AMERICAN SOFTBALL RELEASE - MARCH 21
WEEKDAY WINS
The American enters the opening weekend of conference play after a perfect 6-0 midweek record. Houston (doubleheader), UConn, UCF, Tulsa and Wichita State were all winners in non-conference action on Tuesday and Wednesday. As a conference, The American has recorded 17 midweek wins to date, with 33 remaining non-conference midweek matchups remaining on the calendar.
NO HITS, NO PROBLEM
Tulsa sophomore Samantha Pochop tossed the 22nd no-hitter in program history to lead Tulsa to a 6-0 win over Nebraska on Sunday, the first no-hitter for the Golden Hurricane since Emily Watson blanked ECU in a five-inning game in 2017. It was the first seven-inning no-hitter for Tulsa since Feb. 28, 2014.
Pochop’s no-hitter was the fourth of the season in The American, tying the mark of four no-hitters from 2018 and surpassing the three such games from 2017. The American’s record for no-hitters in a season was set in 2014, when seven no-hitters were tossed, five of which were solo no-hitters. The 2015 season also saw five no-hitters tossed around the conference.
2019 No-Hitters
- Feb. 22 – Alea White, UCF (vs. Coastal Carolina)
- Feb. 23 – Tryston Melancon, Houston (vs. Northern Illinois)
- March 6 – Tryston Melancon, Houston (vs. DePaul) *perfect game
- March 17 – Samantha Pochop, Tulsa (vs. Nebraska)
HELLO, FRIENDS
The American begins conference play on Friday, with UCF, Memphis, USF and Wichita State playing host to UConn, ECU, Tulsa and Houston. USF was selected by the coaches as the preseason pick to win the regular season after winning the regular season title in 2018, while Tulsa has won three-consecutive American Athletic Conference Championships. The Bulls enter American play with a league-best 22 victories, with Houston (21) and UCF (20) also at the 20-win mark. Tulsa and Wichita State each have 19 victories to date, while ECU begins league play with 18 wins.
SLOWING IT DOWN
Entering the opening weekend of conference play on Friday, American teams have played 226 non-conference games though Thursday, March 21. To date, The American has recorded 143 victories, with 33 remaining non-conference matchups on the regular season schedule.