May 18, 2005

NCAA Tournament Notes in PDF Format
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REDHAWK STORYLINES

1. WELCOME TO THE SHOW: This is Miami's first NCAA Tournament in the 31-year history of the program. The RedHawks have won 34 games this year, tied for second-most in school history.

2. FULL CIRCLE: Junior Kristen Hays returns to Tyson Park after playing her freshman year for the Lady Volunteers. Angie Jacobs opened her head coaching career against Tennessee in 1999 at the University of South Florida's pre-conference tournament in Tampa, Fla.

3. MAC RECORD ONLY TWO AWAY: Led by junior Courtney Salmon and senior Jackie Poggendorf, the Miami pitching staff, with 412 strikeouts, stands one K behind Central Michigan's 2002 club for the Mid-American Conference single-season record.

2005 TEAM NOTES

IT'S NOT JUST A CLICHE: After falling to Western Michigan in the 2003 Mid-American Conference Championship and being defeated twice by Bowling Green in last year's conference final matchup, the third time turned out to be the charm for the Miami softball team. With the help of three first-inning runs and two RBI apiece from Kristen Hays and Leslie Macedo, third-seeded Miami knocked off top-seeded Marshall, 5-2, on Sunday to earn its first bid to the NCAA Tournament.

HOMERHAWKS: A team that hit six home runs in 54 regular season games knocked five homers in its first three games at the MAC Tournament. Three of those were a player's first home run in a Miami uniform. Last Wednesday against Bowling Green, freshman Breanna Robinson left the yard for the first time in more than two months since her first career round-tripper at Texas A&M. The following day against Central Michigan, Miami hit three home runs in a single game for the first time in two years as juniors Kristen Hays and Bianca Paz combined to hit all three. Hays' two were her first four-baggers as a RedHawk after transferring two years ago from Tennessee. Paz dialed long distance for the first time as a RedHawk after transferring two years ago from Howard Community College in Texas. Friday against Bowling Green, freshman Christine Bills homered for the first time as a RedHawk.

FEELIN' THE BREEZE: Miami's single-season strikeout record changes with every opponent's swing-and-a-miss. Against Butler on April 21, senior Jackie Poggendorf broke her own Miami season record of 167 Ks. Junior Courtney Salmon, who struck out 98 batters in the pre-conference season, was not far behind, and remains within three of Poggendorf as the single-season mark stands at 207 Ks through the end of the MAC Tournament.

A GREAT THREE YEARS: Miami has won 86 games between the 2003, 2004 and 2005 seasons, the third-most wins in any three-year period in the 31-season history of the program. The 1990-92 clubs combined for the most wins in that length of time, carrying a record of 94-64, while the 1989-91 stretch saw 89 victories.

BEST SINCE `91: Miami's 34 wins this season are the most since the 1991 campaign, when that year's club won the same amount. The RedHawks could break the school record at the regional with three wins, topping the 1990 team's school-record 36 victories. Miami has not finished 10 games over .500, where it is now, since that 1991 season.

MIAMI AGAINST TENNESSEE: The RedHawks are seeking their first win against the Lady Volunteers, dropping the three previous meetings. All of them occurred at tournaments hosted by the University of South Florida in Tampa, Fla. Two were in the 1997 pre-conference season, and the most recent RedHawk-Lady Vol contest was head coach Angie Jacobs' first game at the helm of the Red and White in 1999.

MIAMI AGAINST THE SEC: The RedHawks have faced six of the current Southeast Conference schools, carrying a 9-14 record. Almost half of those games were against the closest SEC school to Oxford, as Miami holds an 8-3 mark against Kentucky. South Carolina has taken all six contests against Miami, while the RedHawks hold a 1-0 ledger versus Mississippi and an 0-1 record each against Mississippi State and Auburn. The Bulldogs from Starkville, Miss., were Miami's last SEC opponents,

`HAWKS AGAINST CHARLESTON AND VIRGINIA TECH: Miami is 4-0 all-time against Charleston, with the last meeting coming in 1996. All five of the Red and White's meetings against the Hokies have occurred in the last four seasons, with Miami winning one. To open this season, Virginia Tech topped Miami, 2-0, in Chattanooga, Tenn.

REDHAWKS AGAINST THE SOCON AND THE ACC: Miami is 10-5 all-time against teams currently in the Southern Conference, with the top mark being its 4-0 record each against Furman. This year, Miami split its two meetings with SoCon teams, defeating East Tennessee State but losing to Chattanooga. The RedHawks are 0-2 this year against the Atlantic Coast Conference, with North Carolina State and Virginia Tech each taking a game. All time, teams currently in the ACC are 12-21 versus Miami, with Florida State holding an 11-6 advantage and Virginia a 7-3 edge.

ENDURANCE RECORDS: In addition to the strikeout record that the 2005 RedHawks (412) have obliterated (307 in 2003), this year's team has topped two longevity marks. During the conference championship game, Miami broke the record of 397.0 innings pitched, set by the 1990 team. This year's arms have logged 399.1 frames. That game also made this year the longest ever in terms of games played, with 58 through the MAC Tournament. The previous lengthiest log was the 1995 schedule, lasting 57 games.

GETTING HER CUTS: Freshman Halle Popson broke the Miami single-season record for at-bats, counting 193 this season and topping the previous mark of 187, set by two players in 1996. Her 60 hits are fifth all time, with Monique Abbitt's 74 hits in 1991 as the standard. Popson hit .500 (6-for-12) in the MAC Tournament and was named to the all-tournament team.

THEY'RE GLOVIN' IT: Entering the week, Miami was ranked 13th in Division I in fielding percentage with a MAC-best clip of .973. The RedHawks meet the national leaders in the category on Friday, as Tennessee led the nation in the report released May 18 with a .982 fielding percentage.

THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES: The May 1 game against Ball State was the last at Miami Softball Field after 22 seasons off the northeast corner of Yager Stadium. The softball RedHawks move next year to a brand new stadium, located off the southwest corner of the football facility and just north of Millett Hall. The new facility features fixed seats and permanent press facilities, making it among the finest facilities in the Midwest.