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News Release

Softball Opens America East Play with Weekend Series at Hartford

3/28/2008

Kali Shirk leads the America East with 12 steals on the season.

BALTIMORE—The UMBC softball team (10-16) begins America East Conference play this weekend with a three-game series at Hartford (11-2). The teams will play a single game on Saturday at 2 p.m. and a doubleheader on Sunday beginning at 12 p.m.

Dawg Bites: The Retrievers are coming off a doubleheader split with Bucknell on Wednesday… The Bison won the first game, 5-3… UMBC’s only scoring came in the seventh inning on a pinch-hit home run by senior Ashley Gray (Pasadena, Md./Northeast/Delaware State)… The retrievers won game two, 5-1… Freshman pitcher Stephanie Weigman (Elkridge, Md./Archbishop Spalding) took a one-hit shutout into the seventh… Sophomore Amanda Fefel (Baltimore, Md./Catonsville) got the final two outs of the game to pick up the first save by a Retriever this season… Gray drove in two runs with a two-out single in the first, and freshman left fielder Lauren Brummell (Hanover, Va./Hanover) hit her first career home run, a three-run shot in the sixth… Brummell also posted her first three-hit game, as she went 3-for-4 with three RBI and two runs scored.

On the Hawks: Hartford is 11-2 on the season but had its 10-game winning streak snapped last Friday in a 3-0 loss to Manhattan at the Rebel Spring Games in Kissimmee, Fla. The Hawks swept the America East weekly awards last week, as outfielder Amanda Sais was named Player of the week, Brittany Stratton was tabbed Pitcher of the Week and left fielder Lauren Kamena was named Rookie of the Week. Stratton and Amanda Singer lead the America East in ERA at 0.81 and 0.95, respectively, and infielder Rachel Clonick is tops in the conference with a .450 batting average. Stratton is a perfect 7-0 on the season. Hartford is hitting  a league-best .317 as a team, while opponents are batting just .175. In addition, the Hawks have outscored their opposition, 83-19, on the season. Hartford was picked to finish fifth in the America East preseason coaches’ poll after earning the third seed in the 2007 conference tournament.

UMBC vs. Hartford All-Time: The Hawks lead the all-time series against the Retrievers, 8-6. Hartford took the regular-season series, 2-1, last year, but UMBC got its revenge in the America East Championships, winning twice to knock the Hawks out of the tournament. The teams never faced each other before UMBC joined the America East in 2004.

Who’s Up Next: The Retrievers return home to host Georgetown in a doubleheader on Tuesday beginning at 2 p.m. UMBC is 4-0 all-time against the Hoyas, dating to 2006.

Milestone Watch: Senior second baseman Dana Shepherd (Columbia, Md./Oakland Mills) became just the sixth player in UMBC history to record 200 career hits when she clubbed a double in the first inning against Niagara on March 21, and she currently ranks sixth all-time with 207 hits. Senior catcher Kali Shirk is not far behind with 182 base knocks, good for ninth-best in UMBC history.

UMBC Career Hits

1)   K. Pickeral             263      2002-05

2)   D. Vecchio             258      1999-2002

3)   L. Boone                249      2000-03

4)   C. Lycett                237      1994-97

5)   A. Wolff                 227      1994-97

6)   D. Shepherd         207      2005-Pres.

7)   R. Ward                 190      2004-07

8)   T. McDonald          187      1996-99

9)   K. Shirk                182      2005-Pres.

10) B. Nevin                 164      1999-2002

Milestone Watch, Part II: Shepherd and Shirk are climbing UMBC’s career charts in a number of other offensive categories, as well. Shepherd is eight runs away from becoming just the second Retriever to score 150 runs in her career. She is currently tied for third in the category with 142, while Shirk ranks sixth with 134. Shepherd also became the eighth Retriever ever to reach 300 total bases with her home run against George Washington on March 2, and she now ranks seventh with 322 total bases in her career. In addition, Shepherd is tied for fourth all-time with 42 career doubles, fifth with 21 career home runs, 68 extra-base hits and 656 career at-bats and seventh with 113 career RBI. Shirk also ranks ninth all-time with 243 career total bases and fourth with 66 career walks.

UMBC Career Runs                                                 UMBC Total Bases

1)   D. Vecchio             179      1999-2002             1)   K. Pickeral             416      2002-05

2)   L. Boone                149      2000-03                 --

3)   A. Wolff                 142      1994-97                 6)   R. Ward                 326      2004-07

      D. Shepherd         142      2005-Pres.            7)   D. Shepherd         322      2005-Pres.

5)   C. Lycett                138      1994-97                 8)   T. McDonald          302      1996-99

6)   K. Shirk                134      2005-Pres.            9)   K. Shirk                243      2005-Pres.

