Concord Looks to End Season Strong

Concord Stats - UVa.-Wise Stats - West Virginia State Stats - Charleston Stats - Live Stats - Live Video

ATHENS, W.Va. – With the first Mountain East Conference Tournament on the horizon, the Concord University softball team is set to conclude the 2014 regular season at home 3:00 p.m. Thursday vs. UVa.-Wise before playing its final  contests of the year Saturday at West Virginia State and Sunday at the University Charleston.
 
LIVE COVERAGE
• The Concord University sports information department provides live in-game statistics as well as live video for all Concord home events. To access the live coverage options follow the links at the top of the page or click here.
 
RECORDS AND STANDINGS
• CU has won seven of its last ten games to improves its record to 27-17 overall and 11-11 in the MEC. Concord begins the week seventh in the MEC standings, but more importantly are ranked eighth in the NCAA Division II Atlantic Region. The top eight teams in the region at the end of the season earn bids into the NCAA Tournament.

• Most recently, the Mountain Lions went 1-1 vs. Wheeling Jesuit April 17 before completing a sweep of West Liberty April 18, 7-4 and 10-5 to finish last week 3-1.
 
• UVa.-Wise is 30-11 overall this season and a MEC-best 17-3 in the MEC. UVa.-Wise swept both WLU and WLU last week.
 
• West Virginia State 24-22 on the season and is 12-12 record against MEC foe, placing them sixth in the league standings. The Yellow Jackets are coming off of a doubleheader loss to Charleston April 22.
 
• Charleston is 28-16 overall and is 12-10 vs. MEC competition, placing them fourth in the conference.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES
• The Mountain Lions are 0-4 vs. UVa.-Wise. Sophomore second baseman Kristen Rose produced a 3-for-6 outing in two games vs. the Cavaliers with one run and two RBI when the teams met March 27.
 
• Concord is 12-21 against WVSU and 13-25 vs. Charleston all-time.

• CU split a home doubleheader with West Virginia State April 6, winning 3-2 before falling 8-0 in the nightcap. Freshman third baseman Courtney Purtell's first career home run was the difference in game one as she went 3-for-5 with the deep shot and two RBI in the two games. In the circle, sophomore pitcher Allie Reid tossed seven innings, giving up two runs on eight hits and striking out two batters in game one.

• Concord completed a home sweep of UC April 10, 7-5 and 8-2, despite being down 4-1 in game one. Freshman outfielder Lauren Lewis propelled the offensive attack for the Mountain Lions going 3-for-5 with three runs scored, two home runs and five RBI. 
 
MOUNTAIN LION NOTES
• In the last 10 games the Mountain Lions offense has been powered by Lewis, who is hitting .468 (15-for-32) with nine runs scored, four home runs, four doubles and 17 RBI over the stretch, raising her season batting average from .340 on April 10 to .372 entering the weekend.
 
• Lewis, who is in the midst of a 12-game hitting streak, has totaled 31 runs, five home runs, 31 RBI and 15 doubles in her first collegiate season. She is also batting a stellar .458 (22-for-48) with two outs in 2014.
 
• Additionally, the Mountain Lions offense appears to be heating up at the right time having scored 6.2 runs per game in their last 10 games, nearly three runs above their season average of 3.6.
 
• Sophomore catcher Alyssa Morris and sophomore second baseman Kristen Rose have been the catalysts of the Concord offense possessing the first and third-best on-base percentages for CU at .441 and .405, respectively.
 
• Morris has drawn a team-high 19 walks this season while only striking out six times. The Virginia Beach Va. native has also hit a team-high seven home runs, tying her for fourth in the MEC.
 
• Rose's 52 hits are a Concord-best as well as the fifth most in the conference. Furthermore, Rose's runs (46) and stolen bases (17) rank first and fourth in the league.

• Sophomore pitcher Allie Reid has been one of best hurlers in the conference in her first season at Concord. Reid, a transfer from Radford, is 14-7 with 91 strikeouts and a 2.94 ERA in 140.2 innings of work. She'll start the week ranked third in league in both wins and innings pitched as well as fifth in strikeouts.

• In her last start vs. West Liberty on April 18, Reid broke the single-season wins mark at Concord with a seven-inning, four-strikeout effort in the Mountain Lions' 7-4 win.
 
• Over her last three starts freshman pitcher Sarah Herndon (5-8) has struck out 20 batters in 19.1 innings on the way to a 3-0 record. Herndon has struck out 63 batters. 
 
• In Concord's doubleheader sweep of West Liberty freshman designated player Carly DiVirgilio went 5-for-6 with two runs, a double and her first career triple. For the season DiVirgilio is batting .267 (23-for-86) with 11 runs and 16 RBI.
 
SCOUTING UVa.-WISE
• Taylor Brandts, the reigning MEC Pitcher of the Week, is 17-2 this season with a 2.02 ERA and 113 strikeouts.
 
• Christina Ziemba is hitting .408 (58-for-142) with one home run and 29 RBI.

SCOUTING WEST VIRGINIA STATE
• Pitcher Anna Eggleston leads the MEC in innings pitched (203.2) and is 16-15 with a 3.06 ERA.
 
• Sydney Kaplan is the conference's leader in home runs with 11 as well as driving in 31 runs.
 
SCOUT CHARLESTON
• UC pitching has given up 121 earned runs, the fifth-fewest in the MEC.
 
• Andrea Hayes is tied for second in the MEC with 19 stolen bases this season in 23 attempts.

UP NEXT
• Concord begins play at the Mountain East Conference Tournament May 1-4 in Salem, Va. at the Moyer Sports Complext.