Softball World Series Tucson Regional Breakdown
Tucson Regional Breakdown
Arizona is joined by Hawaii, Notre Dame and North Dakota State in this regional from all corners of the nation. The Wildcats have had a somewhat tough season in 2012, not reaching the expectations set for them. While winning games against California and Oregon, they ended with a 12-12 record in the Pac-12. Wildcat pitchers Shelby Babcock and Kenzie Fowler have struggled with a team ERA of 3.01 (115th overall) while the offense has done well with a 5.82 scoring average. The offense is led by freshman Shelby Pendley with support from Hallie Wilson and Brigette Del Ponte.
Hawaii gets into the tournament on the strength of their pitching. Stephanie Ricketts and Kaia Parnaby have been the two best pitchers in the WAC. The duo has pitched every inning for the Warriors and the team ERA of 1.04 leads the nation. Hawaii has a power offense with 1.46 home runs per game, good for sixth in the nation, but lack speed and can slump. Notre Dame comes out of the Big East with a 17-3 conference record and are led by sophomore pitcher Laura Winter. The offense goes through Amy Buntin (.358 BA) and Dani Miller (.352 BA). North Dakota State joins the region from the Summit League were they went 18-6. Pitcher Kristina Menke leads the team with support in the circle from Whitney Johnson.
See all 2012 Softball World Series Regional Breakdowns
