Games #53 & 54
ART U Urban Knights (26-26, 16-14 PWC) vs. NDNU Argos (22-27, 16-12 PWC)
Saturday, April 25, 2015 at 12:00 p.m. & 2:00 p.m.
Brisbane, Calif. – Mission Blue Field
Live Stats
ART U LOOKS TO COMPLETE MEMORABLE 2015 CAMPAIGN
This Saturday, Academy of Art University Softball closes out a 2015 season that has seen several new records set, many by the senior class of Taylor Thurman, Haily MacDonald, Jasmine Dickenson, and Kamyle Glover. Those Urban Knights will be celebrated as ART U hosts Notre Dame de Namur with an opportunity to surpass NDNU in the PacWest standings this weekend. Fan Bus details HERE!
FIRST PITCH
The final two games of the 2015 ART U Softball season will be played against NDNU this Saturday, Apr. 25 beginning 12:00 p.m. out at Mission Blue Field. A special "Senior Day" ceremony is scheduled to take place around 11:40 a.m. prior to the first pitch of the day's opening game. Live coverage will be available via the links above. Remember to follow @ARTU_Knights on Twitter & Instagram and "Like" the Urban Knights on Facebook for score updates, videos, and recaps.
KNIGHT WATCH
On its way to a new single-season record 54 games played after this weekend, Academy of Art continues to hold the PacWest lead in doubles (82) and has already set multiple single-season records including the most hits (434), total bases (605), as well as the highest slugging percentage (.432) and fielding percentage (.952) should they maintain. As a team, the Urban Knights are fourth in batting average in the PacWest (.310), runs scored (251), and runs batted in (218).
Senior outfielder Haily MacDonald enters the final two games of her career as the fifth toughest player to strike out in the entire country, tied for first in the PacWest in stolen bases (36, 17th in NCAA DII), and fifth in batting average (.429, 66th in NCAA DII). She is averaging 1.02 runs per game (55th in country), can set the program's single-season record with her next touch of home plate, and needs four more to become the new career leader. MacDonald has reached safely in her past 21 games. This year, she has already become the program's #1 in single-season steals, career steals, and career triples.
Continuing with the senior class, infielder Taylor Thurman is second on the team, hitting .339, and ranks tied for fifth in the PacWest with 37 RBIs. She finds herself two doubles away from tying Lauren Stover's career record (42) and one sacrifice fly from setting the program's career record. With six RBIs in the Knights' past six games, Thurman has built more and more on total as the career leader (137). Around the infield, senior Kamyle Glover upped her season batting average to .325 after hitting .500 with seven RBIs over the past six games. She ranks third in the PacWest with a team-high 14 doubles, putting her now two from tying Stover's single-season record. Two more sacrifice hits for Glover will tie both the single-season and career records.
Junior catcher Elise Oldham and freshman infielder Samantha Klune are now hitting .327 and .326 respectively while combing for 30 of Academy of Art's 114 extra-base hits. Oldham's team-high seven home runs ranks sixth in the PacWest and she is tied with Thurman for the fifth-most RBIs in the PacWest. Klune looks to close out one of the best freshman seasons in program history after hitting 12 doubles thus far (ninth in PacWest) along with four homers, scoring 20 runs, and driving in 21 runs. Graduate student catcher Nirana Singh adds a .305 batting average along with five home runs, nine doubles, and 23 run batted in while sophomore outfielder Jessica West is hitting .287 with 12 doubles and just eight strikeouts in 150 at-bats. Sophomore outfielder Hallie Curtis has developed the "clutch" nickname after knocking in game-winning runs in two of the team's past four wins. Senior infielder Jasmine Dickenson is one of four Urban Knights with three or more home runs and, should she be involved in two more doubles plays, she will tie the single-season record (Genna Allen's 15).
Freshman Brenna Mitchell (19-12) officially moved into a tie with Sierrah Garcia for the most pitcher wins in a single season and is tied for the third-most wins by a freshman in all of NCAA Division II (21st overall). The right-hander leads the conference with 143 strikeouts and has the seventh-most among DII freshmen. She is one complete game from tying the single-season record (currently tied for most in PacWest) and, beyond 2 1/3 innings of work, she will have the most ever by a pitcher in one season at Academy of Art (currently leads PacWest). She comes into Saturday with a 3.31 ERA in 26 starts, three shutouts, and two saves.
THE ARGO ARGUMENT
After splitting their Mar. 13 meeting in Belmont, Notre Dame de Namur proceeded to sweep both Holy Names and Chaminade before losing seven of its next eight including just one game in the Tournament of Champions (a 4-3 victory over SF State). The Argos have gone 9-5 since that time, splitting with Dominican, sweeping HNU once more, falling in a pair to Dixie State, splitting with Hawaii Pacific, and finally sweeping BYU-Hawaii. NDNU faces HNU for the fifth and sixth times on Apr. 24 prior to closing out the year at ART U. Leading an Argos squad that ranks second in the PacWest in stolen bases (72), Toni Cardoza (.314 BA, 24 RBI, 15 SB) and Alessand Giannavola (.379 BA, 31 R, 13 SB) are major contributors to the team's offense. After 20 starts, Jenna Bassler (10-10) is the team's top hurler with a 3.17 ERA and 66 strikeouts in 132.2 innings pitched. Historically, the series between Academy of Art and Notre Dame de Namur could not be closer as the teams are tied 14-14 all-time.
CURTIS' HOME RUN RALLIES ART U TO SPLIT
In a meeting of two teams sitting alongside one another in the Pacific West Conference standings, Academy of Art and Hawaii Pacific wound up splitting an Apr. 19 doubleheader out at Mission Blue Field. After the Sharks scored five times in the final two innings to win game one 9-4, the Urban Knights fought back in game two to break a 4-4 tie on sophomore outfielder Curtis' home run in the sixth inning. ART U would triumph 6-4 and Mitchell would tie the program's single-season wins record with the victory.
