Woolard out to lunch with alumni

Doug Woolard found time to take a flight in from St. Louis on Thursday to grab lunch in Tampa.

His term as athletic director doesn’t begin until June 14, but he and some USF coaches started early in an effort to reach USF fans and alumni throughout the state.

Jim Leavitt, Robert McCullum and Woolard each spoke at the luncheon, held as the first of 10 events in downtown Tampa. The USF Alumni Association and the Bulls Club partnered up and scheduled 10 Around the Horns events.

Various coaches will speak at events around the state. McCullum will attend all 10 events and Leavitt will attend nine. USF president Judy Genshaft is scheduled to speak June 9 at College Hall on the USF Sarasota campus.

Ellis pitches first game as a pro

Leigh Ann Ellis, the Bulls’ star pitcher on this year’s record-breaking NCAA regional team, tossed a two-hitter in her professional debut for the New England Riptides of the National Pro Fastpitch League. The 2-0 loss was the first time on the mound for the team who signed her to a contract less than a week ago. Ellis is the all-time Bulls wins leader, going 43-8 in a year that turned out to be the best in the history of USF softball. The contract signing came on the heels of an NCAA regional performance that saw Ellis fire 36 Ks in 28 innings, posting a 2.00 ERA against some of the top competition in the nation.

Women’s soccer team releases schedule

Friday, the Bulls released their 2004 schedule, full of match-ups marking the last go round in Conference USA. The Bulls, who move to the Big East next year, will look to build on a successful 2003 campaign that saw them just miss the C-USA regular season championship. Coach Logan Fleck will lead his team against the regular fare of conference foes, including Saint Louis, who knocked the Bulls out of the conference tourney. A trip to Tallahassee highlights the Bulls’ schedule, pairing the team against an FSU squad that made the Final Four last year.