University of Georgia Athletics
No. 12 Georgia Travels To No. 9 Tennessee For Three-Game Series
April 21, 2005 | Softball
April 21, 2005
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Next Up: No. 12 Georgia Travels to No. 9 Tennessee for Three-Game Series
The No. 12-ranked Georgia Bulldogs open a three-game set on Saturday with the No. 9-ranked Tennessee Lady Vols after earning a doubleheader sweep over Georgia Southern on Wednesday. Saturday's doubleheader will be broadcast live on CSS. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m. EDT.
Georgia (43-10, 22-2 SEC) is currently first in the Southeastern Conference standings with a three-game lead over No. 8 Alabama with six conference games remaining. The Bulldogs have earned eight consecutive SEC series wins.
Georgia leads the all-time series against Tennessee with an 18-12 record, including three wins in four meetings against the Lady Vols last season. The Bulldogs took a 2-1 series win over Tennessee in Athens last season. Georgia also earned a 4-0 win over the Lady Vols in the semifinals of the SEC Tournament after Shannon McKeon hit a walk-off grand slam in the 10th inning.
The Georgia offense is currently sporting the fourth-highest batting average (.332) in the country. Senior Kim Wendland is leading all Bulldog hitters with a .418 batting average. The left-hander is one hit shy of becoming only the second hitter in Georgia Softball history to compile 300 career hits. Courtney Knight raised her batting average to .400 on Wednesday after tallying three hits.
Michelle Green enters this weekend's matchup three wins shy of 100 career victories. The right-hander is currently 20-3 with a 1.16 ERA in 145 innings of work.
Tennessee enters the weekend with a 47-9 overall record after earning a doubleheader sweep over Austin Peay on Tuesday. The Lady Vols are currently fourth in the SEC standings with a 13-6 showing in conference play.
Sarah Fekete leads the Lady Vols with a .504 batting average. Kristi Durant and Lindsay Schutzler are currently sporting .411 and .405 batting averages, respectively.
All-America pitcher Monica Abbott (33-5) has logged a majority of the innings in the circle for the Lady Vols in 2005, posting a 0.49 ERA in 242.2 innings of work. The right-hander has accounted for 67 percent of the total innings pitched by the Lady Vols' rotation in 2005. Megan Rhodes (11-4, 1.60 ERA) and Stacey Jennings (3-0, 0.94) have also seen time in the circle for Tennessee.
Harris-Champer Top 10 Winningest Active Coaches
In just five seasons at the helm of the Georgia program, head coach Lu Harris-Champer has compiled an outstanding record of 244-84. Overall, her career record stands at 456-148-1, a winning percentage of .755. She currently ranks sixth in the NCAA's list of top 10 winningest active coaches. In just eight years, Harris-Champer's teams have made appearances in two College World Series and seven NCAA regionals. Harris-Champer has led two squads to 60+ win seasons and another five of her teams have totaled 50 wins or more. Harris-Champer took Georgia to its first-ever berth in the NCAA Softball Tournament in 2002. The 59 wins ranked as the second-best in the nation in 2002. Additionally, she had been named National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Region Coach of the Year on three occasions and earned SEC Coach of the Year honors in 2003 after leading Georgia to its first SEC Championship.
Top 10 Winningest Active Coaches:
t1.Sue Enquist, UCLA.839 (817-156-1)
t1.Mike Candrea, Ariz.839 (1013-195)
3.JoAnne Graf, Fla. St..765 (1081-330-6)
4.Yvette Girouard, LSU.760 (1003-317)
5.Patty Gasso, Okla..759 (532-169)
6.Lu Harris-Champer, UGA.755 (456-148-1)
7Margie Wright, Fresno St... .739 (1152-405-3)
t8.Carol Hutchins, Mich. .721 (915-352-4)
t8.Patrick Murphy, Ala..721 (367-142)
10. Joyce Compton, S.C..697 (943-410-2)
* minimum five years on DI level
Megan McAllister Named SEC Player of the Week
Georgia infielder Megan McAllister was named Southeastern Conference Player of the Week by the conference on April 11. It is the first time that she has won this award.
