APSU Women’s Softball
Clarksville, TN – Austin Peay State University’s softball team makes it final out-of-state road trip of the 2011 regular season this weekend, as it travels to Jacksonville, AL, for a three-game Ohio Valley conference series against Jacksonville State.
The Lady Govs (10-30, 5-13 OVC) and the Gamecocks will open up the series with a doubleheader, 1:00pm, Saturday, and conclude the series with a 1:00pm, Sunday single game.
The series will be the first action for the Lady Govs since beating Tennessee Martin, 5-2, Tuesday while Jacksonville State (28-11, 13-3 OVC) was shutout by Alabama-Birmingham, 7-0, Thursday.Austin Peay is led offensively by freshman Lauren de Castro, who comes in batting .277 on the season, including three home runs and 14 RBI.
Following de Castro are juniors Catie Cozart (.266, 2 HR, 13 RBI) and Amy Mills (.264, 3 HR and 14 RBI), the latter delivering the game-deciding grand slam against UT Martin.
The Lady Govs also have received solid plate performances from a pair of red-shirt sophomores, Shelby Norton and Jessica Ryan, who have both hit more than .400 in Austin Peay’s last five games
In the circle, sophomore Morgan Brewer tops the Lady Govs pitching staff with a 6-10 win-loss mark this season, including a 4.09 ERA and 60 strikeouts in 113 innings of work. Brewer was impressive in the win against UT Martin, spacing out six hits in the complete-game victory.
Offensively, the Gamecocks enter the weekend with two players hitting better than .400 for the season, led by Kristin Graham (.466, 12 HR, 30 RBI) and Abbey Stepp (.411, 8 HR, 33 RBI).
Tiffany Harbin is the workhorse for the JSU pitching staff with a 17-5 win-loss mark, including a 2.77 ERA and 171 strikeouts in 128.2 innings in the circle.