Feb. 13, 2008

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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Boilermaker softball team heads south to Waco, Texas, for a six-game appearance at the Getterman Classic this weekend. Purdue will take on Centenary College, Syracuse and No. 7 Baylor twice each during the three-day affair. The Bears are the second Top 10 opponent Purdue has faced in as many weeks.

A Bit About the Getterman Classic
The Getterman Classic is a four-team round robin tournament featuring Centenary College, Purdue, Syracuse and the host No. 7 Baylor Bears. There will be four games each day during the three-day affair. Each team will take on its three opponents twice. Live stats will available via the GameTracker feature on purduesports.com. Live audio of all of Baylor's games during the weekend also will be available online at baylorbears.com.

Series Information
Centenary: This is the first meeting between the Boilermakers and the Centenary Ladies.

Baylor (Baylor leads the series 2-0): The Bears have won both previous meetings with the Boilermakers. The first contest was an extra inning thriller on Feb. 12, 2000, at the Pepsi Classic in Arlington, Texas. The most recent meeting, on Feb. 16, 2007, pitted Purdue against the then No. 17 ranked Bears at the Ragin' Cajun Classic in Lafayette, La.

Syracuse (Purdue leads the series 2-0): The Boilermakers boasts a 2-0 advantage in the series which began on Feb. 10, 2001 at the Auburn Invitational in Auburn, Ala. Most recently, the teams faced off on Feb. 23, 2007, at the Golden Panther Invitational in Miami, Fla.

A Look at the Boilermakers
The Purdue softball team brings a 2-2 record into the Getterman Classic after splitting its contests at the Hampton Inn Bama Bash in Tuscaloosa, Ala. The Boilermakers defeated Jacksonville State and South Alabama, but lost twice to the No. 4 Crimson Tide.

Four Boilermakers batted .300 or better the opening weekend, led by junior shortstop Candace Curtis (.444). Sophomore outfielder Ashley Barr ( .417), senior third baseman Ashley Hall (.385) and junior infielder Katie Mitchell (.333) round out the group. Curtis, Barr and Mitchell as well as junior utility player Alicia Spack drove in two RBI apiece. Hall posted a single-game record tying two triples in a 4-for-4 effort against South Alabama, while Curtis swiped two bases. The Boilermakers posted a .272 average with five extra base hits and a perfect 5-for-5 effort on the base paths.

Junior Dana Alcocer and freshman Suzie Rzegocki split time in the pitching circle, throwing a combined 22 of Purdue's 23 innings. Sophomore Sarah Killer tossed the final stanza of the weekend. Rzegocki (1-1) struck out 10 in 14.2 innings of work, while Alcocer (1-1) K'ed two in 7.1 innings of action. Alcocer was a junior college All-America hurler at Pima Community College in Tucson, Ariz., while Rzegocki was the Illinois Gatorade Player of the Year and a high school All-American last season.

Learning About The Ladies
The Centenary Ladies (0-6) are in search of their first win after going winless at the Century Bank Classic in Texarkana, Texas, last weekend. The Ladies dropped two games each to Oklahoma State, Alabama-Birmingham and Arkansas. Centenary posted a 22-27 record last season including a fourth place finish in Summitt League play.

Sophomore third baseman Allison Shepperd leads the team with a .438 batting average. Freshman utility player Caitlin Cavarra (.316) and sophomore first baseman Brittany Williams (.278) follow. Williams and Shepperd each have tallied two RBI, while Shepperd and senior outfielder Jennifer Martin each have stolen three bases. Shepperd, freshman outfielder Bonnie Matak and senior second baseman Lindsey Virdell each have launched a home run.

Sophomore Stacy Whitmer, sophomore Ryan Thacker and redshirt freshman Lauren Highsmith have split time on the mound for the Ladies. Whitmer has struck out 11 batters in 17 innings of work. Thacker has struck out seven in 12 innings, while Highsmith has issued seven Ks in six innings of action. Centenary is coached by Mark Montgomery, who is in his sixth year with the team.