McAllister was instrumental in leading Georgia to three-game sweeps over South Carolina and Ole Miss last week. The native of Carlsbad, Calif., finished the South Carolina series with a .500 batting average after going 4-for-8 with two home runs, two doubles, two walks and six RBI. Her two home runs against the Gamecocks raised her season total to 13, tying her for the SEC lead. Against Ole Miss, McAllister went 4-for-8 with two doubles, one RBI and a walk. She was responsible for starting a rally in the ninth inning of game one after leading off the frame with a double. The right-hander was also responsible for tallying the go-ahead run in Sunday's 2-0 win after hitting a sacrifice fly in the first inning.
Michelle Green Collects Trio of Awards
Georgia pitcher Michelle Green collected a trio of awards on April 5 after being named National Player of the Week by USA Softball and the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA). She was also named Southeastern Conference Pitcher of the Week.
Green finished the week with a 3-0 record and a 0.37 ERA in 19 innings of work, recording 34 strikeouts. She was instrumental in Georgia's 2-1 series win over No. 13 Florida after concluding the series with two wins and a 0.58 ERA in 12 innings against the Gators. The native of Duluth, Ga., clinched the series for the Bulldogs on Sunday after tossing six scoreless innings in relief, securing her 12th straight win. The right-hander also earned a win against Mercer on Tuesday after tying her school-record with 17 strikeouts in a complete game shutout.
Michelle Green and Kim Wendland Selected Among Top 25 Finalists for Collegiate Player of the Year Award
The Amateur Softball Association, the National Governing Body of Softball in the United States, announced its 25 finalists for the 2005 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Award on April 7. Georgia pitcher Michelle Green and first baseman Kim Wendland were two of the 25 finalists named to the list.
This award is the only national player of the year honor and is designed to recognize outstanding athletic achievement by female collegiate softball players across the country.
The winner of the 2005 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Award will be announced at the NCAA College World Series in Oklahoma City, Okla.
Green Named SEC Pitcher of the Week
Georgia pitcher Michelle Green was named Southeastern Conference Pitcher of the Week by the conference office on March 21. It is the sixth time that she has won this award.
Green earned four wins against No. 15 LSU and Kentucky this week. She was instrumental in Georgia extending its winning streak to 13 games and remaining undefeated in Southeastern Conference play. Her 4-1 win against the Tigers on Sunday clinched a series sweep over LSU. Against Kentucky, Green hurled a one-hit shutout with 14 strikeouts in a 1-0 game one win.
Swinging Hot Sticks
Georgia's lineup boasts 10 players who are currently hitting above the .300 clip, highlighted by Kim Wendland's .418 batting average. The Bulldogs are hitting .332 as a team; three points higher than last season's mark (.329) that earned Georgia a third-place national ranking.
Score First, Score Often...
Georgia has outscored its opponent 290-111 in 2005. The Bulldogs are 21-3 when they score in the first inning, and 31-4 overall when they score before their opponents.
Start Me Up
Since moving outfielder Courtney Knight to the leadoff position on March 5, Georgia has gone 24-3. Despite missing the first three weeks with an injury, the junior from Lithonia, Ga., is second on the team with a .400 batting average and 10 doubles and 25 RBI.
Mid-Season Form
Senior pitcher Michelle Green has paced the Georgia pitching staff in 2005 with a 20-3 record with a 1.16 ERA. The native of Duluth, Ga., has combined for a no-hitter and has tossed two one-hitters, while holding opposing batters to a .160 batting average this season.
Green Named SEC Pitcher of the Week
Georgia pitcher Michelle Green was named Southeastern Conference Pitcher of the Week by the conference on Feb. 28. This is the fifth time Green has been honored by the league.
