University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
University of Mississippi
Huskies Head to Texas for Lone Star State Invitational
2/25/2021 5:04:00 PM | Softball
Huskies Head to Texas for Lone Star Invitational
STORRS, Conn. – After opening the 2021 campaign in Florida, the UConn softball team heads down to Texas for the Lone Star State Invitational. The Huskies will five games over three days, including four contests against Power-5 opponents.
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Date |
Opponent |
Time |
Live Stats |
Live Stream |
|
Friday, Feb. 26 |
Ole Miss |
2:00 p.m. ET |
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|
Friday, Feb. 26 |
@ #21Baylor |
4:30 p.m. ET |
|
|
|
Saturday, Feb. 27 |
Lamar |
1:00 p.m. ET |
|
|
|
Saturday, Feb. 27 |
@ #21Baylor |
6:00 p.m. ET |
|
|
|
Sunday, Feb. 28 |
@ #7Texas |
11:00 a.m. ET |
Talk About a Debut…
Payton Kinney had a sensational opening weekend in the circle for the Huskies, picking up wins over NIU and FIU. The freshman appeared in four games with three starts, ending the weekend with a 2-1 record and an ERA of 0.52 after 27 innings of work. Kinney racked up 26 strikeouts - including a season-high nine in Sunday's game against FGCU, while surrendering just three extra-base hits. Additionally, the Bradenton, Fla., native allowed just two earned runs over her four appearances on the mound.
Last Time Out…
The Huskies concluded opening weekend with a 3-2 mark, picking up wins over Northern Illinois and Florida International (x2) before dropping their final two contests to host-school FGCU. Freshman pitcher Payton Kinney and redshirt junior Hollis Wivell earned Big East honors for their efforts, with Kinney sweeping Freshman and Pitcher of the Week awards while Wivell was named to the weekly honor roll.
A Well-Balanced Roster…
Under second-year head coach Laura Valentino, the UConn softball team has a well-balanced roster heading into the 2021 season. Of 21 players on the roster, the freshman (7) and sophomore (3) classes combine to make up 10 of the roster spots. In addition to the youth, Valentino's leadership is made up of six juniors, four seniors and a graduate student.
Scouting the Opponent…
- #7Texas (3-0) is coming off Wednesday's eighth-inning triumph over the Texas State Bobcats. The Longhorns scored the decisive run on a throwing error in the eighth allowing them to ward off a strong challenge from the Bobcats. Sunday's matchup will be the first-ever meeting between the schools.
- Ole Miss is coming off of a 2-3 showing at the FAU "Strike-Out Cancer" Tournament in Boca Raton, Florida. The Rebels topped the host Owls twice, while dropping a pair of matchups with Iowa State and one non-conference tilt with then-No. 21 Missouri. The all-time series is split, 1-1.
- #21Baylor (2-1) enters the weekend following a 6-1 win over UTA in their home opener on Wednesday. Half of the Lady Bear's hits in 2021 have gone for extra bases and consist of 7 doubles, 1 triple and 3 home runs. In Wednesday's triumph over UTA, Baylor had five hits before the team recorded a single. The Lady Bears won the only all-time meeting between the two schools
- Lamar (2-8) is coming off a pair of losses to #11/8 Oklahoma State.
