Friday, May 3
Ruston, LA
6:00 PM
Louisiana Tech University
vs
FlU
Photo by: Darrell James
Bulldogs Host FIU to Finish Regular Season
5/2/2024 9:26:00 AM | Softball
RUSTON – The Louisiana Tech Softball team finishes the regular season this weekend as the Bulldogs host FIU for a three-game series at Dr. Billy Bundrick Field.
Following the conclusion of Sunday's game Louisiana Tech will honor its 10-member senior class of KB Briley, Katelin Cooper, Brooke Diaz, Caroline Easom, Olivia Ellingson, Emma Hutchinson, Jordyn Manning, Lauren Menzina, Kylie Neel and Gentry Spinks.
The Bulldogs enter the final weekend of the regular season, tied with New Mexico State in third place of the Conference USA standings with a league record of 12-9. However, the Bulldogs own the tiebreaker over the Aggies with a 2-1 series win at New Mexico State last weekend. Both teams are two games back of second-place WKU, who sits at 14-7. The Bulldogs also earned a series victory over WKU earlier this season. The top two seeds receive a first-round bye in the newly restructured six-team double-elimination CUSA Tournament.
SERIES INFORMATION
Dates/Time: Friday, May 3, 6 p.m. | Saturday, May 4, 2 p.m. | Sunday, May 5, Noon
Location: Dr. Billy Bundrick Field | Ruston, La.
Watch: Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3
Stats: LATechSports.com/Stats
ABOUT LOUISIANA TECH (30-18, 12-9 CUSA)
Louisiana Tech is 30-18 this season and coming off an exciting 4-0 win over McNeese on April 30 in Ruston. The win marked the Bulldogs' third this season over the Cowgirls. Redshirt-junior Brook Melnychuk tossed her first career seven-inning complete-game shutout. She struck out three while allowing three hits and no walks in the victory. Sophomore Paris Endris broke the game open in the bottom of the fifth inning by hitting her first career home run, courtesy of a three-run shot to left-center field.
With the win over McNeese, Louisiana Tech has reached 30 or more wins in all three seasons of head coach Josh Taylor's tenure. It also marked the 26th season in which LA Tech has tallied 30 or more wins.
Catcher Brooke Diaz is on a five-game hitting streak. Diaz batted .500 last week with six hits, four RBI, two doubles, and two walks while helping Louisiana Tech earn a series victory at New Mexico State. She recorded a hit in each of the Bulldogs' four games.
Nicole Hammoude leads LA Tech with 30 RBI and is tied with Kylie Neel for the team lead in home runs this season with five.
Center fielder Alexis Gilio leads LA Tech with a .365 batting average (Min. 100 at-bats) and 54 hits, 18 RBI, 29 Runs scored, 19 walks, and a team-leading 14 stolen bases. She has recorded 17 multi-hit games this season. Defensively, Gilio has committed two errors in 85 chances.
Opponents are hitting .259 against the Bulldogs' pitching staff in 2024. LA Tech holds a team ERA of 2.86 and a 1.29 WHIP in 325.1 innings pitched this season. In the last two seasons, the Bulldog pitchers have held opponents to two or less runs in 51 of their 103 games.
Allie Floyd leads LA Tech in innings pitched (126.0) and strikeouts (72) this season while owning a 2.78 ERA. She has a 13-6 record and five saves this season. Floyd has held opponents to a .244 batting average in 2024.
Melnychuk is 11-7 this season with a 2.80 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, and 56 strikeouts. Opposing hitters are batting .240 against her.
Floyd and Melnychuk are the first LA Tech duo to record 10+ wins in a season since Krystal De La Cruz (17-3) and Preslee Gallaway (19-10) accomplished the feat in 2019.
The long ball has paid dividends to the Bulldogs. LA Tech is 16-1 when homering this season.
The Bulldogs reached the 1,300-win mark earlier this season, becoming the 39th DI program (DI and AIAW included) to accomplish the feat.
LA Tech is led by head coach Josh Taylor, who is 101-62 in three seasons at Tech and 333-230 in his career, with prior stops at Nevada (2017-2021) and Feather River College (2009-2012). Taylor won his 100th game at LA Tech last Saturday with a 5-4 win at New Mexico State. He was the second-fastest LA Tech head coach to reach the 100-win mark, trailing only NFCA Hall of Famer Bill Galloway, who accomplished the feat in 132 games.