Green was named pitcher of the week following her stellar performance at the NFCA Leadoff Classic. She earned All-Tournament team honors after concluding tournament play with a 3-0 record and a 0.81 ERA in 17.1 innings of work, recording 23 strikeouts. Green's one-hitter on Saturday propelled the No. 16-ranked Georgia Bulldogs to a 2-1 win over the No. 6-ranked Louisiana Lafayette Rajun' Cajuns. Green carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning before allowing a hit. The native of Duluth, Ga., earned her first win of the tournament after hurling a two-hitter against No. 17 Nebraska in Georgia's 4-1 opening win over the Huskers. Green also earned a win in relief against UMass, allowing no runs and three hits in 3.1 innings, striking out five.
Bulldogs Face Tough Road in 2005
Georgia has compiled what is arguable the toughest 2005 schedule in the country, highlighted by four meetings with defending champion UCLA in February. The Bulldogs will also participate in the NFCA Leadoff Classic Tournament that features 11 top 25 teams, six currently ranked in the top 20 and four 2004 Women's College World Series participants. Georgia will also participate in the Campbell/Cartier Tournament on the San Diego State campus. This tournament features five teams that are currently ranked in the top 25 polls.
Georgia gets no break when it enters conference play with three three-game series against top 25 teams in No. 5 Tennessee, No. 7 Alabama and No. 10 LSU. The Bulldogs finished the 2004 season with a 15-15 overall record against top 25 teams.
Georgia Picked to Win 2005 SEC Softball Title
The Georgia Bulldogs are the favorites to win the Eastern Division and the conference title in the 2005 SEC Softball Preseason Coaches' Poll announced by the league on Wednesday.
The Bulldogs tallied six out of 11 first-place votes after finishing the 2004 campaign with a 55-17 overall record and an appearance in the championship game of an NCAA Regional.
Georgia paced the Eastern Division votes with 47 points and seven first-place votes. Tennessee earned a second-place ranking after receiving four first-place votes and 44 overall points. In the Western Division, Alabama led with 56 points, followed by LSU with 45 and Mississippi State with 38.
Kasi Carroll and Kim Wendland Named to USA Softball Top 40 Watch List
The Amateur Softball Association, the National Governing Body of Softball in the United States, and USA Softball announced its initial watch list for the 4th annual USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Award on January 28. Georgia pitcher Kasi Carroll and first baseman Kim Wendland were two of the 40 players named to the watch list.
This award is the only national player of the year honor and is designed to recognize outstanding athletic achievement by female collegiate softball players across the country.
The initial watch list is comprised of 40 players that represent 23 colleges and 10 different collegiate conferences.
Wendland, a two-time All-America selection, returns for her senior season after setting school records with a .437 batting average, 65 RBI, .505 on-base percentage, and a .753 slugging percentage as a junior. The native of Rock Island, Ill., was one of 25 finalists for the award in 2004.
Carroll was selected to the NFCA All-Southeast Region Second Team and the SEC All-Freshman and All-Tournament teams in 2004 after compiling a 18-8 record with a 1.48 ERA. The native of Norris City, Ill., earned nine wins over top 25 teams and combined for three no-hitters as a freshman in 2004.
A list of 25 finalists will be announced on April 5 and a list of 10 finalists will be named and released on May 10. The three finalists will be announced May 31. The winner of the 2005 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Award will be announced at the 2005 NCAA Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City.
Georgia Earns Top 25 Rankings In Polls
The Bulldogs are currently ranked in both the USA Today/NFCA and ESPN.com/USA Softball polls. The ESPN.com/USA Softball Poll has the Bulldogs ranked 12th, while the USA Today/NFCA has Georgia with a No. 13 ranking. At the conclusion of the 2004 season, Georgia finished ranked 11th and 13th nationally in the USA Today/NFCA and ESPN.com/USA Softball polls, respectively.
