South Florida Bulls
Big East (45-10, 17-5)
The Big East as a whole has been surprisingly good this season, but the biggest surprise may be South Florida. The Bulls have had some puzzling losses, but more often than not they have had bigger wins. However, that does raise the question of how good this team can really be when the pressure is on during the tournament. Only time will tell.
Big Wins: 2/29 vs Michigan (2-0), 3/18 vs Florida State (2-1), 3/28 vs Florida (4-1)
Bad Losses: 2/25 vs Boston U (3-5), 3/3 vs Loyola Marymount (4-6), 3/16 vs Fairfield (1-2)
Coach: Ken Eriksen (16 seasons at South Florida)
Why They Can Surprise:
When the pitching is on, USF will win. That is usually the case when Sara Nevins is on the mound. The sophomore has appeared in just about every game for the Bulls and is a fixture on the mound. Nevins is among the national leaders in strikeouts and just about every other pitching category for that matter. But Nevins is not the only strong presence on the mound. Lindsey Richardson and freshman Sam Greiner are more than capable of filling in when needed. With those three on the mound, South Florida gives up just over one run per game.
Why They Can Disappoint:
However, the bats need to do their part in order for the Bulls to turn a good season into a great season. The overall team numbers offensively may not be too impressive, but South Florida does have some fine hitters on their team. Senior Janine Richardson and sophomore Stephanie Medina bring a balanced attack to the offense with their ability to hit for power and average. Kourtney Salvarola is the best pure hitter on the squad and Gina Kafalas and Kenshyra Jackson are certainly more than capable of having good games. The problem South Florida has had is bringing it all together offensively at the right time. This is not a team that will often score eight or nine runs in a game, and usually they do not have to, but this is also a team that can get shut out by some average pitching. The pitchers will keep USF close in any game, but the offense has to put some points on the board if the Bulls want to make a deep tournament run.
Key Field Players:
Kourtney Salvarola, Sophomore, SS, .349 BA, 30 RBI
Janine Richardson, Senior, OF, .307 BA, 7 HR, 27 RBI
Stephanie Medina, Sophomore, 1B, .311 BA, 7 HR, 30 RBI
Gina Kafalas, Senior, OF, .289 BA, 12 RBI
Kenshyra Jackson, Junior, IF, .292 BA, 5 HR, 33 RBI
Jessica Mouse, Senior, IF, .290 BA, 27 RBI
Laura Fountain, Senior, UTL, .255 BA, 16 RBI
Key Pitchers:
Sara Nevins, Sophomore, Pitcher, 1.06 ERA, 26-4 W/L, 12 CG, 205.2 IP, 268 SO
Lindsey Richardson, Junior, Pitcher, 1.64 ERA, 9-2 W/L, 2 CG, 68.1 IP, 93 SO
Sam Greiner, Freshman, Pitcher, 1.58 ERA, 10-4 W/L, 2 CG, 97.1 IP, 64 SO
By the Numbers:
Batting Average: .271 (121, 5)
Earned Run Average: 1.26 (4, 1)
Fielding Percentage: .968 (48, 4)
Scoring Offense: 4.20 (124, 5)
Home Runs per Game: 0.49 (163, 9)
Doubles per Game: 0.87 (232, 11)
Triples per Game: 0.09 (192, 8)
Stolen Bases per Game: 1.55 (31, 1)
Slugging Percentage: .374 (160, 8)
Double Plays per Game: 0.25 (159, 6)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
| 2008 | Regional | lost to UCF, eliminated by Georgia Tech |
| 2006 | Regional | defeated North Carolina, defeated Florida Atlantic, defeated Florida Atlantic |
| 2006 | Super Regional | eliminated by UCLA |
| 2005 | Regional | defeated UCF, lost to Bethune-Cookman, defeated UCF, eliminated by Bethune-Cookman |
| 2004 | Regional | defeated Ohio State, lost to Oregon, defeated Florida, defeated Cal State Northridge, eliminated by Oregon |
| 2003 | Regional | defeated Florida Atlantic, lost to Oklahoma, eliminated by Oregon State |
*all team stats through 5/6
See All Softball Postseason Capsules
