April 22, 2008

ATHENS, Ohio - The Ohio softball team will kick off a six-game homestand Wednesday with a twinbill against Ohio Valley. It is one of four doubleheaders the `Cats will host during their home stint. This weekend the Bobcats will host Northern Illinois on Friday and Western Michigan on Saturday and Sunday.

Upcoming Promotions
Tickets are just $1 on Sunday for Pack the Park Day. It will also be Faculty/Staff Appreciation Day. Admission is free for Ohio Faculty/Staff and their families.

Multimedia Information
Live stats will be provided on OhioBobcats.com via the GameTracker feature.

Series Information
Ohio and Ohio Valley will meet for the first time on Wednesday.

A Look at the `Cats (18-19, 5-9 MAC)
Senior Courtney Waters bats a team-high .325 on the season. She has the most hits on the team with 38 and has scored the most with 26 runs. Waters is second on the team with six stolen bases and has walked 19 times. Sophomore Deanna Hartsough is another hard hitter for the `Cats. She bats. 311 on the season and hit her first career home run on April 13 against Akron. She has four doubles and eight RBI.

Rounding out Ohio's list of above .300 batters is sophomore Shalene Petrich. Petrich has a .304 batting average and is second on the team with 35 hits, including two doubles and one triple. She has scored 13 runs and has nine RBI. Petrich also leads the team with 11 stolen bases, which places her fifth in the Bobcat record book with 40 in her career.

Pitchers Michelle Sauter and Emily Wethington both have a 9-8 record. Sauter has pitched 124.2 innings, placing her 89 innings from setting an all-time program record. She also needs four more wins to set a new program pitching record. The senior is also:

- Nine appearances away from a new program record for most appearances. - 12 strikeouts from setting an new program record.

In addition, Wethington needs 13 more strikeouts to be the first freshman to reach Ohio single-season record list since Zoe Heim did in 2005 with 105.