Games 30 and 31: UMBC (19-14) at Mount St. Mary's (9-21)
When: Thu, Apr. 14, 2011, 2:30 p.m.
Where: Our Lady of The Meadows Field, Emmitsburg, Md.

Series Information: UMBC leads 32-4
Last Meeting: Mount (9-0) 3-4-11
First Meeting: UMBC (0-22) 4-27-91
Last Mount Win: (9-0) 3-4-11

Opening Pitch: Thursday's doubleheader between Mount St. Mary's and UMBC marks the 37th and 38th meetings in the all-time series dating back to the 1990 season. UMBC leads the series 32-4, but the Mount won the last game at the UMBC tournament earlier this year.

The Word On UMBC: The Retrievers come into the contest 19-14 after falling 5-3 to Boston University on Sunday. Julia Culotta leads the team with a .413 batting average, 38 hits, 29 runs scored, six homeruns, and 23 RBIs. Katie Ferguson is batting a .359 with 37 hits, five homeruns, 25 runs, and 24 RBIs, while Lauren Brummell is batting .333 with 39 hits, 20 runs, four homeruns, and 28 RBIs. Stephanie Weigman leads the pitching staff with a 12-8 record, a 3.01 ERA and 95 strikeouts in 116.1 innings.

Last Time We Met: Amanda Sadowl tossed a three-hit shutout and Beth Everist sparked the offense with a 4-for-4 performance and three RBIs to lead Mount St. Mary's past UMBC 9-0 in the second game of the UMBC Tournament on Mar. 4, 2011. Taylor Beebe added three hits, two runs scored and an RBI against the Retrievers while Erin Leddy posted two hits, a run scored and an RBI in the game.

Last Time Out: Wagner swept a doubleheader against Mount St. Mary's on Sunday. The Seahawks took the opener 4-2 and then won the nightcap 2-0. Chloe Mizianty paced the Mount with three hits and a run scored while Courtney Mason went 2-for-2 in the second game.

Next On Tap: Mount St. Mary's returns to Our Lady of the Meadows Field for conference play against Bryant on Saturday and then St. Francis, (Pa.) on Sunday.

Reeder Playing The The Top-10 Tune: Senior Nicole Reeder ranks in the Top-10 in five categories for her career and its knocking on the Top-10 in two categories. The senior is third in games played (181) and can move ahead of former teammate Lisa Curreri (184, 2007-10) for second by with three games played. Reeder also ranks ninth in RBIs (65) with Erica Barone (67, 1998-01) two RBIs ahead of her. She is fourth in walks (54), one behind Ashley Monsour (55, 2004-07) in third place. Reeder ranks fourth in plate appearances (490) with teammate Courtney Zingle (515) directly ahead of Reeder. The senior moved into sixth place for doubles (24) with teammate Taylor Beebe (27) and Nicki Trumpler (27, 1996-99) next on the list. Reeder is also 10 hits, four home runs and four total bases from cracking the Top-10 in each of those categories.

Top-10 Has A Nice Zing For Courtney: Senior Courtney Zingle ranks in the Top-10 in seven offensive career categories. Zingle is tied in fourth in games played (174) with Sarah Ramsburg (174, 2003-06) with teammate Nicole Reeder (181) next on the line. The senior is also third in at-bats (515) with former teammate Lisa Curreri (556, 2007-10) next on the list. She also ranks fourth for runs scored (80), needing 11 to pass Patti Schaefer (90, 1983-86). Zingle stands fourth in hits (143) with Danyale Goode (149, 2003-06) next up on the list. The senior is fourth in RBIs (74) with teammate Beth Everist (80) sitting in third place. Zingle also stands fifth in total bases (191) and only three behind Erica Barone (194, 1998-01) who is sitting in fourth place. Zingle also recently moved into ninth place for career homer runs with nine, needing one to tie three former players for sixth place.

Mounting The Top-10 For Everist: Senior Beth Everist ranks in the Top-10 in home runs, RBIs and total bases and is climbing toward the Top-10 in two other categories. The senior is second in home runs (16) with all-time leader Danyale Goode (18, 2003-06) the only person ahead of Everist. She also sits third in RBIs (80) with Goode (82) next on the list. The senior just joined the Top-10 in total bases with 164 with Nicki Trmpler (185) next up. Everist can move into the Top-10 with 30 hits and one double.

Taylor Made For Top-10: Junior Taylor Beebe is tied fourth with 27 career doubles with Erica Barone (30, 1998-01) in third place. The junior posted 14 doubles in her freshman year, which was the second most in program history for a single season. The junior moved into fifth place for bases on balls (50) with teammate Nicole Reeder (54) next on the list. Beebe moved into seventh place for runs scored (71) with Heather Macready (72, 1998-01) and Tonia Bruno (79, 1994-97) the next two on the list. She can also join the Top-10 with 36 hits, four home runs and 23 total bases.

