The Charlotte softball team is in Arizona for the GCU/ASU Classic from March 3 to March 5. The 49ers are coming off a 3-1 outing in the Queen City Classic.
In the GCU/ASU Classic, the 49ers are matched up against the University of Houston, No. 23/RV Arizona State University, No. 11/No. 12 University of Washington, Grand Canyon University and the University of New Mexico.
They are overall 9-4 this season and hit nine home runs during the Queen City Classic, with outfielder/catcher Bailey Vannoy leading with four.
The 49ers Conference USA Player of the Week
On Monday, Feb. 27, Bailey Vannoy was named Conference USA (C-USA) Player of the Week. This is the third week in a row that a Charlotte athlete has won the C-USA player of the week award, with Lena Elkins winning Pitcher of the Week in the week prior and a week before, Kassidy Krupit won Player of the Week.
Scouting Houston
This season Houston has played 16 games and currently holds a record of 9-7. They are coming off of hosting the Houston tournament, where they went 3-2.
They are led offensively by Turiya Coleman and Bree Cantu, with batting averages of .500 and .350, respectively.
Scouting Arizona State
The Arizona State Sun Devils come into the series with an 11-2 record after winning three games against Iowa State. The Sun Devils are ranked No. 23 in the country according to the NFCA coaches poll.
Jordyn VanHook and Yannira Acuña lead the Sun Devils offensively with .462 and .455 batting averages, respectively. Sophomore pitcher Kenzie Brown has pitched in 23.1 innings and has 27 strikeouts this season.
Scouting Washington
The Huskies are ranked No. 11 in the nation and entering the series with a 13-3 record. Washington is coming off a 4-1 record in the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic.
Madison Huskey leads the team with six home runs and a .370 batting average. In addition, pitcher Ruby Meylan is ranked in the top ten for strikeouts in the nation, with 65 so far this season.
Scouting Grand Canyon
The Antelopes are 16-1 after hosting the Purple Classic and winning all five games played.
Leading offensively for the Antelopes is senior Kristin Fifeld hitting seven home runs and batting at .396 thus far this season. In addition, they have seven players with at least 10 RBI in the 17 games they have played.
Scouting New Mexico
New Mexico enters the series with a 7-10 record after facing No. 4 Oklahoma State and No. 15 LSU. Leading on offense is redshirt junior Rachael Hathoot, with a batting average of .356, 13 RBI and two home runs.
Leading pitching for Houston is Amber Linton, with 49 strikeouts in 54 innings pitched.
Gameday
The Niner's first game in the GSU/ASU Classic will start at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, March 3, against Houston in Tempe, Ariz., followed by a game against Arizona State.