Friday, February 27
Orlando, Fla.
11:00 AM
Lehigh University
vs
Omaha
Mountain Hawks finally get to open season at Citrus Classic beginning Friday
2/26/2015 2:07:00 PM | Softball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Following a pair of tournament cancellations due to inclement weather, the Lehigh softball team is finally set to begin its 2015 season on Friday as the Mountain Hawks head to Florida for six games in three days at the Diamond 9 Citrus Classic II in Orlando.
The Mountain Hawks are set to commence their season at 11 a.m. Friday against the Mavericks of Nebraska-Omaha and then will face the Indiana Hoosiers at 3:30 p.m. On Saturday, Lehigh will face Maryland at 1:15 p.m. and No. 23 Notre Dame at 5:45 p.m. Lehigh will round out the tournament on Sunday with games against Northern Iowa at 9 a.m. and Western Illinois at 11:15 a.m.
Lehigh comes into the 2015 season with great promise with senior Emily Bausher, last year's Patriot League Pitcher of the Year, and junior Morgan Decker, the two-time Patriot League Player of the Year, both returning. In addition, Lehigh will return last year's Defensive Player of the Year in junior Alexis Watanabe and all seven of the All-Patriot League players from last season.
Last year the Mountain Hawks extended their streak of consecutive 30-win seasons to 14 and won the Patriot League regular season crown. Lehigh's 2014 campaign finished with an overall record of 30-20 and a 15-3 Patriot League mark, but the Mountain Hawks fell short of an elusive Patriot League Championship in the tournament.
All six of the Mountain Hawks' opponents this weekend have played in at least one tournament this season. Omaha sports a 5-4 record after playing in the Tangi Tourism Lion Classic in Hammond, Louisiana and the Eagle Challenge in Apex, N.C. The Mavericks have won their last three games including a 9-3 win over Virginia on March 14.
Big Ten member Indiana is just 2-13 on the season, but the Hoosiers have faced stiff competition in three tournaments. Indiana's wins came against San Diego on February 7 and Utah Valley on February 13, while the Hoosiers' have lost to a trio of nationally-ranked foes including Arizona State, Georgia and UCLA.
Lehigh will have its hands full on Saturday as the Mountain Hawks will square-off against 10-5 Maryland in the afternoon and the 9-5 Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the evening.
Maryland won its last four games at the Mary Nutter Classic in Palm Springs, Calif., last week after losing its tournament opener to Notre Dame.
The 23rd-ranked Fighting Irish are led by two All-Americans. Senior outfielder Emilee Koerner thrived last year at Notre Dame, amassing 28 doubles and a .825 slugging percentage. Koerner's 28 doubles last season left her one short of the NCAA Division I record of 29 set by Fresno State's Nina Lindenberg. Koerner's counterpart in the outfield, sophomore Karley Wester has also found great success on the diamond. Last season, as a freshman, Wester hit .455 with 81 total hits and 28 RBIs and a .517 on-base percentage. For her efforts, Wester was named ACC Freshman of the Year and made the NFCA All-America second team.
On Sunday, Lehigh is slated to close out the weekend with games against Northern Iowa and Western Illinois.
UNI comes in at 5-6 after going 2-3 two weeks ago in Houston with wins over Stephen F. Austin and UMass. The Panthers opened the season by going 6-6 at the UNI-Dome Classic.
Western Illinois has not played since going 2-2 at the Total Control Sports Invitational with wins over Butler and Central Michigan and losses to Syracuse and North Dakota.
Historically, the Mountain Hawks have a limited history against the six teams they will face this weekend. Lehigh has only faced Maryland, going 1-1 against the Terrapins with a 1-0 win in 2008 and an 11-0 loss in the 2011 NCAA Tournament.
The Mountain Hawks will return to Florida next weekend for spring break with 12 games scheduled over eight days including six at the Rebel Spring Games in Winter Haven and four at the USF Under Armour Invitational in Clearwater.
Story by Matthew LoBello '15
The Mountain Hawks are set to commence their season at 11 a.m. Friday against the Mavericks of Nebraska-Omaha and then will face the Indiana Hoosiers at 3:30 p.m. On Saturday, Lehigh will face Maryland at 1:15 p.m. and No. 23 Notre Dame at 5:45 p.m. Lehigh will round out the tournament on Sunday with games against Northern Iowa at 9 a.m. and Western Illinois at 11:15 a.m.
Lehigh comes into the 2015 season with great promise with senior Emily Bausher, last year's Patriot League Pitcher of the Year, and junior Morgan Decker, the two-time Patriot League Player of the Year, both returning. In addition, Lehigh will return last year's Defensive Player of the Year in junior Alexis Watanabe and all seven of the All-Patriot League players from last season.
Last year the Mountain Hawks extended their streak of consecutive 30-win seasons to 14 and won the Patriot League regular season crown. Lehigh's 2014 campaign finished with an overall record of 30-20 and a 15-3 Patriot League mark, but the Mountain Hawks fell short of an elusive Patriot League Championship in the tournament.
All six of the Mountain Hawks' opponents this weekend have played in at least one tournament this season. Omaha sports a 5-4 record after playing in the Tangi Tourism Lion Classic in Hammond, Louisiana and the Eagle Challenge in Apex, N.C. The Mavericks have won their last three games including a 9-3 win over Virginia on March 14.
Big Ten member Indiana is just 2-13 on the season, but the Hoosiers have faced stiff competition in three tournaments. Indiana's wins came against San Diego on February 7 and Utah Valley on February 13, while the Hoosiers' have lost to a trio of nationally-ranked foes including Arizona State, Georgia and UCLA.
Lehigh will have its hands full on Saturday as the Mountain Hawks will square-off against 10-5 Maryland in the afternoon and the 9-5 Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the evening.
Maryland won its last four games at the Mary Nutter Classic in Palm Springs, Calif., last week after losing its tournament opener to Notre Dame.
The 23rd-ranked Fighting Irish are led by two All-Americans. Senior outfielder Emilee Koerner thrived last year at Notre Dame, amassing 28 doubles and a .825 slugging percentage. Koerner's 28 doubles last season left her one short of the NCAA Division I record of 29 set by Fresno State's Nina Lindenberg. Koerner's counterpart in the outfield, sophomore Karley Wester has also found great success on the diamond. Last season, as a freshman, Wester hit .455 with 81 total hits and 28 RBIs and a .517 on-base percentage. For her efforts, Wester was named ACC Freshman of the Year and made the NFCA All-America second team.
On Sunday, Lehigh is slated to close out the weekend with games against Northern Iowa and Western Illinois.
UNI comes in at 5-6 after going 2-3 two weeks ago in Houston with wins over Stephen F. Austin and UMass. The Panthers opened the season by going 6-6 at the UNI-Dome Classic.
Western Illinois has not played since going 2-2 at the Total Control Sports Invitational with wins over Butler and Central Michigan and losses to Syracuse and North Dakota.
Historically, the Mountain Hawks have a limited history against the six teams they will face this weekend. Lehigh has only faced Maryland, going 1-1 against the Terrapins with a 1-0 win in 2008 and an 11-0 loss in the 2011 NCAA Tournament.
The Mountain Hawks will return to Florida next weekend for spring break with 12 games scheduled over eight days including six at the Rebel Spring Games in Winter Haven and four at the USF Under Armour Invitational in Clearwater.
Story by Matthew LoBello '15
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