All Hanson On Top-10: Senior Amanda Hanson ranks in the Top-10 for her career in games pitched, wins, innings pitched and strikeouts. The senior is fifth in games pitched (76) with Alicia Moraca (88, 2000-03) next on the list. Hanson ranks 10th in wins (14), two behind Haynie in ninth place. She also stands in ninth place for innings pitched (328.1) with Jamie Mataldi (356.0) next on the list. Hanson is also seventh in strikeouts and can become the sixth pitcher in program history with 200 punchouts with 18 strikeouts. Next on the list in strikeouts is Allison Moraca (212, 2000-03).

Sadowl Pitching Her Way Into The Top-10 Too: Junior Amanda Sadowl ranks eighth in program history in games pitched (70). She also sits in seventh place in wins (21). Sadowl became the seventh player in program history to become a 20-game winner and needs two wins to move ahead of Sue Merolla (22, 1985-88) for sixth place. Sadowl is ninth in strikeouts (137) and needs nine Ks to move ahead of Haynie (141). The junior moved into the Top-10 for innings pitched (317.2)

UMBC All-Tournament Team: Beth Everist, Erin Leddy and Amanda Sadowl were named to the UMBC Tournament All-Tournament team. Everist batted .500 (5-for-10) in the three games with two runs scored a double and four RBIs. The senior went 4-for-4 with a double and three RBIs in a 9-0 win against UMBC on Friday. Everist also smacked her first home run of the season in the second inning against Iona to help the Mountaineers rally to a 4-3 victory against the Gaels. Leddy hit .375 (3-for-8) in the tournament with two runs scored, a homer and four RBIs. The sophomore propelled the Mount to the win against Iona with a three-run home run in the fifth inning to erase a 2-1 deficit and hand the Mountaineers the lead for good. Leddy coaxed a bases loaded RBI walk against the Retrievers and registered two hits in a 2-1 loss against Liberty on Friday. Sadowl tossed a three-hit complete-game shutout with four strikeouts in the win against UMBC. The right-hander scattered three hits and did not allow a runner past second base in the victory.

For Openers: Mount St. Mary's won its season open for the second-straight season and the third time in the last five years. Head coach Anna Nagro became the first coach in program history to win in her first game as a Mount head coach.

In Their Debut: Freshmen Katy Bobbitt and Cat Clifford both made their collegiate debut in the starting lineup against George Mason on Mar. 2. Bobbitt picked up her first collegiate hit in the seventh inning of the first game against the Patriots. Clifford notched her first collegiate hit against UMBC on Mar. 4. Fellow freshmen Courtney Mason and Lindsay Ruhle saw their first collegiate action as pinch runners in the second game against George Mason while Bre Lohman and Alyssa Silipino were used as pinch hitters against the Retrievers for their first college appearance.

Preseason Poll: The Mount St. Mary's softball team has been picked eighth in the Northeast Conference preseason poll. Long Island, who has won the NEC championship seven times in the last 10 years, nabbed nine of the 11 first-place votes to be selected as the preseason favorite. Monmouth garnered the other two first-place nods to finish second in the poll while Robert Morris, Quinnipiac, Sacred Heart, Central Connecticut State, Wagner, the Mount, Bryant, Saint Francis (Pa.) and Fairleigh Dickinson rounded out the 11-team poll.

All-Conference Returners: Mount St. Mary's returns junior 2010 All-NEC second-team selection Taylor Beebe for the 2011 season. Fellow junior Liz Christiansen was named to the 2010 All-NEC first team and the inaugural Defensive Player of the Year, but will miss the season due to an injury.

The Roster: The 2011 softball roster is composed of five seniors, four juniors, five sophomores and six freshmen. Junior Liz Christiansen will sit out the year and red shirt due to an injury.

New To The Mountain: Along with first-year head coach Anna Nagro, freshmen Katy Bobbitt, Cat Clifford, Bre Lohman, Courtney Mason, Lindsey Ruhle and Alyssa Silipino join the softball team this season.

Local Products: Senior Jenna Zimmerman, a 2007 graduate of Walkersville High School, registered 54 hits, 32 runs scored, six doubles, a homer and 25 RBIs in her first two seasons at the Mount. Sophomore Emily Wilson joins the team after graduating from Tuscarora in 2009.

About The Coach: Anna Nagro enters her first season as the head coach of the Mount softball team. She comes the Mount from D'Youville College, a Division III program in Buffalo, N.Y. In three seasons with the Spartans, Nagro led the team to 42 victories. She took over a team that was coming off a 5-21 season in 2007 and guided the team to a 15-22 overall mark and 11-7 in conference for a 10-game improvement in her first season. D'Youville then went 17-17 overall and 13-3 in league play in her second season and the squad's final year in the Northeastern Athletic Conference.

Wivell Returns To The Field: Former Mount softball standout Jen (Sansevero) Wivell will be in her first season as an assistant coach at the Mount. Wivell garnered All-Northeast Conference second-team honors as a designated player in 2003 after batting .362 with five runs, 17 hits, seven doubles and eight RBI in NEC action. A two-year captain, Wivell left the Mount as the all-time leader in bases on balls (48) and currently sits in third place in the category.