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Boiling Springs, N.C. - The Gardner-Webb
softball team will open up their 2012 season this week, as the Runnin' Bulldogs
will host Morgan State in a twin bill at home on Friday, February 17th, at 1
p.m. and then will hit the road to take on Furman in a non-conference double
tilt on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. in Greenville, S.C.
GARDNER-WEBB
* The Runnin'
Bulldogs are 4-7 in season openers since 2001. Nine of those 11 contests were
on the road. In fact, Coach Cole's squad has opened up on the road each of the
last seven years.
* Last year, the Runnin' Bulldogs went 6-7 overall at home,
playing only 13 games at Varsity Field for the entire season.
* The Runnin'
Bulldogs have five all-conference players returning this season in Samantha
Meenaghan, Melinda Dulkowski, Morgan Baker, McKenzie Morenus and Cindy
Boomhower. Meenaghan, who was also
named the 2011 Big South Freshman of the Year, Dulkowski and Baker were all
named to the All-Conference First-Team last season. In 2010, Morenus was named to the All-Conference First-Team,
while Boomhower earned a spot on the second-team.
* Gardner-Webb returns all but two players from last year's team
that loss in the semifinals of the 2011 Big South Softball Championship
Tournament to the eventual champions in Liberty.
MORGAN STATE
* The Lady
Bears softball team was picked to finish tied with Hampton for fifth-place in
the MEAC North Division. Morgan State and Hampton both received 174 points, but
the Lady Bears earned one first-place vote, as voted by the league's head
coaches and sports information directors.
* Last
season the Lady Bears finished 9-6 in league play good for second in the North
Division, their highest finish in years. Morgan State finished with an overall
record of 16-27 matching the program's most wins under ninth-year head coach
Jeff Bozier since his first year at the helm in 2003-04. However, the Lady
Bears were eliminated on the first day of the MEAC Championship with losses to
Norfolk State, followed by rival Coppin State.
* The Runnin'
Bulldogs have not faced the Lady Bears of Morgan State on the softball diamond.
FURMAN
* Furman is
already 0-3 thus far on the season and will play at nationally ranked Georgia
Tech on Wednesday, February 15th.
* The
Paladins' return two pitchers and six position starters from a 2011 squad that
finished with an 18-35 overall record and tied for seventh in the SoCon at
9-15.
* GWU swept
Furman at home last season on February 19th, as the Runnin' Bulldogs defeated
the Paladins 6-5 and 3-2 in a non-conference twin bill. Prior to last year's
sweep, Gardner-Webb had lost three straight to Furman dating back to 2008.
Links to live stats for all four contests
will be available on the softball schedule page next to the associated game at www.gwusports.com.
To view the complete week one softball game
notes (February 13-19) you can click on the attached pdf or go to the softball
home page and click on the weekly notes tab in the top menu bar.
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