USP
Women's Softball
Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 30, 2008
Morgan Named ECAC Division II Softball Pitcher of the Week
Centerville, Mass. (4/30/08) – Fresh off earning Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Softball Pitcher of the Week honors, University of the Sciences in Philadelphia softball player Rachel Morgan (Clackamas High School/Clackamas, Ore.) was announced today as the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division II Softball Pitcher of the Week in recognition of her performance during the week ending April 27, 2008.
The ECAC is the nation's largest athletic and the only multi-divisional conference in the country with 321 Divisions I, II, and III colleges and universities. The ECAC stretches from Maine to Georgia and westerly to Illinois. Established in 1938, the ECAC, a non-profit service organization, sponsors 98 championships in 37 men's and women's sports. ECAC Division II consists of 41 schools from the Northeast Region conferences (Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC), Northeast-10 Conference, and East Coast Conference (ECC)) as well as some members of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference.
Morgan is the first softball pitcher in school history to be honored by the ECAC. The sophomore hurler helped lead the Devils to a 5-1 week and a berth in the upcoming CACC playoffs, posting a perfect 4-0 record along with one her first career save.
Morgan opened the week throwing her third shutout of the season, an eight-inning 1-0 effort against Holy Family University on Tuesday. Rachel allowed just three hits while striking out nine batters to earn the win. The 5’5’ right-hander later pitched 2 2/3 innings of scoreless relief in the nightcap to earn her second win of the week. With 10 strikeouts on the day, Morgan became the first USP pitcher to record 100 or more strikeouts in a season.
The former Clackamas High School pitcher earned her third win of the week on Thursday, picking up her 12th complete game of the season as USP defeated Philadelphia University 10-2. Morgan allowed just four hits while striking out ten. The victory was Morgan’s 10th of the season, becoming just the third softball pitcher in school history to record 10 or more wins in a season and the first since 1995. In game two, Rachel came in with the tying runs on base in the seventh inning and shut down the Rams to pick up her first career save.
Morgan’s fourth win of the week came on Saturday in the team’s regular season home finale. Rachel pitched all ten innings as the Devils defeated Dominican College 3-2 to earn their 12th CACC win. Morgan gave up seven hits and two runs while striking out six.
For the week, Morgan recorded 27 strikeouts in 29.1 innings of work, giving up just 4 earned runs for a 0.95 earned run average. Opponents batted just .157 against the right-handed hurler this week.
The former Clackamas High School athlete is in her second season as a member of the Devils softball squad. Morgan currently leads the team in virtually all pitching categories and is ranks third in the league in earned run average (1.36), third in strikouts/7 ins. (6.71), third in opponent’s batting average (.216), sixth in strikeouts (123), and seventh in wins (11), appearances (25) and shutouts (3).
Morgan is a pharmaceutical marketing/management major at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia.
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University of the Sciences in Philadelphia
Department of Athletics
600 S. 43rd Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104
215-895-3133
r.heller@usip.edu
http://www.usip.edu/sb/