ABOUT FIU (19-28, 6-15 CUSA)
FIU is 19-28 this season and 6-15 in league play. The Panthers dropped their series against Sam Houston last weekend 2-1. FIU won game two of the series 6-4 but fell in the series opener and finale, 4-3 and 8-5.
FIU is batting .288 as a team with 355 hits, 18 home runs, 182 RBI, and 204 runs scored.
Freshman outfielder Kally Meredith leads FIU with a .396 batting average, 55 hits, and 33 runs scored. Outfielder Bailey Grossenbacher and shortstop Ashton Lansdell are tied for the team lead in home runs with six apiece. Grossenbacher is batting .355 with 43 hits, nine doubles, a triple, 29 RBI, and 27 runs scored. Lansdell has a .301 batting average with 34 hits, four doubles, a triple, 25 RBI and 25 runs scored.
In the circle, FIU has a team ERA of 4.51 with 119 strikeouts in 309 innings this season. Freshman Jewelie Vanderkous is 4-6 this season with a team-best 3.34 ERA in 81.2 innings pitched. Sydney Birling is also one of the Panthers' top arms with a 4.59 ERA and 21 strikeouts in 64 innings of work. Birling owns a record of 4-6.
Mike Larabee is in his third season as the Panthers' head coach with a record of 62-86. He owns a career head coaching record of 465-482, with previous stops at Central Washington (2016-19), Arkansas (2010-15), and Wright State (2005-09). Larabee coached current LA Tech Pitching Coach Chelsea Cohen at Arkansas from 2010-13.
FIU Pitching Coach Mike Forsythe spent three seasons at Louisiana Tech (2017-19). During his time at Louisiana Tech, Forsythe played a big part in helping three LA Tech pitchers earn First-Team All-Conference USA honors. One of those pitchers, Krystal De La Cruz, was also named C-USA Newcomer of the Year in 2017, while another, Preslee Gallaway, was tabbed C-USA Pitcher of the Year in 2018.
SERIES HISTORY
The Bulldogs and Panthers will be meeting for the 20th, 21st and 22nd times this weekend. FIU leads the all-time series 11-8. The Bulldogs earned a series victory over the Panthers last season by taking two of three in Miami.
SOCIAL MEDIA
For all the latest in LA Tech Softball, follow us on Twitter (@LATechSB), Instagram (@LATechSB), and Facebook (LATechSoftball).
Following the conclusion of Sunday's game Louisiana Tech will honor its 10-member senior class of KB Briley, Katelin Cooper, Brooke Diaz, Caroline Easom, Olivia Ellingson, Emma Hutchinson, Jordyn Manning, Lauren Menzina, Kylie Neel and Gentry Spinks.
The Bulldogs enter the final weekend of the regular season, tied with New Mexico State in third place of the Conference USA standings with a league record of 12-9. However, the Bulldogs own the tiebreaker over the Aggies with a 2-1 series win at New Mexico State last weekend. Both teams are two games back of second-place WKU, who sits at 14-7. The Bulldogs also earned a series victory over WKU earlier this season. The top two seeds receive a first-round bye in the newly restructured six-team double-elimination CUSA Tournament.
SERIES INFORMATION
Dates/Time: Friday, May 3, 6 p.m. | Saturday, May 4, 2 p.m. | Sunday, May 5, Noon
Location: Dr. Billy Bundrick Field | Ruston, La.
Watch: Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3
Stats: LATechSports.com/Stats
ABOUT LOUISIANA TECH (30-18, 12-9 CUSA)
Louisiana Tech is 30-18 this season and coming off an exciting 4-0 win over McNeese on April 30 in Ruston. The win marked the Bulldogs' third this season over the Cowgirls. Redshirt-junior Brook Melnychuk tossed her first career seven-inning complete-game shutout. She struck out three while allowing three hits and no walks in the victory. Sophomore Paris Endris broke the game open in the bottom of the fifth inning by hitting her first career home run, courtesy of a three-run shot to left-center field.
With the win over McNeese, Louisiana Tech has reached 30 or more wins in all three seasons of head coach Josh Taylor's tenure. It also marked the 26th season in which LA Tech has tallied 30 or more wins.
Catcher Brooke Diaz is on a five-game hitting streak. Diaz batted .500 last week with six hits, four RBI, two doubles, and two walks while helping Louisiana Tech earn a series victory at New Mexico State. She recorded a hit in each of the Bulldogs' four games.
