CONWAY, S.C. – The Coastal Carolina softball team will hit the road for the first time this season as the Chanticleers travel to Leesburg, Fla., to compete in the Spring Games, Feb. 15-17. The Chants will kick off the event versus Liberty and will then take on four Power 5 opponents in Kansas, Ohio State, Penn State, and Iowa.
Scouting the Opponents
Liberty
- The Flames sit on a 1-5 record with their lone win coming against St. John's.
- Liberty has had a challenging schedule, facing two ranked opponents in No. 13 Oregon and No. 5 Clemson during opening weekend.
- Junior Rachel Roupe has been a standout player for the Flames, posting a .688 batting average while recording 11 hits, four runs, five RBIs, and a walk-off home run.
Kansas
- Kansas has a 2-3-1 record on the year.
- The Jayhawks have picked up wins against St. John's and Central Arkansas.
- Hailey Cripe leads the Jayhawks with a .412 batting average and has recorded two runs off seven hits while driving in three RBIs.
Ohio State
- Ohio State is 4-1 on the season with its lone loss came against Stony Brook.
- Jasmyn Burns earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors after recording three home runs. nine RBIs, and a 1.000 slugging percentage during opening weekend.
- Hannah Church is atop the team with a .600 batting average and eight RBIs.
Penn State
- Penn State has a 5-0 record in the 2024 season.
- Bridget Nemeth picked up Big Ten Pitcher of the Week honors after recording four wins and one save in the circle. The freshman logged a team-leading 1.09 ERA while striking out 14 batters during opening weekend.
- Gaby Garcia tops the team with a .500 batting average, two doubles, a home run, a 1.000 slugging percentage, and six RBIs.
Iowa
- Iowa has a 3-2 record after opening weekend.
- Berry leads the team with five RBIs, a triple, and a .438 batting average.
- The Hawkeyes picked up three straight wins to open their 2024 campaign but fell to Notre Dame and No. 13 Utah.
History Against
Liberty
- CCU is 41-33 overall versus Liberty and the Chants have a 6-4 record over the last 10 matchups.
- This is their 11th meeting at a neutral site location and the record sits at 6-4 in favor of the Chants.
- Coastal is on a two-game win streak with their last win coming in May of 2016 when the Chants took an 8-0 win in five innings.
Kansas
- Coastal will be looking to pick up their first win against Kansas in four tries
- Their last encounter was in February of 2016 when the Chants suffered a 5-1 loss in Jacksonville, Fla., while competing in the River City Leadoff Tournament.
- The Chants have been outscored 19-5 over their three contests against the Jayhawks.
Ohio State
- The Chants have a 2-3 record versus Ohio State and a 19-32 record versus Big Ten opponents.
- CCU won the last contest 6-4 versus the Buckeyes in March of 2023 with the help of Riley Zana and Indya Smith driving in two and three RBIs, respectively.
- Coastal has a 1-2 record versus the Buckeyes at neutral sites.
Penn State
- CCU has a 5-1 all-time record versus Penn State.
- Coastal's lone loss came in their first matchup in 1997, but they are now on a five-game win streak in the series.
- The Chants took a 3-1 win in the last meeting in February of 2019 to make their neutral site record versus the Nittany Lions 4-1.
Iowa
- CCU is 1-2 versus Iowa.
- The Chants were bested 2-1 in eight innings during their last matchup in February of 2020.
- CCU and Iowa are tied at 24 hits apiece over their last three encounters, but the Chants have been outscored 17-15.
