March 1, 2012
Tournament Central
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Louisiana Tech will put its modest three-game winning streak on the line this weekend when the Lady Techsters look for their second straight tournament title in as many weeks when they travel to participate in the Bulldog Classic hosted by Mississippi State on Friday through Sunday.
Tech (7-7) is one of five teams in the three-day event, joining Mississippi State, Samford, Eastern Illinois and Columbia as each team will play five games during the course of the tournament. Tech opens play Friday at 1:30 p.m. vs. Columbia and then faces the host Mississippi State Bulldogs at 5:30 p.m.
Saturday's schedule includes a 3 p.m. contest against Eastern Illinois and a 7 p.m. game against Samford. Tech's games conclude Sunday with an 11 a.m. game against Eastern Illinois.
Head coach Sarah Dawson's Techsters captured the team title of the 2012 Gold Pub and Grill Classic last weekend hosted by Southern Mississippi as LA Tech won three out of four games, including a 13-6 victory over the host Golden Eagles in the championship game.
Tech also picked up a midweek win at Stephen F. Austin Wednesday as the Lady Techsters defeated the Ladyjacks 6-5 behind some clutch two-out hitting.
As a team, Tech is batting .251 on the season as junior utility Janna Frandrup is one of the Western Athletic Conference's top hitters. Frandrup, who also leads the WAC in walks drawn with 15, is batting .455 on the year with 15 hits in 33 at bats. She also leads the team with 16 RBI and an impressive .640 on-base percentage.
Dacia Hale enters the weekend's event as one of the team's hottest hitters. After getting off to a slow start this season collecting only three hits in her first 24 at bats, the junior outfielder currently boasts a six-game hitting streak. She is batting .214 on the year with two home runs and seven RBI.
Alayna Kipp (.292, 2 RBI), Katelynn Hill (.290, 4 HR, 7 RBI), Kendra Harmon (.286, 2 RBI), and Amanda Krueger (.282, 15 runs, 6 RBI) have been Tech's most consistent offensive threats through the first 14 games of the season.
In the circle, Dawson will continue to rely on a number of arms led by junior Michelle Jones, who is sporting a 4-2 record with a 2.10 earned run average. In 33.1 innings of work, Jones has allowed only 31 hits, including only four extra base hits.
In addition to Jones, Mel Goff (0-2, 5.76 ERA, 2 saves), Erin Kipp (2-2, 6.73 ERA) and Frandrup (1-1, 1.11 ERA) will all see action in the circle this weekend.
Mississippi State Bulldogs (9-5, SEC) - Louisiana Tech is 9-7 all-time against Mississippi State although the Bulldogs have won the last seven meetings between the two programs. Mississippi State defeated the Lady Techsters 3-2 last year in the Bulldog Classic.
Columbia Lions (0-0, Ivy League) - This will mark the first meeting ever between Louisiana Tech and Columbia in softball. Interestingly enough, Friday's matchup between these two teams will be the season opener for the Ivy League school.
Samford Bulldogs (3-9, Southern Conference) - Louisiana Tech leads the all-time series against Samford 17-0 as the Lady Techsters have never lost to the Bulldogs on the diamond.
Eastern Illinois Panthers (3-2, Ohio Valley Conference) - Eastern Illinois has won two out of the three meetings between the two programs in softball. These two programs last met at the UL-Monroe Mardi Gras Classic in 2006 when they split two match-ups. Eastern Illinois won 8-7 in the first game (Tech made four errors and didn't allow an earned run) and Tech won 6-4 in the second game.
