University of St. Thomas Athletics
Sunday, March 13
Murray, Ky.
11:00 a.m.
vs
Evansville
Photo by: Steve Woltmann
Game Notes - Softball prepares for Racer Classic
3/11/2022 11:21:00 AM | Softball
St. Paul, Minn. - St. Thomas softball (2-13) will take part in the Racer Classic in Murray, Ky. on March 13-14 with a pair of games against Evansville (13-5) and Murray State (11-8). The Racer Classic is the penultimate pre-conference tournament for the Tommies.
Chasing No. 700
Coach Trotter is now 22 wins away from 700 career victories. 676 of Trotter's wins came with Missouri Western at the Division II level. Trotter earned her first Division I win in a 6-5 victory against Ball State on Feb. 11.
Baniecke Made History
Megan Baniecke earned the first pitching win in program history with a five strikeout performance against the Cardinals. She allowed just two earned runs in five innings of work in the win. In total, Baniecke struck out 10 batters in her 10.1 innings at the DePaul Dome Tournament.
Last Time Out
The Tommies are coming off an 0-5 Mizzou Classic appearance. St. Thomas lost a pair of games to Bradley by two or less runs, including an extra-inning loss, 4-3, where the Toms rallied from down two runs. Against No. 15 Missouri, the Purple plated a pair of runs on a Nicole Pieper sacrifice fly, and an Brooke Ellestad RBI single up the middle.
Facing the Purple Aces
Evansville, the team the Tommies will open the Mizzou Classic against, is one of the best teams in the country in doubles. The Purple Aces average 1.67 per game (25th in the country) and have hit 30 this season (38th in the country). Evansville's six pitching shutouts rank 28th in Division I softball. Star pitcher Izzy Vetter leads the Purple Aces pitching staff and ranks eighth in the nation in shutouts (4) and fourth in victories (10).
Running with the Racers
Entering Friday, Murray State owns an 11-8 record. Prior to the matchup with the Racers, Murray State will play three games against Loyola Chicago. The Racers sport a top 15 ERA in the nation (1.53). Hannah James, a pitcher for Murray State, is fifth in the nation with three pitching shutouts.
Hudson Goes Long
Sarah Hudson has hit a home run in three games this season, leading the Tommies. The senior third baseman leads the team with her three long balls. Hudson also leads the Tommies in RBI (10) and walks (5), and is second in batting average (.317).
Frosh Leadoff
Two of the top three hitters in batting average for St. Thomas are freshmen. Ellestad (.391) and Raymond (.297) are two of the top leaders in hits for the team. Ellestad is first in runs (11) and hits (18) on the Purple, and second in home runs (2) and RBI (7).
Up Next
St. Thomas caps off its pre-conference tournament play in Tampa, Fla. at the USF Invitational. It will be the fifth different state the team has played in to begin 2022. The Tommies will play five different teams (Ohio State, Purdue, Canisius, Lehigh, and South Florida) at the USF Invitational.
Follow Along
For more information on St. Thomas softball, follow along on Twitter at @USTSoftball, on Instagram at @tommiesoftball, and on Facebook at St. Thomas Softball.
Chasing No. 700
Coach Trotter is now 22 wins away from 700 career victories. 676 of Trotter's wins came with Missouri Western at the Division II level. Trotter earned her first Division I win in a 6-5 victory against Ball State on Feb. 11.
Baniecke Made History
Megan Baniecke earned the first pitching win in program history with a five strikeout performance against the Cardinals. She allowed just two earned runs in five innings of work in the win. In total, Baniecke struck out 10 batters in her 10.1 innings at the DePaul Dome Tournament.
Last Time Out
The Tommies are coming off an 0-5 Mizzou Classic appearance. St. Thomas lost a pair of games to Bradley by two or less runs, including an extra-inning loss, 4-3, where the Toms rallied from down two runs. Against No. 15 Missouri, the Purple plated a pair of runs on a Nicole Pieper sacrifice fly, and an Brooke Ellestad RBI single up the middle.
Facing the Purple Aces
Evansville, the team the Tommies will open the Mizzou Classic against, is one of the best teams in the country in doubles. The Purple Aces average 1.67 per game (25th in the country) and have hit 30 this season (38th in the country). Evansville's six pitching shutouts rank 28th in Division I softball. Star pitcher Izzy Vetter leads the Purple Aces pitching staff and ranks eighth in the nation in shutouts (4) and fourth in victories (10).
Running with the Racers
Entering Friday, Murray State owns an 11-8 record. Prior to the matchup with the Racers, Murray State will play three games against Loyola Chicago. The Racers sport a top 15 ERA in the nation (1.53). Hannah James, a pitcher for Murray State, is fifth in the nation with three pitching shutouts.
Hudson Goes Long
Sarah Hudson has hit a home run in three games this season, leading the Tommies. The senior third baseman leads the team with her three long balls. Hudson also leads the Tommies in RBI (10) and walks (5), and is second in batting average (.317).
Frosh Leadoff
Two of the top three hitters in batting average for St. Thomas are freshmen. Ellestad (.391) and Raymond (.297) are two of the top leaders in hits for the team. Ellestad is first in runs (11) and hits (18) on the Purple, and second in home runs (2) and RBI (7).
Up Next
St. Thomas caps off its pre-conference tournament play in Tampa, Fla. at the USF Invitational. It will be the fifth different state the team has played in to begin 2022. The Tommies will play five different teams (Ohio State, Purdue, Canisius, Lehigh, and South Florida) at the USF Invitational.
Follow Along
For more information on St. Thomas softball, follow along on Twitter at @USTSoftball, on Instagram at @tommiesoftball, and on Facebook at St. Thomas Softball.
Players Mentioned
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/ Softball
SS
/ Softball
3B
/ Softball
INF
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