-12 series from Arizona State and Stanford and have won its last seven to pull into second place in the league... Against the Cardinal, the Utes posted two run-rule shoutout wins (13-0, 9-0) in their last series * Ranks third in the league in ERA, allowed the fewest home runs (13) and second fewest runs allowed... Defensivley, the Utes posted the Pac-12's second-best fielding percentage at .973 * Anissa Urtez and Ally Dickman were named Pac-12 Player and Freshman of Week * Urtez leads the Pac-12 with 13 doubles, is third with 58 hits and sixth with a .414 batting average... Dickman, in league play, is fourth with a .419 batting average, while leading with seven doubles * Utah has outscored its opponents 49-13 in the first inning and 144-40 over the second, third and fourth innings combined |
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30-10, 11-7 (4th) |
Preview Team BA: .344 | Team ERA: 3.35 | Runs Scored: 306 | Runs Allowed: 153 * Final home series for the Huskies * Coming off a Pac-12 series win at Oregon State taking games two and three * The Huskies lead the all-time series with Utah, 22-4 with the teams splitting in Salt Lake City last year * Washington ranks rank second in the Pac-12 in batting average, slugging (.584), OBP (.436), runs, RBI (284), doubles (72), home runs (62), total bases (648) and walks (166) * Nationally, Washington ranks No. 3 in home runs per game (1.55), No. 4 in slugging percentage (.583), No. 5 in doubles per game (1.78), No. 7 in batting average (.344) and No. 7 in scoring (7.65) |
UCF at No. 22 USF
April 29-May 1 | 4:00 ET | USF Softball Stadium
| Tampa, Fla. | American Athletics Conference Series
| ESPNU (Sunday)
| TEAMS |
|
QUICK HITS | |
31-17, 8-2 (2nd) |
|
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Game Notes | Statistics * Looking to rebound from a 7-1 loss at No. 7 Florida State on Tuesday... The Knights did claim their last league series, taking games one and three against Memphis * Courtney Rotton paces the offense, batting .306 with 41 hits, eight doubles, 2 home runs , 23 RBI, 19 runs and a .400 OBP... Willow Kalinen is tops with a .330 batting average, while Linnea Goodman (.289) leads the team with 26 runs and Jessica Ujvari (.284) has a team-high six home runs and 25 RBI * Shelby Turnier does the majority of the work in the circle, making 35 appearances, starting 28 games and tossing 190 innings... She is 15-14 with a 2.47 ERA and 207 strikeouts... Ujvari is 7-2 with a staff-low 1.38 ERA, while Manami Calixto is 9-1 with a 2.08 ERA * Turnier was tabbed American Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week for the fourth time this season after going 2-0 with 17 strikeouts against Memphis |
42-11, 14-1 (1st) |
|
Softball Central | Statistics Team BA: .333 | Team ERA: 2.42 | Runs Scored: 304 | Runs Allowed: 145 * The Bulls sit in first place of the American Athletic Conference, one game ahead of UCF in the loss column, but have six more victories than the Knights * These are the final three regular season games for the Bulls * Astin Donovan was named USA Softball Collegiate National Player of the Week... Donovan his batting .351 on the year with 47 hits, four doubles, 16 RBI and 27 runs * The Bulls have three players hitting above .400 led by Juli Weber... Weber is hitting a robust .442 with 73 hits, 17 doubles, three triples, five home runs, 47 runs and 13 stolen bases... Kristen Wyckoff (.434) comes in with 39 runs , 18 walks, 20 stolen bases and a team-best .511 OBP * Erica Nunn is the third hitting above .400 and she just happens to be the go-to in the circle for the Bulls... Along with her .406 average, 10 doubles and 27 RBI, Nunn is 25-7 with a 1.51 ERA, five shutouts and 190 strikeouts... She has allowed just five home runs and opponents to hit .208 in her 180.1 innings... Nunn earned Louisville Slugger / NFCA DI National Pitcher of the Week honors earlier this season |
