SOFTBALL GAME CENTRAL

THIS WEEK
Sat., March 12 – vs. Wagner 11:00 a.m. EST
Sat., March 12 – vs. Sacred Heart 1:00 p.m. EST
Sun., March 13 – vs. Siena 9:00 a.m. EST
Sun., March 13 - at Butler 11:00 a.m. EST

The Colgate University softball program will visit Florida again this weekend as it travels to Kissimmee for the Rebel Spring Games. This will be the 16th time the Raiders have attended the games with the first visit coming in 1989.

Colgate (2-3) will open with a doubleheader on Saturday against Wagner and Sacred Heart. The first game is scheduled for 11:00 a.m., while the Sacred Heart game will begin at 1:00 p.m. The following day, Colgate will face Siena at 9:00 a.m. followed by Butler at 11:00 a.m.

SOFTBALL GAME CENTRAL
Raider fans can follow every Colgate game this season through Softball Game Central located on the Colgate Athletic Website. Softball Game Central keeps fans one click away from lives stats, and all the information on each opponent from who is leading the all-time series to who won the last game.

ABOUT THE PROGRAM
Colgate first started softball in 1979. Since that first pitch, the Raiders have compiled a 592-565-2 overall record. Colgate has appeared in three NCAA Tournaments back in 1999, 2003 and 2007.

LeCOQ NAMED PL PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Colgate freshman right-hander Rachel LeCoq was named the Patriot League Softball Pitcher of the Week. LeCoq appeared in three games for the Raiders at the Steven Industries FGCU Tournament in Fort Myers, Fla. She finished 2-0 in the circle with a 0.41 ERA, while tying for the team lead with three RBI.

In her first collegiate start LeCoq pitched a complete game giving up six hits while recording seven strikeouts in a 6-1 win over Dartmouth. LeCoq then recorded her second complete game as the Raiders topped St. John's 2-1, for the first time since 1985. LeCoq pitched six scoreless innings before the Johnnies crossed the plate with two outs in the bottom of the seventh.

LeCoq also recorded three scoreless innings in relief during the final game of the tournament against Dartmouth.

PICKED FOURTH IN THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
Colgate was chosen to finish fourth in the 2011 preseason Patriot League poll. Bucknell was picked first with 44 points and six first-place votes, while Army and Lehigh tied for second with 40 points and three first-place votes apiece. Rounding out the poll in order was Colgate (26 points), Holy Cross (20), and Lafayette (10).

SCOUTING WAGNER
The Seahawks (0-9) will be concluding their trip to the Rebel Spring Games against the Raiders on Saturday. Wagner opened the 2011 season with five straight losses at the USF Under Armour Invitational and then followed with four more to begin the Rebel Spring Games. Two of the Seahawks losses came against Patriot League foes Lehigh (8-0) and Holy Cross (6-3). Wagner is led in the circle by Judy Betz who has pitched three complete games with a 2.74 ERA and 13 strikeouts, while Ashley Olsen is hitting .313 with two RBI. Colgate leads the all-time series against the Seahawks 2-1 while all three games have been played in Kissimmee, Fla.

SCOUTING SACRED HEART
The Pioneers (4-5) enter this weekend after winning a pair of games against Temple (9-2) and Eastern Kentucky (4-1). Sacred Heart will play a double header on Friday against Holy Cross and Lehigh before facing Detroit-Mercy and Colgate on Saturday. The Pioneers are led by Courtney Lee, who was named the NEC Player of the Week, after hitting four homeruns with 11 RBI in the first five games of the season. The first baseman slugged an impressive 1.222 and went 9-for-18 at the plate for a .500 batting average. This will be the third game between Colgate and Sacred Heart with the all-time series tied 1-1. The Raiders won the last meeting 4-0 in 2007.

SCOUTING SIENA
The Saints (3-4) enter the Rebel Spring Games after dropping a pair of games to Liberty (11-3) and UMBC (6-1) at the Retriever Classic in Baltimore, Md. Siena is led by freshman Jessika - Jo Sandrini, who was named the MAAC Player of the Week, after hitting .833 (5-for-6) at the tournament, with a double, a triple, two runs scored, an RBI, and a stolen base. Sandrini also shined in the circle, where she threw a complete-game, two-hit shutout of Princeton while striking out five hitters. This will be the 51st meeting between Colgate and Siena with the Raiders leading the all-time series 36-14.

SCOUTING BUTLER
The Bulldogs (2-5) dropped a pair of games at the Lady Bison Classic to Lipscomb (2-0) and Eastern Illinois (6-0) last weekend. Butler is led by senior Jennifer Chasteen, who was named Horizon League Softball Pitcher of the Week, after tossing a complete game shutout to lead Butler to a 5-0 victory over Appalachian State in the four-team weekend tournament hosted by Lipscomb. This will be the second meeting between Colgate and Butler with the Bulldogs leading the series 1-0.