Softball Heads to UNLV's Rebel Classic This Weekend

Tournament Central
 
Bronx, N.Y. – The Fordham softball team (3-2) is coming off a successful opening weekend at the Ragin' Cajuns Classic and now transitions to this weekend's Boyd Gaming Rebel Classic, hosted by UNLV (5-0). The Rams will kick things off on Thursday afternoon at 4 p.m. ET against BYU (1-3) before playing the hosts immediately after. On Friday, Fordham will play Seattle (1-4) (12 p.m. ET) and Hawaii (4-1) (4:30 p.m. ET) before wrapping things up with Utah Valley (3-2) at 2 p.m. ET on Saturday.
 
See the Tournament Central link above for live stats links for the other games.  
 
Last Time Out
The Rams left the Ragin' Cajuns Classic with a winning record last week, defeating Texas A&M Corpus Christi and Incarnate Word (twice) but falling to nationally-ranked Louisiana and RV/RV California in the tournament finale. Junior tri-captain Madie Aughinbaugh paced the offense with a .529/.474/.647 slash line with nine hits, two doubles, four runs, and six runs batted in, while senior Molly Roark matched last year's total of three home runs, two coming in the same game against Incarnate Word, to lead the team with eight RBI. Fellow tri-captain Chelsea Skrepenak, meanwhile, slashed .400/.526/.667 with a team-high six runs scored and four walks, plus her first home run of the new season. Some other firsts for the squad include Rachel Hubertus' first home run, Gianna Ranieri's first hits and RBI, freshman Sarah Taffet's first career hits and runs, a pair of doubles and a single in one game against Incarnate Word, and wins for both Anne Marie Prentiss and Makenzie McGrath. Prentiss made her first career start, went the distance, and picked up the win against Texas A&M Corpus Christi, while McGrath notched her first win with four innings of one-run ball in relief against Incarnate Word.

Series Histories
BYU – The two schools have met twice before, first in 2014 and, most recently, in the 2017 NCAA Salt Lake City Regional, where the #21 Cougars won, 12-1, in five innings. Aughinbaugh and Skrepenak both appeared in the contest, with the latter walking in her lone at-bat to lead off the third and scoring after advancing on the former's groundout and then Sydney Canessa's RBI triple.   
UNLV, Seattle, Hawaii, & Utah Valley – This will be the first-ever meetings between Fordham and these schools.  
 
Program Ranks
Madi Shaw and Lauren Quense left the program within the top-five of numerous all-time categories as one of the best hitters and pitchers in school history, respectively. As the 2019 season begins, one current player continues her climb up several lists in the record book – junior Madie Aughinbaugh. The Port Tobacco, Md. native currently sits eight all-time with 35 wins, 10^th with 201 strikeouts, joint-fifth with 11 shutouts, and eighth with a career 2.57 ERA. With her final start this past weekend, the junior joined the all-time top-10s in appearances (70), starts (50), and complete games (29). Senior Chelsea Skrepenak is also on pace to join the record book in runs scored, walks, and a few others. Check out the softball record book HERE.
 
Fordham Announces Melissa Inouye as Head Coach
Replacing 17-year head coach Bridget Orchard this summer is former assistant coach Melissa Inouye, who spent the past six seasons at nearby Iona College, taking the Gaels to one NCAA Tournament and one NISC Tournament, the latter after a MAAC regular season championship. Inouye, a two-time MAAC Coach of the Year, brings along her assistant Matt Klampert to the same position and added former Dartmouth standout and Saint Francis graduate assistant coach Katie McEachern to her staff.
 
2019 Schedule
After this weekend's tournament, the Rams next head to Orlando and Disney's Wide World of Sports complex for the annual Diamond 9 Citrus Classic to round out February. Fordham will then participate in the I-75 Challenge, with doubleheaders at Georgia Tech and Georgia State, plus a one-off at Kennesaw State. Fordham will return home for its first contest of the year at Bahoshy against Lafayette on March 6^th at 3 p.m. before heading back south for the Mercer Classic in Macon, Ga. Following that final preseason tournament, the Rams will play at Stony Brook on March 19^th before conference play begins in earnest at George Washington on March 23^rd. See the entire schedule here.
 
Fordham Picked to Finish Second in Preseason Coaches' Poll
For the first time in seven years, the Rams have not been predicted by the league's coaches to finish atop the A-10 standings. Instead, Fordham has been picked to finish in a tie with Dayton for second. Read more about the annul preseason poll here.
 
Like a year ago, Fordham received nine of 10 possible first-place votes and 99 points from the league's head coaches and have thus been picked to successfully defend its Atlantic 10 championship for a sixth consecutive year. You can read more about that, here. The Rams have won five straight tournament titles and six of the last seven, plus five regular season titles, as well, in the past eight years.
 
Fordham Softball Archived Stories
Read up on Fordham's offseason turnover, season previews, game previews and recaps. Read all of the team's archived stories from this season and beyond, here.
 
Fordham Quick Facts
You can find this season's full schedule, roster, and quick facts, plus last year's season statistics, all here.
 
Up Next
Fordham wraps up February with the Diamond 9 Citrus Classic at Disney's Wide World of Sports complex in Orlando against RV/RV Notre Dame, Iowa (twice), Morgan State, and UAB between February 22-24.
 
Continue to keep up to date with the program on social media: @FordhamSoftball on Twitter and Instagram, and here at FordhamSports.com!
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