UMBC Career Doubles                                      UMBC Career Home Runs

1)   L. Boone                56        2000-03                 1)   K. Pickeral             40        2002-05

2)   R. Ward                 46        2004-07                 2)   M. Denischuk         30        2006-07

3)   C. Sheppard           44        2000-03                       R. Ward                 30        2004-07

4)   A. Wolff                 42        1994-97                 4)   T. McDonald          24        1996-99

      D. Shepherd         42        2005-Pres.            5)   A. Wolf                  21        1994-97

                                                                                    D. Shepherd         21        2005-Pres.

UMBC Career RBI                                             UMBC Career Walks

1)   K. Pickeral             179      2002-05                 1)   K. Pickeral             105      2002-05

--                                                                           2)   R. Ward                 89        2004-07

4)   A. Wolff                 126      1994-97                 3)   B. Nevin                 69        1999-2002

5)   M. Denischuk         125      2006-Pres.             4)   K. Shirk                66        2005-Pres.

6)   L. Boone                119      2000-03                 5)   S. Colea                 65        1996-98

7)   T. McDonald          113      1996-99

      D. Shepherd         113      2005-Pres.

UMBC Career At-Bats                                       UMBC Career Extra-Base Hits

1)   L. Boone                758      2000-03                 1)   L. Boone          79        2000-03

2)   K. Pickeral             748      2002-05                 2)   R. Ward           74        2004-07

3)   D. Vecchio             731      1999-2002             3)   K. Pickeral       73        2002-05

4)   R. Ward                 676      2004-07                 4)   A. Wolff           70        1994-97

5)   D. Shepherd         656      2005-Pres.            5)   D. Shepherd   68        2005-Pres.

Run, Kali, Run: Senior catcher Kali Shirk leads the America East with 12 stolen bases this season, and she ranks second all-time at UMBC with 83 career steals and third with a .943 career stolen base percentage (83-for-88).

UMBC Career Steals

1)   D. Vecchio             135      1999-2002

2)   K. Shirk                83        2005-Pres.

3)   A. Wolff                 79        1994-97

4)   S. Feliciano            57        1993-94

5)   S. Colea                 50        1996-98

Streaking: Freshman left fielder Lauren Brummell is riding a six-game hitting streak dating to March 21 against Mount St. Mary’s, the longest active streak on the team, during which time she is batting .421 (8-for-19) with a double, a home run and five RBI. Senior Ashley Gray owns the longest streak on the team this season at nine from Feb. 17-March 12.

Streaking, Part II: Sophomore Amanda Fefel had reached base safely via a hit or a walk in 36 straight games dating to April 24, 2007, but her streak was snapped on Wednesday in the second game of the Bucknell doubleheader, when she went 0-for-3. Fefel leads the Retrievers and ranks fifth in the America East with a .443 on-base percentage.

Beasts in the America East: A number of Retrievers rank among the leaders in the America East. Senior Ashley Gray leads the league with 20 RBI, while sophomore Amanda Fefel is tops with 30 hits and sophomore third baseman Emily Thompson (Niagara Falls, N.Y./Niagara Falls) is tied for first with six doubles. Gray is also tied for fourth with three home runs and tied for eighth with 32 total bases. Fefel is tied for third with 43 total bases and tied for fourth with three homers and 12 RBI, and she ranks fifth with a .450 batting average and seventh with a .551 slugging percentage. Finally, senior catcher Kali Shirk is tied for third with 11 walks and tied for fifth with 13 runs scored. On the pitching side, freshman Stephanie Weigman leads the league with 68.2 innings pitched and ranks fourth with 58 strikeouts and five wins and seventh with a .240 opponent batting average. Fefel ranks sixth with 42 strikeouts, ninth with 51.1 innings pitched and 10th with a 3.41 ERA.

Shepherd Named Candidate for Senior CLASS Award: UMBC senior second baseman Dana Shepherd has been named one of 30 candidates for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award, which honors the nation’s best softball seniors who also excel in the classroom and make an impact in their community. The award, presented to NCAA Division I student-athletes each year in eight sports, focuses on the “Four C’s” of classroom, character, community and competition. From the list of 30 nominees, a national media committee will select 10 finalists in late March. Those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot for a nationwide vote that will include coaches, media and fans. The award winner will be announced and recognized at the 2008 NCAA Women’s College World Series in Okalahoma City.

UMBC Picked Third in Preseason Poll: The UMBC softball team was predicted to finish third in the America East Preseason Coaches’ Poll.  The Retrievers received one first place vote and 35 overall points in a vote of the league’s head coaches. Boston University, the 2007 regular-season champion, is the preseason favorite, as the Terriers received 47 points, including five first-place votes. Coaches were not permitted to vote for their own teams.