St. John's University Athletics
Red Storm Hosts Doubleheader Vs. BIG EAST Rival DePaul
4/13/2010 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 13, 2010
Live Stats: |
QUEENS, N.Y. - St. John's concludes a five-game homestand on Wednesday, April 14, when it takes on DePaul in a doubleheader starting at noon at Red Storm Field.
Live stats will be available for both games free of charge through RedStormSports.com. Live video will be available for both games of Wednesday's doubleheader through CBS College Sports All-Access. St. John's All-Access Monthly is $9.95.
St. John's concludes a five-game homestand on Wednesday, April 14, when it takes on DePaul in a doubleheader starting at noon at Red Storm Field.
The Red Storm and the Blue Demons have faced off in 14 games all-time. DePaul leads the series 13-1. St. John's only win over DePaul was on March 8, 2003 when STJ took a 4-0 victory in the Fresno State Classic.
Last season, the Blue Demons won both games of a doubleheader in Chicago. Jenna Berger and Stacia Dopudja performed well against DePaul in 2009, their first season in a Red Storm uniform. Berger batted .667 (2-of-3) with one double and a team-high three RBI in the doubleheader. Dopudja hit .500 (2-of-4) at the plate with one home run, one double, one RBI, two runs scored and one walk. Junior pitcher Kat Lawrence has thrown two complete games against the Blue Devils in her career. Over 13 innings of work against DePaul, Lawrence has a 2.15 ERA with four strikeouts.
Wednesday's doubleheader marks the first time since 2006 that St. John's will face an unranked DePaul squad. When the two teams met last season, DePaul was ranked 21st in the ESPN/USA Softball poll and 24th in the USA Today/NFCA poll. In 2008, St. John's took on No. 18/25-ranked DePaul in Queens. In 2007, the Red Storm traveled to Chicago to face a No. 24-ranked Blue Demon team.
St. John's opens a seven-game road trip this weekend when it travels to face Pittsburgh for a three-game set April 17-18. The Red Storm and the Panthers will square off in a doubleheader on April 17 and play a single game on April 18. Following one game at Hofstra on April 21 and a three-game series at Louisville April 24-25, St. John's returns to Red Storm Field on April 28 to host local rival Iona.
STORM FRONT
Red Storm Looks To Even BIG EAST Mark: St. John's looks to even its record in BIG EAST play on Wednesday against DePaul. The Red Storm closed out its three-game set against Seton Hall last weekend with a 4-0 win over the Pirates on Sunday.
Sanchez's Super Week: Sophomore third baseman Julia Sanchez had a big week at the plate for the Red Storm. In five games against Syracuse and Seton Hall, Sanchez hit at a .417 clip (5-of-12) with one double, two walks and one stolen base.
Lawrence, Durning Dominate The Pirates: Junior pitcher Kat Lawrence and junior outfielder Chelsea Durning enjoyed success against Seton Hall last weekend. Lawrence went 1-1 in the circle with a 1.66 ERA and eight strikeouts over 12.2 innings of work. Durning batted .400 (4-of-10) with one double, three runs scored and one walk.
Curry Moving Up STJ Stolen Bases List: With one stolen base in game two against Seton Hall, freshman second baseman Amber Curry's season total moved to 15, tying Bionka King (15, 2008) for seventh on the St. John's single-season record list. Curry is one away from tying Erin McDonnell (16, 1986) for sixth. Donna DosAnjos set the STJ record at 46 in 1990.
Cox Ties Career High In RBI: With an RBI double in the first inning against Seton Hall on April 11, junior catcher Kacee Cox recorded her 34th RBI of the season, tying her career high set during her 2008 freshman year. The 34 RBI tie for the seventh most in the St. John's single-season record books.
BIG EAST Beasts: Five Red Storm players have elevated their game in BIG EAST play so far this season. Cox is batting .444 in conference play with three home runs, four doubles and 13 RBI and six runs scored. Durning has a .370 batting average with five runs scored, four walks and one stolen base. Freshman shortstop Chrissy Montez is batting .308 with two home runs, five RBI amd two runs scored. Sophomore Meghan Gwynn is hitting .333 with one RBI, one run scored and one walk. Junior pitcher Linzee Sumrall has a 2.75 ERA over seven appearances and five starts in BIG EAST play.
The Friendly Confines Of Red Storm Field: Playing at Red Storm Field has been a boost for three St. John's players. Durning is batting .375 at home with one double, five runs scored and one walk. Sanchez owns a .364 home batting average with one home run, two RBI, one run scored, two walks and one stolen base. Lawrence is 2-1 with a 1.19 ERA at Red Storm Field this season. She hase allowed just three runs over 17.2 innings of work in Queens.
Cox Among The Best In The NCAA: Cox's .433 batting average ranks 29th in the nation among all NCAA Division I softball players through games on April 11. Her 1.00 RBI per game average is tied for 36th in the country.
SCOUTING DEPAUL
The Blue Demons are 20-13 this season and 6-6 on the road. DePaul is 4-2 in BIG EAST play.
DePaul received eight votes in this week's ESPN.com/USA Softball DivisionI poll.
DePaul took two of three in its series against Villanova last weekend in Chicago. After splitting a doubleheader on April 10, the Blue Demons defeated the Wildcats, 11-2, in five innings on April 11.
The Blue Demons' top offensive player is junior infielder Tara Voss, who ranks second on the team in batting average (.311) and home runs (five). Voss has team highs 28 hits and seven steals and has also totaled four doubles and 14 RBI. Senior shortstop Shea Warren is batting a team-best .351 along with two home runs, two doubles and eight RBI. Junior catcher Simone Ashkar is hitting .267 and leads the team with six home runs and 22 RBI.
DePaul's top pitcher is senior righty Becca Heteniak. Heteniak is 11-9 with a 1.98 ERA and 138 strikeouts in 116.2 innings of work. She was named BIG EAST Pitcher of the Week March 1 after going 3-0 with a 0.33 ERA and 29 strikeouts in 21 innings of work.
Henteniak is also the team's most well-rounded player as she is hitting at a .293 clip with a team bests of seven doubles and 29 walks. She also has two home runs, 15 RBI and 11 runs scored.
Freshman right-hander Bree Brown is second on the team in innings pitched (81.1) and strikeouts (98). Brown owns a 3.01 ERA and a 7-3 record. Junior righty Lindsey Dean is 2-1 on the year with a 2.23 ERA and 12 K's over 22.0 innings.