Nicole Hammoude leads LA Tech with 30 RBI and is tied with Kylie Neel for the team lead in home runs this season with five.
Center fielder Alexis Gilio leads LA Tech with a .365 batting average (Min. 100 at-bats) and 54 hits, 18 RBI, 29 Runs scored, 19 walks, and a team-leading 14 stolen bases. She has recorded 17 multi-hit games this season. Defensively, Gilio has committed two errors in 85 chances.
Opponents are hitting .259 against the Bulldogs' pitching staff in 2024. LA Tech holds a team ERA of 2.86 and a 1.29 WHIP in 325.1 innings pitched this season. In the last two seasons, the Bulldog pitchers have held opponents to two or less runs in 51 of their 103 games.
Allie Floyd leads LA Tech in innings pitched (126.0) and strikeouts (72) this season while owning a 2.78 ERA. She has a 13-6 record and five saves this season. Floyd has held opponents to a .244 batting average in 2024.
Melnychuk is 11-7 this season with a 2.80 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, and 56 strikeouts. Opposing hitters are batting .240 against her.
Floyd and Melnychuk are the first LA Tech duo to record 10+ wins in a season since Krystal De La Cruz (17-3) and Preslee Gallaway (19-10) accomplished the feat in 2019.
The long ball has paid dividends to the Bulldogs. LA Tech is 16-1 when homering this season.
The Bulldogs reached the 1,300-win mark earlier this season, becoming the 39th DI program (DI and AIAW included) to accomplish the feat.
LA Tech is led by head coach Josh Taylor, who is 101-62 in three seasons at Tech and 333-230 in his career, with prior stops at Nevada (2017-2021) and Feather River College (2009-2012). Taylor won his 100th game at LA Tech last Saturday with a 5-4 win at New Mexico State. He was the second-fastest LA Tech head coach to reach the 100-win mark, trailing only NFCA Hall of Famer Bill Galloway, who accomplished the feat in 132 games.
ABOUT FIU (19-28, 6-15 CUSA)
FIU is 19-28 this season and 6-15 in league play. The Panthers dropped their series against Sam Houston last weekend 2-1. FIU won game two of the series 6-4 but fell in the series opener and finale, 4-3 and 8-5.
FIU is batting .288 as a team with 355 hits, 18 home runs, 182 RBI, and 204 runs scored.
Freshman outfielder Kally Meredith leads FIU with a .396 batting average, 55 hits, and 33 runs scored. Outfielder Bailey Grossenbacher and shortstop Ashton Lansdell are tied for the team lead in home runs with six apiece. Grossenbacher is batting .355 with 43 hits, nine doubles, a triple, 29 RBI, and 27 runs scored. Lansdell has a .301 batting average with 34 hits, four doubles, a triple, 25 RBI and 25 runs scored.
In the circle, FIU has a team ERA of 4.51 with 119 strikeouts in 309 innings this season. Freshman Jewelie Vanderkous is 4-6 this season with a team-best 3.34 ERA in 81.2 innings pitched. Sydney Birling is also one of the Panthers' top arms with a 4.59 ERA and 21 strikeouts in 64 innings of work. Birling owns a record of 4-6.
Mike Larabee is in his third season as the Panthers' head coach with a record of 62-86. He owns a career head coaching record of 465-482, with previous stops at Central Washington (2016-19), Arkansas (2010-15), and Wright State (2005-09). Larabee coached current LA Tech Pitching Coach Chelsea Cohen at Arkansas from 2010-13.
FIU Pitching Coach Mike Forsythe spent three seasons at Louisiana Tech (2017-19). During his time at Louisiana Tech, Forsythe played a big part in helping three LA Tech pitchers earn First-Team All-Conference USA honors. One of those pitchers, Krystal De La Cruz, was also named C-USA Newcomer of the Year in 2017, while another, Preslee Gallaway, was tabbed C-USA Pitcher of the Year in 2018.
SERIES HISTORY
The Bulldogs and Panthers will be meeting for the 20th, 21st and 22nd times this weekend. FIU leads the all-time series 11-8. The Bulldogs earned a series victory over the Panthers last season by taking two of three in Miami.
SOCIAL MEDIA
For all the latest in LA Tech Softball, follow us on Twitter (@LATechSB), Instagram (@LATechSB), and Facebook (LATechSoftball).
Players Mentioned
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