The Emory softball team closes out the regular-season portion of its schedule this Friday and Saturday (Apr. 21-22) when it takes to the road for a four-game series against New York University. The Eagles and Violets will play doubleheaders each day with Friday's action beginning at 4:00 pm and Saturday at 6:00 pm. The series is scheduled to be played at the Bahoshy Softball Complex on the campus of Fordham University.
LOOKING AT EMORY
Emory meets NYU with an overall record of 23-13 (6-6 UAA). The Eagles last played the weekend of Apr. 7-8 when they split a four-game set at home against Brandeis. Emory dropped the opening two games by 4-1 and 5-4 (8 inn) margins before registering 3-0 and 8-0 triumphs the following day.
Emory posts a team hitting mark of .328, good for second place in the league, while the opposition sports a mark of .233. The Eagles have totaled 72 extra-base hits, 49 doubles, 19 home runs and four triples. Emory has registered 10 or more hits in 14 contests this year.
Sophomore right fielder Sam Vincent and senior left fielder Taylor Forte are tied for the team lead and the No. 2 spot in the conference in hitting, with each player showing a .432 effort at the plate. Forte has produced a team-high 48 hits in 111 plate appearances and is tied for the team lead with 30 runs scored, while Vincent has stroked 32 hits in 74 trips to the plate. Freshman Jessie Michael sports an average of .360 (36 of 100), with her hit total tying for second on the squad while her 31 RBIs ranks first.
In the pitching department, senior Brittany File (11-4) and sophomore Toko Miller (5-4) have combined for 16 wins. File claims an ERA of 1.95 over 104 1/3 innings of work that has seen her fan 135 opponents. Miller, who has started a team-high 14 contests, has an ERA of 2.71 over 51 2/3 frames.
FILE SETS SCHOOL RECORD FOR WINS
Brittany File became the school's all-time leader in wins on April 8 when she blanked the Judges of Brandeis over five innings in the 8-0 triumph. File's performance represented her 74th victory in the circle, breaking the previous standard of 73 held by Nicole Kovski (2001-04). File tied the mark earlier in the day when she crafted a one-hit masterpiece over seven frames.
At the start of the week, File stood first in the UAA and 11th in the Division III with an average of 9.1 strikeouts per seven innings.
LOOKING AT NYU
NYU will host Emory with an overall record of 17-13, 4-4 in the UAA. Led by the third-year head coach Now-Allah James, the Violets are coming off a pair of Wednesday losses (0-1, 6-7) at Farmingdale State College.
NYU is hitting a conference-best .329 and its 21 home runs also stands as the top mark in the league. Sophomore outfielder Claire Stefanelli is the team's top hitter with a .407 (33 of 81) effort at the plate which includes four homes and five doubles. Sophomore Karissa Zubulake has pitched a team-high 65 1/3 innings, compiling a 6-5 won-lost ledger. She has nine complete games to her credit in 11 starts and has struck out 43 opposing batters.