University of Connecticut Athletics
AAC Tournament Begins Thursday in Tampa
5/9/2018 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Championship Central | Tickets
Live Stats | American Digital Network
TAMPA, Fla. - The UConn softball team is preparing for the start of the 2018 American Athletic Conference Tournament on Thursday at the USF Softball Stadium, as the eight-seeded Huskies take on top-seeded USF at 6:30 p.m. ET on the American Digital Network.
With the addition of Wichita State this season, the AAC Tournament expanded to an eight-team format - no longer providing a first-round bye for the regular-season champion. UConn (20-34, 5-16 American), coming off a three-game series at Tulsa, plays the tournament host to begin the weekend.
ADN is broadcasting all quarterfinal matchups for free on Facebook, with Eric Lopez on play-by-play and Sydney Gerbracht on color. Friday's semifinal games will also be on ADN, while Saturday's championship game can be seen on ESPN2.
"I think it's going to be anyone's game," said head coach Jen McIntyre. "Our conference season was a tough one; this is the strongest I think the conference has ever been. With an RPI of four, it's unbelievable. To see it come down to the last game on the last night, it's what you are looking for."
The Huskies look to avenge USF's three-game sweep from March 23-25 in Tampa, the opening series in regular-season conference play. The Bulls recently beat Wichita State in two out of three games over the weekend, earning the title of regular-season champions.
"We're going to come out and compete," said McIntyre. "We obviously played them a long time ago in the first (conference) weekend, when we had some illnesses and injuries, but we're going to dig in and get after it."
Freshman infielder Briana Marcelino enters the week as UConn's leader in batting average (.279) and conference leader in doubles (13). Redshirt freshman Olivia Sappington and sophomore Kiwi McDaniel each have a team-best 20 RBI this season for the Huskies.
It is the fifth season that UConn has competed in the AAC Tournament, as the program looks for its first-ever win in American postseason play. It will be the first meeting between the Huskies and Bulls in the tournament since the league's inception in 2013.
SCOUTING THE AMERICAN
Currently the fourth-ranked RPI conference in Division I, the American has three teams in the top 50 of the RPI rankings. The eight teams have combined for nine wins over top-25 ranked opponents this season and finished a competitive regular season where four teams were within reach of the No. 1 seed on the final weekend.
FAMILIAR FOE
UConn traveled to USF earlier this season and were swept in a three-game set in Tampa from March 23-25. USF leads the all-time series with UConn, 24-5, as the Huskies' most recent win against the Bulls came during the 2017 season when Katie Koshes struck-out a career-high 13 batters in a 1-0 win on April 2.
20-WIN PLATEAU
The Huskies reached the 20-win mark this season for the first time under head coach Jen McIntyre since she started her tenure in Storrs. It is the program's first 20-win campaign since 2013 overall. In neutral site games, UConn went 10-5 this season - while going 5-9 at Burrill Family Field.
YOUNG GROUP
Out of 19 players on the roster, UConn has six freshmen and eight sophomores - combining to fill 14 spots. The Huskies have just two juniors and three seniors on the team, relying on their leadership to help the young group navigate through the season. Briana Marcelino (Easton, Conn.) and Reese Guevarra (New City, N.Y) have shouldered the load for the freshman class, as they have each played in 45 games or more this season.
RHYTHM IN THE CIRCLE
UConn's pitching staff has enjoyed one of its most successful campaigns in recent history, as the group has combined for a 3.15 ERA - the best since 2010 - and 286 strikeouts - most since 2009. Three pitchers have sub-3.00 ERA's and have made 20+ appearances in the circle this season. Junior Jill Stockley (Longmeadow, Mass.) is the team leader in ERA (2.49), wins (10), appearances (30), starts (24), compelte games (14), innings (157.1), and strikeouts (105).
PLAYING TOP COMPETITION
UConn's strength of schedule ranks No. 54 in the country, as the Huskies have played 26 games against opponents in the RPI Top 75. The 2018 schedule has proven to be one of the most difficult in program history - but has included one of the program's biggest wins in an upset victory over No. 7 Texas A&M on March 15.
QUARTERFINALS - THURSDAY, MAY 10
American Digital Network
Game 1: No. 3 Wichita State vs. No. 6 Tulsa - 10 a.m. ET/9 a.m. CT
Game 2: No. 2 Houston vs. No. 7 ECU - 12:30 p.m. ET/11:30 p.m. CT
Game 3: No. 4 UCF vs. No. 5 Memphis - 4 p.m. ET/3 p.m. CT
Game 4: No. 1 USF vs. No. 8 UConn - 6:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. CT
