Friday, February 05, 2010

MACON, Ga. – As the 2010 NCAA Division I Softball season approaches, the Atlantic Sun Conference takes a look at each team leading up to the start of the season. Today, we venture to Spartanburg, S.C. to visit with USC Upstate.

Overview
USC Upstate returns seven starters, two pitchers, and 12 of 20 letterwinners from the 2009 season, in which the Spartans recorded an overall mark of 29-16 and an A-Sun tally of 11-9 for a fifth-place finish in the league. Head coach Chris Hawkins enters his 16th season with the Spartans having amassed an overall record of 517-248 while at USC Upstate. This season marks the Spartans’ first year of eligibility for postseason play at the Division I level. As the Division II level, the Hunter Green, White and Black made five NCAA Division II appearances. In 2007, USC Upstate fell to Augusta State, 1-0 in the South Atlantic Regional. The Spartans tallied a home record of 9-14 at Cyrill Stadium in Spartanburg, S.C.

Top Returners
Kim Brasil earned preseason all-conference honors after leading the Spartans in hitting with a .342 batting average, 12 doubles and stole a team-best nine bases out of 10 attempts, despite missing 10 games with a knee injury and wearing a brace throughout the season. It marks the Mississauga, Ontario native’s first selection to the preseason all-conference team after Brasil earned second-team all-conference honors last year and an all-freshman pick in 2008. The physical education major tied for the top spot at USC Upstate with a seven-game hitting streak during the year and also tied for the team lead with 13 multi-hit games. In the A-Sun, Brasil ranked 13th in batting average, hitting .304 against league competition.

Top pitcher Morgan Childers enters the spring season after a record-breaking freshman campaign with the Spartans, during which Childers led the A-Sun in wins (23), strikeouts (277), opponent batting average (.189), appearances (37) and starts (30), en route to earning her second all-conference honor in 2009. Childers ranks as the program's all-time strikeouts leader (535) in just two years with USC Upstate. In 2009, the sophomore pitcher also earned A-Sun Pitcher of the Week honors on three occasions. A member of the A-Sun All-Academic team, Childers ranked fourth in the league in ERA and saves, and finished the season tied for fourth in the NCAA in saves. The Kings Mountain, N.C. native ranked 17th in the nation with 9.3 strikeouts per seven innings and 39th with a 1.64 ERA.

Newcomers
Upstate has seven newcomers who are expected to help bolster the lineup. Junior college transfers Cheyanna Ohlrich (North Bend, Ore.) and Katie Zauner (Canby Ore.) come from a program at the College of Siskyous which has had tremendous success in California. The team has been ranked No. 1 entering the state tournament in each of the last two years and Ohlrich and Zauner have been key players during that stretch. Ohlrich stands as a versatile player who may very well secure the starting spot at shortstop, while Zauner will battle for the starting nod in left field. Both are expected to contribute immediately.

Haley Sheehan (Graniteville, S.C.) spent one season at Spartanburg Methodist before transferring to USC Upstate and will look to battle for playing time in the middle infield. Four freshmen enter the fray for playing time as well. Blake Meredith (Post Falls, Idaho) and Alexis Yohe (Concord, N.C.) are pitchers who can also play other positions. Ericka Harris (Piedmont, S.C.) can play either catcher or third base, while Ashley McCurry (Enka, N.C.) will battle for playing time in the outfield.

Schedule (Courtesy USC Upstate Media Relations)
The 2010 season marks the first year that the softball program will enjoy full benefits as members of NCAA Division I. One of two programs to be fast-tracked into full NCAA membership, the softball program has finished its provisional period in the NCAA and is now eligible for postseason tournament play in the A-Sun and NCAA.

The softball season will start on Feb. 12 as USC Upstate travels to Columbia to take part in a tournament hosted by South Carolina. The three-day tournament boasts a field of several Division I institutions in the state, including USC Upstate, South Carolina, Winthrop, Coastal Carolina, Charleston Southern, Furman, South Carolina State and Gardner-Webb from just over the state line in North Carolina.

Following the tournament at South Carolina, Upstate will spend the better part of the next month at home. In fact, the Spartans will play 17 dates and 31 games at home in Cyrill Stadium. Upstate plays home A-Sun games against Florida Gulf Coast, Stetson, Kennesaw State, Mercer and ETSU. The Spartans will host non-conference games against Tusculum, Siena, Charleston Southern, Western Carolina, Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina, Charlotte, South Carolina and Winthrop. The game against South Carolina is a single game on April 14 at 5:00 p.m. In addition, the Spartans will host the Spartan Classic Feb. 19-21, a four-team tournament with Eastern Kentucky, Liberty and Maryland-Baltimore County coming to Cyrill Stadium.

USC Upstate will hit the road in A-Sun play against Belmont, Lipscomb, UNF, Jacksonville, and Campbell. The Spartans will play non-conference road games at North Carolina A&T, Furman, Gardner-Webb and South Carolina (April 6). USC Upstate will also play in Winthrop's tournament.

A tough schedule inside and outside the A-Sun, USC Upstate will play 14 teams ranked in the Top 150 in the final NCAA RPI ranking, including eight in the Top 100. Within the A-Sun alone there are four opponents ranked in the Top 100 in the RPI with FGCU leading the way at No. 26 and followed by Mercer (48), Campbell (52) and North Florida (85). USC Upstate finished the season ranked No. 88 in the final RPI ranking.

Now a full member of NCAA Division I, the USC Upstate softball program will battle nine other A-Sun programs for a spot in the six-team A-Sun Tournament hosted by Stetson in DeLand, Fla., May 13-15. The winner of the A-Sun Tournament earns the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Regionals. USC Upstate has had early success in the A-Sun, claiming a share of the regular season championship in its first season in the league in 2008 and finishing fifth last season. The Spartans have combined for a 27-15 record in A-Sun play and a 63-31 mark overall in its first two years playing Division I softball.

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11 Days of Atlantic Sun Softball Schedule
Jan. 28 – Belmont
Jan. 29 – Stetson
Feb. 1 – ETSU
Feb. 2 – Kennesaw State
Feb. 3 – Jacksonville
Feb. 4 – UNF
Feb. 5 – USC Upstate
Feb. 8 – Mercer
Feb. 9 – Lipscomb
Feb. 10 – FGCU
Feb. 11 – Campbell