Blurbs About Baylor
The No. 7 Baylor Bears open their 2008 campaign at home by hosting the Getterman Classic this weekend. The Bears are looking to duplicate their 2007 success, which featured a Big 12 Championship and a Women's College World Series appearance. Baylor, which was picked third in the preseason Big 12 poll, must do so without its best hitter and best pitcher from last season.

In 2007, nine Baylor players batted .250 or better. Of those, six are on the 2008 roster. Junior infielder Brette Reagan, a two-time All-America selection, returns to lead the offense after posting a .341 average, including 10 doubles, 10 home runs, 46 RBI and 11 stolen bases a year ago. Sophomore pitcher/outfielder Kirsten Shortridge, the 2007 Big 12 Freshman of the Year, also is back after batting .340 with eight extra base hits and 14 steals to go with her 17-6 record and 2.14 ERA on the mound. Sophomore outfielder Nicole Wesley batted .317 with 41 runs and 27 stolen bases, while her twin sister, outfielder Tiffany Wesley, swiped a team-best 36 bases in 2007. Baylor stole 142 bases in 167 attempts, while batting .310 as a team.

With the departure of ace Lisa Ferguson, who went 26-8 with 189 Ks, Shortridge is now the team's top hurler. Shortridge struck out 125 batters and held opponents to just a .211 average a year ago. Junior Brittany Turner (3-1, 2.08 ERA) also returns to the pitching corps. Baylor is coached by Glenn Moore, who is in his eighth year with the team.

An Overview of the Orange
The Syracuse Orange begin the 2008 season at the Getterman Classic. The Orange, who posted a 21-31 mark and sixth-place finish in the Big East a year ago, will look to improve on that season with eight returning letterwinners, including seven starters.

Senior outfielder Chanel Roehner, a first team all-region and first team All-Big East selection, led the team with a .336 average, a .537 slugging percentage and 50 hits a year ago. Sophomore outfielder Ev Anderson (.300), senior outfielder Rachel Tilford (.276), junior catcher Amy Kelley (.274) and junior infielder Lindsay Wasek (.250) also batted .250 or better in 2007. Tilford paced the team with 31 runs, 41 RBI and 10 home runs. Roehner, Wasek and Kelley added six, four and two long balls respectively. As a team, Syracuse batted .281 with 61 doubles and 34 home runs.

The team's pitching staff remains intact as sophomore Brittany Gardner and Roehner split time in the circle last season. Gardner posted a 12-22 record with 133 strikeouts in 186 innings, while Roehner went 8-9 with 80 Ks in 129 innings. Syracuse is coached by Leigh Ross, who is in her second season with the team.

What a Difference a Win Makes ...

If Purdue tops Centenary on Friday...

• The team will garner its first win over the Ladies in series history.

• It will move the team's all-time non-conference record to 336-209-4.

• It will move the team's all-time record in the month of February to 74-71.

Upcoming Milestones
Senior third baseman Ashley Hall is on her way to stealing a spot on the career stolen base list. Hall, who swiped a school record 36 bases in 2007, has racked up 62 steals in her career, just 14 shy of the career record of 76 held by Angi Roembke (2000-2003). Hall snapped Roembke's single-season record of 28 steals, which came during the 2003 season. The Noblesville, Ind., native also ranks among the career top five for batting average (3rd with .338) and on-base percentage (5th with .382). In 2007, Hall set single-season record marks for stolen bases and hits (85).

Junior infielder/designated player Katie Mitchell enters the season with 17 home runs, just 15 away from the career record of 32 owned by Katie Crabtree (1999-2002) and Heidi Foster (2000-2003).One more long ball would move Mitchell into fourth place all-time. The Crown Point, Ind., native also ranks among the career top five for slugging percentage (1st with .580) and on-base percentage (4th with .398). In 2007, Mitchell set single-season records for runs (54), RBI (54), home runs (14) and slugging percentage (.697).

Sophomore first baseman Kelsey Haupert launched nine home runs as a rookie, putting her just eight long balls outside of the career top five. She trails teammate Katie Mitchell and Erika Peterson (2004-2007), who tallied 17 dingers.

In The Books
Senior third baseman Ashley Hall tied the single-game record for triples with two in Purdue's 7-6 win over South Alabama on Saturday, Feb. 9. Hall tallied her three-baggers in the third and fifth innings as part of a 4-for-4 effort on her 22nd birthday. The effort marks the seventh two-triple performance in school history, the last coming off the bat of Tricia Lilley on March 26, 2005.

