2015 Diamond 9 Citrus Classic
Friday, Feb. 27: Nebraska-Omaha vs. Georgetown, 1:15 p.m.
Georgetown vs. Notre Dame, 5:45 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 28: Indiana vs. Georgetown, 1:15 p.m.
Georgetown vs. Fordham, 5:45 p.m.
Sunday, March 1: Georgetown vs. Mississippi State, 10 a.m.

WASHINGTON - After a winter storm canceled last weekend's games in Greensboro, N.C., the Hoyas are back in action this weekend as they travel to Orlando, Fla., to participate in the Diamond 9 Citrus Classic taking place at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. The weekend tournament will see Georgetown play five games, the first coming against the University of Nebraska-Omaha on Friday at 1:15 p.m., and includes meetings against Indiana and 2014 NCAA tournament participants Notre Dame, Fordham and Mississippi State.

"Every weekend that we play our competition gets a little bit tougher," Head Coach Pat Conlan said. "But we're always focused on what we're doing. If we take care of our game, have a good offensive approach, have solid defense and a good pitching effort we'll be in every game."

The Hoyas go into the weekend sitting at 5-3, and having won three of their last four. The last victory was an 11-3 final against UNC Wilmington on Feb. 14 at the Landfall Park Hampton Inn and Suites Invitational in Wilmington. N.C.

Senior pitcher Megan Hyson (Pasadena, Md./Chesepeake) went 3-0 over the weekend, posting an ERA of 0.41 over 17.0 innings of work on the mound. She struck out 18 batters and also knocked in a pair of runs and scored three times over the weekend. For her effort she was named the BIG EAST Pitcher of the Week on Feb. 16, it was the third time in her career she was given the honor. Through eight games, Hyson is second in the conference in ERA at 0.86 and she leads the league in strikeouts with 42.

Sophia Gargicevich-Almeida (Riverside, Calif./Martin Luther King) was also recognized for her work over the weekend in which she batted .250 with four BRI, two runs, a triple, a stolen base and hit her third home run of the season. The senior leads the team in homeruns, with three and also has a slugging percentage of .750.

Gargicevich-Almeida is one of five Hoyas who are batting over .290 through eight games. As a team, GU is batting .292, which is .105 higher than this time last year. Samantha Giovanniello (Floral Park, N.Y./Floral Park Memorial) leads the team in RBI with nine and she is currently second in the conference in doubles with four.

Georgetown will be competing against Fordham, Indiana and the University of Nebraska-Omaha for the first time this weekend. The meetings against Notre Dame and Mississippi State will be the seventh and fourth, respectively, between the schools.

Nebraska-Omaha

The Mavericks sit at 5-4 and will be playing for the first time since Feb. 14 as the Red & Blue Classic scheduled for Feb. 20-22 in Oxford, Miss., was canceled due to weather. Prior to that, UNO went 3-1 at the Eagle Challenge in Apex, N.C. Kelly Pattison leads all batters for the Mavericks with an average of .433. She has five home runs, nine RBI, 13 hits and boasts a slugging percentage of .933. Kat Barrow has an ERA of 2.22 over 28.1 innings of work. She sits at 3-2 and has struck out 14 batters.

Notre Dame

No. 23/24 Notre Dame currently sits at 9-5, and is riding a four-game win streak, which includes a 5-1 win over No. 25 Texas and No. 8/8 Georgia at the 2015 Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic that took place Feb. 19-21 in Cathedral City, Calif. Katey Haus leads the Fighting Irish with a batting average of .439, five home runs, 12 RBI and a slugging percentage of .829. She is second on the team with 18 hits. Rachel Nasland leads all pitchers for Notre Dame at 50.0 innings pitched. She has an ERA of 2.10 with 43 strikeouts. Her record sits at 3-2.

The Fighting Irish lead the all-time series 8-0. The last meeting was a 15-3 victory by Notre Dame at Guy Mason Field in 2013.

Indiana

The Hoosiers come into the weekend sitting at 2-13. Indiana lost its last five games, which took place at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic. The Hoosiers dropped games versus the No. 8-ranked Georgia Bulldogs and No. 12 UCLA. Shannon Crowley leads the team in home runs with four, while also recording 13 hits, 13 RBI, a .551 slugging percentage and is hitting .265. Lora Olsen is one of two pitchers with a record of 1-6. She has recorded 47.1 innings on the mound and has an ERA of 5.62, striking out 26 batters.

Fordham

The Rams are 8-5 following a weekend that saw them go 2-1 at the Paladin Classic in Greenville, S.C. Brianna Turgeon is leading the team in RBI with 11 and also has a team-high four home runs. She has a slugging percentage of .629 and is hitting .257. Rachel Gillen has pitched five games for the Rams, going 4-1 on the mound. She has an ERA of 1.88 and has struck out 54 batters over 41.0 innings of work.

Mississippi State

The Bulldogs sit at 13-2 and are currently receiving votes in the USA Today/National Fastpitch Coaches Association poll. Mississippi State has gone 4-1 in its last four games, dropping a 5-4 midweek contest at UAB on Feb. 24. Caroline Seitz leads the way for the Lady Bulldogs with seven home runs to accompany her 21 RBI and 17 hits. Seitz is batting .315 and slugging at a .759 clip. Alexis Silkwood has a record of 11-7 on the mound for Mississippi State. She has an ERA of 2.25 with 73 strikeouts over 53.0 innings of work.