The Kentucky softball team will wrap up the home portion of its Southeastern Conference schedule this weekend by playing host to the Arkansas Lady Razorbacks at the UK Softball Complex. The series finale will also mark the traditional ?Senior Day? ceremonies for Rachel Friberg and Crystalie Wolfe, as the duo will be honored before the start of Sunday?s game.
Friberg comes into the game batting .367, which ranks first on the team and ninth overall in the conference. The Bloomington, Minn., native had a spectacular doubleheader Wednesday at Ohio State, going 6-for-8 while adding two runs and an RBI. Friberg set a new career-high for hits during the nightcap, going a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate and leading UK to a 4-3 win over the Buckeyes in extra innings. Friberg has started and played in all but two games in her entire four-year career at UK and is on a five-game hitting streak during which she has batted 13-for-18.
Wolfe, who transferred to UK from Palomar Junior College last season, made an immediate impact at UK during her first year. The Golden, Colo., native pitched the best game of her career at Arkansas last season, throwing a one-hit shutout to claim SEC Pitcher of the Week honors, only the sixth person in school history to achieve such accolades. Wolfe carried the momentum over into 2004, as she is currently 5-0 on the mound with a 2.28 ERA in 13 appearances for the Cats. She added another one-hitter under her belt earlier this season when she claimed a 1-0 victory over Gardner Webb in the Mardi Gras Classic in Monroe, La.
The Lady Razorbacks are led by Rachel LeMaster?s .321 batting average. She has also registered a team-high 42 hits and is tops on the team with a .346 on-base percentage. The Cats took two of three from the Lady Backs last year in Fayetteville and are 8-10 in the all-time series against UA.
Saturday?s doubleheader and Sunday?s series finale are both slated for 1 p.m. EST. Live stats can be followed for all three contests at www.ukathletics.com.