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April 14, 2006
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The University of Virginia softball team heads to College Park, Md., for a three-game Atlantic Coast Conference series this weekend against Maryland. The two teams square off in a doubleheader Saturday (Apr. 15) at 1:00 p.m. at the Terrapin Softball Complex. The series concludes with a 1:00 p.m. game on Sunday (Apr. 16).
UVa enters the weekend series with a 22-17 overall record and a 3-8 mark in the ACC. Virginia is coming off a doubleheader sweep over James Madison on Wednesday (Apr. 12). UVa won the first game 4-0 and then completed the sweep with a 4-3 win in the nightcap.
Maryland has won its last six games and stands at 25-17 overall and 4-7 in the conference. In their last outing, the Terrapins took a pair of games against George Mason Wednesday (Apr. 12) to extend their winning streak to six. Maryland won the first game 12-0 in five innings and posted a 9-1 win in the final game.
The Cavaliers are in seventh place in the ACC standings, just one game behind Maryland.
Virginia leads the all-time series with Maryland 26-8 and has won 12 of the last 14 meetings dating back to the 2002 season. Last season, the Cavaliers won three of four meetings, including a 5-4 decision in the 2005 ACC Tournament on May 12. Virginia won two of three games during the regular season in Charlottesville. The Cavaliers won 2-1 in the first game of a doubleheader on Apr. 9, before falling 1-0 in the nightcap. UVa took the series with a 2-0 win on Apr. 10.
“It was important for us to play well against James Madison,” said head coach Karen Johns. “I’m still concerned about the consistency in our pitching. Maryland is playing well, pitching well and holding their opponents down. It will take a total team effort to come away with a series win.”
Second-year first baseman Whitney Holstun (Escondido, Calif./Escondido) is hitting .279 (24-86) for the Cavaliers. She has hit three home runs and driven in 15 runs. Second-year left fielder Lindsey Preuss (La Plata, Md.) is batting .276 (24-87) with a team-high nine doubles. She is hitting a team-best .333 (5-15) in ACC play. In the circle, fourth-year Erin Horn (Tallahassee, Fla./Leon) sports a 9-7 record with a 1.89 ERA and two shutouts. She has struck out 126 batters in 85.0 innings for an average of 10.38 strikeouts per seven innings pitched.