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News Release

Softball Visits Stony Brook for Three-Game Weekend Set

4/1/2011

Katie Ferguson is batting .485 with runners in scoring position this season.

BALTIMORE—Following a 19-game home stand, the UMBC softball team (14-12, 0-3 AE) hits the road for the first time in a month when it travels to America East rival Stony Brook (9-13, 0-3 AE) for a three-game series this weekend. The teams, both looking for their first wins in America East action, will play a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 1 p.m., and a single game on Sunday at 12 p.m.

Last Time Out: The Retrievers were swept by Maine in a three-game series last weekend. Sophomore right fielder Ashley Scroggin (Stafford, Va./North Stafford) batted a team-best .400 with three RBIs and three runs scored. She had a double and two homers among her four hits. Senior Stephanie Weigman (Elkridge, Md./Archbishop Spalding) struck out 17 batters in 11.1 innings of work.

On the Seawolves: Stony Brook is 9-13 on the season and has dropped four of its last five games. Jessica Combs is the Seawolves top hitter at .313, while Bernadette Tenuto has driven in a team-high nine runs. Colleen Matthes is Stony Brook’s top pitcher with a 6-9 record and a 3.32 ERA. She has struck out 80 batters in 97 innings. The Seawolves, who were picked to finish third in the America East preseason poll after reaching the 2010 title game, have been outscored, 114-52, in 22 games this season and are batting just .220 as a team.

Inside the Series: The Seawolves hold a 14-10 advantage in the all-time series and have won eight of the last 10 meetings, including a three-game sweep in the 2010 series at UMBC.

Home Sweet Home: The Retrievers just completed a 19-game home stand, which lasted from March 4-27. UMBC was 12-7 at home during that stretch with nine straight wins before falling to Maine. The Retrievers batted .304, smashed 20 home runs and outscored their opponents, 117-99, during the home stand.

Streaking: Both senior second baseman Lauren Brummell (Hanover, Va./Hanover) and senior left fielder Julia Culotta (Street, Md./North Harford/Tennessee) saw eight-game hitting streaks come to an end last weekend against Maine. Culotta batted .464 (13-for-28) with two doubles, four homers, 11 RBIs and 11 runs scored during her streak, while Brummell hit .414 (12-for-29) with three doubles, two homers, nine RBIs and eight runs scored during hers.

Running Away With It: The Retrievers are 40-for-48 in stolen base attempts this season, their most steals since 2008, when they also swiped 40 bases; however, that was over an entire 54-game season, while the 2011 Retrievers have 40 steals in just 26 games. The last time a UMBC team has stolen more than 40 bases was 2006, when a Kali Shirk-led team recorded 82 steals. The Retrievers stole just 47 bases in the last two years combined (25 in 2010, 22 in 2009). UMBC is led on the base baths by senior center fielder Lynn Pronobis (Waldorf, Md./McDonough), who is 14-for-15 this season. In addition, Brummell, Culotta and junior first baseman Katie Ferguson (North East, Md./North East/Cecil CC) have six steals apiece, while junior outfielder Amanda Damiano (Tamaqua, Pa./Marian) is a perfect 5-for-5.

Winning It All: Weigman is one win shy of tying Lauren Nicholson for the school record with 57 career victories.

UMBC Career Wins

1. Lauren Nicholson, 57, 2003-06
2. Stephanie Weigman, 56, 2008-Present
3. Amy Sadowl, 43, 2003-06

Weigman’s Whiffs: Weigman, who entered the season as UMBC’s career strikeout leader, picked up her 700th career strikeout last Saturday against Maine, and she now has 711 – 289 more than any other Retriever, as her closest competitor, Crystal Ray, had 422.

UMBC Career Strikeouts

1. Stephanie Weigman, 711, 2008-Present
2. Crystal Ray, 422, 1998-2000
3. Lauren Nicholson, 387, 2003-06

She’s No. 1: Weigman is also UMBC’s all-time leader in career innings pitched (659.0), games started (97) and appearances (128), and she ranks second in complete games (62) and sixth in shutouts (9).

Power Surge: Culotta’s home run against Maine on Saturday was the 17th of her career, tying her with former teammate Emily Thompson for 10th all-time at UMBC. Brummell is just two behind, ranking 13th with 15 career round-trippers.

UMBC Career Home Runs

1. Amanda Fefel, 43, 2007-10
2. Kristie Pickeral, 40, 2002-05
3. Melanie Denischuk, 30, 2006-07

Reilly Ward, 30, 2004-07

5.   Dana Shepherd, 28, 2005-08

6.   Taryn McDonald, 24, 1996-99

7.   Amy Wolff, 21, 1994-97

8.   Stevie Shore, 19, 2005-06

9.   Ashley Gray, 18, 2007-08

10. Emily Thompson, 17, 2007-10

      Julia Culotta, 17, 2008-Present

12. Crystal Ray, 16, 1998-2000
13. Lauren Hebb, 15, 2003

Lauren Brummell, 15, 2008-Present

Double Your Pleasure: Brummell leads the Retrievers with seven doubles this season, and she is tied for fifth all-time at UMBC with 42 career two-baggers. Brummell, who set the school single-season doubles record with 20 in 2009, also ranks fourth all-time with nine triples and seventh with 67 career extra-base hits.

UMBC Career Doubles

1. Lisa Boone, 56, 2000-03
2. Reilly Ward, 46, 2004-07
3. Christy Sheppard, 44, 2000-03

Dana Shepherd, 44, 2004-08

5.   Amy Wolff, 42, 1994-97

      Lauren Brummell, 42, 2008-Present

Beasts in America East: The Retrievers entered the week leading the America East in batting average (.300), on-base percentage (.395), runs scored (141), hits (204), doubles (36), total bases (309), walks (101) and steals (40). Brummell and Culotta, who are both hitting .385 on the season, rank fourth in the conference in batting average, while Ferguson (.367) ranks seventh and Scroggin (.345) is 10th. UMBC is the only team with four players in the conference’s top 10. Similarly, Brummell leads the league with 35 hits, while Culotta (30) and Ferguson (29) rank second and third, respectively. In addition, Scroggin ranks second in home runs (7) and third in slugging percentage (.759), while Culotta is second in runs scored (22), third in RBIs (21), fourth in homers (5) and fifth in on-base percentage (.484) and slugging (.628). Brummell is also tied for the league lead with seven doubles, while Pronobis is tied for the most steals in the conference with 14.

In the Clutch: The Retrievers are batting .358 with runners in scoring position, including .597 with a runner on third and less than two outs. Ferguson is batting .485 (16-for-33) with runners in scoring position, while Brummell is hitting .423 (11-for-26) and Culotta is hitting .389 (14-for-36). In addition, Culotta leads the Retrievers with eight two-out RBIs.