DRC Article on Softball

UNTLifer · March 30, 2004

Softball: UNT looks to build on solid play in tourney

Mean Green to face Prairie View A&M in finale of home stand

08:31 AM CST on Tuesday, March 30, 2004

By Brett Vito / Staff Writer

North Texas softball coach Stacey Segal said all along that the Mean Green’s tough non-conference schedule would pay off eventually.

UNT is hoping the time has finally arrived.

Stacy Segal The Mean Green (13-36) won five straight games over the weekend to win the Mean Green/Wells Fargo Classic tournament title. The streak is one UNT will look to build on today when it takes on Prairie View A&M in a 1 p.m. non-conference doubleheader at Denia Park.

The series will cap an 11-game home stand and serve as one of UNT’s final tune-ups for the beginning of Sun Belt Conference play.

The Mean Green will face Florida International in a four-game series to kick off league play beginning April 10.

"I hope that we are just starting to peak," Segal said. "We are hitting the ball and getting good performances from both of our pitchers."

Katy Maxey was especially effective over the weekend for UNT. The freshman picked up three wins, including two against New Mexico.

Maxey was named the Sun Belt Conference’s Pitcher of the Week for her performance.

What was even more encouraging for the Mean Green was its performance offensively. UNT hit .339 in the tournament, a vast improvement over its .200 team batting average entering the event.

First baseman Heather Bostic hit .500 for the weekend and is in the midst of a seven-game hitting streak. The freshman is just one of several players in UNT’s lineup who posted solid weekends.

The Mean Green scored 36 runs in the last five games of the tournament, including a season-high 11 in a win over Northern Colorado.

UNT struggled to find its rhythm early in the season when it faced a series of prominent teams from major conferences. The Mean Green will face 10 teams currently ranked in the ESPN/USA Softball Top 25 poll by the end of its first season since 1988.

UNT is hoping its schedule will continue to pay off when it faces Prairie View (14-15).

Catcher Kimberly Fernandez and center fielder Kimberly Hayden lead the Lady Panthers. The pair is tied for the lead in the Southwestern Athletic Conference with 19 RBI each.

BRETT VITO can be reached at 940-566-6870.