The Boilermakers allowed 10 walks in the contest against South Alabama, tying a single-game record mark. Purdue also issued 10 free passes vs. Florida State on Feb. 13, 1998.

A Tough Slate
The Boilermakers are slated to face 14 NCAA Tournament teams, including two that advanced to the 2007 Women's College World Series. Based on the preseason rankings, the Boilermakers will take on No. 4 Alabama, No. 8 Baylor, No. 9 LSU, No. 19 Stanford, No. 21 Cal State Fullerton and No. 25 Missouri in non-conference play, and No. 7 Northwestern, No. 12 Michigan and No. 23 Ohio State during Big Ten play.

Accumulating Accolades
Junior shortstop Candace Curtis and senior third baseman Ashley Hall received all-tournament team honors at the Hampton Inn Bama Bash to start the season. Curtis batted .444 with two RBI and two stolen bases, while Hall hit .385 with two triples, two runs, one steal and a 4-for-4 effort.

Making History
First baseman Katie Mitchell made history on Feb. 23, 2007, when she hit for the cycle against Florida International. Mitchell became the first Boilermaker ever to achieve the feat, which calls for a player to hit a single, double, triple and home run in a single game. In the contest with the Golden Panthers, she put up three RBI and scored two runs. A first inning double, a two-run home run in the third and one-out triple in the sixth set the table for her RBI single in the seventh, which made history. She also drew a walk in the fourth.

For the weekend, Mitchell batted .538 with a 1.385 slugging percentage and a .667 on-base percentage. She went 7-for-13 including six extra base hits en route to all-tournament honors.

Marathon Game
The Boilermakers played a three hour and twenty-eight minute game against Iowa State on Feb. 18, 2007. The contest, the third between Purdue and the Cyclones, lasted 12 innings. The teams combined for 22 hits and seven errors in the contest, which ended in a 7-6 Boilermaker victory.

Sophomore pitcher Ashley DiDomenico threw all 12 innings for Purdue, setting a new single-game record for innings pitched. The effort surpassed 10-inning performances by Sheryl Scheve and Deana Jackson.

The Boilermakers scored seven runs on 10 hits and two ISU errors, while the Cyclones managed six runs on 12 hits and five Purdue miscues. Senior Catherine Zaworski (Prospect Heights, Ill.) led the Boilermaker hitters with a 3-for-4 day at the plate, while sophomore Kelly Miller (Indianapolis, Ind.) and Mitchell also tallied multiple hits.

Purdue's March 23 contest with Miami (Ohio) lasted four hours and nine minutes, but the contest included nearly an hour and 45 minutes of rain delay time.

Broken Records
In 2007, the Boilermakers launched a school record 44 home runs. The long balls came off the bats of 10 different players. Katie Mitchell led the charge with a school record 14 dingers, while Kelsey Haupert added nine and Candace Curtis added six.

In addition to the home run record, the Boilermaker offense set single-season marks for runs (308), doubles (73), walks (189) and total bases (706). The Purdue pitching staff threw a record 52 complete games.

One Down, One To Go
Purdue finally got the monkey off its back by earning the first postseason victory in program history last season. The Boilermakers topped Iowa 4-1 in the opening round of the Big Ten Tournament to secure the first postseason victory in six tries.

Purdue has its sights set on earning the program's first NCAA Tournament berth.

The Honor Roll
At season's end, third baseman Ashley Hall and infielder/designated player Katie Mitchell garnered first team All-Big Ten honors, while pitcher Brooke Baker capped her career with third team honors. The accolades marked the first time a Purdue duo had garnered first team All-Big Ten honors since 2001. Hall and Mitchell went on to receive first team All-Mideast Region accolades. Hall also was named to the Easton All-America third team, which is only available to players at schools sponsored by Easton.

Mitchell also was honored for her academics, earning first team Academic All-District V accolades. She and three other teammates - Candace Curtis, and seniors Erika Peterson and Catherine Zaworski - garnered Academic All-Big Ten honors.

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