Long Beach State at No. 25 Cal State Fullerton
April 29 | 6:00 PT | Anderson Family Field
| Fullerton, Calif. | Big West Series
| TEAMS |
|
QUICK HITS | |
|
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Team BA: .290 | Team ERA: 2.69 | Runs Scored: 217 | Runs Allowed: 150 * Topped the Titans on Wednesday in game one, 8-1 * Darian Tautalafua bolters the offense, batting .355 with 49 hits, 14 homers, 50 RBI, 33 runs scored, a .717 slugging percentage and .435 OBP- all team highs * In the circle, Christina Clermont sees the brunt of the action, posting a 17-8 mark and 2.00 ERA with four shutouts, three saves, 167 strikeouts and just 39 walks in 164.2 innings of work... She has held her opposition to a .208 average... In league play, she has five wins, a 0.95 ERA and 56 strikeouts * Ranks second in the conference in ERA and have recorded the league's most strikeouts (278) |
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#25
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Game Notes Team BA: .307 | Team ERA: 2.11 | Runs Scored: 268 | Runs Allowed: 126 * The Titans had their 13-game winning streak snapped by Long Beach State in game one, but bounced back with an 8-0 victory in game two to set up Friday's rubber match * Cal State Fullerton is national ranked (25th) in the USA Today / NFCA Top 25 Poll for the first time since 2008 * Missy Taukeiaho leads the Titan offense with a ..379 average, 53 hits, 21 doubles, eight home runs , 34 RBI, 45 runs, a .511 OBP and .714 slugging percentage... Alexis Gonzalez bats . 371 with a team-high 36 RBI, along with six doubles and seven long balls... Samantha Vandiver (.349) has scored a team-best 41 runs * In the circle, they are led by Desiree Ybarra and Sydney Golden... Ybarra (13-5 1.77 ERA) has tossed 130.1 innings with 118 strikeouts and a .232 batting average against... Golden, a finalist for Schutt Sports / NFCA DI National Freshman of the Year, is 16-4 with a 1.74 ERA and 68 punchouts in 108.1 innings of work
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Other Notable Division I Games
April 29
6:30 CT - No. 1 Florida
(45-3, 15-3 SEC) at No. 18 Texas A&M
(34-14, 6-12 SEC) | Live Stats
| Audio (UF
/ A&M
) | SEC Network+
7:00 PT - No. 5 Oregon
(35-6, 13-2 Pac-12) at No. 17 Arizona
(32-14, 9-6 Pac-12) | Live Stats
| Audio
(Oregon) | Pac-12 Networks
5:00 PT - RV Arizona State
(27-19, 3-12 Pac-12) at No. 15 UCLA
(30-13-1, 11-5-1) | Live Stats
| Audio
(UCLA) | Pac-12 Networks
April 30
1:00 ET (DH) - Louisville
(32-11, 13-5 ACC) at No. 19 Notre Dame
(36-8, 10-5 ACC) | Live Stats (G1 / G2) | ESPN3 (G1
/ G2
)
12:00 CT - No. 1 Florida at No. 18 Texas A&M | Live Stats
| Audio (UF
/ A&M
) | SEC Network
8:00 ET - No. 3 Auburn
(45-5, 15-3 SEC) at No. 13 Tennessee
(36-12, 12-6 SEC) | Live Stats
| Audio (Auburn
/ Tennessee
) | ESPN2
5:00 PT - No. 5 Oregon (32-6, 10-2 Pac-12) at No. 17 Arizona | Live Stats
| Audio
(Oregon) | Pac-12 Networks
7:00 PT - RV Arizona State at No. 15 UCLA | | Live Stats
| Audio
(UCLA) | Pac-12 Networks
May 1
12:00 ET (DH) - Louisville at No. 19 Notre Dame | Live Stats | ESPN3
11:30 a.m. CT - No. 1 Florida at No. 18 Texas A&M | Live Stats
| Audio (UF
/ A&M
) | SEC Network+
12:00 PT - RV Arizona State at No. 15 UCLA | | Live Stats
| Audio
(UCLA)
12:00 PT - No. 5 Oregon (32-6, 10-2 Pac-12) at No. 17 Arizona | Live Stats
| Audio
(Oregon) | ESPN2
7:00 ET - No. 3 Auburn at No. 13 Tennessee | Live Stats
| Audio (Auburn
/ Tennessee
) | ESPNU
Notable Division II Games and Conference Tournaments
April 29
5:00 PT (DH) - No. 17 California Baptist
(41-9, 24-6 PacWest) at No. 22 Azusa Pacific
(36-10, 23-5 PacWest) | Live Stats
CACC Softball Championships
April 28-30 | Lakewood, N.J.
