5/6/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Tournament and Ticket Info.
CONWAY - The Coastal Carolina softball team begins its pursuit of a Big South Tournament championship on Thursday as the second-seeded Chanticleers face tourney host and No. 7 seed Campbell, with first pitch scheduled for 5 p.m. at Amanda Littlejohn Stadium in Buies Creek, N.C.
Coastal (31-22 overall) went 16-7 in regular-season conference play to finish among the top two in the standings for the fourth straight year and is seeking its record seventh Big South tourney title. Campbell (28-25 overall) was just 8-15 in the conference, but comes into the tournament on a seven-game winning streak, including victories its last five league games, capped by a three-game sweep at Presbyterian last weekend.
With one game cancelled by rain, the teams played just twice during the regular season. The Chanticleers swept a doubleheader on March 21, but each game was close. Coastal broke a 3-3 tie with a five-run fifth inning en route to a 10-5 decision in the opener and then used a three-run sixth inning and a walk-off home run in the seventh to rally for a 5-4 victory.
Coastal and Campbell had the two best team ERAs during league play, at 3.42 and 3.44, respectively. CCU's Kiana Quolas and Camels senior Julia Callicutt tied for the individual lead at 2.58. Hampered by injury, Quolas has not pitched in a game since April 17, but she will return to the circle for her final Big South tournament, along with fellow four-year seniors Kory Hayden and Sara Rasley, who are looking to bookend their careers with tournament championships.
Offensively, the Chanticleers rank 12th in the nation with their program-record 79 home runs and need just one to tie for the Big South all-time mark. Four Chants hit at least 10 each to rank among the top nine individually in the league, led by Morgan Noad's CCU single-season record 21. Hayden leads the team with a .384 average and .497 on-base percentage, and hassuccessfully reached base in 32 straight games, one of the longest current streaks in the nation. Rasley posted career highs with 10 home runs, 10 doubles and 33 RBIs.
For the Camels, Ericka Nesbitt and Stephanie Jones rank first and fourth, respectively, in the conference in hits, with Nesbitt holding the league's top average at .438. The duo combined for 13 hits and seven RBIs in the Presbyterian series. Camise Patterson is the team's top power threat with 10 home runs. Callicutt and teammate Katie Baker ranked among the top three in the league in strikeouts, totaling 352. Callicutt threw a pair of one-hitters against PC.
In its second game of the tournament, Coastal will face either No. 3 Winthrop or No. 6 Presbyterian. With a win Thursday, the Chants would play at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, while a loss in the opener would mean an 11:30 a.m. game.
All of Thursday's and Friday's games can be seen live on the Big South Network. Saturday's semifinal play and Sunday's 2 p.m. championship game, with a berth in the NCAA field at stake, will be broadcast on ESPN3. Live stats for all of Coastal's games will be available on Gametracker.
Coastal vs. Early Round Opponents
The Chanticleers went a combined 7-1 against the teams it will face in its first two games of the tournament, with all of the games played in Conway. Along with two wins over Campbell, they swept a three-game series with Winthrop and won two of three against Presbyterian.
CCU in recent Big South Tournaments
Coastal has won at least two games in each of the last five conference tournaments, including three or more the last three years. Since 2010, the Chanticleers have advanced to the title game twice -- winning it all in 2012 - and come within one victory of reaching the final the other three years, posting a 15-8 overall record.
Chanticleers as the No. 2 seed
This will be the seventh year that Coastal is the tournament's second seed and it has worked out pretty well in the past. The Chants took home the title each of the last two times they were the No. 2 (in 2000 and 2012) and advanced to the championship game in four of the previous six occasions. Overall, CCU has an 18-8 all-time tourney record from the second spot.
