Thursday, May 11
Who: vs. No. 4 Western Carolina
Time: 12:30 p.m.
Where: Chattanooga, Tenn. | Frost Stadium
Watch (ESPN+) | Live Stats
 
2023 SoCon Softball Tournament Central
 
GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNC Greensboro (UNCG) softball team, who earned the top seed in the 2023 Southern Conference (SoCon) softball tournament will face off against the fourth-seeded Western Carolina on Thursday, May 11 with a first pitch scheduled for 12:30 p.m. at Frost Stadium in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
 
UNCG (34-20, 13-4 SoCon) completed a sweep of Western Carolina with a 6-0 win on Sunday during the regular season finale to claim the top seed. The Spartans enter the SoCon Championship on a five-game winning streak in conference games. UNCG has outscored its opponents 34-9 during its current win streak and the Spartans lead the league in seven offensive statistical categories, including home runs (62), RBIs (269) and runs scored (278).
 
The Catamounts (21-24, 8-6 SoCon) moved onto the second round of the tournament after winning 3-2 against No. 5 Mercer on Wednesday.
 
TICKETS
An all-session adult pass can be purchased for $30, while youth (3-12) all-session passes are $15.
 
Daily passes can be purchased for adults for $10 & $15 for youth. A group (10 or more) can be purchased for $5 each. Faculty/staff are $5 each and a student with an ID from a SoCon school is free admission.
 
PATH TO THE TOP SEED

• This is the sixth-straight year that UNCG won and earned the top seed into the Tournament.
• The Spartans went into the final three-game series needing to win two games to win the regular season title outright.
• UNCG did more than that and swept Western Carolina at home for a 13-4 SoCon record.
• The Spartans didn't play a third game against Furman due to weather and UNCG had the highest win percentage.

 
LAST TIME OUT
·       UNCG swept Western Carolina at home with scores of 6-2, 8-0 (6 inn.), and 6-0.
·       Jorde Chartrand had a big hand in two of the three wins, where she went 5-for-6 at the plate with seventh RBI.
·       Maddie Spell tossed her eighth complete game of the season allowing two hits, two runs, and striking out two batters in the 6-2 victory during game one.
·       Rhyann Jones won her 11th game of the season and fifth shutout during the game twos, 8-0 win.
·       During game three, Jessie Shipley hit her 10th homer of the season and Jaden Cheek crushed her fourth blast of the season.
 
SPARK OF SHUTOUTS

• UNCG has had 10 shutouts this season.
• This is the most since the 2018 season when the Spartans had 14.
• Six of the 10 have been shorted games.

 
WEEKLY HONORS

• Delaney Cumbie was named SoCon Player of the Week (February 13 & March 6)
• Chartrand also was named SoCon Player of the Week (April 17 & May 8)
• Spell was voted SoCon Pitcher of the Week (February 20 & April 3)
• Jones was named SoCon Pitcher of the Week (March 20)

 
POSTSEASON AWARDS

• UNCG's Janelle Breneman, in her 11th season, won her fourth SoCon Coach of the Year Award.
• Four other Spartans garnered All-SoCon first team honors, including Rhyann Jones, Brooklynn Maxwell, Grace Loftin, and Jorde Chartrand.
• Jones also was named to the SoCon All-Freshman team.
   

SPARTAN QUICK HITS

• Chartrand leads the Spartans with a .367 batting average.
• Chartrand and Jessie Shipley pace the Spartans with 36 RBI.
• Chartrand also leads UNCG with 81 total strikeouts in the circle after pitching 99.1 innings thus far.
• While pitching in conference games, Jones leads the Spartans with 39.1 innings thrown with a 1.96 ERA.
• Brooklynn Maxwell is second with a .344 batting average and has stolen six bases to lead the team.
• She has currently reached base in 14-straight games.
• Grace Loftin leads the team with 14 doubles, while Cumbie is second with 13, and Maxwell has 12.
• Maycin Brown and Shipley lead UNCG with 10 home runs each.  
• Jones is 11-2 in the circle and leads the team with a 2.42 ERA.
• Maddie Spell has 10 wins (10-5) and has tossed a team-best 112.1 innings.

SPARTAN SOCON RANKINGS

• UNCG is leading the conference in 10 categories including: double plays per game, doubles, doubles per game, home runs per game, on base percentage, scoring, shutouts, slugging percentage, win-loss percentage, and walks.

NATIONAL RANKINGS FOR UNCG

• UNCG has led the nation in walks since April 6th. The Spartans have totaled 252 walks this season which is a new UNCG record for single season walks.  
• The Spartans are 12th in the nation with 0.48 double plays per game.
• They are tied for 18th in total home runs (64) and 24th in home runs per game (1.19).
• UNCG is 50th in scoring (5.26), 55th in shutouts (10), 59th in doubles (68), 62nd in slugging percentage (0.445), 65th in on-base percentage (0.372), and 71st in win-loss percentage (0.630).
• Delaney Cumbie is second nationally in walks per game (0.96), while Samantha Lagrama joins her in the top 25 and is 25th in walks per game (0.71).
• Cumbie is 42nd in on-base percentage (0.495) and 57th in runs per game (0.91).
• Spell is 49th nationally in walks allowed per seven innings (1.25).
• Chartrand is 28th nationally with four saves.

SCOUTING WESTERN CAROLINA

• Western Carolina has won eight of the past 14 games.
• Western Carolina was voted to finish fourth in the conference.
• Bailey Huneycutt and Brooklynn Brewington were voted to the Preseason All-Conference first team, while Myra Twitty was voted to the second team.
• Huneycutt and Brewington were voted to the All-SoCon first team.
• Nationally, the Catamounts are ranked 40th in hit batters (16), 64th in strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.32), and 88th in fielding percentage (0.967).
• Brewington is 44th in the nation and leading the conference in stolen bases per game (0.50).
• She is also 67th in the nation and leading in the conference in runs per game (0.89).
• Taylor Norton is 44th nationally with 1.23 walks allowed per seven innings.
• Brewington is leading the team with a .389 batting average (61-for-157), while Huneycutt is second on the team with a .370 batting average and Natalie Henry has a .300 hitting clip.
• Twitty and Huneycutt pace the Catamounts with nine home runs each.
• Huneycutt has a team-best 37 RBI. Four other Catamounts have double-digit RBI.
• In the circle, Tessa Juett has thrown 115.0 innings this season, striking out 107 batters.
• She is 8-11 overall with 12 complete games, one save, and three shutouts.

HISTORY VS. WESTERN CAROLINA
UNCG leads the all-time series 33-20.

The Spartans have taken the last three series against the Catamounts, dating back to the 2019 season.