April 24, 2008

Gametracker: 1 | 2 | 3

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. --- The UAB softball team returns from an eight-day period with no games to host No. 9 Houston at George Ward Park this weekend, which will be the final home games of the season.

Saturday's doubleheader begins at 1 p.m. with the second game to follow. The series finale will be played Sunday at 1 p.m. Live stats will be available at UABsports.com

The Blazers, 23-29 overall and 8-10 in the conference, will play their first games since dropping a doubleheader to Troy on April 17 at home. Houston, 41-7 overall and 15-2 in Conference USA, has been the top team in the league all season.

Houston leads the all-time series 15-6 and has a four-game winning streak over UAB. The Blazers' last victory came in 2006, when they won both ends of a doubleheader to take the series. Five of the Blazers' six wins in the series have come in Birmingham.

The Cougars took the series last year in Houston, 3-0.

Prior to Sunday's finale the Blazers' four seniors Mary Kendall Butler, Holly Krzan, Jennifer Nelson and Leigh Walker will be honored.

UAB's last C-USA meeting came two weekends ago at Marshall. UAB won the second game of the three-game series, behind a brilliant pitching effort by Nelson.

Houston defeated Sam Houston State, 10-2 on Wednesday. The Cougars, ranked No. 9 for three weeks this season, picked up two victories and out scored Tulsa 21-4 in their series last weekend.

Andrea Rogers continues to be a mainstay in the middle of the Blazers' lineup, hitting a team-leading .317 coming into the series with the Cougars. She ranks second on the club in runs scored (26) and has more hits (45) than any other player on the team.

Vying for her fourth All-Conference USA selection is Holly Krzan, who is having the most well-rounded season of any Blazer. She is hitting .287 and leads the club in runs (33), doubles (14), RBI (22), and slugging percentage (.473). Her 32 walks rank second in the league this year and leads the club. With one more appearances she will become the Blazers' all-time leader in games played, the sixth career-record she's broken this season.

In the circle, Nelson will be going for strikeout No. 800, as she is 15 shy entering the three-game series. She is 13-19 on the season with a 2.92 ERA and recently became the first UAB pitcher to strike out 200 or more batters in three seasons.

Joining her is Kayla Harris, who has recorded a career-high in victories (10) this season. In 138 innings pitched she has four shutouts and collected a career-high 92 strikeouts, including two nine-K performances this season.

Houston's offense is tops in the conference with a team batting average of .337, as it scores an average of 6.3 runs per game. Jessica Valis, C-USA Preseason Player of the Year, leads the Cougars with a .450 average to go along with 46 runs scored, 76 hits and 22 RBI.

Providing power for the Cougars is the trio of Laurie Wagner, Elaina Nordstrom and Jennifer Klinkert who have combined to hit 39 of Houston's 60 homers. The trio has the most homers between any three players in the league, with Wagner having hit 15 homers, and Nordstrom and Klinkert each with 12. The three also have the three most RBI in the league, with Nordstrom leading with 49.

The Cougars' pitching staff is led by Angel Shamblin who was voted the league's preseason pitcher of the year. Shamblin (25-2) owns a league-leading 0.61 ERA and as been named the Conference USA Pitcher of the Week five times. She has thrown 183 innings and has recorded 200 strikeouts to just 19 walks this season. She is joined by Barbie Love (9-2) and Baillie Lott (7-3) who have combined to toss 129 innings.