April 28, 2001

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - A challenging weekend of conference softball is in store for the Maryland Terrapins. The Terp softball squad (35-17, 1-3 ACC/SASA) welcomes ACC/SASA rivals North Carolina (RV) and East Carolina to College Park on Saturday and Sunday, both on hot streaks. Maryland meets the Tar Heels and Pirates in this weekend's doubleheaders, both at 1 p.m., as the Terps come down the home stretch of conference play at home.

The Terrapins had been playing their finest softball of the season, winning 13 games in a row, and 18 out of 20, before falling in four of the last five contests. Three of those games, however, were decided by only one run and two of them saw late Terp rallies fall just short. Maryland's squad looks to step up this weekend and make waves in the conference, hoping to prove itself among the elite teams in the ACC and in the region.

Terp Seniors To Be Honored On Sunday
The Department of Intercollegiate Athletics will thank the softball squad's seniors for their dedicated service to their team and to the Maryland campus community. Seniors Annmarie Browne (Lansdale, Pa.), Michelle Burrell (Owego, N.Y.), Jennifer Potzman (Trexlertown, Pa.) and Jenn Shellhammer (Slatington, Pa.) will be honored on Sunday as part of the last home event of the 2001 season.

Leading Off
Terp senior Michelle Burrell has done a stellar job as the leadoff batter in the Terps' lineup, especially of late. The centerfielder, who leads the Terrapins with a .320 batting average, 15 doubles, 30 runs scored and six stolen bases, is currently riding a season high-tying eight game hit streak. Burrell is 14-for-31 (.452) with three doubles, three runs scored and four RBI since her streak began on April 14. The four-year starter has at least one hit in 75% of all games this season.

Bettker Dominates On The Mound
Terp junior Amanda Bettker (St. Petersburg, Fla.) has been incredible in the pitchers' circle all season long. The ace of the versatile and deep pitching rotation leads ACC's second rated staff with a 13-4 record and 120 strikeouts in 119.1 innings pitched.

The junior has tossed 11 shutouts on the season, including five in her last six starts. In 36.2 innings over the last six contests, Bettker has fanned 38 and allowed only 3 runs for a 0.58 ERA.

She's Back!
After a shoulder injury caused a red-hot Kiesha Pickeral (Hughesville, Md.) to miss six games, questions arose as to whether she could get back to the high level of performance prior to her injury. After reaching base only once during the Virginia doubleheader, the junior stalwart put all questions to rest at Towson with a 5-for-7 (.714), two-run, two-RBI effort. Pickeral, the Terps' leader with a .522 slugging percentage, also displayed her awesome power with a double to the right field warning track and a towering homer run to left, her eighth of the season.

Bombs Away
Visitors to the North Softball Complex have had good reason to invest in protective headgear this season and it is not beacuse of the construction of Maryland's new Comcast Center. Though the formidable structure is coming along nicely behind home plate, Terp batters have dropped their share of bombs, totaling 21 homers to date in 2001.

Leading the way has been Maryland's junior slugger tandem of first baseman Kiesha Pickeral and catcher Beth Radford (Dunkirk, Md.) who have eight homers apiece. Both threaten Maryland's single-season homer run record, set when Kelly Shipman hit nine in 1999. With seven dingers as a freshman, eight as a sophomore and eight this season, Radford's 23 total have overtaken Shipman's 19 as Maryland's new all-time total. Pickeral now stands in third with 16 for her career.

Go Ahead, Make Her Day
While the Terrapins have been successful in 22 out of 23 stolen base attempts, opponents have certainly not been so lucky. Junior Beth Radford has gunned down nearly half of opposing base stealers -- 11 out of 24 or 46%.

Scouting North Carolina: Tar Heel Tidbits
North Carolina comes into the weekend with a 32-17-1 record and a 4-2 slate in the South Atlantic Softball Alliance. The Tar Heels swept UNC Greensboro in a doubleheader on April 24 to extend their current win streak to five games.

Junior catcher Natalie Anter leads the Tar Heels with a .336 batting average and 14 doubles, while senior Michelle Semmes boasts a .306 average and a team-high 30 RBI. Junior Kelly Ramsey is a threat to go deep, totaling five home runs on the season.

In the pitcher's circle, senior Radara McHugh owns an impressive 19-10 record and a 0.96 ERA. Sophomore counterpart Michael Parrott is 13-7 with a 2.10 average.

Head coach Donna Papa is in her 16th season in the Carolina dugout. She has amassed a 554-327-3 record with the Heels, and led UNC to a second-place ACC finish a season ago.

The Terrapins trail 6-11 in the all-time series, but defeated Carolina in their last meeting at 2000's ACC Tournament. Maryland swept the Tar Heels the last time they were in College Park, 9-3 and 5-4 in 1999.

Scouting East Carolina: Profiling The Pirates
The Pirates face the Terrapins on Sunday after a Saturday meeting with UMBC. East Carolina enters its match-up with the Retrievers with a 45-20 record and four straight victories. ECU's SASA slate stands at 2-2.

Junior Angela Manzo paces the Pirates with a .387 batting average, 20 doubles and 46 RBI. Senior Keisha Shepperson checks in at .385 with a Pirate-leading six homers, while junior Eva Herron hits at a .313 clip.

ECU's top hurler looks to be sophomore Laurie Davidson, possessor of a 1.52 ERA. Senior Lisa Paganini owns a 13-5 record and helps contribute to a 2.22 team ERA.

Head coach Tracey Kee has compiled a 247-102 record at her alma mater. The Pirates put together a 60-17 overall slate in 2000 but went only 2-8 in SASA play.

The Terps hold a 3-2 edge over ECU all-time after a split in Greenville last season, which was the Pirates' first year in the league.