April 8, 2008

Game Notes

QUEENS, N.Y. - The St. John's softball team (15-23, 2-8 BIG EAST) will take on the Blackbirds of LIU (17-14, 7-1 NEC) at Red Storm Field. First pitch is slated for 4 p.m. this Wednesday, April 9.

• The Red Storm trails the all-time series with LIU 15-19. Last year in Brooklyn, the Blackbirds took both games of a doubleheader. The two teams also faced off in Florida at the Florida Atlantic Tournament in the first game of the year. LIU took the victory, 7-3.
• St. John's went 2-4 last week with all games being played at home. The team took two games in run-rule fashion vs. Army before facing BIG EAST opponents Notre Dame and DePaul.
• On the season, the Red Storm is 9-4 at home and boasts two separate five-game win streaks.
• Live stats and audio will be available free of charge RedStormSports.com, with commentary by St. John's own, Joe Guster.

STORM TRACKER

Red Storm's Big Three
St. John's is paced by three players who are having great season for the Red Storm. Sophomore Brandy Reyes paces the Red Storm with a .340 average on the season. Reyes also has a home run and 14 RBI this year. Freshman Kacee Cox boasts a .314 average in her rookie campaign. The third baseman leads the Red Storm with six home runs and 26 RBI this year. Cox has also been selected to the BIG EAST honor roll twice this year. The third member of the big three for St. John's is junior Roxy Struble. The first baseman has a .288 average this year and is second on the team with 10 doubles and 16 RBI. The junior was also St. John's first BIG EAST Player of the Week in almost two years.

A Month Of Funn
Over the past month, outfielder Alyson Funn has been great at the plate for St. John's. The graduate student is batting .344 over 33 games with seven runs, two doubles, a triple, a home run, six RBI and two stolen bases.

Shane On You
After starting out slow this season, sophomore Shauntaine Harris has turned it on this season. Over the past month the center fielder is batting .300 with six runs, three doubles, two triples, a home run and 11 RBI.

B's got Burn
Senior Bionka King has been very dangerous on the base paths this year. Over the past month the second baseman is seven of eight on stolen base attempts and has 12 on the year.

Kat Piles up the K's
Freshman starter Kat Lawrence has been great for St. John's this season and boasts a 1.82 ERA over the past month. Lawrence has completed eight of the nine games she has started over this span as well as striking 63 batters in 61.2 innings this month.

SCOUTING LIU

• The Blackbirds are 17-14 this season and 7-1 in the Northeast Conference.
• LIU went 34-22, 16-2 last year. The Blackbirds return 13 letterwinners along with eight starters and two pitchers.
• Head coach Roy Kortmann is in his 13th year with LIU and boasts a 367-283-2 record with the team.
• Senior catcher Jessie DePippo leads the Blackbirds this year with two home runs and 18 RBI. DePippo also has 10 runs on 27 hits along with eight doubles and a stolen base.
• Freshman outfielder Lauren Kemp paces the LIU with a .330 average. She also leads the team with 16 runs and 29 hits. Kemp also boasts two doubles, five RBI and three stolen bases.
• Senior Celina Castillo is having a great season for the Blackbirds. The infielder is batting .315 on the year with 11 runs and 28 hits. Castillo also has two doubles, a home run and a stolen base. She is second on the team with 13 RBI.
• Mariesha Marker leads LIU with 14 stolen bases on 16 attempts.
• The Blackbirds are paced by two pitchers who boast ERA's under 1.90.
• Sophomore Blaire Porter leads the team with a 1.12 ERA and 118 strikeouts in 100.0 innings. Porter has an 8-7 record on the season and 12 complete games in 14 starts.
• Junior Jenny Giles has been equally impressive for the Blackbirds, recording a 1.86 ERA on the season. Giles is 9-7 on the season and has 14 complete games in 17 starts. The junior has also struck out 68 batters in 112.2 innings.