Temple University Athletics
Softball Travel to Lone Star State for Texas A&M Invitational
2.21.08 | Baseball
Feb. 21, 2008
PHILADELPHIA - Third-year head coach Casey Dickson and the Temple softball team will head to the heart of Texas this weekend, taking part in the 2008 Texas A&M Invitational from College Station, Texas on the campus of Texas A&M University.
The Owls (2-3) will play a total of five games while in Texas. They kick off the Invitational on Friday at 1:15 p.m. when they face the Mean Green of North Texas (3-5). That game is followed by a showdown with the host Texas A&M Aggies at 4:00 p.m. The Aggies are currently 9-2 for the season and ranked #4 in the latest ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25. On Saturday, the Cherry and White wrangle with the Sam Houston State Bearkats (2-1) at 11:00 a.m. and then get a rematch with the Aggies at 6:15. On Sunday, the Owls close out the weekend with a rematch with the Bearkats at 11:00 a.m.
The weekend trip to Texas marks the second consecutive western road swing for the Cherry and White, as the team competed in the Kajikawa Classic in Arizona last weekend. The Cherry and White finished the Kajikawa Classic with a 2-3 record, which is impressive considering that one of the victories came against #25 Oregon State, marking the first win over a Pac-10 school in Temple softball history. Junior Courtney Norene smacked the game-winning two-run homer in the 7th and senior Brianna Dairy limited the Beavers to two runs on four hits as the Owls pulled off the 4-2 upset. The Cherry and White also defeated Idaho State 8-5 behind another critical late game home run by Norene for its other victory in Arizona.
"The team is more confident after beating a team like Oregon State and then Idaho State, but I believe they realize that every game, we still have to prove ourselves and work harder than the other team," said Dickson.
Norene, senior Natalie Wagner and sophomore Krystle Metzler have provided the offensive spark for the Owls in early season. Norene, the reigning Owl Athlete of the Week, is batting .357 with two home runs and five RBI to start season, including her game winning home run against Oregon State. Wagner leads the Owls with a .364 batting average, three runs scored and 1.0005 fielding percentage. She also hit a critical home run in seventh inning of the Oregon State win. Metzler has provided a spark at the top of the order, batting .333 with one home runs and a team high seven stolen bases.
Senior Brianna Dairy (1-0) has been a force on the mound in the early season. She leads the team in ERA (3.14), strikeouts (11), and inning pitched (14.1). She limited #25 Oregon State to just two runs on four hits for the upset victory.
After starting last season 0-8 while facing a similar schedule of west coast schools to open last season, Dickson can already see the early season improvements from last year.
"Our outfield is definitely better than last season. Our pitching is healthier and more knowledgeable and we have a lot of confidence going into this weekend," said Dickson.
The Owls take a well deserved break following the Texas A&M Invitational, returning the diamond when they host Delaware State in a doubleheader on Tuesday, March 18th. Action is slated to begin at 2:30 p.m.