Tournament Host: Georgian Court
Featuring: No. 15 (tie) Caldwell
CCAA Softball Championship
April 29-May 1 | Stockton, Calif. | Arnaiz Stadium
Tournament Host: Neutral
Featuring: No. 3 Humboldt State, No. 14 Chico State
GLIAC Softball Tournament
April 29-May 1 | Findlay, Ohio | Marathon Diamonds Complex
Tournament Host: University of Findlay
Featuring: No. 11 Wayne State (Mich.), RV Grand Valley State
GLVC Softball Tournament
April 29-May 1 | East Peoria, Ill. | EastSide Center
Tournament Host: Neutral
Featuring: No. 2 Indianapolis, No. 6 UMSL
GAC Softball Championship
April 28-30 | Bentonville, Ark. | Tiger Athletic Complex
Tournament Host: Neutral
Featuring: No. 8 Arkansas Tech, No. 18 Southern Arkansas
Gulf South Softball Championship
April 28-30 | Florence, Ala. | UNA Softball Complex
Tournament Host: University of North Alabama
Featuring: No. 4 North Alabama, No. 21 Valdosta State, RV West Florida
Heartland Softball Tournament
April 28-30 | San Antonio, Texas | The Park at St. Mary's
Tournament Host: St. Mary's University
Featuring: No. 9 St. Mary's
Lone Star Conference Tournament
April 29-30 | Canyon, Texas | Schaeffer Park
Tournament Host: West Texas A&M
Featuring: No. 1 West Texas A&M
MIAA Softball Championship
April 28-30 | Oklahoma City, Okla. | ASA Hall of Fame Stadium
Tournament Host: Neutral
Featuring: No. 13 Missouri Western, RV Northwest Missouri State
Mountain East Softball Tournament
April 29-May 1 | Botetourt, Va. | Botetourt Sports Complex
Tournament Host: Neutral
Featuring: No. 23 Charleston, No. 24 West Virginia Wesleyan
NE-10 Softball Tournament
April 27, April 29-May 1 | Briarcliff Manor, N.Y. | Pace Field
Tournament Host: Pace
Featuring: No. 25 Adelphi
PSAC Softball Championship
April 27-30 | Quakertown, Pa. | Veterans Park
Tournament Host: Neutral
Featuring: No. 7 California (Pa.), No. 12 West Chester
RMAC Softball Tournament
April 28-30 | Grand Junction, Colo. | CMU Softball Field
Tournament Host: Colorado Mesa
Featuring: No. 20 Colorado Mesa, RV Metro State
South Atlantic Conference Softball Tournament
April 28-May 1 | Hartsville, S.C. | Byerly Park
Tournament Host: Coker College
Featuring: No. 15 (tie) Lenoir-Rhyne, RV Catawba
Notable Division III Conference Tournaments
ASC Softball Championship
April 28-30 | Tyler, Texas | Suddenlink Field
Hosted by: University of Texas at Tyler
Featuring: No. 1 Texas-Tyler | No. 17 East Texas Baptist
2016 ODAC Softball Championship
April 29-May 1 | Salem, Va.| James I. Moyer Sports Complex
Hosted by: Neutral Site
Featuring: No. 3 Virginia Wesleyan
2016 NEWMAC Softball Championship
First round on April 29 | at No. 1 (Worcester Polytechnic Institute) or No. 2 seed (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
Second round on April 30 at No. 1 seed (Worcester Polytechnic Institute)
Championship round on May 7-8 at top remaining seed
Featuring: RV Worcester Polytechnic Institute