USA Today/NFCA Top-10:
1. Michigan6. Texas A&M
2. California7. Stanford
3. Texas8. Alabama
4. Arizona9. Tennessee
5. Oklahoma 10. UCLA
ESPN.com/USA Softball Top-10:
1. Michigan6. Oklahoma
2. California7. Stanford
3. Arizona8. Baylor
4. Texas9. Oregon State
5. Texas A&M10. UCLA
Record-Breaking Campaign
Senior first baseman Kim Wendland set the school record for career home runs (28) on Feb. 13, breaking former Bulldog catcher Shannon McKeon's (2001-04) record of 26. The native of Rock Island, Ill., set several school records in 2004 when she compiled a .437 batting average, 65 RBI, .505 on-base percentage, and a .753 slugging percentage. Wendland is currently ranked in the top-3 in several offensive categories in the Georgia record books: second in career batting average (.388), hits (228), runs (143), slugging percentage (.567), on base percentage (.447). She is currently the school record holder in doubles (52). The two-time All-America was recently named to USA Softball's Top 40 Watch List for Collegiate Player of the Year honors. She also has the chance to become the first softball student-athlete to earn four First-Team All-SEC honors. Pitcher Michelle Green enters her senior season looking to build on the success of her last three seasons in Athens. The native of Duluth, Ga., entered the 2005 campaign holding four Georgia pitching records: career wins (77), ERA (1.38), SO (798), and SHO (39.5).
Young Guns
Head coach Lu Harris-Champer and staff enter the 2005 season with a plethora of pitching talent. The Bulldogs pitching rotation is comprised of senior Michelle Green, sophomores Kasi Carroll and Katie Griffith, and freshman Jessica Doucette. Carroll and Griffith logged a majority of the innings down the stretch in 2004, combining for 39 wins as freshmen. Both pitchers look to play integral roles in the success of the Bulldogs this season. Green returns for her senior season looking to improve on her 18-4 mark set as a junior. She earned All-America and SEC Pitcher of the Year honors in 2003 after compiling a 39-8 record with a 1.10 ERA en route to Georgia capturing its first SEC Championship. Doucette enters the rotation after a stellar prep career at El Segundo High School in El Segundo, Calif.
On the Road Again...
The No. 10-ranked Bulldogs start the season on the road for the fourth occasion under the direction of head coach Lu Harris-Champer. Unlike the previous three seasons, Georgia will not travel to Miami to take part in a FIU-hosted tournament, instead traveling to Los Angeles to participate in the Stacy Winsberg Tournament. The Bulldogs have captured three consecutive tournament titles to open the season since 2002.
Georgia returns home for the Georgia Softball Classic that begins play on Feb. 11, before leaving Athens to participate in the Campbell/Cartier Tournament in San Diego, Calif., and the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Columbus, Ga.
The Bulldogs finished the 2004 season with a 12-5 record in the month of February and a 19-2 record in March.
Perkins Promoted to Associate Head Coach
Sharon Perkins, a member of the Georgia softball coaching staff for the past four seasons, has been promoted to associate head coach, Bulldogs head coach Lu Harris-Champer announced on July 1, 2004.
"Sharon is very deserving of this promotion," Harris-Champer said. "She is an outstanding coach, recruiter and motivator. We have been working together for seven years, and she has been instrumental in all of our past teams' success. Sharon is honest and hard working. To our team, she brings great heart and a burning desire to get better everyday."
"There is no better place for a coach or a parent to raise their family than in Athens and at the University of Georgia," Perkins said. "I am honored to receive this promotion. I have worked with Coach Harris-Champer and there is no better person to work for. We have developed a tremendous working relationship and friendship. We have worked hard to make Georgia an elite program on the national level, and Georgia softball definitely has a bright future."
At Georgia, her primary responsibility has been with the defense. The Bulldogs are 204-74 with an SEC title in 2003 and four straight NCAA tournament appearances under the leadership of Harris-Champer and Perkins. This is an impressive feat considering Harris-Champer and Perkins inherited a squad in 2001 that was coming off a 28-33 overall record with a 9-19 showing in the Southeastern Conference. Four years later, Georgia found itself in a top 10 ranking for a majority of the 2004 season and is now being mentioned among the softball powerhouses that have traditionally consisted of west coast schools.
