| WKU Softball at Troy Chick-fil-A Invite | |
| Dates | Friday, Feb. 6-Sunday, Feb. 8 |
| Location | Troy, Ala. I Troy Softball Complex |
| Tickets | TroyTrojans.com |
| Live Stats | TroyTrojans.com |
BOWLING GREEN, Ky.— It's been 271 days since WKU softball was in season, but all that changes on Friday, Feb. 6, as the Lady Toppers hit the field for the 2015 season at Troy's Chick-fil-A Invitational in Alabama.
The team will take on Buffalo in its opener at 9:30 a.m. CT before facing North Florida at 2:30 p.m. CT. WKU is scheduled to play five games in the three-day tournament, as it continues on Saturday with host Troy at 5 p.m. CT and Alabama State at 7:30 p.m. CT. Sunday will conclude tourney play with another contest versus the Hornets at 2:30 p.m.
All games will be available to follow via live stats on Troy's athletic page, TroyTrojans.com. In-game updates will also come through the WKU softball Twitter account, @WKUSoftball.
- Game Notes -
WKU LOOKS TO BUILD OFF SUCCESS OF TUDOR'S FIRST SEASON
The Lady Toppers boasted 33 wins in 2014, including a win at No. 2 Tennessee, while finishing fourth in its last season with the Sun Belt Conference. Returning seven student-athletes from last season, including three-time All-Sun Belt Conference honoree Preslie Cruce, the team bolstered the roster with the addition of 10 newcomers with four senior transfers that include NFCA All-Region selections in Miranda Kramer and Larissa Franklin. WKU also picked up a junior college transfer in Taylor Price and have five true freshmen in Bowling Green.
Seven of WKU's 2015 opponents are ranked in both preseason national polls, as WKU is receiving votes in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll. WKU will face nine teams that went to the NCAA postseason in 2014, including Michigan, Florida State, Nebraska, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Lipscomb, Kentucky and Louisville. Five of those squads—Michigan, Florida State, Nebraska, Tennessee and Kentucky—went on to Super Regionals while Florida State and Kentucky made it to the Women's College World Series. The Lady Toppers have 16 teams in the schedule that finished last season in the top 100 RPI with five in the top 25.
KRAMER, PUGH PRESEASON C-USA SELECTIONS; WKU PICKED FIFTH IN POLL
WKU landed a pair of student-athletes in the Preseason Conference USA Team, as newcomers Miranda Kramer and Dani Pugh were named to the list. With two Lady Toppers on the preseason team, WKU had the second-most honorees among the league, tied with Charlotte and North Texas who also had two. Florida Atlantic and Marshall each garnered three. Kramer and Pugh were both All-Conference honorees last season for IPFW.
Entering its first year in the league, the C-USA coaches voted WKU to finish fifth. FIU and UAB tied for preseason favorites, as both teams received five first-place votes each. Just above WKU to finish the top five schools, Florida Atlantic came in third while Marshall was picked fourth.
KRAMER ENTERS SEASON AS NCAA ACTIVE STRIKEOUT LEADER
Senior pitcher Miranda Kramer enters this season as the NCAA active career strikeout leader with 765 as well as strikeouts per seven innings with 10.14 after being third in the nation last season with 332 strikeouts. The Iowa native also comes in third for active career shutouts with 25. Kramer has made a name for herself in the circle, totaling 33 double-digit strikeout performances in her career at IPFW, notching a career-high 18 against Marist while grabbing a win at No. 15 Texas with 12 strikeouts in 2014.
FRANKLIN NAMED TO CANADIAN NATIONAL TEAM
Senior outfielder Larissa Franklin was chosen as one of 15 players to the Canadian National Team for the 2015 Pan Am Games this summer. It isn't the first time that Franklin will play for her home country, as she has played with both Junior and Senior National Team, including the VIII Pan American Championship in Puerto Rico where Team Canada won the silver medal. In 2014, she started nine games for Team Canada at the ISF Women's World Championship in Haarlem, Netherlands, finishing second on the team with a .409 batting average.
Back on the collegiate level, the senior comes to The Hill after ranking eighth in the nation last season with a .459 batting average. A three-time All-Summit League First-Team selection, the outfielder was named to the NFCA All-Region Third Team after posting a school-record 84 hits at IPFW. Franklin also earned the distinction of being a Capital One Academic First-Team All-District member.
CRUCE LOOKS TO SET NAME IN CAREER RECORD BOOK
Senior Preslie Cruce has a chance to solidify her name in the WKU career record book in numerous categories. The Alabama product is already WKU's all-time hit by pitch leader with 67 while she is top five in runs (123), home runs (29), total bases (289) and assists (362). She is just 11 runs away from the top spot in that category and 10 in the home run list. Cruce is a three-time All-Sun Belt Conference selection, notching First-Team honors in 2014 for the first time after hitting .307 with 50 hits and 31 RBI while making just nine errors in the field.
SADLER A SOLID STAPLE IN THE OUTFIELD
Senior Shawna Sadler was solid for the Lady Toppers in the outfield, starting in center and right all season. Sadler didn't commit a single error, making her mark as WKU's single-season leader in fielding percentage for an outfielder. The Illinois native wasn't just good in the field, but also at the plate, as she was second on the team with a .310 batting average to go with 53 hits and 14 stolen bases.
PUGH ADDS POWERFUL BAT TO LINEUP
Senior catcher Dani Pugh comes to The Hill with a big bat to bring in the WKU lineup. Last season, Pugh added 60 RBI to the IPFW stats, ranking 24th in the nation. Originally from Ohio, Pugh has 36 multi-RBI games in her career. In 2014, Pugh added a team-high 12 home runs while totaling 53 hits on the year.
SERIES VS. TOURNEY FIELD
WKU has faced two of the weekend's four opponents in program history, as North Florida and Alabama State will be new foes. The Lady Toppers are 0-1 against Buffalo, taking a loss in 2005. Troy holds an 18-14 advantage in the series over WKU, as the two have met every year since 2003 as members of the Sun Belt Conference. The teams most recently met in a three-game series last season, as WKU swept the weekend. The Trojans put up one run in the trio of games, as Emily Rousseau shut out the visitors with a no-no in game one and a shutout in the series' finale.
For information on season tickets at $25 through the flexible season ticket plan, visit WKUSports.com or call the ticket office at 1-800-5-BIGRED.
The 2015 WKU softball season is being presented by the United States Marines. This season, the Marines and WKU Athletics are working together to promote the outstanding athletic and academic achievements of our female student-athletes. The Marines are proud to work with and support these future leaders of America.
For more information on WKU softball, visit WKUSports.com or follow the team on Twitter via @WKUSoftball.