A native of Sarasota, Fla., and a standout at Riverview High School, Perkins was a member of the 2003 Southeast National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Region Staff of the Year after helping guide the Bulldogs to a 57-14 record in 2003, capturing the program's first SEC Championship.
Perkins' first coaching job was under Harris while a student coach at Nicholls State during the Colonels' run to the NCAA Regional Finals in 1996. She has also authored articles for the National Fastpitch Coaches Association's Fastpitch Delivery.
Allister Named Assistant Coach
Jessica Allister has been named assistant softball coach at the University of Georgia, according to an announcement on July 23, 2004, by Georgia head coach Lu Harris-Champer.
"We are excited about having Jessica join our staff," said Harris-Champer. "She has been coached by the best throughout her career and has experience at the highest level of softball. Her enthusiasm and love for the game will have a very positive effect on our student-athletes."
Allister is a 2004 graduate of Stanford University with a degree in Economics. A four-year starter behind the plate for the Cardinal, Allister earned All-America and All-Pac-10 honors after helping lead Stanford to a Women's College World Series appearance as a senior. She finished the season with a team-high 12 home runs, 55 RBI, a .631 slugging percentage and a .404 on-base percentage. Allister also led the Pac-10 conference in fielding percentage at the catcher position in both her junior and senior campaigns after posting only three errors. Allister was also a member of the 2001 Stanford squad that earned the school's first appearance in the Women's College World Series. She concluded her career at Stanford in second-place for career home runs (32) and third-place in career RBI (162).
"Coach Harris-Champer has been an extremely successful coach throughout her coaching career, and to be able to coach under her and Coach Perkins is really exciting for me," said Allister. "I cannot wait to be part of the Georgia softball family."
A native of Nacogdoches, Texas, Allister was a two-time All-American at Nacogdoches High School. She is currently playing professionally as a member of the New England Riptide of the National Pro Fastpitch League.
Cantillo Signs With Georgia Softball
Georgia softball coach Lu Harris-Champer announced on Nov. 23 that Chelsea Cantillo of Santa Ana, Calif., has signed a national letter-of-intent to attend the University of Georgia.
Cantillo, an infielder, is currently a senior at Foothill High School. She hit .368 as a junior with five doubles, two home runs, 11 RBI and compiled a .483 slugging percentage. Cantillo was selected to the Michelle Carew Classic All-Tournament Team in 2004 and was named to the All-Sea View League First-Team, All-County Second-Team, and was selected as Foothill's Most Valuable Player.
"We are thrilled to have Chelsea join our program," Harris-Champer said. "Chelsea has beautiful hands at the plate and on defense. She will bring leadership, determination and outstanding experience to our team."
As a sophomore, Cantillo was a member of a squad that captured the Sea View League Championship and was a CIF Southern Section Finalist, earning First-Team All-Sea View honors. Additionally, she earned Second-Team All-Century League honors as a freshman.
Cantillo is equally impressive in the classroom, earning Scholar Athlete and Principal's Honor Roll accolades. She is a member of Tyronne Davis' Orange County Batbusters.
Georgia Soccer/Softball Complex Honored
The Georgia Soccer/Softball Complex was featured in the October issue of Athletics Administration as part of its 2004 Facilities Showcase. The complex was one of 10 facilities highlighted that have been built, expanded or renovated in the past year.
The Georgia Softball Stadium highlights the $6.4 million construction project that is part of the athletics department's $81 million effort to update the University's facilities.
The Bulldog softball team will play its second season in its new multi-million-dollar softball stadium in 2005. The facility holds close to 1,400 fans and features the best amenities possible. The Georgia Softball Stadium was chosen to host an NCAA Regional in 2004, marking the first time that the University of Georgia has been named as a host institution for an NCAA Softball Regional.
The Soccer/Softball Complex also features an indoor practice facility for the softball team and features a workout space on a clay surface similar to the infield of the stadium.
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